Sutherland should retain position
To the Editor,
Over the next weeks, the race for Commissioner of Public Lands will be decided. To whom will we entrust the oversight of our State lands—a crown jewel for the people of Washington?
Doug Sutherland has served us well as Land’s Commissioner and I have come to admire and respect him for who he is. He is someone I can inherently trust—not to work for his own self interest but simply to act as steward of Washington’s great natural resource and to lead those who manage it.
For eight years, as a professional forester watching from the sidelines, I have observed a rebuilding of the Department of Natural Resources. When Doug took over leadership in 2001, morale was at an all time low. In the years since, Doug has worked tirelessly to transform the Department and regain the confidence of the people of Washington. He knows the resource well and understands the balance that is needed to bring solutions.
In the end, I cast my vote for Doug Sutherland for all of these reasons, but mostly because I trust him to safeguard and protect the State lands of Washington to the benefit of each and every one of us.
Nathan Putnam
Glenwood
Johnston sounds like a politician
To the Editor,
I’ve never met Rex Johnston, nor have I ever spoken with Lea Rachford. I’ve never even written a letter to The Sentinel, but I was sufficiently moved to do so by Johnston’s contribution to your special election roundup.
When asked to name a few problems the county can fix, Johnston failed to name a single one – an achievement of such stirring omission that I thought, for a moment, he might be a professional politician.
Johnston called for changes within the federal Forest Service, new state water laws and, with righteous zeal, demanded war on perfidious environmentalists hiding within our midst.
Not only does he want enviros banned from courtrooms (a notion that might run afoul of a pesky document called the U.S. Constitution), but he demands the perps be “exposed to the residents of the county.”
Got my blood boiling, all right!
Yet he certainly didn’t mention any real issues facing the county – specifically ones that our commissioners should tackle.
So, I’m thinking that Rex might be running for the wrong office. I suggest we withhold our votes from Johnston and set him up to run next time for the Legislature (water laws), or Congress (forestry), or he could quickly become a lawyer and hope for nomination to the U.S Supreme Court, where he can lead the war on individual liberties.
Don McManman
Goldendale
Fewer events means less hotel/motel tax
To the Editor,
I may be in the minority here, but I think it is a good thing the mayor is chasing away the activities our coordinator worked so hard to bring here. I mean, if she isn’t going to support the activities that are bringing in money to the town by way of motel and food taxes and gas and grocery purchases, then it is reasonable to think that said businesses shouldn’t have to pay this tax generated by these tourists.
In this robust economy we are enjoying right now we can do without the extra money these events bring in. I find it really annoying that when I go on vacation and tell people where I am from everyone knows the town and the area. They have attended events at the museum, concerts at Maryhill winery, viewed the war memorial and even attended the Blues jam up at Pine Springs. I’m pretty sure none of those people have spent a dime inside city limits.
Yeah, I think we should just keep all of our treasures to ourselves. After they close up shop and board up all their windows at least we’ll have the memories.
Ken Hageman
Goldendale
Free market still needs regulations
To the Editor,
Like Senator McCain, I admit not knowing much about the economy. But it seems to me that at the heart of the economic crunch today lies Adam Smith’s questionable assumption that there is some kind of “invisible hand” guiding the free market transactions of capitalism.
The idea strikes me as a bit too mystical, the presumption that there is a quasi-divine watching wisely over, and occasionally intervening in, the otherwise lightly regulated workings of Wall Street. Judging from the events of the past few weeks, it seems that this god of Adam Smith’s has failed.
As a people, we detest being “regulated”. So when the Reagan Administration began its era of deregulation in 1978, hope revived that Adam Smith’s god might still be alive and well and benevolently guiding our free enterprise system. Today, even the staunchest believers in the “invisible hand” are calling for a more visible one, this time attached to the arm of a responsible agency.
My question is simply this: granted that we do get out of this mess, will we again forget the lessons of history and allow it to repeat itself in the next 40 years?
David Duncombe
White Salmon
City shooting itself in the foot
To the Editor,
Here again the mayor and the city manager seem to be shooting themselves in the foot each week. To start with, there are very few events that use the City of Goldendale. After what has been said there probably will be very little now. All of the motorcycle events go to Eddieville, but they come to Goldendale for food, drink and fuel. They also use the car wash facilities in town. They bring dollars to our city. The Rock Crawlers spend money on food and lodging and fuel.
Every time I read The Sentinel I see more negative remarks about events. Just what does the mayor really want? At the rate you are going you could have the privilege of turning this town into a Centerville. That would be quite a picture in the history books.
I feel you have deceived the voters of Goldendale with your agenda. You should resign and go back to what you were doing before all this mess.
Don Bailey
Goldendale
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