I was horrified to read in the Aug. 5, 2009, Courier-Herald the city was planning on raising our sewer rates by 50 percent or more. This is on top of the solid waste rates increasing as I mentioned in my letter to the editor dated July 8, 2009. At the city council meeting on July 27, the public works department stated they wanted to purchase two new cars. If there is such a need to increase our rates, especially so drastically, why is the city contemplating purchasing new cars, remodeling conference rooms and changing logos? (The cost of changing the logo on city vehicles, stationery, etc., is going to be very expensive). The tax/rate payers are being asked to shoulder heavy burdens already in our poor economy, why add to the burden unnecessarily? Determine what is an absolute necessity and shelve all others until our economy turns around. In our own personal budgets, we have to differentiate between needs and wants; why shouldn’t we expect our city to do the same?
On another note, city employees aren’t allowed to talk about issues with the public for fear of repercussions from the top. Don’t we taxpayers have a right to ask for accountability?
When is this foolishness going to stop?
Nancy Wieland
Enumclaw
Commotion about camp counselors good
I wanted to let the community know how wonderful the camp counselors are at Camp Commotion through Parks and Recreation.
The counselors being young students is very impressive. They have a variety of kids and seeing how they handle themselves and each situation that may arise with the kids is amazing. They have even helped me with advice and suggestions.
My son loves camp, this is his second year. He gets upset with me when I come and pick him up too early. He says he wants to stay longer. He just doesn’t want to leave. He has so much fun.
Once or twice a week the go on a field trip, they go to the pool, they are playing games, playing in the water, barbecues, movies, art, singing, all kinds of activities. They wear the kids out. I would be worn out.
Times are hard, but this is one thing I will come up with the money for camp.
I have a lot of confidence in these students-camp counselors with my son.
I want to say thank you so very much for being wonderful, great students in our community.
Joy Ricigliano
Fewer guns still equals fewer deaths
Mr. Thomansson, you say “nothing has changed in the radical left since I bought my first handgun in the 1960s,” implying we anti-gun people are loonies. Sir, if we had enough actual guts here in the Weenie Party, we may have been able to prevent the assassination of JFK, his brother RFK, MLK, Malcolm X, and the attempted assassination of The Gipper. Also, according to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2006, there were 30,896 gun deaths in the U.S.: 12,791 homicides (41 percent of total deaths), 16,883 suicides (55 percent of total deaths), 642 unintentional shootings (2 percent of total deaths), 360 from legal intervention (1.2 percent of total deaths) and 220 from undetermined intent (.8 percent of total deaths).
This is only the deaths and does not include the much larger figure for those “just” injured. Sir, we still mourn those unnecessary deaths and that has not changed. We do know we are fighting an uphill battle – especially with the likes of the “No Responsibility Association” which promotes gun violence, gun braggadocio and wants everyone to be able to purchase a tank. (Promoting guns automatically promotes gun violence, as a gun by definition is an attack and not a defensive weapon.) Read it again: 30,000 gun deaths in 2006. I repeat, if there were 30,000 less guns in that year there would be 30,000 less gun deaths that year. So, by extrapolation, I wonder how many will now be killed at Mount Rainier?
I do have to compliment you on a couple of things. You are the first Repugnican to note my spelling of the, er, Republican party, and, hallelujah, you do not need to use curse words to try to insult me – or us Weenies. That alone implies a certain amount of intelligence; both are nice to see from the usual Repugnican. And now, sir, a rhetorical question. Spell “Sir” phonetically and note the word you just spelled and realize when I’m addressing a Repugnican as “Sir” I mean the other spelling/word.
Back to the matter at hand. You carried on for quite a while pointing out various slobs in the outdoors. I would add to that, slobs killed 30,000 people in 2006. Finally in your last paragraph you bring up the No Responsibility Association, somehow implying they were involved in the “slobbering” you mentioned earlier in your letter. I don’t understand the connection. Anyway, you mention they were a “great organization who battled the “mainstream media.” Umm, sir, the “mainstream media” is basically owned by Repugnant Murdock – a right winger if there ever was one – and his media is going to “battle” the No Responsibility Association? Sir, sir, sir! Tsk, tsk!
You also implied I wanted to take away your guns. I did not mention anything about that. And, by the way, if we had less guns there would be several police officers and one security guard alive today who were gunned down by Gunnies who were afraid Obama would take away their ability to kill 30,000 people. Of course, Obama is also a Weenie and won’t do a thing about Gunnies at all.
I still say, with a great amount of rage over those 30,000 unnecessary deaths, less guns equals less deaths.
Dan Scribner
Buckley
High school
is lucky to have Alley
In the Aug. 5, 2009, edition of this paper, I was thrilled to see the photographs of the EHS band room’s transformation. The countless hours, many in very warm conditions, it took for several dedicated helpers (Trish, Emma and Cameron Pierce; Amanda and Mike Jarman; and Janelle Frazer) and Mrs. Lynda Alley to wake up this tired band room was quite extraordinary. This is an exterior “snapshot” of Mrs. Alley’s passion for music education; the love she has for her subject and imparting that on students is unsurpassed. Enumclaw School District is fortunate to have someone in this position who is so in tune with the excellence of music and the knowledge of what to do to foster the love of music in children. She has been at Enumclaw Middle School for several years, but is migrating to the high school this year to be the high school band and orchestra director.
Shortly after we moved to Enumclaw, from Denver, over four years ago, my family and I had the privilege of seeing Mrs. Alley, along with the late Mr. Darrell Eide, conduct a young honors band comprised of mainly middle school students. It was a special performance to showcase the children playing with a professional French horn player Mrs. Alley knew from her days in the U.S. Army Band. From that moment on, I knew we had arrived in a great community for our two boys.
Within the four years we have been in this community, Mrs. Alley has been an integral part of our children’s education. The commitment she has shown through her perseverance and energy in encouraging children to compete in All State and solo/ensemble contests has been exemplary. This summer, upon starting her new role as EHS band and orchestra director, she led the high school marching band in the Stars and Stripes Parade. She also is offering a marching band practice camp for three weeks this summer to have the students get ready for the upcoming football and marching band competition season. Mrs. Lynda Alley is truly a gift to our community and our children.
As president of the EHS Band Boosters; Janelle Frazer as vice president; Monica Goucher as treasurer; and Maureen Libra as secretary, Band Boosters warmly welcome Mrs. Lynda Alley to a fresh and exciting school year. Anyone wishing to support any of the high school’s instrumental music groups – Marching Band, Symphonic Band, Wind Ensemble, Orchestra and Jazz Band – is welcome to be a member of Band Boosters; families of students in these groups have automatic membership. For any information on Band Boosters, please feel free to contact me at 360-825-1138, or visit our facebook page: “EHS Band Boosters.”
Here’s to a great year of music for the Enumclaw and Black Diamond communities thanks, in part, to Mrs. Lynda Alley.
Jody Horn
Enumclaw
