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Newspaper Archive of
Shelton Mason County Journal
Shelton, Washington
September 3, 2020     Shelton Mason County Journal
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September 3, 2020
 
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Page A-6 - Shelton-Mason County Journal Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020 LETTERS, from page Gaming the system? Editor, the Journal, The last section of Lawsuit (No. 3:20-cv—O5423) is Section VII Prayer For Relief, and Line 330 states —- “Such other and further relief as the court shall deem just and appropriate.” These 5 May 2020 lawsuit words are from four current Republican lawmakers (Drew MacEwen, Andrew Barkis, Chris Corry and Brandon Vick) and four regular citizens suing Gov. Jay Inslee over the coronavirus stay—home order, contending the “emer- gency has been contained.” The recent number of new COVID-19 cases and total number of deaths across the state says it is “not” contained. Yes, MacEwen is indeed one of the plaintiffs and he is currently a legislative representative for the 35th Legislative District and he is running again for another term. When I read the lawsuit, I got the distinct feel- ing that these four lawmakers were “gaming” the system to line their own pockets. These lawmak- ers are in a position of “public trust” and it seems by their behavior they have been tutored very well by the “White House Tribe” on how to game and scam the system for their own personal gain. The plaintiffs also want a “jury trial.” Maybe by having a jury it will solicit additional sympathy in order to up the ante on their pain and suffering compensa- tion. ' In the lawsuit, MacEwen contended that he was lesing money every day due to the proclama— tion. Well no kidding, Sherlock. So was every single shut-down business owner across the state of Washington. There was no mention of trying to get compensation via a class-action lawsuit for these tens of thousands and thousands of other business owners in the lawsuit filed by MacEwen. I wonder why? Maybe those other business owners that were losing money just “slipped his mind.” I really have a zero tolerance level for this kind of behavior from an elected official. So readers, what is your toler- ance level on this issue? Earl W. Burt Bremerton Tell the truth Editor, the Journal, . The Republican Senate Intelligence Committee published a 1,000-page report documenting how Trump, his family and his associates conspired with Russia and Russian intelligence agencies to rig his 2016 election. Republican supporters did not hear of it on FOX propaganda but it is fact: Republicans said it. They knew and ignored these facts during the “impeach- ment,” with one exception. Earlier, Republicans admitted it in 2018 and Trump’s Cabinet voted to support Trump’s no—tol- erance policy. That was when they vigorously sepa- rated children from parents and caged them. My Republican neighbors kept telling me, “Obama did it too!” Guess what, he never did. So my advice to my Trump-loving neighbors, I have one simple request: Tell the truth. By the way, as of Aug. 28, 178,553 Americans are dead, thanks to this president’s incompetence. Sincerely, Gregory Dallum Grapeview Sign of the times Editor, the Journal, The scores of campaign signs you see littering up the Mason County landscape were put there by Commissioner Randy Neatherlin’s north county followers with near cult-like devotion, and for good reason: when it comes to keeping rates for the' Belfair Sewer System artificially low, Neatherlin makes sure the rest of the county picks up the tab. Neatherlin came to office on the promiseof a so- lution to the county’s long—term debt obligations for construction of the Belfair Sewer System. But that promise turned out to be little more than making sure the sewer rates in his commissioner district remained low, even while he voted to increase the r debt. Year after year, N eatherlin voted to use the county’s capital and economic improvement funds to cover sewer shortfalls, and year after year the state auditor issued the county a finding for failure to institute a structured repayment plan. Journal Letter Policy The Journal encourages original letters to the editor of local interest. Diverse and varied‘oplnions are welcomed. We will not publish letters that are deemed libelous or scurrilous in nature. All letters must be signed and include the writer’s name, address and daytime phone number, which will be used for' verification purposes only. All letters are subject to editing for length, grammar and clarity. To submit a letter, email adam@masoncounty.com, drop it off at 227 W. Cota St, or mail it to PO. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584. Well, now we have a repayment plan, and it’s to continue draining the county’s capital funds so Neatherlin can get elected to a third term. So what exactly has Neatherlin done for the county? For starters, he helped bring the county to the brink of default, facilitating the downgrading of its credit rating; he reorganized operations to ac- commodate his fast and loose management style, resulting in a stream of revolving door employees; he entered into secret negotiations to purchase the former Olsen Furniture building, costing taxpayers millions in renovations; he helped divide the com— munity of Lake Nahwatzel against itself by voting to allow special interests to rewrite the county’s rural development codes; he disrupted rural neigh- borhoods by voting to allow marijuana processing operations in rural residential zones and he voted to increase the county operating budget by 15 mil- lion dollars over the past seven years. Recently Mr. Neatherlin, by himself, cost taxpay- ers $30,000 for a public records violation and in- volved the county