by Archie Thomas & Merry Schrumpf, Corvallis
One’s senses are easily overwhelmed by the daily fire hose volume of national news. Yet our daily routines and lives seem unconnected to the same. The majority of Ravalli County residents enjoy money in the bank, a roof over their head, food on their table, a full time job and/or comfortable retirement. Separately, fully employed residents without affordable housing, childcare, and/or medical care, and those with multiple low wage jobs required to make ends meet, rarely have the time to be concerned about national headlines. The majority of voters in Ravalli County voted for the present administration. Real negative local consequences are occurring daily:
• Thousands in county payroll dollars fail to circulate as the Rocky Mountain Labs and USFS employees are still laid off. The consequences to lost research, forest management, plus the added inefficiencies from staff reductions, are yet to become fully apparent.
• Tourism and real estate sales are decreased.
• The 2020 County election fraud hearings are forgotten while USPS mail services threaten mail in ballot delivery and DOGE gains access to our personal information. Our senators, representatives and commissioners’ answer is “silence.”
• The county commissioners’ silent support for January 6th rioters’ pardons are forgotten, the pardons have become reality. Law and order starts at home.
• Many critical local nonprofits have had their grants disrupted and/or funding cuts. State and county office holders’ official answer is “silence.”
• The Department of Defense’s funding and misdirected approach to rare earth mining has resulted in Sheep Creek Mine owners seeing a profit opportunity at our community’s loss. This is an unacceptable risk to our water, our economy, and our way of life. To their credit, the Ravalli County Commissioners opposed the FAST 41 expedited designation for the mine. Every resident needs to thank the commissioners for their opposition.
No opposition would be required if the pay for play federal government wasn’t in power. Daines, Zinke, and Sheehy oppose the expedited designation because it is a re-election year. Expect their support for the mine if re-elected.
• The local Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Realtors’ “silence” stance on all of the above should not be condoned nor accepted by their customers.
We are sleep walking as a community through these lost opportunities. The losses and threats to our way of life are real. Meanwhile our state, local political leaders and business leaders remain silent, act surprised/uninformed, are subservient, and/or don’t acknowledge the resulting local economic and social losses.
If you cannot find truth where you are, where else do you expect to find it?
700 residents protested on No Kings day and showed up to protest the Sheep Creek mine. Show up and be counted in the new year. Local community is the cure.
Kevin says
Goofballs! No Kings but support a Dictator?
SRK says
I quit reading at the reference to county payroll dollars. Rocky Mountain Lab and USFS are Federal entities. Please point out the line item in the county budget for these.
I’ll wait……..
Archie Thomas says
Where is the county budget or county funding mentioned? These dollars circulate in the local economy and are a resulting comic lost to the entire comic unit.
Frank says
In my 75 years on this earth, I have never seen a collective of people loose their ever lovin’ minds like what is taking place with Democrats. You stand in support of criminals and dictators while our president tries to clean up the crap whole your party provided us with. I used to have some empathy for my fellow liberal thinking them miss guided but good hearted and, just wanting the best for everyone but, no more. You are all insane and cannot be taken seriously. You need to stop your nonsense, you sound like stupid, petulant teenagers.
Gomez says
“You are all insane and cannot be taken seriously. You need to stop your nonsense, you sound like stupid, petulant teenagers.”
Have you heard Trump speak? Have you seen the way he acts? We are not the crazy ones.
History will not be kind to those who enabled this self centered, un-American, grifting imbecile.
Bill Cavanaugh says
Trump is more American than you will ever be Gomez. And your president couldn’t take a dump without help and questioned where a Dad Congresswoman was 3 weeks after she had died. You’re delirious.
Howard S. says
Trump has nodded off at several important meetings lately. He brags about passing several cognitive tests in the past year, clearly clueless that the fact that he’s being given so many tests is a major red flag because it means his doctors are concerned.
Oh, and do you still think they whole Venezuela thing is about drugs? If so, you’re a buffoon. At least GW Bush tried to hide the fact that Iraq was about oil.
Bill Cavanaugh says
He never nodded. You are a bold faced liar, unless you’re talking about Joe Biden.
Maybe you missed the part where Venezuela seized assets from two US oil companies and Maduro had a $25MM bounty on his head during the Biden Administration?
Do some homework, and stop watching MSNBC
Archie says
Not that I except you to notice but your comments have no bearing on the economics of the letter content or losses within the county. This comment is like a form letter from your favor politicians with similar depth.. I won’t be addressing your comments further
Archie says
Sir you are not my audience, by the time the mine contaminates your water you will likely be dead from other causes. Further No mention of Democrat, criminals, dictators or liberal is listed in letter.. If you have data on how the described events help the economy of the vally I’d love to hear it. Or for that matter what’s going on locally with dictators, criminals, liberals, Democrats etc, seriously is this a response to this letter or just a standard cranky old form letter everybody gets?
Tracy says
LMAO Fear this and fear that and then fear this.
Archie says
Thanks for the in-depth understandable comment.