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07/16/2010: "Why Henry V Relates to the Attitude Concerning San Juan County"

By Maureen Marinkovich

I saw that Henry V is playing this summer. Then I was reading an article called County Council considers increase in real estate excise. I can imagine it must be a difficult task for the County Council to trim the fat, even more difficult to slice and dice the essentials and face a long list unfunded capital projects. It was not the decision that needs to be made but the attitude that struck me.

Lovell Pratt (Dauphin of San Juan South) was one of the council members who would like to see an additional one-quarter of one percent tax on local real estate sales; the money collected would be earmarked for capital projects and could not be used for salaries or wages. She says, “I think this is a resource we need to take advantage of for our needs in the county.”

Another example of you as “resource” is San Juan Community Schools Foundation. Our taxes do not cover basic educational needs so every year I suppose you could say that you become a resource that must be taken advantage of in order to meet the needs of our public schools.

In addition, many other groups are vital to our community. I remember the 4-H kids were a great carrot in order to pass Proposition 1 last fall. How could we resist a raise in property taxes? You are also a great “resource” when it comes to firefighters, United Way, Spring Street International School, Wolf Hollow, Whale Museum, Paideia School, The Family Resource Center, The Family Umbrella Group, The Community Foundation, Island Museum of Art, San Juan Nature Institute, Friends of the Library, the medical needs of friends and neighbors, et cetera.

I just don’t like calling peoples’ hard-earned money a “resource”. The above groups are incredibly appreciative and respectful with your donations.

If you do get taken “advantage of for the good of the county” and It doesn’t “sit well” with you, the Dauphin wants you to know that you can challenge it in court or by referendum. Basically you can spend some of your money on a court challenge or make the county spend money (which is also your money) on an election. So of the “merry message” that anyone’s hard-earned money is simply a “resource” to be tapped into, I hope to make make her blush at it.

“Therefore take heed how you impawn our person.” Henry V
p.s. Coincidentally, Henry V is an Island Stage Left (another group also incredibly appreciative and respectful with your donations) summer production now performed on San Juan Island; July 16th - 25th (Fridays - Sundays) - Roche Harbor Outdoor Stage July 29th - Aug 22nd (Thursdays - Sundays)