Letters to the Editor

Dear editor,

I am not personally acquainted with either of the candidates for County Commissioner No. 3, but their submissions to the official Voters' Pamphlet for the August 2 primary election make clear to me that the choice between them is much easier than Dr. Utt (Chronicles 8/11 and 8/25) would have your readers think.

For your readers who already tossed those pamphlets, Jack Miller tells us voters his priorities:

-Unite the community, find common goals we can all support;

-Improve human resource management, reduce county department-head turnover;

-Spend carefully, consider return on investment to taxpayers;

-Reduce regulations, work to change unnecessary red tape;

-Support county-wide and regional economic development. Business investment improves our tax base;

-Support fellow elected officials, provide leadership in building consensus;

-Focus on local, minimize partisan politics.

Reassuringly thoughtful and specific from Mr. Miller, who has not previously held public office.

The incumbent Chuck Amerein tells the voters he has held this office for the last four years. Does he tell us what he's done in that time or what he will do if we give him four years more? Search for it! He tells us what he will NOT do:

-Trade your inalienable rights for temporary security or convenience.

He quotes Ronald Reagan from 1964. So does he think holding public office is about doing nothing worth mentioning? Mr. Amerein leaves the voters guessing and appears to think that should be enough to persuade them to put him in charge of our county's public decisions for four more years.

Laura Aukerman (Chronicle 8/11) wants your readers to send Mr. Amerein back because he's a nice man who mows lawns for the elderly and fixes flats for the stranded. I agree that acts like those show very good qualities. And I hope Mr. Amerein will continue his generous presence in the community after the voters return him to private life.

Finally, it's worth noting that both candidates declare as Republican.

Marilyn Putney

Dayton, Wash.

To the editor,

I am writing to endorse Jack Miller for Columbia County Commissioner, Position #3. My wife, Kris, grew up in Dayton and we moved here from the Seattle area in 1988. I have known Jack since the 1990's and had the opportunity to get to know Jack while working with him when we have volunteered for community events associated with the Dayton Chamber of Commerce.

Jack has the knowledge and experience we need! Jack was raised in eastern Washington and has farmed in the Columbia and Walla Walla Valley for over 20 years and has over 30 years of Ag Business Management experience. He's a WSU graduate with an Ag Economics degree. His Ag experience includes working with and managing large numbers of employees which will be very helpful in reducing turnover to our county staff.

Jack is the person we need to lead our county. He is conservative and a lifelong Republican. He's an avid hunter and has served on state and local boards, he understands how the system works. His extensive management, supervisory experience and education have given him the tools needed to hit the ground running when he is elected.

When you vote on or before November 8 base your vote on experience and leadership! Most importantly, vote for person who cares the most about Columbia County and the person who will work with everyone. Please join me and support Jack Miller for Columbia County Commissioner.

Jay Takemura

Dayton, Wash.

To the editor,

The local Library Director has informed us in a recent weekly newsletter that restricting access to books in a public library is a violation of the First Amendment. I'm sure the director has read the First Amendment, since he went on to quote it in that same newsletter. It seems unlikely that he doesn't understand it, him being a library director and 1A being a paragraph of great profundity but not one of great complexity. Nowhere in the First Amendment, nor in the entire Bill of Rights, not in fact in the entire Constitution, is there a guarantee of any tangible thing, nor a guarantee of "access" to any tangible thing. The whole idea of the document, the common current that runs through it, is that government as an institution– though an unfortunate necessity–is so corruptible, power-hungry, profligate, and inefficient (and so irresistibly magnetizing to people of the same strain) that the guiding document for the whole thing should largely focus on what the government cannot do to the people. Nothing in there about the provision of books or the provision of access to books or any other material thing.

When a person writes a book targeted at twelve-year-olds about how to go about chemically, hormonally, and surgically excising healthy body parts in search of a new and likely ephemeral identity... and then once that ultimate identity is achieved how to make up for lost time in testing it out (drive it like a rental!), they are protected under the First Amendment in doing so... writing, publishing, distributing, possessing– as long as it doesn't violate child pornography laws, its fair game. But First Amendment rights do not extend beyond the realm of protection and into the realm of obligation. Just as the owner of a private bookstore is free to choose the content he sells, so is the public library free to choose the content it offers. The only difference is that the private owner is only accountable to his own bottom line, whereas the public library is accountable to the taxpayers who fund it. In the local case, the taxpayers of Columbia County have no obligation to provide "access" to anything, no matter how jazzed the Library Director is about it. When he purchases books with their money for their local library that they find inappropriate, objectionable, or obscene, they have every right to voice their concerns and ask that they be removed. Whether they actually are removed depends largely on the collective support behind each side of the argument, and the library board's willingness to honor its constituents' requests. To turn this into a First Amendment issue is to completely misunderstand the First Amendment, which the Library Director surely doesn't. It's not an argument, it's a chant, and the sad truth is that chanting works better with crowds.

