LETTERS TO THE EDITOR


The Editor:
I believe that especially in a small town, the chamber of commerce has a very important role and function. As reflected in our mission statement: To inform, greet, work with regulatory authorities and find solutions to situations affecting our business community and the tourists and visitors to our town.
This year our annual general meeting of the Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce is on November 6 at the Marina Club. There are a number of director positions available. Yes, they are volunteers, and it can be very rewarding.
Without new blood, bringing enthusiasm and fresh ideas, the chamber stagnates. Please contact our nominating committee and let your name stand, you can make a difference.
Terrie LaPorte,
Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce
Point Roberts

The Editor:
Regarding last month’s letter in the newspaper about the half pipe skateboard ramp in our neighborhood, the removal of the ramp was not due to one upset neighbor.
The fact was, there were so many individual complaints from surrounding neighbors that the county put the complaints as a priority #9 ranking, which meant that the review was moved to the top of the list. If it had been only one complaint, the review would not have been done, in all probability, until next year. The review was done so quickly because there were so many individual complaints within such a small area.
The reason the matter went to court was due to the county finding the ramp in violation of county codes and the property owner chose to contest the infraction. The court ruled the ramp was to be removed.
It is commendable that the property owner wanted to provide a venue for their children’s recreation, but one must realize now that the noise from the ramp was very disruptive to the surrounding neighbors. The pleasure of being able to peacefully enjoy a beautiful summer’s day outside was taken away by the loud roars, drones and bangs from the ramp.
The property owner may not have been aware of the impact the ramp was causing to their neighbors. Now that they have been enlightened on the disruption they caused, surely reconstruction of another ramp would not be an option.
We feel there should be a facility where children can skateboard, but that facility should not be in someone’s front yard.
It is my understanding that several people are pursuing with the county a suitable location for a skateboard park for the use by all the children within the community. There are many factors that will play a role in finding a suitable location. The appropriate location of a skateboard park would require strategic planning to ensure that it does not affect surrounding properties, coupled with environmental issues such as nesting grounds for the eagles, herons and other wildlife.
Achieving the goal for such a facility will require the efforts of many within the community. We would be pleased to offer our time and support to raise the needed funds to develop a skateboard park for all the community to enjoy.
Feel free to call upon us should our help be needed. We support our community spirit because that is makes Point Roberts such a desirable place to call home.
Denise Richards
Point Roberts

The Editor:
In the 1980 Presidential debates, Ronald Reagan asked the memorable question, “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” Over 20 years later, and almost two years into the term of President George W. Bush, this question is still relevant. An analysis of current indicators of the nation’s social and economic well-being shows that many are again declining.
Unemployment is increasing. Job creation has reversed. Poverty is increasing. Incomes are falling. Hundreds of thousands of Americans are filing for bankruptcy. Mortgage foreclosures are at record highs. The federal budget deficit is increasing. The number of Americans without health insurance is increasing. Health insurance costs are increasing rapidly. The crime rate is increasing. Drug use is increasing. Air pollution is increasing. Fuel economy is declining as global warming accelerates.
These are not phrases that I just dreamed up to embarrass the Bush administration and its admirers, apologists and other true believers in the creed that our fearless leader can do no wrong. All these are facts and the chapter and verse to prove them are readily accessible to anyone who cares to look them up. I have the proof and anyone who cares to call me will receive documentation which will verify the veracity of each and every one of these assertions – not allegations.
The one and only way to bring about a reversal of these trends is electing any and all Democrats. Yes, I know there are some, maybe many, Democrats who are worse than some Republicans, but we will have to deal with them later. In the meantime, the priority is to take Congress out of reach of Bush & Co., and thus put a damper on the downturn of the American economy.
If Democrats take power in both houses of Congress, they – and a good many moderate Republicans – might lose some of their timidity in confronting the Bush administration, even to the point of holding tough hearings on the various scandals hanging around the necks of Bush and his cronies (pre-9/11 knowledge, Cheney’s withholding of energy documents subpoenaed by Congress, the tie-ins to Enron cash, Army secretary Tom White’s outrageous conflicts of interest, Ashcroft’s penchant for running roughshod over the U.S. Constitution, Cheney & Halliburton, Bush and Harkin Oil, and on and on and on).
Ted and Angela Mohr
Point Roberts

