Weekly Nag Purpose

THE WEEKLY NAG is a column dedicated to giving vent to some of the many things that we may find confusing, perplexing, frustrating, exasperating etc. about Island life. It’s tone is intended (the path to hell is paved with…) to be light hearted, and non-libelous.

The Weekly Nag welcomes contributions: All submittals are subject to being edited without review from the contributor. The Nag may publish anonymous submittals, but only if the author is revealed to the Editor

Party Time Closes County Offices

(07-20-10) I would hate to be too harsh for a NAG, but is anyone else bothered that the San Juan County offices (such as the Auditor) can close down early to have a party?

Thursday will be the second time this has happened to my knowledge. And will we be paying their salaries to party????

(UPDATED 07-27-10) Stan Matthews, the Communications Program Manager for San Juan County, has responded to the above Nag -with kind of a Nag complaint all his own:

"(a) The Auditor’s Office did not close down. Only the people related to customer service attended the training. Everyone else on the auditor’s staff was at their desks working; (b) [The Nag] also said “And will we be paying their salaries to party????” There was no party.

The office did close down early one day last December for a staff Christmas [holiday] party with staff bringing their own goodies. You know what kind of year last year was for County employees as well as everyone else. If you think that providing a brief opportunity for celebration and staff bonding once a year during the holidays is inappropriate, so be it."

Ah Yes, Cuts For You, But Not For Us

There for awhile I had some hopes that the Imperial Council and four (count them) SJC School Districts would “man-up” and bite some of the bullets the rest of us must chew on. Those hopes were dashed by their recent decision to cut the budgets of nineteen departments resulting in layoffs of service staff, but deciding to delay the cut of one clerk position on their own staff.

It doesn’t matter to them that the public is less served by reductions of hours and days of service; it doesn’t matter that we may have fewer teachers available for children in San Juan County schools. They need to have their own minions to maintain their own level of importance. It was heartening to see that some of them showed some sense, but the whole body did not take the needed action even though they know what it is.

It is my bet that some of the Imperial Council members have noticed that property values have plummeted; property sales have dropped significantly and the ability of retired folks and people on fixed or diminished incomes are having a harder time of making ends meet.

My suspicion is that income levels of real estate brokers and home builders have diminished. All of this has been well-recognized by most of us for the past two years, but the Imperial Council seems to think they’re still leading a parade that turned a corner behind them long ago.

They wave their pompoms; the drum major lifts his baton and the music of the parade has faded away. But they -as a group- do not seem to have noticed. They passed an additional tax regarding noxious weeds that is simply not justified. Island Rec -a wonderful organization- is asking for more money to support San Juan Island sports while the school boards of the four districts in the county won’t even consider reducing educational overhead by combining school district staffs and administrators.

My knowledge about the pro-anti of the waste transfer plant isn’t complete. It seems that both (or more) sides all have good arguments. One of the reasons we have elected representatives in our republic is to assure that needed actions can be taken on a timely basis.

How long ago did the SJC Council buy the Beaverton Valley property for the transfer plant for what I recall was a million plus dollars? Since that property presumably belongs to the county it has probably been removed from the tax rolls. If the Sutton Road site is closed, will they be able to sell it or is it too contaminated and will we still have two properties off of the tax rolls?

It is time for the Imperial Council to stop preening their peacock feathers, to reduce their flow of personal minions and to make the decisions they should make to support and maintain the community. The same goes for the various school boards.

When I see the public bodies that use our taxes get serious about saving and expending on a more rational basis, then I will consider voting for them and for tax increases. However, if those bodies in control of our tax money fail to proact effectively I will vote “NO” and do what I can to throw the slackers out office.

Dennis R. Hazelton
San Juan Island

Urine Test

Like a lot of folks in this state, I have a job. I work, they pay me. I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit. In order to get that paycheck, I am required to pass a random urine test with which I have no problem.

What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don't have to pass a urine test. So here is my Question: Shouldn't one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check because I have to pass one to earn it for them?

Please understand, I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet. I do, on the other hand, have a problem with helping someone sitting on their rump--doing drugs, while I work. . . .

Can you imagine how much money the state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check? I guess we could title that program, 'Urine or You're Out'.

Some thing has to change in this country -- and soon!!!!!!!

(name withheld by request -Ed)

We Could Buy Rosario!

Perhaps someone should give John Shannon a heads-up on the Rosario Auction. I'm
sure the Council will authorize the funds for him to be in on the bidding.

After all it is in the County interest to own and operate this facility for
the common good. Perhaps it could be a future ferry landing for the other
side of Orcas.

-anonymous
(author has been revealed to the Editor)

End Of Summer

“Are you ready for school to start?”

