The clean water utility as seen through the liberal mind set is yet another opportunity to take control of individual responsibilities, dictate our needs and tax us for doing so, thus growing government (by appropriating our resources), and their bureaucracy (added job security) and usurping our individual freedoms.

It seems all levels of government are engaged in such activities even in these times of economic recession, when it’s the last thing they should be doing. Voters have made their opposition perfectly clear by 2 to 1 in recent elections and polls. Liberal thinking (progressivism, socialism) recognizes no bad time for raising taxes and seizing our rights to manage our affairs by ourselves and by our votes.

Most of the numerous activities being claimed by the clean water utility have been financed through the general budget by prioritized selection by our elected officials or by grants. Some of these are desirable, i.e., water quality, a hydrologist, drainage construction, and ground water status. Some are unnecessary or the state’s responsibility, such as, septic inspections, salmon recovery, shellfish protection, etc.

The clean water utility takes these activities out of budgetary controls with voter input, and funds them through the utility, with taxing authority but with no voter control. The freed-up money will be icing on the cake for new expenditures.

This utility will incorporate all these activities and more (as the bureaucracy dictates) in an open-ended authority with no voter control. But, the voter and everyone else will be forced to pay. The number of activities and the cost can be expected to increase exponentially. It’s simply the nature of the beast. This will be a multi-million dollar hole in our pockets. Do you really want to support such a scheme or worse yet, allow them do it because they can bypass voter control by this maneuver?

The commissioners have already made up their minds; their motives should be clear as public opposition is ignored.

L. Sherwood Minckler

Oak Harbor