The Editor:
It’s election time, and a laundry list of America’s troubles, real and imagined, is being laid at the doorstep of President Bush and the Republican party. Lacking any new ideas or initiatives themselves, Democrats hope that a perceived dissatisfaction among the electorate will translate into votes for their candidates in next month’s election. But I think they underestimate the intelligence – and the memory – of the American voter.
Yes, President Reagan did ask the question, “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?” Well, after four years of Jimmy Carter’s Democratic administration, Americans were indeed weary of double-digit inflation, double digit unemployment, 18 percent interest rates and gasoline shortages.
Internationally, Americans were shocked and angered by the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the seizure of power in Iran by Islamic lunatics who invaded the U.S. embassy and took dozens of Americans hostage, releasing them only after Reagan had been inaugurated.
In the Reagan years that followed, inflation and unemployment were cut in half, gas shortages disappeared, the economy rebounded, the Soviet Union crumbled, and the stage was set for over a decade of peace, unprecedented prosperity and renewed national pride.
However, no economy is immune to business cycles, and the roaring economic engine presided over by Bill Clinton was already sputtering when George W. Bush took office in 2000. Do voters truly believe that the economy would have fared better under Al Gore? Or that 9/11 would not have occurred under a Democratic administration?
Closer to home, our state is nearly 2 billion dollars in debt. Less than a decade ago, we had a billion dollar surplus. The Democrat’s answer to our current fiscal woes is to “stimulate” the economy. How? By reducing taxes? Not likely. Today, every wage earning American – male or female – pays more than 52 cents from every dollar in some form of taxes. I have not heard one Democratic candidate express concern–or outrage–that this condition exists. Or propose any meaningful steps to reduce the onerous tax burden on ordinary working people.
The Democrat’s plans are simple enough. They want to take money away from people who are unlikely to vote for Democrats and give that money to people who are more likely to vote for Democrats. Is that what the average voter wants?
We can no longer operate under the illusion that government is going to solve our problems. In truth, it only subsidizes them. Republicans have little interest in streamlining government or in making it more efficient. They intend to reduce its size. They do not undertake to promote welfare, but propose to extend freedom. Their aim is not to pass laws, but to repeal them.
They do not wish to inaugurate new programs, but to cancel old ones that do not work or do violence to the Constitution or impose an unwarranted financial burden on the people.
Republicans have no practical or philosophical problems with these objectives.
My hunch is that the majority of voters share these views, and will endorse them with their vote for Republican candidates on November 5.
John Lesow
Point Roberts

The Editor:
I feel honored to live in such a caring community. A community where when one passes away others come to show how much they will miss that one person be they American or Canadian and remind us who that person was. To show us their caring side or their humorous side. To remind us how in that person’s own way they brightened each one of our lives.
A community where even the younger residents take action in doing what they feel is right, not for themselves but for those that are to come behind them.
Whether it is to attempt to get transportation from here to Blaine (so that Point Roberts residents have every opportunity to experience all that is there for them to explore). Or, to cry out for a recreation center to show us areas of our community that may get overlooked.
A community where people show how much of a family they really are and show how every person has their worth. These are just some of the reasons why I love living in Point Roberts.
Pat Brady
Point Roberts

The Editor:
In the upcoming race for the state House of Representatives you have a clear choice.
Representative Doug Ericksen is a proven leader who has shown that he has the courage to stand up to powerful special interest groups and put the people of Whatcom County first.
Representative Ericksen drafted, sponsored, and passed legislation to protect our local farmers from overzealous state tax collectors. Ericksen is endorsed by the Washington Farm Bureau.
Representative Ericksen drafted, sponsored, and passed legislation to assist local small businesses. Ericksen is a major advocate of real regulatory reform that will stimulate the economy while protecting our environment. Ericksen is supported by the National Federation of Independent Businesses.
Ericksen has put together bi-partisan teams to solve problems for local constituents.
Representative Ericksen is a proven leader. So what is the clear choice? The clear choice is that his opponent has only lived in Washington for two years, has never held public office, and has never proven that he has what it takes to get the job done. We really don’t even know who’s his opponent.
I urge you to vote for the clear choice, the proven leader, representative Doug Ericksen.
Jason T. Vorva
Bellingham

