Letters to the editor

March 5

Manager search shows problems

The Polson City Manager saga goes on and on. While I question the need for a manager, it was voted in and should be provided for.

The first manager left after a year for personal reasons. The mayor and councillor’s selected a replacement after some type of search.  He accepted then opted out for some reason. They then offered No. 2 and No. 3 on the list the job, but they declined. They then offered a well recommended local person who accepted but, for some reason also backed out. She probably looked at the six councillors and mayor she would answer to and figured life was too short for this.

I believe that since the manager left we have had the mayor, a councillor and now an attorney trying out. I don’t know what the others were paid, but the attorney is getting $1. He is to be applauded for his contribution. I am unable to visualize anyone working under those circumstances. Take a look at the Polson Golf Club restaurant or ask one of the many who have tried to run it the last few years what it’s like.

What’s the problem? No one seems to want to guess. I understand the financial package offered is one problem. Benefits are another.  The type of cars being offered is also mentioned. Don’t know what they are offering, but I do know they don’t make a one-door vehicle any longer. It will probably take a Hummer to survive the potholes on Polson streets.

I would recommend the council consider approaching the Polson school board for assistance. Maybe even turn the hiring over to them.  They have just completed a successful search and have hired a new District 23 Superintendent. They did the search in short order, introduced and interviewed the four finalists one day and selected their choice the next day. Nothing to it.

Tom Ryan, Polson

Best wishes to John Glueckert

I want to express my best wishes for John Glueckert as he leaves his post at St. Joseph Medical Center. I had the privilege of spending most of the 90s in the Mission Valley and had the opportunity to practice my specialty at the Medical Center. John introduced me to the medical community and was supportive in my efforts to develop a practice.

I remember him as a friendly, compassionate fellow with a calm demeanor. May John and his family enjoy good luck in whatever they do in the future.

Michael L. Brownstein, M.D., Half Moon Bay, Calif.

Change to believe in

1. The American people elect a president with a total of 42 days experience as a U.S. Senator from the most politically corrupt state in America whose governor is ousted from office. The President’s first official act is to close Gitmo and make sure terrorists civil rights are not violated.

2. The U.S. Congress rushes to confirm a black Attorney General, Eric Holder, whose law firm we later find out represents seventeen Gitmo Terrorists.

3. The CIA Boss, Leon Panetta,  with absolutely no experience has a daughter, Linda, we find out, who is a true radical anti-American activist who is a supporter of all the anti-American regimes in the western hemisphere.

4. We got the most corrupt female in America as Secretary of State, bought and paid for.

5. We got a tax cheat for Treasury Secretary who files his own taxes.

6. A Commerce Secretary nominee who withdrew due to corruption charges.

7. A Tax cheat nominee for Chief Performance Officer who withdrew under charges.

8. A Labor Secretary nominee who withdrew under charges of unethical conduct.

9. A Secretary Health and Human Services nominee who withdrew under charges of cheating on his taxes. 

And that’s just the first two weeks . . . but who’s counting? America is being run by the modern-day Three Stooges: Barack, Nancy and Harry, and they are still trying to define “stimulus.”

“Stimulus” is where the government gives a smidgen of your tax dollars back to you making you feel so good about yourself (stimulated) that you want to run out to Wal-Mart and buy a new Chinese-made HDTV and go home and watch Telemundo!

Robert L. Starks, St. Ignatius

Call to action

It’s THAT time of the year again: Yep, school district elections are just around the corner.

As of the time I’m writing this, Feb. 24, I’m aware of only one person having gotten their paperwork to file for any of the four seats open on the Polson Board this year.

I’m particularly interested in people coming forward to take my seat on the Polson Board of Trustees for the High School District. Any candidate must reside in either school district No. 33 (Dayton, Proctor, Rollins) or school district No. 35 (Valley View).

I certainly encourage people to to come forward. Otherwise, we in these two areas will be without representation when important issues are decided that affect our property taxes (high school bonds, levies, etc.), matters of curriculum and support to the students themselves. Serving on the board for the past nine years has been a rewarding experience and has provided a lot of satisfaction. It has not been without pain and stress but the positives have, on balance, outweighed the negatives.

