Benefit the

Benefit the

Many

To the Editor:

Only a very great fool would interject himself into the marvelous Swindler/Powers sludgefest, and I am not so great a fool as that. So, it is without taking sides that I want to observe that we have all profited: we have had our weekly amusement and we now also have what could be an enduring contribution to our governance.

I need here to quote Mr. Swindler but it is the general form of his argument to which I draw your attention, not its topic. He says, “First, the only benefit to allowing sludge application in the county would be a financial savings to the few farmers whose property qualifies for such application.” Put differently, the county should only allow that which would benefit more than a few. If our supervisors would only more regularly (and obviously) apply such a rule, they could be relieved of dealing with tedious matters of substance. All they would have to do is count.

Take for example the not-toolong-ago application of the Roman Catholic Dioceses for permission to build on U.S. 211. Well, there are only a few Catholics in the county; it should have been denied. I suppose the Seventh Day Adventists deserve the same. How about the Library? It had better start packing folks in or I say, “Cut it off!” And who benefits from Bed and Breakfasts? To heck with their operators. Ban them and keep our country lanes free of snotty outsiders and their fancy cars.

Children are a clear minority and though we have to have schools, I suppose, wre don’t really have to teach them all that much. Think of the savings! How about safety? Most of us can take care of ourselves. We can surely reduce the Sheriffs budget.

Now, in closing I fear that Mr. Powers may, despite my protestations to the contrary, think that I side with Mr. Swindler. So I bow to his concern that those who disagree with him are generally over-credentialed by nothing that I have no credentials at all, whatsoever.

W. MICHAEL MAHONEY

Washington