in a potential multimillion dollar lawsuit. But as I said, that’s just for starters, because in the middle of a public health crisis, growing social unrest and the most important national election of our time, Neatherlin thought it the perfect time to solicit support to bring the 2020 version of “,AD- AGE” to Mason County. Tom Davis Shelton, Embrace the struggle Editor, the Journal, Dear Mason County neighbors, In response to those in our community and coun- try who believe our nation has no problem with racism, some of us firmly disagree and feel called to speak up. When Americans began to protest following the death of George Floyd, some here in Mason County sought to become better informed about racism in America. We are listening to the stories of Black fellow-citizens, told painfully, honestly, mostly with kindness and understanding toward white folk who have unwittingly added to their struggles. We are re-learning the history of our country by attending to the lived experience of Black, Indigenous and People of Color. We are beginning to understand in- juries and injustices of which we’ve been unaware. We recognize that our lack of familiarity with Black Americans’ suffering under white supremacy does not invalidate the truth of what they have endured, nor allow us to avoid our responsibility today. For veterans in the anti-racist fight and those new to the struggle, the journey to confront and ad- dress our country’s racism is the hard, brave road of patriots leaning into integrity and owning up to the highest promises of our national creed. Dear white neighbors, this moment invites us to be still, listen, show compassion, and take action to ensure “liberty and justice” are realized for all. This is the road to real and lasting greatness. We are committed to it. Sincerely, Brenda Satrum, Shelton Ronald Glowen, Shelton Tanya Mercier, Shelton Joni Baker, Elma Margaret Riordan, Shelton John Skans, Mason County Sandra Michalec, Olympia Polly Hankin, Shelton Val Paulson, Grapeview Stephanie Paulson, Grapeview Chris Chitwood, Lacey ’How Democracies Die’ Editor, the Journal, The book “How Democracies Die” presents case studies of democracies that have failed in challeng- ing times, and those that have survived the chal— lenges. ‘ This book makes it clear that every American should feel a responsibility to uphold our democ- racy, which means learning about the situations where a democracy has been taken over by authori— tarians and others where the democracy prevailed. There are four warning signs indicating that a democracy is in trouble. They are when the lead- ers: 1. Reject rules and norms 2. Deny the legitimacy of opponents 3. Encourage violence 4. Attack civil liberties, including protest and media The book “How Democracies Die” presents ex— amples of what occurred in democracies that have failed historically, such as Nazi Germany and more recently Hungary. It compares actions in failed democracies with more recent examples of democ— racies that have been attacked but have survived such as Austria and Finland” As a student and teacher of history, I urge ev- eryone to read the book’s case studies and then reach your own conclusion about the state of our democracy. Please do not rely on talking heads and sopial media but think for yourself. It will take some time, research and study on the part of each of us to determine if the warning signs of a failing democracy are present. Isn’t that effort the respon- sibility of citizens who want to live in a democracy? Nancy Snyder Shelton What is greatness anyway? Editor, the Journal, Is a nation great when the percentage of income and wealth steadily flows from the bottom 90% to the top 10%, with the greatest going to the top 1%? Is a nation great when it is perfectly happy to sacrifice its environmental future for today’s grati- fication on the return of the stock market? (Come to think of it, is that even particularly conserva- tive?). Or is greatness measured by keeping one’s current plan even if it means allowing others to go without? Is it great to pursue policies that alienate portions of the population to the point that they cannot bear their own law enforcement? We had the Greatest Generation. That was the generation that took a nation from the depths of financial collapse to being the foremost nation in the world. They were the generation that fought for the promise of the Four Freedoms, which would be derided as socialism today. They were the most liberal generation in history and the only genera- tion where wealth actually flowed downward and not upward. They were a generation that was asked to sacrifice for a better tomorrow that they could not see but used their government to create. And look what their progeny has wrought. What is greatness? I think it is having high ide- al and goals and. living up to them. Do you want a just society? Look at where you fail and correct 'it. Want a prosperous society? Then build one worthy of the 22nd century and stop trying to reproduce the 20th. Do not be afraid to look at the ecological warning signs flashing before you. Stop looking at transforming to an energy-efficient society as a pipe dream and recognize that we will have to get there sooner or later. And count the jobs that it will create to rebuild a nation that can carry great- * I ness to the generations that follow. What made America great was our coming together to accomplish great things. Pushing for individual selfishness is not great. That is every empire in history and there is nothing exceptional about it. I suggest that we leave the lunacy of ide- ology behind. Look at the world through the lens of reality. Stop rejecting solutions and vision because it does not fit what the greedy among us sell as a false freedom. Now that would be great. Andrew Makar Hoodsport