Commentary by Samuel Strait – April 22, 2022 I will try not to bore you with the details, but our local Republican Central Committee "in secret", has made known in a flyer who they wished for the voters to cast their ballots for in June's primary. It will likely take some time for local voters to sift through the Party's state picks, as some are obvious, others less so at the state level. They have constructed an amazing rogue's gallery of "Republicans" that can safely be said to have long since jettisoned the basics of what it means to be a Republican. The endorsed local supervisorial candidates all have come out to support the continuation of theft from local pockets, and expanded local government. New hires proliferate, far outstripping any effort to understand root causes and the fact that more government almost never equates to better situation for the governed. As we move towards the June primary, it will become the CCTimes's task to unravel all the political speak in order to give voters accurate and timely information on each of the candidates. "Official Endorsements" by the Del Norte GOP, notwithstanding, in a mailer or by other means will be carefully examined for the worth of their pronouncements to the public. Thus far, those being offered as Republican "choices" for local offices fail in the most obvious ways of not practicing long held traditional values of smaller government, and lower taxes. All three endorsements, Chris Howard, District Three, Patty Adams, District Four, and David Jones, District Five, support continued theft from local pockets through the continuation of the 1% sales tax increase. Mr Jones, and Ms. Adams were given the opportunity some time ago to make clear their positions on a variety of issues facing local residents which they, if elected, would become responsible for decisions going forward. Neither have availed themselves for interview. Mr. Howard has for seven years occupied the seat for District Three and is firmly in the camp of more taxes, and larger government. He has clearly defected from the ranks of what Republican stands for and has for his entire stint on the Board of Supervisors. Over the course of the next couple of weeks a more detailed examination of State office aspirants endorsed by the local RNC will occur to determine if their errors in judgement over local candidates extends to those candidates as well. As many in the Country over the last couple of years have begun to recognize, Party affiliation, and "expert" analysis are not always the best choice going forward. Too often major sources of trust have been revealed as something other than having anyone's best interests in mind. Long term fixtures in the public arena have revealed themselves as corrupt. American's can no longer trust that party affiliation and their endorsements produce what is best for the local population. Person education on candidates and issues have become critical in the Country's elections to determine the best path forward for a majority of the population no matter where you chose to live or how you have registered to vote. It would be a travesty of the highest order if the Republican Central Committee's endorsements were to go forward unchallenged. Very few of the current executive members of the local GOP are anything philosophically different in thinking than that employed by the local Democrats. Their interests of expanding government do not mesh with independent, thinking Americans who wish to continue to have a say in their individual welfare. Those candidates that they have endorsed, mirror their kind of thought. This has become a stark example of the necessity for every voter to educate themselves to determine who represents their interests the best.