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WORDONTHESTREET
]OURNALEDITORIAL
The Legislature reconvened For 65 years now, the Jour-
this week for a special session nal and the 40 et 8 veterans
that is sure to slash social set- organization have teamed up
vices across the board, to make the Christmas season
So, it is in the midst of the brighter for our friends and
worst economy that anyone neighbors who need a little
can remember, right between help. The goal for this year's
Thanksgiving and Christmas, Christmas fund is $40,000. Last
that our elected representatives week, we passed the $7,000
are huddling in Olympia to make mark and there is clearly a long
"tough" decisions. Those deci- way to go to meet our goal.
sions, of course, are the result of We're calling on those that
years of neglect and malfeasance, are in a position to do so this
And, make no mistake, there is holiday season to give of their
plenty of blame to go around on time, talent and treasure. A
all sides of the political spectrum, donation, of any size, to our
It is at times like this that Christmas basket fund is very
many of us get easily frus- much appreciated and helps
trated and disillusioned. We make a real difference in the
feel like there really is nothing lives of our neighbors in need.
we can do to make things bet- Donations to support the
ter other than to throw up our Christmas food baskets may
hands and turn away. be mailed to the Journal at
But that, of course, isn't the P.O. Box 430, Shelton 98584 or
case. There is plenty, on an dropped offat the newspaper
individual level, that each and office located at 227 West Cota
every one of us can do to make Street during business hours.
this world a better place -- es- Make checks payable to: Jour-
pecially during the holidays, nal -- 40 et 8 fund.
What's your biggest concern
legislative session?
about
Bob Cheri Doug
Molesworth Phillips Inman
"['hat they get "That they "[ think it's stu-
something done won't get any- pid. They should
for once." thing done." have taken care
of it the first
time."
That
down
hess
In the Nov. 24 edition of the of Christopher W, Penoyar. DO.
Shelton-Mason County Journal'sTimothy Weber. MD and CPA Mi-
reader's choice edition the names chael Wittenberg were misspelled.
Todd's Shoe Repair
spelled.
We regret the errors.
LETTERSTOTHEEDITORTM
The ich overs, the state legislature
r started a special session
Nov. 28 to balance the bud-
pay all the get to deal with a $1.4 bil-
lion deficit. Here's hoping
the lawmakers do not leave
seniors and older disabled
adults with the leftovers
Editor, the Journal and once again let Wall
Street banks walk away
The two "occupy" let- with a $76 million platter
ters this week indirectly of tax exemptions. A "cuts
motivated me to be sure only" budget is no longer
the writers are aware of feasible. Legislators need
contain facts. Katherine to come together - hurdle
and Dennis' letters seem to the two-thirds majority
reply they are not. or don't vote and add revenue.
want to be. You can nickel and dime
Katherine and Dennis state agencies but that will
should keep in mind that no longer add up to finding
"the wealthy pay most of $1 billion in savings.
our taxes and the economy Here's an example that
grows when the govern- will cost taxpayers in the
merit butts out." long run: To cut $35 mil-
From the N.Y. Times. lion means 5,800 seniors or
"The Bush tax cuts pro- people with disabilities will
voked increased economic lose services. More than
activity, which in turn 3,000 of these folks, with
brought increased tax re've- a little bit of help from the
nue, which in turn lowered state, are willing to remain
the deficit." independent and in their
The identical thing hap- home avoiding expensive
pened when John F. Ken- out-of-home care or nurs-
nedy's tax cuts reduced tax ing homes. If they do not
rates from 90 percent to 70 get these services many
percent, according to the are eligible and entitled
Heritage Foundation and to costly care that leads to
tax revenues climbed from two or three times more
$94 billion in 1961 to $153 than taxpayers are cur-
billion in 1968, an increase rently paying.
of 62 percent. Then, thanks Get involved and de-
to the Regan tax cuts in mand equity from legisla-
the 1980's revenue doubled tors this special session,
t~'om $500 billion in 1980 to or the vulnerable and dis-
$1 trillion in 1990. abled will be the leftover
Friday's News Tribune turkey.
(Tacoma) says "Occupy
Wall Street protesters Karen Lee
clogged streets and tied up Grapeview
traffic around the U.S. on
Thursday. More than 200
people were arrested." How Let the 37-year career with Our
Community Credit Union
much did that cost taxpay- (Simpson Employees' Cred-
ors? citizens it Union when she began in
1974) will come to an end.
Jerry Horstman Over that period of time
Sheltonh a ve a Cheryl exemplified one of
the most caring, unselfish
Cuts-only voice approaches to her job that I
witnessed ... I worked with
Editor, the Journal her for 35 of those years.
Starting as a teller and
The Shelton Hills devel-ultimately working up
b U d g et opment proposal sits mired to VP of Lending, Cheryl
in litigation brought by the was in the perfect posi-
Port of Shelton. Supporters tion to understand what,
makes us ofthe project are dismissed the credit union and her
out of hand, not because job could do to help others
their position lacks sound and make a meaningful
all turkeys economic foundation but difference in their lives
because a couple of port... and boy did she take
Editor, the Journal commissioners lack the advantage of those oppor-
ability to adapt to a chang- tunities.
