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Register to
vote Tuesday
Editor, the Journal,
National Voter Registration Day
is Tuesday, Sept. 22. Every eligible
voter should have a fair and equal
opportunity to register to vote and to
cast a ballot. The time is now and it
couldn’t be easier.
Young people who will turn 18 by
Nov. 3 can register to vote now. Vot— V
ing is your chance to take control over
what happens to us, our families and
our community. Your vote is your
voice. ~
Are you registered to vote? Is your
address current? Have you had a
name change? Do you know the loca-
tion of your nearest ballot drop box?
Check out www.VoteWA.gov to be
vote ready and vote safely.
As the Nov. 3 election approaches,
the League of Women Voters of Ma-
son County will have voterregistra-
tion events: Pioneer School drive-
through, Saturday, Sept. 19 from 9
a.m. to 3 p.m.; and Kneeland Park
drive-up, Tuesday, Sept. 22, from 2
to p.m. Look for our volunteers and
signs.
The LWVMC will be updating
the information you need to be an
informed voter at www.Vote411.org,
an online voter pamphlet. Compare
candidates side by side and read their
views on the important issues in their
own words to help you decide who and
what to vote for.
Your vote, your voice, your future.
Amy Davis
,LWVMC Co-president
Shelton
Our leader
isn’t leading
Editor, the Journal,
I have listened for the last four
years to the current political regime.
It is difficult for me tohear continuing
rhetoric with little substance in sup-
port of our country.
There were numerous statements
arguing pro and con’about the current
person heading up our country. Yes,
that person and or his staff may have
made some good decisions that aided
our economy. There may have been a
few more items to their credit.
There are factions that surfaced in
the past four years that Override the
above accomplishments. It has be-
come obvious that there are too many
to be listed in one document.
Several are obvious that add up to
deceit and obstruction to what this
country stands for. There is verbal
conflict, name-calling and blaming
others while defending his state-
ments. He calls recordings a “hit job,”
some articles “fake news” and calls
opponents “nasty.” What more will
he come up with? He continues to
deliberately mislead us by playing
down the obvious statements made
by scientists and qualified leaders in
their field.
The office guides the nation. Con-
flict is expected in the political arena.
Leaders take charge and guide with
humility. Department heads within
the administration are advisers and
are expected to be qualified and make
intelligent decisions to assist the
office. He has fired, dismissed and
discarded over 18 of those individuals
who reported to the issue that went
against his wishes. He has been called
“rudderless.” This could be construed
to be someone trusted leading the
country forward with no distinct di-
rection.
I think the GOP should be insulted
Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020 Shelton-Mason County Journal Page A_—5
Journal Letter Policy
The Journalencourages original letters to the editor of local interest.
Diverse and varied opinions 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 tor verification
purposes only. All letters are subject to
editing for length, grammar and clarity. To submit a letter, email
justin@masoncounty.com, drop it off at 227 W. Cota St,
or mail it to P0. Box 430, Shelton, WA 98584.
to allow this to continue. The “politi-
cal system” does not allow another
replacement candidate to represent
them. Go down with the ship.
News media is in every home re-
porting. He is on screen daily with
contradicting combative comments.
They are rude, controversial and can—
not be avoided. Put it all together
folks.
Bill Bruder
Shelton
Lesson of
the sneeze,
Editor, the Journal,
“Achoo.” It’s just a sneeze. And
the oral tradition we all have is that
when someone sneezes we say “Bless
you” or “God bless you.” Those phras-
es are a result of the black plagues
of hundreds and hundreds of years
ago. Sneezing was one the plague’s
main symptoms, and it is believed
that Pope Gregory I suggested that
a tiny prayer in the form of saying,
.“God bless you” after a sneeze would
protect the person from death. I guess
that was the best cure folks had at
the time.
In 1720, a plague merchant ship
entered the Port of Marseille in south-
ern France. It had a cargo of silk and
cotton onboard. The ship and crew
were immediately quarantined and
eventually all the crew died. The
city leaders knew the potential risks
of doing something wrong would be
devastating to their city. They were
absolutely correct.
The city merchants, the owners of
the ship and cargo were very, very
powerful and influential. The mer-
chants wanted their ship and cargo.
One can just hear the arguments
and pressure from the merchants.
It’s our cargo, it’s our ship, .the cargo
is essential, it is our right to get the
cargo, the quarantine has been going
on too long, and the quarantine has
done its job, there are no more plague
deaths, here is a bribe for your efforts,
this plague concern is a hoax, show
me where the plague is, there is no
one dying now, the people at the me-
dieval fair are counting on us, the city
government can’t just hold on to our
stuff, it is illegal and unfair, we have
our rights, you’re affecting our liveli-
hoods, we are losing money, maybe
there were threats, maybe there was
other intimidation tactics, and so on.
The pressure on the port city officials
was overwhelming. The port officials
eventually turned the ship and cargo
over to the merchants.