To anyone who finds the specific focus of trans-sexual literature targeted at children in the local library wrong, let the library board know your concerns, and don't be cowed by all the "book burner" "book banner" chants. Likewise, don't be swayed when the Director cites Board of Ed v Pico, wherein the Supreme court allowed that crazy Vonnegut book to stay on the shelves. There are gradations of depravity, and a WWII veteran's imaginative sci-fi novel based on his own experience as a POW (Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five) or any of the other nine books on the list from that case are not even on the same wavelength as "What's the T" (from the local library), in which the author instructs the reader in graphic but childish slang (heavy on "peen" and "bum") how to engage in a variety of sex acts, with helpful cartoonish drawings.

Above all, keep in mind that you– the Columbia County taxpayer– fund the Columbia County Rural Library District, including its director, and probably fund it too much. Libraries should be funded by donors, not taxpayers.

Seth Murdock

Dayton, Wash.

To the editor,

Jeff Jenkins is a very dedicated, caring, and professional police officer. He has 28 years of law enforcement experience. He has been heavily involved with the youth in our community and would like to see more officer involvement with the schools. Jeff is a drug enforcement officer and has been a member of the Washington State Narcotics Investigation Association since 2004. He feels that communication and cooperation with citizens and community agencies is important and a high priority. If elected he is committed to holding regular public [forums] to hear from all citizens and public entities and will use them as an opportunity to keep all of us informed of plans and progress within the agency.

Bette Lou Crothers

Dayton, Wash. Bette Lou Crothers

To the editor,

I would like to show my support of Jann Manwell as a Write in for Columbia County Auditor. I believe that with her background and work history she will represent Columbia County respectfully. I personally know and can vouch for Jann's character as an ethical and professional individual who cares and supports our community. Please show your support and vote Jan Manwell as a Write In candidate for this coming election. We need people like Jann in this position with the experience and dedication and I believe she will do great.

I would also like to thank all our current elected officials. Their jobs are clearly not easy and with the number of complaints and disagreements I see I think they all deserve a compliment. They were all voted into their positions by our community, and I truly believe they all are doing what they think is best for our community. Whether I agree with them or not nobody deserves to be publicly ridiculed and talked down to. So again, thank you ALL for your continued support, volunteering, and time you spend away from your families to help our community. You ARE appreciated.

Morgan Poche

Dayton, Wash.

To the editor,

I have been observing with interest the group, and people associated and aligned with, Neighbors United for Progress. The group was admittedly started out of dislike for a conservative group in the community. It is advertised as "a community of citizens across the political spectrum to move the county forward" However, they do not have public meetings. They claim this is because they are "strategy meetings to get their candidate elected". Sounds a lot like- "you have to pass the bill to find out what's in it". Do they want a candidate who unites but only for some people? United means that they will let you know what's good for you- after the election? In contrast, the group they see as danger to the community does hold public meetings and invites all to attend and be welcome.

Who is the NUP and what type of leadership are they promoting? Since the meetings are private, we can't be fully sure but observing the activities and behaviors of those associated and aligned with the group, we can see that some appear to be Anti-Christian, Anti-American Flag, Pro Covid and Vaxx Mandates, Pro- sexually explicit material for young children. Some write numerous negative letters to the editor, some call the police, some report people for anything under the sun, some make requests for public disclosure documents from local agencies ad nauseam looking for all kinds of smoking guns, they seem to involve national attack groups to affect a local deputy's employment (how does this attract good officers to our community?)

Who is this dangerous group they want you to be fully scared of? It's the Columbia County Conservatives. What do they stand for? They believe in lower taxes, in limited government, protecting the innocence of children, individual freedoms and medical autonomy. NUP wants you to believe they want to "stop all progress in the county". The CCC was formed as a response to concerns about things like- a city council who raised taxes while the mayor fired three pivotal employees that the city had to pay out significant tax dollars to, disagreeing with an unpopular trail project that effected property owners and had a vague maintenance plan, supporting small businesses over more government involvement. In the city council, there were concerns over the city buying property above market value and trying to sell property below market value. They supported medical autonomy, rightly and correctly so as we see the Covid Shot does not stop transmission or hospitalizations. Yet local people lost their jobs over it while some cheered about it, so sad. It appears the problem is just that the CCC doesn't want the same "progress" that they do. And any dissent from that must be destroyed. They are for the Metropolitan Park District but seem reluctant to define what they characterize as "misinformation" from those with legitimate questions. This begs the question of what don't they want people to know?