So I encourage you to call on Pam Owen in the school district No. 23 office, across from the courthouse, and discuss the requirements for filing for office.

Bob Hanson, Polson School Board of Education Trustee, Dayton

Rep. should walk the walk

(Rep.) Janna (Taylor) tells us how to tighten our belts — perhaps Janna should also tell us about all the farm subsidies she receives on her lands east of the mountains.

Maureen Theiler, Polson

Polson needs involvement

If the city council and Mayor would serve at our pleasure as they want the city manager to serve them, things wouldn’t be as messed up as they are. They do not want a city manager so they can pay their friends $4,000 a month (part time) to do the job, as he also is the city attorney at $3,600 a month part time. Pretty good part time job! The electors of Polson better wake up start going to the meetings and voice their concern about the mayor and counsel dictatorship they are running. If you speak up about something and the mayor doesn’t like he will throw you out (it has happened). They are not doing what you electors voted them in to do, so you should recall them or vote all out except Ms. Duford, who keeps questioning the all boys club and gets treated like a peon for her efforts. You  the electors need to make the counsel and mayor follow the law. Go to the meetings. Wake up.

Allan Marcus, Polson

Common sense needed

On Feb. 12, Mr. David Daniels boldly proclaimed from afar we should repatriate U.S. National Bison Range lands to the Confederate Salish and Kootenai Tribes. I don’t completely question management ability. I don’t see the sense in dividing our country into potentially hundreds of confederate state/nations, within a nation. I wonder about his motivation. Is there any room for forgiveness and common sense?

The historical and archaeological record uncovers much evidence that Asian peoples from the Siberia and China areas migrated across the Bering Strait thousands of years ago. By logic, should we repatriate the entire North American continent to the first people? Let’s prove it by a sampling of genetic DNA from current residents and Siberian-Asian dwellers. If it proves out everyone must hand over your house keys and title to your beloved properties to Russian and China, wherever you may live, including Berkeley, Calif. Of course, one must consider percentages of ancestry, be it Russian, Chinese, Japanese, North Korean for sovereignty. That’s already a divisive subject of entitlements in many Indian families, be it full, unknown, 1/16 or 1/32.  Let’s not forget Japan expressed its desire for Hawaii in 1941. In fairness, monies or benefits received may need to be returned to the first people.

Our government encouraged us to live here, to become one people of one country. I was born and raised “native” right here in Polson.  Can any gratitude and thanks to God be found for all the benefits, inventions, and innovations as a result of largely Christian people settling the great United States? Some examples are eyeglasses, clothing, vehicles, roadways, farm machinery, snug houses with electricity and running water, defeat of great enemies due to advanced weaponry, Christ’s aid, etc. I am grateful that I and my common folk farmer ancestors have responsibly fed and contributed to the needs of others without claiming some benefits, entitlements or privilege over them. They were not soldiers or officials. They worked very hard, paid taxes due and sacrificed for the good of all US citizens. 

I like to consider a bright future together as United States, not hundreds of warring confederate tribes with borders within our borders, still settling disputes. This is exactly what repatriation of the Bison Range would start to do. Would we rename our country the Divided and Confederate States of America? We would be ripe picking for enemy attack. Many can see we are being attacked by Muslms now.

Many years ago local Indians invited the Black Robes here to teach them about the Creator.  I invite local Indians and Mr. Daniels to learn more about the Creator named Jesus Christ. He intelligently and amazingly designed this place we call home. He first walked this earth 2009 years ago and taught genuine faith, hope and love, forgiveness, salvation, joy and peacefulness. I choose to worship the Creator rather than the creation or creatures, wonderful as they are. I’m so glad He will be coming back again soon. We can always learn more in Holy Scripture.

Ray Kackmann, Polson

Happy ending for dumped dogs

The two dogs that were thought to be dropped off in the Charlo area were lost dogs. After putting my letter in the newspaper last week, come to find out someone called me and had lost two dogs on a four-wheeling ride. The dogs were reunited with the owners. Please, please people put name tags and numbers on your dogs. Too many people say that they  never leave the yard or we are always with them. They won’t get lost. But they do. This is reality and things like this happen. If I had not put the letter in the newspaper, the owners probably would not have found their dogs.

Wanda Blakenhorn, Polson