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JOURNALEDITORIAL
Gent ity hi n throu h in M n unt :,
Dozens of hardworking folks have
made donations large and small over the
last several weeks to help support the
65th annual Journal and 40 et 8 Christ-
mas basket fund. Last week, though, we
were astounded when a gentleman, who
requested anonymity, dropped by our of-
fice with a $3,000 check to help fund the
program.
to enjoy a holiday meal. the program. 40 et 8 member Gent Stro- day that no one in our community goes
A simple Christmas dinner with zyk has been spearheading the drive for hungry. Until then, we'll remain grate-
friends and family that so many of usabout a decade now and works tirelessly ful for the extreme generosity of Strozyk4
take for granted, would not be possible to raise money and pull it all together ev- anonymous donors and the countless peo~
for many Mason County families if not try year. Gent will be up before dawn on ple in Mason County who work so hard tq
for the generosity and hard work of those Friday morning preparing the food bas- make the holidays a little better for thosq
who give to the program, kets at the Shelton Armory so they can in need. /
While we are grateful to everyone who be passed out to those in need beginning From the Journal family to yours,
has given time and money to support the at 7:30 a.m. Merry Christmas.
Fire them
because
they are
not young
Editor, the Journal
Why do Tim Sheldon
and Lynda Ring Erickson
think that after costing us
and all of our neighbors
$115,000 that they are
above having to go to a
meeting that all commis-
sioners, managers and su-
pervisors need to attend. I
vote that the two of them
have to split the $845 dol-
lar cost for the training.
Maybe we should fire
both of them because they
are not young.
Carolyn Gravatt-
Bowles
Shelton
One
furious
voter
Editor, the Journal
I cannot believe that
our commissioners didn't
take the mandatory
training that cost $845.
Especially since it was
Tim Sheldon that caused
the county to have to pay
$115,000 of taxpayer men-
ey in a court settlement in
the first place! This adds
up to $115,845 wasted.
Who does he think he
is that he can blatantly
waste what few dollars we
have to spend?
If the voters are paying
attention, I can't see why
anyone would ever vote
for them again. How do
they think they can get
away with such irrespon-
sible behavior and still
........... i
tion grew a little bit. i~i~i ~ii~i ~[i~
Sur-prising enough that Th~ ~8~i ~i~~ ~a ~~i~e~ y~ai !~i~i~
it has remained delight-
infUlthesesand fascinating eVeneconomic times, {~ ~ ~ ~[-~ ~i!! ~i~ ~i~d 8~i~i~! I~i~
towhereput foodfamilieSon theirStruggletables ~e ~ili ~ ~611~ I~ ~
and clothes on their kids, i6
the Mason County Jour-
nal has assisted in the ~h~l~ ~ide ~a~ ~d ~d~ ~i~i~ i
endeavor. I have been
reading the Journal for
quite a few years now; I
even had the opportunity
have public confidence to deliver the newspaper
(and not pay the conse- back in the late 1970s. In We " d vehicles in the 2012 capi- increase" current expense
quences at election time)? the past three months I n e e tal expendi-ture plan and budget did not consider
have sent my old copies to a one-year lapse betweenthe total resources of the
Betty Brinkman Leicestershire in England a d eq u ate ordering vehicles and hav- county's taxes in funding
Shelton for family there to enjoy, ing them fully equipped public safety operations.
They rely upon me for staff d and placed into service,A levy shift would provide
news from Mason County a n the issue has reached a the elected officials (Sher-
A big fa n through the newspapers critical stage. Funding iff, Auditor, Prosecutor,
that I send them. Many reliable must be secured before Assessor and Treasurer)
of th o~m~ family members ordering, with funds to account for
e lived or worked in Shel- h i cl It is only a matter of the 3.6 percent inflation
ton in the 1960s throughMe es time until a patrol vehicle these departments have
Journal the 1980s, so imagine the breaks down due to nor-absorbed in the new bud-
surprise that they felt to for safety mal wear and tear on the get. And don't kid your-
know that the newspaper way to an emergency re-self; the payments made
Editor, the Journal still exists and for the spouse. Yes, it can happen to operate the current
Once upon a time, most part remained un- Editor, the Journal to any vehicle, but have fleet of vehicles do not
there was this small town changed all these many I appreciated the cover-the commissioners placed cover the current operat-
newspaper called the Ma-years. Shortly, you should
son County Journal, withreceive requests for sub- age that the Journal gave a proper priority on the ing cost.
