Douglas County economic issues for 2019

I have two economic issues to bring up as we start 2019. Item one speaks to the need for respect of the Douglas County taxpayers and voters from the Douglas County Commissioners. Item two is the need for respect from our own federal government for the Douglas County population as a whole.

1) Investing in Douglas County from the inside

Can two of the three Douglas County commissioners invest in the county they represent? Can they place a piece of their companies in Douglas County to help employ the folks who employ them?
Can they learn to give back to the tax base and the obvious trickle down effect of their entrepreneurial endeavors?

The answer is yes, yes and yes.

As of this writing, Commissioner Kyle Steinberg owns and operates an auto body repair shop in Wenatchee (Chelan County) and in the Tri-Cities area. Commissioner Dan Sutton owns and operates a restaurant in Wenatchee (Chelan County).

Commissioner Sutton should establish a restaurant, sorely needed, in Waterville &/or Mansfield or Rock Island or even Fancher Heights.

Commissioner Steinberg knows auto body repair shops can be placed nearly anywhere with a large population like East Wenatchee because us dumb humans are always smashing cars.

For decades East Wenatchee and Douglas County were always considered subservient and substandard to Wenatchee and Chelan County. Please help change that unwarranted negativity.

How about it boys? Can the Douglas County folks that elected you get some economic love? The next election cycle is just around the bend, so govern yourselves accordingly.

2) Investing in Douglas County Part Two:

Establish an East Wenatchee Post Office

As one of our Business Journal readers states in his "Open Letter to Congresswoman Kim Schrier" regarding a new Post Office in East Wenatchee ... well, who can't see the need for same?

I think the writer is hinting at what may well become the cause celebre for the people of East Wenatchee and immediate surroundings. The well-off folks in Fancher Heights ought to join their poorer brethren in East Wenatchee proper and get on board with this idea of forcing the United States Postal Service to establish an East Wenatchee branch.

Douglas County Commissioners must stop accepting what has been a grave injustice on their own constituency for decades and take action to petition the Federal Government, Congresswoman Kim Schrier and Congressman Dan Newhouse, State Representatives Michael Steele and Keith Goehner, State Senator Brad Hawkins and East Wenatchee Mayor Steve Lacy.

Take the issue to Governor Jay Inslee. He loves whales and salmon, maybe he can throw some love on actual human beings?

Take the issue to the two women liberal Democrat U.S. Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray and make them focus on helping the rural small towns like East Wenatchee instead of just beating on Donald Trump.

The small and apparently forgotten city of East Wenatchee is the gateway to thousands of farmers and ranchers in the surrounding areas that are also forced to cross the mighty Columbia just to send a package.

Someone please take action and stop accepting the second class status the USPS has bestowed on 15,000+ Washingtonians merely because it was politically expedient at one time to shrink vital services to the poor and aged who cannot defend themselves.

That fake mandate included removing vital services to rural folks who have little political power when compared to big cities.

East Wenatchee is also home to thousands of young and middle-aged citizens full of vibrant thoughts and actions. New companies are sprouting here as part of the American dream.

East Wenatchee has the only major airport, the only large bowling alley in the area and the only shopping mall, yet we lack a post office.

We have the Olive Garden and Victoria's Secret and a beautiful city hall, but no Post Office.

Small town America means a local Postmaster beholding to local citizens.  

How about it Schrier and Newhouse? Can you get something done while you're collecting your paychecks? Enough with the photo ops media is constantly bombarded with from your PR staff.

King County (Schrier) and Yakima (Newhouse) are power bases for these Congressional politicians, but if they both want to get re-elected with rural votes, they need to do something worth bragging about and give us back a Post Office.

By the way, it matters not the exact districts these politicians represent, but the team effort they should bring with their entreaty to the Federal government regarding this vital issue.

Who among us speaks truth to power? I fear too few exist. A happier life is had for the "go along to get along" crowd, but evil wrongs must be brought into the light.

I look forward to the ribbon cutting, but after this column, I probably won't be invited. C'est la vie mi amigos, c'est la vie.