To the Editor:
(Re: “Ideas will help pay Regional District of Central Kootenay debt”)
How about a different approach, Mr. Bunn? Why not a game of “ball”, eh? A long boom and a crane with a wrecking ball, say $100 a pop? Everyone from near and far will be given a lesson in operating the lifting and aiming mechanism and a huge red button marked “release”.
To clarify this idiocy and lunacy of mine: It took many years of trying and attempt to resurrect and breathe life into a dying corpse, the rec centre, till a genius of a mind discovered that by lassoing all the outlying areas of Yahk to West Creston to Wynndel it would be possible to get this futile undertaking on the road. Suffice to say, the referendum was held and despite sizeable numbers of voters crying murder, a victory was declared.
Fast-forward to 2012 and the sad fact that our leaders and representatives were forced into a unanimous vote to the tune of $2.1 million to stave off a fatal crash. Nobody asked me! Why not? Am I a voter or not? Demographics, my friend!
This town of ours has too few souls. We built ourselves a giant beer wagon, yet can muster only a few ponies to pull it. Does everyone get my drift?
Rumor has it that the town fathers, after long discussions, consultations and a plebiscite, gave a green light to an unprecedented development just a few feet from town borders. It certainly is impressive! One has only to read this paper to find out that a slight concession was made: no taxes for five years and only a half the taxes payable for following five. Yippee! Thou shall have a new inn, and it shall be called Ramada!
All the voters and ma-and-pa motel/restaurant owners must be on a cruise around the world to celebrate. Nothing like fair and honest competition, right?
Too dang bad that our town is a tad too small for, say, Canadian Tire. If the town fathers offered a 10-year break in taxes, not long from now we could post a liquidation sale sign at the east and west ends of town. It is a shame that folks born here and busting their buns have to contemplate shutting down their businesses after 30 or 40 years of dreaming of justly earned retirement.
How about good ol’ Freddy, who sells ammunition and sporting goods, along with generous advice based on years of hands-on experience? Is he also on the agenda to be dispatched to the scrap heap of history once a box store is generously baited and lured to town? Have we no pride and decency to analyze just what we can pull?
It is not true that there is no room at the inn. There is too much inn for the people living here and passing through. On top of it, if the above allegations of preferential treatment are true, voters and long-time residents were relegated to a meaningless number, and kicked in the shins.
Long live free enterprise? Do not bet on it. Another battle is looming in West Creston, where a custom-made noose is being readied for the helpless and ignorant, all to the tune of $1.45 million, supposedly to protect us from the evil (a fire threat for three months of the year), with a promise of a drastic drop in insurance rates and a very special benefit: We can proudly pay off the $1.45 million over a period of 25 years and another $2.9 million in interest to some distant banker in where? Hong Kong?
What the heck does it matter? We are too stupid to know any better, and we got bucks falling out our wazoo!
Frank Belavy
West Creston