McCall fire district makes correct choice on growth fees
Commissioners of the McCall Fire Protection District made the right choice when they decided to withdraw from Valley County’s effort to impose fees on new development in order to pay for new buildings and equipment. It is a signal the entire process to levy development fees is flawed.
The fire district permitted itself to be included in a county study to see what the county, the Donnelly Fire Protection District and the McCall district needed as far as buildings and equipment. The study then figured out fees to put on new homes and commercial buildings that could help the district finance those purchases. Participation of the study was harmless enough and provided good information on the district’s needs and various ways to finance them.
But the economic crash of recent times has made it obvious any effort to tax growth was counterproductive. Now is not the time to impose surcharges on what little growth is now taking place, because it would serve as a deterrent to anyone thinking about investing in the community for a vacation home or business. Besides that, the Mountain Central Board of Realtors has put the county on notice they are ready to pounce on any development fees that are passed with a heavy lawsuit. Given the Realtors’ success in squashing the county’s affordable housing laws, that is a serious threat.
Unlike affordable housing laws, there is clear legal authority in state law for development fees, but that doesn’t make them right. The housing laws were intended to fill what was then a legitimate need for low-income homes and apartments. Fortunately, the marketplace rendered them useless and local agencies are using other means to provide affordable housing for permanent and transient workers. Development fees, once imposed, would be levied on every new home and business, whether the economy was booming or, like now, there is a severe slump.
The McCall fire district commissioners have a clear vision on the problems of imposing development fees now, and they should be praised for having the courage to change their minds. Here’s hoping the county and Donnelly fire officials come to the same conclusion.
Letters to the Editor
Federal health insurance is a recipe for disaster
To the Editor:
This is regarding Drs. Weltys’ health care letter in the Aug. 6, 2009 issue of The Star-News (“Let the federal government offer health care to citizens”). Their long record of public service is something we should all thank them for. However, their approach to reforming health care (which could use some reform) is way off the mark.
Government did not result in this nation’s greatness. With all its warts, private individuals and enterprise did that. Inept and inadequate regulation coupled with financially irresponsible affirmative action is making this last business cycle more of a downer than it should have been.
But about health care: their last paragraph, “hope the reform bill includes a provision for a federal health care program to compete with private insurance,” is deadly. Compete with the government? The only way would be pricing, resulting in no private carriers and a single payer system run by the government. If that concept is the model, why do Canadians, the UK, and anybody else who can manage, come to this country for care?
Fix it? Yes, but try a couple of simple things first. Allow private carriers to compete in all states by establishing federal standards for operation and financial capability. Make health insurance premiums tax deductible for individuals. Cull waste out of Medicare and Medicaid by better auditing and record procedures. And, send the 13 million of the estimated 47 million uninsured illegals back to where they came from.
Bob Jessen, Meridian and McCall
Deinhard-Boydstun bypass McCall’s best-kept secret
To the Editor:
As a part-time resident of Lake Street in McCall since 1972, I was looking forward to some kind of traffic relief when the Boydstun bypass was completed.
Call it what you want it is an alternate route or bypass. Traffic, however, has not lightened up but seems to have gotten worse. In trying to leave our drive way or walk across the street I have often counted 50 to 100 vehicles going by before you dare enter onto Lake Street and I’ll guarantee you few are traveling at the posted speed of 25 mph.
I’m not sure of the following facts but have been told the bypass cost in excess of $20 million for right-of-way and construction. Because there are no signs identifying the route at either end, few drivers know what or where it is.
I’ve also been told that there are no signs because one of the right-of-way sellers would sell their property only under the condition that no signs could be put up! I’ve also been told that downtown merchants were in favor of a bypass route as there is too much congestion in downtown McCall, making it dangerous for foot and bike traffic and shopping.
For those people not needing food or gas and are on their way to Boise or northern Idaho, they can make better time by using the bypass. Use of this very expensive roadway would give Lake Street some much needed relief. I doubt that this new road is carrying one car out of a hundred going through McCall.
There have also been plans by the city to pave a walking/bike path along Lake Street. As heavy as the traffic is, it likely would be too dangerous with logging tucks, semis and motorcycles plus all the cars that should be on the bypass, if they only knew there was one and where it was!
Dick Ennis, McCall and Boise
Payette Landing - a bad idea in the wrong location
To the Editor:
I live in the Carefree Subdivision located four miles directly north of the proposed airfield Payette Landing. This fly-in subdivision with its 9,000 foot runway would be a huge scar across Long Valley. This project will ruin the quality of life for many who live within the impact zone of this irrational proposal.
There are flight patterns to consider along with the associated noise. Some trigonometric calculations will show that it will have an impact zone of about 14 square miles. Consider the other impacts, logistical support services, navigation light requirements (invasion of dark skies values), noise and CO2 pollution, and a mis-placed development in a ranching/agricultural area. There is no way to mitigate for these embedded impacts.
The project is a bad idea which can never be justified in its present location. It would only benefit a few hundred people who bought into this capricious plan while wrecking the lifestyle of many other Long Valley citizens who live, work, worship and recreate in the area.
We encourage the Valley County Planning and Zoning Commissioners to use common sense, listen to the people and vote against this proposal. Send a strong message to the proponents that it won’t be considered anywhere in Valley County.
Rich Howard, McCall
Veterans Administration a poor example of government care
To the Editor:
Jackie Tunipseed-Aymon (“Scare-mongers stand in the way of health-care reform,” Letters to the Editor, The Star-News, Aug. 13, 2009) most certainly has never been treated by the Veteran Administration health care system to be able to say it is the most liked health care system in our country.
