Commentary by Samuel Strait – October 8, 2022 In a recent opinion piece in the Triplicate by Kevin Hendrick, "It's Okay to challenge the status quo", once again Mr. Hendrick fails to understand the dynamics of what actually happens at local Board of Supervisor meetings. Sad to say his "Progressive" politics which so often leads him astray was on full display in this opinion piece. Fortunately the readers of his misguided attempts to indoctrinate the public into believing in what so obviously has been a train wreck evidenced in the National government's immersion into progressive politics has been on full display over the course of the past eighteen months. Not only have the progressive policy's failed at the National level, but here in California as well. While I can sympathize with his allegiance to a progressive cause, history is most definitely not on his side. Not matter what anyone says, there has yet to be a successful outcome from "Big Government ". Mr. Hendrick goes on to trumpet the largely failed effort by Supervisors Masten and Starkey to open up discussion to the public about the Merits of the current $182 million budget. Couple of things to note, the "well attended public workshop" consisted of two members of the public, Supervisor Masten, Supervisor Starkey, Supervisor Short (for about five minutes), and SOME of the County's department heads. It was made up of two, three hour periods, from 9 am until noon on weekdays, with very little notice to the public. Granted there was an effort, no matter how ill conceived, but hardly the example of "success" described by Hendrick. Kevin Hendrick None of the semantics offered by Hendrick will serve to explain how the time, form, and attendance by the County's "masters of the budget" who not all of which attended, were of significant import when issues within County government that were revealed found the members of the BOS unmoved. Not only, was the public not abundantly present, but the County's department heads were not all present to field any inquiries by the aforementioned public. Yet the show must go on. If the public were to find the time during the middle of a work week to ask questions, would any one listen? Clearly, Mr. Branden Bieber can attest to the fact that the BOS does not appear to have listened to his concerns. Or would the public even know what questions to ask when even our Supervisors likely have a very limited knowledge of the departments that they supposedly oversee. Experience with both Supervisors Masten and Starkey do not appear to display much in the way of germane questioning ability, nor do they seem to be in favor of anything but growing local government. This simply takes a different form from the "Old Guard", equally ineffective. The vote is still 5-0 at nearly every occasion, challenge or not. The more important question becomes "is this all just widow dressing to gull the public into believing the decisions haven't already been made"? Or does the Board of Supervisors simply follow what has been fed to them by County government without question, the old adage where " the dog's tail wags the dog"? Clearly, Hendrick fails to understand that even local government has become too complex and self serving for any representative to actually be tasked with the idea that they may be able to ask relevant questions to truly understand the "Beast" that modern government in Del Norte County has become. Not surprisingly the cost of that growing as it increases in size has clearly diminished its ability to deliver even the most essential services. It simply does not matter that local governments whine about their "limited resources" when the local population cannot even afford the services in their current form. For all of Hendrick's praise of Supervisor Masten's "challenging" the status quo, she clearly has not exhibited any such challenge to that status quo with a dissenting vote. Where is Ms. Masten's "fresh perspective and willingness to challenge"? Seems like just more of the same old 5-0 votes without the challenge. Supervisor 5th District Susan Masten It has become the stock and trade of our representatives to "trust" their department heads without any consideration for the public that they serve. Governing locally has become largely the will of the "consent agenda" which for the most part has excluded the public What is "essential" for those employed by government for the most part is not in the best interests of most of the public that they are meant to serve, but to make things "easier" for those that govern. As such it is essential that the public be excluded from the process by making the process far too difficult to participate in, or offer any alternatives to the process. Hence, government becomes by decree, "rubber stamped" by our elected, and "limited resources" become a catch phrase for we want more of your hard earned money. Government grows, their employees earn more, staffs become larger and less effective, and the illusion that they work for you, the taxpayer, is complete, that is until the next time Supervisor Masten or Supervisor Starkey and the "Old Guard" stage another performance of "challenging the status quo". One might ask "What happened to the fresh perspective and willingness when it came to your vote?" When is the public's welfare going to be in your "fresh perspective and willingness to challenge" your own department heads, their trustworthiness, and their need to grow? Supervisor 2nd District, Valerie Starkey Vote YES on Measures "T" and "U" to reduce taxes and provide the County government with a "fresh perspective and willingness" to challenge a growing and more costly government that has failed to perform. Vote YES on Measures "T" and "U" to LOWER TAXES.