Why do we continue, year after year, to ask that question? You know what the answer is going to be. The kids say “no,” unless they have a high level geek quotient or have been socially deprived over the summer. The Adults say “Oh yes!” --the exceptions being brutally honest teachers.

Every time I ask someone that question it is like I’ve just taken a little bit of the last days of summer away from them. So this year I vow to not ask that question. And if I am asked, I will say, “No, I’m not ready for school to start. Would you like to take my school supply shopping list and change that for me?”

-Amy Winn

The Imperial Council

Well – The Imperial Council is at it once again.

They vote in open session not to send a letter to the Congressional delegation about the Border Patrol checkpoints. Then they enter closed session, and miraculously, a letter signed by five Imperial Councilmen appears out of nowhere. Thank goodness, the County Prosecutor reminded them they needed a vote of approval the next day so the letter could go forward. Never mind that it all happened in closed session out of the public eye. Who cares about the public anyway?

Miracles seem to occur around the Imperial Commissioners with regularity. While I admit that I was not at the Orcas meeting regarding the checkpoints nor was I at the City Council meeting at which the issue was discussed, I was at the first meeting in Friday Harbor where many people spoke – not including me.

This is weird! I did not hear a single business owner stand up and identify himself as a business owner from San Juan, Shaw, Lopez or Orcas whose business would be hurt by the checkpoints. I am sure I did not zone out and I do not think I was drunk or on drugs, but there were no complaints by business owners.

Maybe the Imperial Council is like the Emperor with the new (invisible) clothes. Maybe they fabricated out of whole (invisible) cloth the idea of protecting businesses as a reason for sending the letter.

If there are business owners who do not like the checkpoints, I would like to see their opinions expressed in the media. Step up folks – If you were one of the invisible business owners who miraculously appeared during the closed session and turned the Imperial Council around I would like to know whom you are.

Not only that – If you identify yourself and your business as agreeing with the Imperial Council, I will conclude that you value offering jobs and protection to illegal aliens above protecting jobs and providing economic wherewithal to persons legally entitled to them.

Then I can feel good when I do not shop locally.

Dennis R. Hazelton
San Juan Island

The Imperial Council

I guess we’ve come full circle from living under a monarchy, engaging in the Boston Tea Party, having a revolution, establishing our Constitution and Bill of Rights and moving right back into rule by the Imperial Council. (Maybe we should have a “Catchier Name Contest” for the Imperial Council)

Local private purveyors should gear up to serve the interests of the Imperial Council. You know – Their Majesties Shoemakers, Their Majesties Tailors, Their Majesties Printers, etc. Perhaps the ICs will decide to let their needs out to the lowest bidder, but based on past actions (ala the Majestic Hotel) they will probably just decide who should become suppliers of their needs without regard to any bidding requirements and cost limits established by regulation.

The individual ICs can order their own little pointy shoes, ermine lined scarlet robes, appropriate regal head wear, scepters, etc. to suit their own personal tastes. If they decide to establish a system of knights, lords, ladies, etc., they may also need swords and foils – hopefully just for feudal ceremonial purposes. Local woodworkers, finish carpenters, metalworkers and seamstresses should find full time employment building thrones, tables, oversize chairs, draperies, sconces and all that other stuff that goes along with royalty and their trappings. I wonder whom the ICs will select as Court Jester.

We should have seen the signs when they decided there was a huge problem with storm water and drainage to the extent that a property owner tax had to be enacted. Perish the thought that the peasant public should be involved in the decision making process and assure success by threatening anybody who dared to speak against the Imperial Council. The subsequently established information that storm water flow had resulted in a 0.00 toxicity level in San Juan County waters will probably be quickly forgotten and property owners will be hit with yet another idea of how to separate us from our money. If you are an Imperial, you can do stuff like that.

In fact, it has already come up with a different face from a different direction. A ferry official has decided that the property owners in counties and islands served by ferries should pay an enhanced tax to make up the additional costs of the aging ferry system. Never mind that we have always been told that it is a part of the Washington State Highway System and that it has to be supported by state taxes and rider fees.

How many commuters on Washington roadways pay a toll? I wonder what percentage of the riders on any given ferry are actual property owners in the affected counties and islands.

Oh well – who am I to worry my pretty little head about the higher things of life? I can just leave it to the aristocracy and let them decide what is best for me and to let me know how they should spend my money.

Dennis R. Hazelton
San Juan Island

Solution To Those "Always On" Car Lights

(The following was sent in by Dan Zaehring in resonse to the "Loss of Control" Nag posted below this one))

While I am not fortunate enough to own a newer car which automatically shines its headlights when in gear, this subject came up when these vehicles first appeared.

We were told that lifting the emergency brake one or two notches was sufficient to extinguish the headlights, and that such small brake engagement for such a small distance would have zero
impact on brake wear.