If you want to see numerous examples of the feelings of those who are aligned with and support the same vision for the community as NUP- check out the Facebook group- Rural Washington Roundtable. Another group started to "encourage rational conversations". It appears to be an attack page against local people and organizations. The comments are especially quite telling.

We need to work together not create the us vs them in such a small community.

Dayton is left with a pivotal choice in this election- do you want higher taxes on already higher taxes? Do you want never ending attacks and drama? Do you want leadership strategies aligned more with Rules for Radicals- where enemies and emergencies must be created? Or do you want open meetings, your tax dollars to be respected, individual freedoms to be respected and the innocence of children respected?

I hope people can remember when people truly came together in Dayton and did not hyper focus on differences. Good Luck Dayton!

Marchand Hovrud

Boise, Idaho

To the editor,

Vote for what's right in our community and country.

I'm a proud Vietnam Veteran and loyal American voting for Jack Miller.

Yes to City Pool.

Randy Tewalt

Dayton, Wash.

To the editor,

I feel we are fortunate to have Jack Miller willing and able to serve our county as County Commissioner. He is a well-educated, proven citizen. His background in management of a large business as well as owner and operator of Barjack Farms proves his skill in budgeting and personnel issues. He is a stable, long-term citizen of Columbia County. Has the strong desire to use his capabilities to improve our quality of life by keeping the County economically stable, and being cooperative with local entities and citizens. Vote for Jack.

Bette Lou Crothers

Dayton, Wash.

Letter to the editor:

During the Viet Nam War, a quote attributed to US Army major P. Booris achieved notoriety: "It became necessary to destroy the town in order to save it." He was referring to the decision by allied commanders to bomb and shell the town of Ben Tre regardless of civilian casualties, to rout any Vietcong hiding there.

These days, the Columbia County Conservative leadership expresses that same war-time attitude. In order to save Columbia County/Dayton from thriving economically in the modern world, and to discourage and suppress all but the strictest spiritual and social values, the CCC leadership rejects any improvements to the community: a new swimming pool, a daycare center, tourism improvements in diverse forms, low-income housing, improvements to broadband internet access, etc...

I have yet to hear a CCC proposal that would do anything other than ensure Dayton's decline. Where are their good ideas for economic improvement, for improving our business tax base, for encouraging young families to reside here? In a CCC future, we all become collateral damage and Dayton joins a long list of failed, boarded up, economically depressed rural communities.

Until fifteen years ago I considered myself conservative. With ideas such as those proposed by the CCC, I've ended up distinctly in the middle of the road. I will vote for Jack Miller who is fiscally and socially conservative, who is an astute and successful businessman, who knows how to manage budgets and staff, who can negotiate complex contracts, and who has a vision of a stronger economic future for Columbia County.

A swimming pool is a highly popular item across the county, even among many if not most CCC followers. Nevertheless, the CCC leadership is lobbying against formation of a parks & recreation district, the only mechanism to maintain and staff a pool. At the same time, the CCC is attempting to stack the parks & recreation board. It's hard to imagine a swimming pool ever being built with a CCC-majority board. I will vote for commissioners who really want a swimming pool for the entire county.

Let's save Dayton without destroying it.

Fred Crowe

Dayton Wash.

DEAR EDITOR, and neighbors,

Do you know the county sheriff is the highest official in each Washington county?

Our current Sheriff's common-sense leadership approach has value, BUT...Jeff Jenkins' extensive training, professionalism and experience are now needed in leadership here.

He deserves our support. I urge all voters to investigate the truth. THEN, help to elect Jeff Jenkins as our next Columbia Co. Sheriff.

Respectfully, and THANK YOU.

Johnny Johnston

Dayton, Wash.

To the editor:

Starting in August, I submitted several emails to Mr. Jack Miller asking questions using his http://www.votejackmiller.com website. I immediately received a notification on the screen that my email had been sent successfully, but I have yet to receive an acknowledgment or reply to any of my questions/concerns. I'm just wondering if this is an indication of how responsive Mr. Miller will be to Columbia County residents if he is elected? Or, maybe, that email feature on the website doesn't actually work.

