Making a profit
In the article in the Dec. 30 Tribune, a small sentence stated that Asotin Police Chief Bill Derbonne has been in Iraq. This has been for about a year. Reading this leads a person to ask why? Was he serving his country? Was he doing time in the military for his country?
Or was it because the chief, whose salary is $60,000 a year with benefits, was given permission by the mayor to go to Iraq to gain higher financial gain.
Sure seems the city of Asotin treats its employees very good, or some anyway. A lot of police departments allow a person off for a couple of months for education that benefits the city, or maybe illness. But for financial gain? Now that's a new one. Must have been a mistake.
JIM GRIFFIN
Clarkston
Ties his own shoelaces
James Foley, I tie my own shoes. I don't hire it done.
I do note your plea for employment. Keep looking. There must be someone seeking to hire a racist, white male who is unencumbered by the thought process and capable of doing mundane chores.
Jess Stone
Lewiston
The last straw
In reporting what must be the "straw that broke the camel's back," Kathy Hedberg has missed another opportunity for a good question in her account of the unfunded top-down mandates foisted on the citizens of Clearwater County (Jan. 6). That Commissioner Don Ebert finally suspects we're being "stiffed" by the state of more than a $20,000 liability should beg the query of how many other edicts-from-above are included in the thousands of federally imposed commands we are slave to now.
Although our drug court is admittedly small potatoes in the grand scheme of things, conservative estimates are that federal and state decrees, statutes, orders and impact statements, etc., cost the American economy $1 trillion per year.
Has Ebert finally seen the light of reason and changed his mind on the wisdom of securing all those many grants, awards and endowments over the years (with their ensuing expensive strings)? And why has this one instance of government oversight and overstep caused fuss enough to even warrant heartburn?
Surely he's not telling us this is the first occurrence where the state or feds set up policies (usually unconstitutional in the first place) and then funded it for a while until it becomes part of the "nomenklatura" and must be carried by the community.
The method dates back centuries. I would venture a guess that half the workforce of our cities and counties are employed due to some top-down mandate rather than what's best for the people of that particular society.
Dennis Fuller
Orofino
Tired of looking it up
This is in response to Bridger Barnett's Jan. 5 letter, which responded to mine of Dec. 14.
Mr. Barnett, I'm tired of doing your research for you. If you have doubts about the integrity of elections in Opelousas, La., do what I did: Call the head of the voter registration office there. The number is (337) 948-0572. They are in the Central Time Zone.
The nice lady in charge will explain how they monitor the integrity of the voting process there, and the criminal penalties for voting fraud to which she would be subject if she had anything to do with such fraud.
If, as your letter of Jan. 5 implies, you think she is part of some conspiracy to commit voting fraud, ask her about that. You might want to hold the phone away from your ear when she responds.
Call the local newspaper and speak to a reporter.
Call the state attorney general's office.
Call the American Civil Liberties Union.
Surely, you can think of some objective source of information, unless you think the whole country (except you) is in on the conspiracy.
I'm done with this topic.
Dan Whitlock
Lewiston
Jeers to Cornelia
I would like to see this item show up in the Cheers and Jeers portion of the paper, but I suppose it doesn't rank high enough to deserve that kind of recognition.
As a parent of a non-related high school coach, I take exception to Dave Cornelia's quote regarding the Lewiston vs. Lakeland win (score 63-19) when he says: "It's nice when you get a big lead and can put a team away."
My coaching child would never make such a derogative comment and always puts a positive spin on whatever the outcome of a game.
Jeers to Dave Cornelia. What kind of role model is he making for his girls' team?
Lois Geary
Grangeville