The Editor:
This is a letter thanking the EMTs of our fire district for their quick response and excellent treatment when my wife Margo cut her leg when closing the car door. The accident happened about 6 p.m. on Sunday, October 6. The EMTs arrived minutes after my call for help, they treated the wound and took her into the Delta emergency ward as the cut required stitches.
As a result of their treatment, the wound is almost totally healed today, October 20.
The response team was Bill Skinner, Leslie Duke, Eric Worra, Nick Kiniski, Greg Hebert, Aaron Jackson, Jason Dehann, and John Shields.
Such excellence reflects many hours of training and a high sense of responsibility of the men and women who make up our volunteer fire department. Thanks!
Syd Wallace
Point Roberts

The Editor:
I would like to thank all who attended and participated in the first Annual Point Roberts Art Auction. We raised enough to pay for a large portion of our arts and music festival in August! This is outstanding! Thank you to the Point Roberts Marina for allowing us to use their beautiful facility. It made for a really comfortable event.
I’d like to thank the Harrison Gallery in Vancouver for their very generous donations as well as our local artists who are so talented, so brilliant, that I was dazzled by the quality of their work. A special thanks to Brian Crossen, Dawn Parsons, Pennie Lesow, Simone Pope, Nancy King and Deborah Clift for their assistance and thanks to Tiffany Oakley and John Sheppard who worked like slaves and still love me.
On behalf of the Point Roberts Arts Foundation, my hat is off to you all.
Pamela Oakley
Point Roberts

The Editor:
The Point Roberts Senior Center would like to thank Marianna and Hans Meyer of Point Roberts and Vancouver and Kevin Reed of Woodenville for donating computers to our computer lab. Also, many thanks to Delta Cable Vision for donating two computers. Ten students are currently enjoying classes taught by Doug and Maggie Ritchie of Point Roberts.
Armene Belless
Point Roberts

The Editor:
Just to let everyone know, we are still working on getting the skate park built in Point Roberts. Interested parties can help by donating any amount to the project directly to Sterling Savings Bank. Also, thank you to Dave Niles, Irene Waters, Terrie LaPorte, Paul Bemister, and John Paradis for all their help.
Also, thanks to Tabatha Gault and Jo Bravener for having the bake sale and Andrew Grubb for the youth-inspiring fundraising at Lighthouse Park. Once the permits are in place, we will need help with the actual building, so if you’re able to lend a hand, let us know. Please leave a message at 945-1206.
Helena Biga
Point Roberts

The Editor:
Point Roberts Primary School would like to invite parents, students, and community members to a celebration tea for the Prescott family. Suzanne has been our secretary for a number of years.
Suzanne, Tom and their two sons are about to journey into new adventures in California. Please join us at Point Roberts Primary School Wednesday, October 30 from 3 – 4 p.m.
Nancy Bakarich, principal
Point Roberts Primary School

The Editor:
Thanks to all of you who attended the sewer comprehensive plan meeting on September 10. There was a good turnout and many of you had good comments and valid concerns. Since then the engineers have had feedback from many of you. Thank you for your responses.
A quick synopsis of this process is that this document is required by Washington state. The infrastructure task group (a committee of the Point Roberts economic development committee) secured a grant to cover 80 percent of the costs born to produce the Plan. The Point Roberts water district has been working with the engineers to complete the process and will be presenting their findings at the October 30 public meeting.
I encourage everyone to attend this public presentation of the plan. There will be lots of important information provided about he plan to go over with us.
We hope to see you at 7 p.m. at the Point Roberts bingo hall, 2030 Benson Road, on Wednesday, October 30.
Madeleine Anderson
Point Roberts

Letters Policy
The All Point Bulletin welcomes letters to the editor; however, the opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the editor. Letters must include name, address and daytime telephone number for verification. Letters must not exceed 450 words and may be edited or rejected for reasons of legality and good taste.
A fresh viewpoint on matters of general interest to local readers will increase the likelihood of publication. Writers should avoid personal invective. Unsigned letters will not be accepted for publication. Requests for withholding names will be considered on an individual basis.
Thank You letters should be limited to ten names.
Only one letter per month from an individual correspondent will be published.

Please send your letter to: P.O. Box 1451, Point Roberts, WA 98281
or fax (360) 945-1613.
E-mail:editor@allpointbulletin.com

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