Based on her attendance at the AAUW sponsored forum, a recent letter-writer to the Dayton Chronicle opined Jack Miller "...also understands basic concepts such as Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as it relates to working with people" while Commissioner Amerein "...was woefully unaware that such a concept exists." I too attended the AAUW forum and what I witnessed from Mr. Miller was an older, affable gentleman who needed the question repeated, appeared puzzled, then mumbled something about how it sounded like a good idea to him. In a follow-up one-on-one conversation with Commissioner Amerein, it is clear to me he has a very good understanding of DEI along with other trendy acronyms such as ESG and the very destructive outcomes of these ideologies. I dare say most proponents of such ideologies don't really understand the origins nor the eventual (unintended) consequences. Such ideologies are two current iterations of Marxist Theory designed to create disillusionment, jealousy, envy, and victimhood. These ideologies emphasize individual "identities" such as skin color in place of hard work, merit, and character actually leading to Division, Exclusion, and Inequality. I wonder what Martin Luther King, Jr. would think about DEI?

I also attended the recent Republican candidate forum where the County Commissioner candidates were asked "what they thought about mandates." Mr. Miller observed that we've had mandates in this country since World War I. Then, in concluding his remarks and reflecting on the past three years, his voice trailed-off as he said he thought we got it about right. So, despite the warnings starting in early 2020 from many highly regarded experts around the world (in contrast to the governmental, politically-appointed, official, bureaucrat experts) and the mounting clear evidence that far more people have been harmed from the reactions to the pandemic than from the pandemic itself including the 100s of millions who will be pushed into poverty around the globe, Mr. Miller thinks "we got it about right." So, I expect when the next "emergency" rolls around whether it be another virus or the inevitable declaration of an existential threat from catastrophic climate change, Mr. Miller will effectively rollover or step aside as our so-called leaders in Olympia and Washington, DC hand down their executive orders because they did a pretty good job in the early 2020s. I am thankful for the common-sense resistance our current County Commissioners demonstrated and hope they will continue to do so.

Thomas Utt, DDS

LTC (Ret), US Army

Dayton, Wash.

To the editor,

In response to Morgan's unhinged rant in the Dayton chronicle.

I am not affiliated with any political group and I have served this community for the last ten years. I would like to thank Neighbors United for Progress (NUP) for understanding the concept of diversity and the definition of community, and attempting to offer a safe place away from animosity, division and hate, where concerned community members could meet their candidates and ask them questions about their concerns.

We live in a diverse community. Diversity is the range of human differences, and experiences including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, social class, physical ability or attributes, religious or ethical values system, national origin, and political beliefs. I understand as a public servant to build trust in the community one must check their bias at the door understanding that we do serve a diverse community. Sowing division and casting an us vs them perception is counterintuitive to servitude. We have an undersheriff likening community member to being evil and sick for not falling in line with his Christian Nationalist views, you have unanswered concerns to our elected sheriff expressing fear, distrust of law enforcement. Why would members not feel safe amongst the fringe fascists in this community with the rampant homophobia and demonization. This private candidate forum was created for people that don't feel safe in our community. And quite frankly, if you don't understand why, you don't belong in community service.

Oh, and the police department showing up in full uniform, when it was a private invite only forum, really took the cake. It only tells me that all those concerns to the sheriff went completely unheard. Hope this helps.

Theresa Eier

Dayton Wash.

To the editor,

Finally, Republicans have settled on an issue besides inflation, opposing abortion, contraception, fair elections, CRT, and books on gender. That is to attack President Biden.

Two recent Letters to the Editor in local newspapers are examples of disparaging Biden. Telephone push polls bashing Biden are common. Representative, Cathy McMorris Rodger, spent much of her Spokane Town Hall smearing Biden. Her recent letter appealing for donations claim Biden has an irrational radical agenda.

CMR says she is for equality and other democratic ideals, but votes against them and weasels out of accountability with excuses. That has been her strategy, and it works for her. She is for equal pay for women, yet can't vote for Lily Ledbetter Paycheck Fairness Act because it will cause lawsuits. She is for contraception, but argues the bill is a Trojan horse and poorly written. (Notice Republicans, like Tiffany Smiley, have scrubbed their homepages post-primary. Smiley can't even say that Biden won the presidency.)

What are Republican solutions to our country's problems? We have a labor shortage and they are against allowing more legal immigration. They argue climate change isn't real, yet there are more floods and wildfires. Many of their proposals will set our country back, like limiting access to voting and supporting election-denying candidates. The election is already "rigged" if they lose.

In November, vote for candidates who will uphold democracy and honesty, like Patty Murray, and Natasha Hill. You have a choice. Democracy is on the ballot.

Nancy Street

Cheney, Wash.