As many folks finish ing world. I remember one night
eating Thanksgiving left- Such stubbornness is when she came back to
not new; these same lead-
ers have been directing our
economy for decades, with
little improvement to show
for it. If Mason County
wants its tomorrow to look
very much like today then
we are on the right track.
But if we want a more' sta-
ble future, one with jobs.
growth and opportunity, weshould
need to look outside those
who have led us to this
point.
Sadly, the losers in this
game are the citizens. Be- the office at nine to help a
cause also mired in legal mother and her two young
action are new streams of children who were trying
revenue from commercial to get to SW Oregon to
enterprise that accompa-visit husband/dad who was
rues residential growth,working construction. They
The coming year will had taken the train from
likely bring greater chal- Olympia to Eugene and
lenges, including more cut- then were co ge~ a rental
backs and fewer services, car for the rest of the trip.
Officials who view such The rental car desk had
measures as inevitable fail an inexperienced employee
to see a community that i~ and things weren't work-
ripe with economic oppor- ing ... Cheryl got a call at
tunity, home and went into her
In the end, the Port re-office and the mother and
sists precisely what it so children were soon on their
desperately needs: new ap- way.
preaches to old problems. Well, I know many in ed-
But that will only occur if ucation, public safety, med-
citizens are allowed a seat icine, senior services and
at the table, other service fields do a lot
to help others too ... but I
Tom Davis just wanted to tip my hat to
Shelton Cheryl and remind many of
you in our community that
She helped
angel of caring will be
retiring soon and you ought
to give her a word of thanks
thousands when you see her.
Joe Robertson
Editor, the Journal Retired President/CEO
At the conclusion of this OCCU
year, Cheryl Stewart's Lake Limerick
It wasn't a
false alarm
Editor, the Journal
While rejection of Fire
District 5's two year $4.4
million maintenance and op-
erations levy may seem like
a "prudent rejection that
reinforces," Mr. McKibbin's
"confidence in our ballot sys-
tem," it reinforces in me real
concern of how broken our
system is. We all (including
District 5 administration)
realize how tough the eco-
nomic times are, so I take
issue with Mr. McKibbin's
insinuation that the district
is "out of step." I feel the
district knew that the levy
proposed would be a tough
sell and did not enter into
that decision lightly and
without a long process of
review and planning. How-
ever, I also feel the district
recognized it is at a point
where immediate replace-
meat needs are necessary,
combined with a plan for
future needs. Fire service is
a 24-hour, 365-day service
and requires reliable equip-
ment and manpower. After
considering the high main-
tenance and repair costs
and especially the reliability
and safety of the aging fleet
of engines, tenders and com-
mand vehicles versus new
gling business in
economy should:
lookffd as a bad t
me Mr.
tries to put the
bad !ight by
is a false alarm
newI real needs
I take
all the district
presiented at the
public meetings,
. oir ts i:
and repair, fuel
reliability and se
standardization
I feel the district
hard to put good
together
needs and costs
but due
equipment with warrantees lack of public
for the majority of the most in the
frequently used apparatus, one f think was
the district felt replacement public to just
was the best option. This, I feel, will :
I feel the district tried the district in
to keep the public involved of ~aking some
in the planning process by c~smns
having numerous public tinue operations
forums before deciding to equipment that
put it on the ballot and held to replace.
numerous meetings after I [believe
is was placed on the ballot, minlstration is
Even with the newspaper striying to best b
and radio notices, these critilcal needs of
meetings had little or no munity
attendance. I don't have providing profess
the answer why, but I see reliable service.
it time and time again - mee~ public
important issues but little while
public interest - I think higher costs and
that bothers me more than is a
the levy failing. I have
What also bothers me Ma~on 5 for 18
I • •
is someone distorting thefeel ithe d]str~ct
truth as Mr. McKibbin has and will
when he stated one of the witlI what it has
districts selling points was witl). But the pu
in its handouts "it could get also be informed
a better bargain because understand that
equipment suppliers were 5 is going to be a
hurting." While probably tint~e the service
true, it was not in a district de~ands and
handout but rather brought
up by a citizen at one of placement will b,
I
the early public forums, the equatmn.
Even so, being able to
save the taxpayers money, Nick
while also helping a strug- Har~
Shelton-Mason County ' I[
..... Shelton-Mason County Journal is a member of
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Kari Sleight, publisherAdvertising:
Jesse Mullen, general mgr. Dave Pierik, advertising manager
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Newsroom:
Kevan Moore, managing editor Front office:
Aria Shephard, North Mason, Donna Kinnaird, bookkeeper
environment, reporter Margot Brand, circulation
Natalie Johnson, reporter Cricket Carter, mailroom
Emily Hanson, sports re~orter supervisor
Adam Rudnick, copy editor
Page A-4 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, December 1,2011
Composing room:
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Pressl 'oom:
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