OpinionDecember 7, 2021

GOP has given up

It sure is fun watching former President Donald Trump’s cultists drag GOP leaders behind their trucks like cans after a wedding. But as entertaining as it is, America needs a functioning Republican Party.

The dysfunctional, fact-free cult of Trump will never be a substitute for a political party and people who negotiate in good faith. Things need to get done in the service of maintaining America and our democracy. Today’s GOP is shunning its responsibilities to America with gleeful malice.

When one political party totally gives up on truth, honesty, honor and factual reality, it’s impossible to have a negotiation. It becomes impossible to resolve issues or compromise.

Democrats are trying to pass a massive infrastructure bill that will benefit every American. The GOP response is “Hell no.”

Historically the GOP was all about infrastructure and jobs. Trump had 24 infrastructure weeks during his presidency, with no legislation.

Now that Democrats are in power, the GOP eagerly obstructs its own stated goals and objectives.

There are no rules, ethics or standards to hold yourself to anymore if you are Republican. That’s what modern Republicans mean by freedom.

Freedom to modern Republicans means recklessly doing and saying whatever you want, whenever you want, regardless.

What has changed is the Republican Party has totally given up on factual reality, honor and feeling shame.

It’s sad because the GOP has left the job of holding America together solely to the Democrats. Republicans are hoping for the Democrats, democracy and America to fail.

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Brian Rhoades

Genesee

Do the math

If the fish counts are relevant, the lower Snake River dams are not the problem.

According to the cumulative steelhead fish counts since July 1, as printed in the Nov. 26 edition of the Lewiston Tribune: 68,479 steelhead passed the Bonneville Dam (the dam at the mouth of the Columbia River), 50,381 steelhead passed the McNary Dam (the last dam before the Snake River), 38,038 steelhead passed the Ice Harbor Dam (the first dam on the Snake River) and 39,359 passed the Lower Granite Dam (the last dam on the Snake River).

So, 18,098 steelhead were lost between Bonneville Dam and McNary Dam, 12,343 steelhead were lost between McNary Dam and Ice Harbor Dam and the number of steelhead increased by 1,321 between the Ice Harbor Dam and the Lower Granite Dam.

Additionally, between 2020 and 2021, the number of steelhead that passed Bonneville Dam dropped from 107,807 to 68,479 — an approximate decrease of 37 percent.

During the same time, the number of steelhead that passed the Lower Granite Dam dropped from 55,470 to 39,359 — an approximate decrease of 29 percent.

So, even though approximately 37 percent fewer steelhead entered the Columbia River in 2021 than in 2020, the number of steelhead that passed through the last dam on the Snake River in 2021 was approximately 29 percent fewer than 2020.

So, the way I see it, the Snake River is ahead of the game, even with the dams.

Kaye Ewing

Orofino

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