No common sense
Asotin County residents will soon be receiving their stormwater tax bill. For the past three years, I have paid the entire year in one payment for convenience, less $2. My reasoning is that, due to billing postage and labor costs plus the county's earning interest on the whole fee paid "up front," both of us should split the savings. (An estimated 15 percent of the stormwater fees go to billing costs). I have repeatedly attempted to get the powers at large to grant people who would pay their bill annually a modest full payment discount, as other businesses frequently do, but my requests have fallen on deaf ears. Commissioners and both stormwater coordinators have given lip service; the latest being that the Stormwater Management Team and the commissioners made the decision not to give a discount for annual payment in full, using the excuse that it "would take too much time." Yet all that has to be done is to make a line item entry when payment is made noting "full payment discount."
It is not about the measly $2; it's all about principle. Common sense does not prevail when it comes to government. If it did, we wouldn't be pissing away $345,000 on a "listening circle" near Chief Timothy Park. Maybe if more county residents would speak up, the elected officials whose salaries we pay will listen. Short of that, we can all make the decision in the next commissioner election to vote for whoever is not an incumbent.
Doug Bube
Clarkston
Costello lies about women
The irony of Tribune columnist Michael Costello calling others liars would be funny if it weren't so annoying. His Jan. 3 column assails one of his favorite targets - women.
He labels "feminists," as a group, liars, as though anything that supports women's rights is the product of some deceptive scheme to dislodge men from their rightful superiority.
Costello makes ridiculous claims against women, stated as facts, all the time. My personal favorite was his column of May 24, 2003, where he stated that the track records of his old boys' high school team were superior to the women's records of today. He stated that his "research" proved it.
When I was done laughing, I responded on June 2, 2003, with a letter that factually and utterly destroyed his ridiculous claim.
Costello regularly puts down females in any field - sports, politics, education, you name it - then cloaks his stone-age opinions in completely fabricated "facts."
I have two daughters who were excellent high school athletes and leaders. Both went on in education to earn their doctorates, currently work as professionals and now both raise kids of their own.
I'm glad they never listened to any B.S. like Costello's about their inferiority. The plain fact is that women possess as much capacity for achievement and ability as males, but Costello doesn't think so. And he's willing to lie in print to bolster that brainless opinion.
Jeff Maucione
Clarkston
Why not exchange coats?
Somebody who is bored half out of their tree needs to organize a coat exchange for large women. Women who are large don't buy a better coat because they plan on losing so they buy el cheapo coats that don't really keep them warm, are ill-fitting, not attractive and gaudy.
Large women have a hard time gaining employment because of their obesity. They can't get out into the public because they don't have a warm enough or decent-looking coat.
A decent-looking winter coat is essential because no matter what else you have on you can throw on a nice coat and you are presentable.
Women who have shed pounds need to fork over their old but nice coats and, perhaps in the process, receive another that fits. Yes, they can send them to the thrift stores, but the thrift stores charge plenty for them.
And I am betting there are lots of women who have in their closets Mom's old elegant coat. ...
Maybe a coat exchange could be a project of a church group or a club. Maybe they could even make some capes for these large women. Capes can be pretty elegant and there are so many lovely fleece fabrics available.
Yes, those big coats are heavy and it would be work. But a large ladies coat exchange would make such a big difference in somebody's life, most likely several women's lives.
This would be charity, but the idea behind charity, is "There but for fate go I."
Jacqueline
Picard
Clarkston
