Build Back Better?
We truly are in the middle of President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Plan.
For instance, we have a stronger Iran, a more powerful Taliban and Mexican cartels now live by their own rule of law at the border. We have more human traffickers, crime and higher inflation. Spying on Americans in now accepted and we ignore political persecution.
Our national debt is not even in the conversation, the National Petroleum Reserve is nearly depleted and domestic oil production is not moving forward. Racism has increased, China is more powerful than ever and Biden’s wallet is now unfoldable.
Consider that, just a few years ago, a man built a wall to make America safer and keep people out, but another guy came along, took it down and then blamed the first guy for people now coming in.
John Webb
Reubens
Any more acceptable?
In the Nov. 7 Tribune, Steve Pogue, of Genesee, wrote a letter saying that a big problem with our youth is that they are uneducated, yet still have the right to vote.
How about some of the older voters who elected a president in 2016 who asked an aide if the country of Finland is part of Russia? Is that any more acceptable?
Patrice Yeatter
Kooskia
Transporting wheat
A few weeks ago, Linwood Laughey, the self-taught economist and regional job creator, wrote a letter to say barging wheat to Portland was the most expensive way to ship wheat to world markets and rail was cheaper.
Please be more specific about the $40,000 extra cost of shipping a full tow, or 480,000 bushels, of wheat to Portland. I bought grain for six years for a local agriculture company that sells our soft white wheat to the entire Asia-Pacific market. I never saw a bill for $40,000 attached to any bill of lading for wheat arriving at Portland.
The rail infrastructure in the Pacific Northwest is inadequate at best. Short lines are all but gone and 10% of all U.S. wheat goes down the Snake River to the Columbia River. The Columbia is America’s No. 1 wheat export river. On average, 24 million bushels plus leave Lewis-Clark Terminal a year. Including the wheat export from the Port of Wilma at about 24 million, that’s a 48 million bushel average from the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley a year depending on the harvest. That’s huge. A single barge can carry the same amount of wheat as 35 rail cars or 134 trucks.
When oil was $130 a barrel, oil paid the high cost of rail car rental and rail use. Wheat on rail was backed up to Minneapolis from Montana and the Dakotas. Here, we shipped by barge 480,000 bushels a trip, 24/7/365.
Come on, Mr. Professor; be specific. Where is the $40,000 bill?
Jeff Sayre
Lewiston
From dusk to dawn
If you have an opinion, respond.
The Vineland Cemetery in Clarkston placed two gates on county roads at the taxpayers’ expense ($20,000). As to when they open and close, it’s dusk to dawn, which is from them. Dawn is when the sun is 6 degrees below the horizon and dusk is when the sun is 18 degrees below the horizon. Not being as smart as them, I don’t know when that is at different times of the year or on cloudy days.
I once asked for a job description of the employees. Answer: to open and close the graves. Then I found the commission charged again using the same employees. I ask if this was double dipping. They changed it. Now they add the cost to the sale price of the plots but still use the same employees without deducting the cost from the taxpayers’ budget money. Is this still double dipping?
I ask for the hours the employees work. Answer: What difference does it make as long as the cemetery looks good and they get the work done? None, I guess, except they sign a timecard for eight hours a day. Thank you.
Jim Griffin
Clarkston