mostly local news and a scriptions from abroad, to the 2012 Mason Countypurchase of new capitalThe commissioners
spattering of national and specifically England, from budget. Unfortunately, Iequipment for the county? have demonstrated they
state news. Many in Shel- both family members and do not think it gave suffi- Commissioner Sheldon believe that "Roads and
ton read the Journal andfriends of family, The Ma- cient emphasis to the con- is quoted "This has be-votes" and the county
a few even contributed son County Journal has tent of the badge or how it come a much bigger dealroads construction and
was enacted, than it is ... the idea that maintenance is the first
to the articles. It was a quite a following and I am I had provided to the we're going to play it out priority. Citizens need to
small circulation newspa- proud to remain a loyal
per back then and after subscriber to your paper, commissioners in a public in front of the press and speak to their commis-
meeting a list of Sheriffs everybody, that's counter- sion if they wish to see an
the owners sold the news- May all in Mason County Office patrol vehicles and productive." No., Commis- adequately Staffed sher-
paper, it remained small have a Merry Christmas sioner/State Sen. Sheldon, iffs department with reli-
... until, people of the and a very Happy New their mileage. My concern
state recognized the home Year. is not with the age of the that's exactly how it's able vehicles moved up on
vehicles, but the mile- supposed to be done. the list.
values, care and down- Thomas "Birdy" McKee age. Several vehicles have The county commission-
to-earth articles printed Olympia more than 150,000 miles ers, while congratulating Mary Jan Hrbace~
therein and the circula- right now. With no patrol themselves on a "no tax Shelter
............................ !
PAPERBOY
By TOM MULLEN of the year -- to give us hope. its highest point. As it begins to combination of drinking alcohol some four hundred years after
We're certainly all in agree-descend, the days get longer and and singing Christmas Carols. the birth of Jesus) the Church
Maybe I got up on the wrong ment (I hope) that Dec. 25 isn't everybody knows smnmertime is Thankfully, we all kept on our was able to convert pagans into
side of the bed or perhaps it's really the day Jesus was born. coming, clothes, the fold by allowing them to con-
just a lack of sunlight. When my children were small But befbre Smnmer comes we'll And gingerbread men, those tinue with their festival, Satur-
Whatever the reason, I've been we made a late September outing have to get through spring and human-shaped cookies, still taste nia.
feeling a bit owly of late. to an observatory where I looked spring means work. good to me. And hence come the mul-
This time of year I count down through a lens and saw for the Work, work, work. work, work. Saint Boniface was sent intoligrubs: as good as eating and
the days until the Winter Sol- first time the rings around Sat- Sounds like a good reason tothe forest to convert the tree- drinking and cutting down nice
stice -- the shortest day of the urn. party. Christmas is to the year worshipping Germans. Tradition looking trees makes me feel, it is
year. It was harvest time and the as Saturday is to the week. That holds, he cut down the mightiest a poor recipe for long-term hap-
Because from here on, at least planet was, as it has been for is to say, Monday (spring) is just tree and had it brought into his piness.
until the official arrival of Sum- cons, in all its glory, around the cornet', so let's all get church to get his congregation But with any luck Christmas
mer (June 20-ish) the days get Ancient Greeks marked the out and have a good time while started. It worked, morning will find me with fam-
longer, harvest with the arrival of the we still can. Imagine you're some poor ily and hopefully a few children
My brother-in-law likes to say, great winter planet, and the god According to the Greek poet German looking for your giant around.
when he's feeling down, that he's for which they named it, by cel- Lucian, the festival Saturnia was wooden god but all you can find And we'll watch each other
got his cranky pants on. Another ebrating, marked by widespread intoxica- is the stump, unwrap one gift after another
friend tells me when he's feeling As winter presses on, Saturn tion, going from house to house A bell rings in the distanceand hopefully recognize how for-
low that he has the mulligrubs, arcs higher into the sky and while singing naked and eating and so you make your way into tunate we are to have each other
Usually I go for the more although no one knows for cer- human-shaped cookies, the church, in our lives.
vulgar, less-flowery words to de- tain, I like to think this is how So in a sense, not much has "Oh Tannenbaum," you say, And find hope in the birth of
scribe my winter doldrums. Christmas came about. Becausechanged. "There you are." a baby some two thousand years
Maybe this is why Christmas Christmas-time is that time Even as an adult, I've done And you worship, ago, and faith that better, longer
falls so close to the shortest day when the planet Saturn is at my share of wassailing - that's a A couple centuries prior (and days lie ahead.
Shelt°n-Mas°n County I~
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Karl Sleight, publisherAdvertising:
Jesse Mullen, general mgr. Dave Pierik, advertising manager
Harvey Morris, ad representative
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 reporter supervisor
Adam Rudnick, copy editor
Composing room:
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Becky Corr, typing
Pressroom:
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Travis Miller press operator
Page A-4 - Shelton-Mason County Journal - Thursday, December 22, 2011