2 weeks Ago
Remove signs In Washington State, political campaign signs must be removed 10 days after an election. See Washington Code: WAC 468-66-050. We have had an election with clear results.
It is now the time to govern and to move beyond partisan politics. Krista Thie White Salmon Subscribe to the paper In her Publisher’s Note last week (" Subscribe to support local news," Dec. 4), Chelsea Marr is right: You should subscribe to the Columbia Gorge News.
A printed local newspaper is a vital source of communication on issues ranging from local politics, current events, sports, and obituaries. The paper can’t be produced and printed for free. Having a stable revenue source is fundamental to budgeting and keeping the business afloat.
For less than a buck a week, you can help secure the future of the Columbia Gorge News. That’s a wise investment. Paul Crowley Hood River Idiocracy Corporate institutions have created a sociopathic society where the wealth disparity in this country now exceeds that of the Gilded Age.
These institutions have programmed us from birth to be mindless consumers of "stuff," including misinformation. Mass media are now dominated by ultra-wealthy con-men typified by Trump (“Truth” Social), Musk (X), and Murdock (Fox), etc., who manipulate the poorly informed and deliberately misinformed people to vote against their own and our larger societal interests.
As a result we live in a materialistic, sociopathic culture that prioritizes self-interest over societal interest — and more dangerously the health of the planet necessary for our children. It's about instant gratification and "who wants to be a millionaire." It creates fear of the "other," like "invading" migrants looking to improve their own desperately poor lives, allegedly at the in-group's (and their cats and dogs) expense.
What do MAGA voters think will happen to food prices when all these millions of “boogeymen” are mass-deported? Who’s going to pay for it — Mexico? We can't pass an equal rights amendment for women, let alone elect a smarter-than-they-are mixed-race woman to be president. Apparently some Black and Latino men, and most white old men and entitled young "bros," can't handle it. They’d rather have an unqualified bro-foon — despite his ignorance, racism, misogyny, grifting, felonies, and other clear defects as a human being — be their president.
Despite a post-pandemic economy better than any other in the world and wages outpacing inflation, MAGA voters are too ignorant to know the price of eggs or gas won't change due to electing Trump. They're in for a rude awakening when the perpetual Republican priority of cutting taxes mostly benefiting the wealthy balloons the deficit even more than in Trump’s first term, and is used — as it always is by Republicans since Roosevelt’s New Deal — as an excuse to cut Social Security and Medicare for working people. Big business and industry will be more deregulated — ensuring public health and the environment are further harmed in order to let the rich get even richer.
They’ll be laughing all the way to the bank. Bob Yoesle Goldendale Top of the World fire In reviewing the Nov. 27 article "Prescribed burn made rare transition to wildfire," I noticed the Forest Service failed to explain their critical decision to proceed with the prescribed burn on Oct.
14, when weather forecasts had predicted extreme gusty winds exceeding 40 mph on that date. The Forest Service initially announced their plan for the prescribed burn on Oct. 11 in the Catherine Creek area between Bingen and Lyle.
They had three days to assess the conditions and observe the predicted weather reports. Local residents knew we were in extremely dry conditions all summer and into the fall with our Klickitat County burn bans in place. Residents were cautioned not to start any wildfires by local fire authorities.
The burn bans were not rescinded until Oct. 23. Several responses to the Forest Service's poor judgment with starting this prescribed burn included anger and disbelief, as well as fear given our extremely dry conditions.
Local residents also expressed gratitude and support to all the firefighters and agencies who responded and contained this fire. It is clear there are many benefits to implementing prescribed burns. However, a thorough assessment of all conditions must be conducted, especially 24 hours in advance, and those in leadership must have the courage to cancel and reschedule a prescribed burn if dangerous conditions are present.
Lisa A. Chase White Salmon.
