Chelan Republican Women call for equal regulatory opportunities

March 24, 2001 - Chelan County, WA - In the name of “Salmon Recovery”, the Department of Ecology (DOE) has instigated drought hysteria. Irrigators in Eastern Washington holding junior water rights (obtained after 1980) were notified their source of water will be shut off at some point this summer. Each week a new group of water users will learn their orchard, livestock, or farm operation is sacrificed to the DOE’s power politics.

Specific minorities are being targeted by DOE to ease this anticipated drought. Farm crop irrigation utilizes only 2 1/2 to 3 percent of the total stream flow available to all users, including fish. Citizens holding junior water rights (after 1980) represent only 4/10th of one percent of the total available stream flow.

Over the last 120 years, our hardy pioneers managed to weather similar droughts without DOE bureaucrats supervising their water usage. Today’s farmers are even more efficient in their water usage, using conservation technologies and information not available to our forebears. In contrast, bureaucratic policies fail to acknowledge that trees, crops, livestock and we, the people and our communities need an uninterrupted flow of water to survive.

These bureaucratic policies will not work in the real world. Similar to a family’s budget the economics of farming requires planning and planting for the entire year. An interruptible water allocation is unacceptable financial risk. Farm families will go bankrupt, and entire communities built on agricultural enterprise will cease to exist. Washington’s cost-effective, safe food production industry might relocate. Our nation could become dependent on foreign entities for food.

Let’s consider a similar hypothetical economic hardship, and its potential impact, if a road emergency were proclaimed in the Puget Sound area. Severe budgetary restrictions (a “drought” of money) thwarts the resolution of critical traffic congestion, “endangering” the safe and expedient passage of residents in their daily commutes. Emergency policies are implemented allocating all resources to the implementation of this proposed strategic plan and timetable.

April 1, 2001 (April Fools Day)---issuance of drivers Learning Permits will be suspended without further explanation. All Junior driver’s licenses for those age 16-18 years of age will be summarily suspended.

May 1, 2001 (Loyalty Day)---All drivers having attained 19 years of age will forfeit their license to drive in Washington State.

June 14, 2001 (Flag Day)---All drivers having attained 20 years of age will forfeit their license to drive in Washington State.

July 4, 2001 (Independence Day)---Mandatory and expedient removal of all retired, retreaded, and expired drivers.

Having met its fiduciary responsibility by Independence Day, the Puget Sound area would be free from severe traffic congestion, and would be independent from a large part of its economic livelihood. And at last, all residents of Washington State would have attained equal opportunity to be regulated by unelected bureaucrats.

Respectfully submitted by Lynda Pheasant & Susan Rumble, Chelan-Douglas Republican Women.