I have first hand experience with the VA. I want to share a personal experiences to illustrate my point.
The VA has limited funds upon which to provide it’s care. It does not have the funds to pay for medical professionals or to pay for advanced medical equipment. This is what the VA does to hold down costs.
My physician’s assistant at the VA has 750 patients. Appointments are six to eight weeks out to see the PA at the VA. You can get in the same week to see a doctor here.
The PA screens patient for the doctor. The only time you can see the doctor is if the doctor reschedules the appointment, which is normally six to eight weeks out.
I had throat cancer. In order to get the radiation equipment necessary for my cancer I had to go out of the VA and get my radiation done in Boise, paid for out of my own pocket.
The VA had outdated radiation equipment in Seattle where they sent me for treatment, as no radiation equipment is available in Boise. My oncologist at the Boise VA has his own practice outside the VA, he comes in twice a week for half a day. He sees this as community service and his way of supporting the veterans. Without him there would be no oncologist.
I have sciatic nerve problems. It has taken nearly two years of pain for me to see a back specialist. The VA in Boise only has one, and he is so overworked, I had to be sent outside the VA to see the spine specialist after two years.
The VA cannot find spine specialists to hire, the pay is too low and the workload is too high, plus they do not have the latest equipment to work with.
The VA is funded each year and the level of care is dependent upon the amount of money available, which is what will happen under government health care.
I will say the people at the VA in Boise do a good job with the limited tools they are provided. I can’t say that about the Livermore, Calif., VA. I owe them much more than I could ever repay.
For most of what a patient needs they do, it works if you can stand the waiting, but if you need a specialist, or state of the art equipment or expensive equipment, they just can’t do it as well as getting treatment outside the VA. I don’t believe this is what people want in health care.
Dennis Marguet. Cascade
Nationalism is necessary if we are to save America
To the Editor:
Please recall a few years ago before Sen. Larry Craig retired. In each of those last years he attempted to get a bill passed the “Ag-Jobs” bill which would have granted immediate amnesty to one million agricultural workers. Enough of us phoned, FAXed and wrote to our reps asking them to vote “no” on this stupidity that it failed to pass.
During the administrations of Clinton and the first G. Bush, we were told that NAFTA, CAFTA and the WTO would actually create more jobs in the U.S. This is when the outsourcing of American industry began in earnest. As a former San Franciscan, I remember the very gloomy day when Levi Strauss was moved to foreign soil. A few thousand people lost jobs that had been in their families for generations, since 1848.
Now we truly understand the strategy for all these relocations. It wasn’t to create more jobs here, because it didn’t. The purpose was to magnify corporate profits for American big business. The American middle class was duped by TV advertising promoting these schemes. At present we’re in a deep recession/depression, the jobs we once had are now living on foreign soil and there is nothing to replace them here. We were lied to, agreed?
Last week Holland sent a representative to the EU who was elected to office for their Anti-Immigration Party. The importance it has for America is that we are seeing an example of correct “nationalism” from a country we respect. Their people are taking back the nation of their birthright from the politicians that were giving it away and ruining it for them.
The “hope” I see refers to intelligent people here, seeing the Holland example, being motivated and taking back this country from the politicians. We can do this by communicating with them on a regular basis and expressing what we expect from them. Nationalism doesn’t always resemble North Korea. Nationalism, for Americans, should be defined as America First.
When Americans have their jobs ripped from their lives and sent overseas; that ain’t America First! When millions of Americans were defrauded by lenders and eventually evicted from their homes and CEO Angelo Mozilo from Countrywide Financial personally got about $200 million from Bank of America as a settlement, that ain’t America First!
When G.W. Bush and Dick Cheney can start the Iraq war based on deception and undeniable lies, that Ain’t America First and they should be in court answering for the nearly 5,000 American lives it has cost and the trillions of dollars in debt it has put us!
The word “nationalism” defined from my dictionary reads: “Patriotism and devotion to one’s own culture.” The last word, “culture”, should be considered most salient. Our culture is what we are losing when we are forced to accommodate excessive and uncontrolled immigration. It dilutes us!
Our culture is also what we have lost with Italy owning Chrysler and China owning Hummer. I hurt seeing my America disappear because of leaders not supporting America First! We need nationalism or we will lose our country, it is that simple!
Ed Jameson, New Meadows
Sharlie sighting allows writer to come clean
To the Editor:
Reading the report in The Star-News on Aug. 13, 2009, of a sighting of Sharlie brought back a memory from the early 1980s.
During July of 1981 a group of us from high school had been jumping off the cliff, south of North Beach on the east side of the lake. We were sitting there drying off when we noticed something weird in the lake. A V- shaped wave was traveling from our area toward The Narrows and there were no boats on the lake.
We never reported this, but I remember this as if it was just yesterday.
Mike Crawford, Boise
NM should find a way to celebrate July 4
To the Editor:
After reading your article about New Meadows updating their fireworks ordinance (The Star-News, Aug. 13, 2009), I felt that the time is right to recommend that the City of New Meadows organize its own fireworks display and activities in town to stimulate business and celebrate our country.
The few who spend hundreds of dollars to provide a public show every year, including myself, would probably donate money and the city could have a few fund raisers to support this.
To just litigate a shut-down of a tradition without a replacement idea is not very thoughtful planning. OK, city council, the ball’s in your court.
Bruce Stuart, New Meadows
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