I In two years, 100,000 thousand
people would die in and around the
port cityf
There currently is a very thin de-
fensive line protecting us Americans
from COVID-19. It is all of the medi-
cal and first responders and all of the
medical researchers and all of their
scientific data and all of the testing
and all of their cautious approaches
and all of the government leaders who
have the brains and the guts to stand
up‘ and push back against intimida-
tion and superstition, and greed and
stupidly and political posturing and
incompetence. This defensive line in
our nation has recently been severely
pushed on and sometimes bent and
even breached. Do not allow this
defensive line to fail, thousands and
thousands and thousands of lives are
at stake.
History does repeat itself. The
motorcycle rally in Sturgis, South
Dakota, is a “super spreader event” of
COVID-19. Looks like incompetence
and greed has again ruled the day.So
be grateful that you are still alive and
well enough to be able to say those su—
perstitious and magical words when
someone goes “achool”
Earl W. Burt
Bremerton
Slogans can’t
hide problems
Editor, the Journal,
As sloganeering County Commis—
sioner Randy Neatherlin appears
to be having his (Restore the Trust)
signs rapidly replaced, it gives one
pause to consider his other poster slo-
gan, (Experience Matters).
So to whom does his experience
seem to matter or benefit? First and
foremost this alleged experience came
at the expense of local taxpayers, and
given Neatherlin’s record, it came at
our detriment. One needs to ask how
many more slimy real-estate deals,
poor decisions, incompetence and cro-
nyism that leaves taxpayers holding
the bag will come from a third term?
Neatherlin really needs to go back
to the car lot or his friend and former
employer Rob Drexler’s Belfair Real-
Estate Agency and be all he can be,
not be any further burden on the tax-
payers. A fresh commissioner at this
point will be a good start but until
we bring Home Rule Charter to this
county, we will continue to pay more
than we can afford for county gover-
nance.
Patrick Burke
Shelton
Do something,
Sen. Sheldon
Editor, the Journal,
I’ve written state Sen. Tim Sheldon
a few times but have not heard back.
I’d like to publish a few new letters to
him:
Please, Sen. Sheldon, take a look
outside your smoky window today
and think about a way to start sig-
nificantly addressing climate change.
You’ve been holding up a clean fuels
bill for several years because it would
increase the price of fuel. I agree with
you that many folks can’t afford any
increase in fuel prices, but until a
price is put on 002 emissions, I don’t
believe we can make much progress
toward addressing global warming
(1 saw this from Europe putting a
price on airplane COZ emissions and
the subsequent development of their
aviation biofuel industry). There is
another way — implementing a 002
fee and dividend bill in Washington
would put a price on fossil fuel C02
emissions but would return those
funds to citizens. Statistics show that
the wealthy (those making more than
$205,000/year) use 2.2 times more
fuel than the average Mason County
citizen (making $27,300/year) and
rich folks use 3.4 times more fuel than
poor folks ($11,300/year). According
to Washington State Energy Office
models, increasing the fuel price for
everyone, and then evenly returning
those funds would result in the aver- ’
age Mason County citizen making
money. Starting at a fee of 9 cents/
gallon in 2022 and then gradually in—
creasing, an average Sheltonite would
ultimately pay $443 more per year by
2050 but their family would receive
almost $1,000/year back. A long-
distance Mason County commuter
(about 17,520 total miles/year) would
pay an additional $149 but their fam-
ily would still receive $394.75 more
per year than their added fuel costs.
That is because rich folks’ private jets
and yachts use even more fuel. If you
won’t go along with this plan, please
tell us your plan so that‘our grand-
‘ kids won’t have to look out a smoky
window every summer day.
Dave Daggett
Shelton
Something fishy in
Waterwheel Park
Editor, the Journal,
Why would anyone be against the
Waterwheel Park, which would be-
come the first real park in the Belfair
UGA? This park and expanded trail
network, including an Americans with
Disabilities Act fishing pond, would
be a beautiful attraction for all ages.
But wait a minute, something fishy
is going on. Ted Jackson is actively
trying to stop it. Jackson, using his
Port of Allyn email, declaring himself
a port commissioner and chair of the
Port of Allyn, lobbied Mason County
commissioners against the park with-
out the consent of the other two port
commissioners. Jackson sent emails
to Mason County, saying “As a Port of
Allyn commissioner and current chair
I do not support the current proposal.
I understand why and who is behind
this request.” ’
The proponent partnership of the '
park, North Mason School District,
Port of Allyn, stateof Washington and
Hood Canal Salmon Enhancement
Group was only asking the Mason
County Commission to support the
project. No Mason County funds were
requested. Jackson went rogue and
broke from the Port of Allyn commis-
sion, promoting his own agenda with-
out a vote and against the wishes of
the other two Port of Allyn Commis-
sioners, who wholeheartedly support
the park project. Equally disappoint-
ing, after the email was sent to the
Mason County commission, Commis-
sioner Randy Neatherlin madea mo-
tion to support the park, but neither
Commissioner Sharon Trask nor
Commissioner Kevin Shutty would
second the motion due to Jackson’s
email.
Was there a backdoor conversation
among Jackson, Trask and Shutty?
Why should “why and who” matter?
What is the basis for denying support
of the park? Being one of hundreds
of local citizens to commit in-kind
funding and support to this asset for
Mason County, I am extremely disap-
pointed. ‘
Jack Johnson
Belfair
see LETTERS, page A—6