Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Fluoride, Opioids and an Empty Airport

I'm just going to cut and paste several reports from the City Council meeting last night, to give you an overall view of what (didn't!) happen. Who knew that fluoride was an explosive?

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The Mayor proposed an idea to unite the masses, and calm everyone down so we can all go back to discussing something OTHER than the F-word. Unfortunately, those council members who are bound to their masters balked at the vote proposed by the Mayor (to take fluoride out of the drinking water, until it can be properly voted on by the people in 2017).

So, instead of allowing people a reason to back away from the change of governance, looks like they're adding more kerosene onto the fire, and more copies of the PDN, and some presto-logs, and some gasoline. Instead of even talking about it -- the cockroaches on the council scurried back into the dark, and pushed the discussion OFF. Wouldn't even entertain the exchange of ideas.  

So, next council meeting it is (theoretically) going to be discussed. Watch Delta Dental come out -- in force -- to keep their minions on our council in check.
 


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Just came from the city council meeting. Mayor Downie pulled a stunt only he could manage. He jumped the agenda, read an article by the PDN about how the town is torn up and dysfunctional and how the city needs to be more responsive to the people who took the time to vote, advise, beg, plead etc. (I added that last part) Anyway, Downer hijacked the agenda and suggests the council agree to discontinue fluoridation until the 2017 election. Then they would put fluoride on the ballot and promise to abide by the results. Brad Collins, phoning in from the east coast, as is his recent habit, jumped in and said "but nooooooo, it ain't on the agenda..." Cherie chirped "we need more time to think about this, oh my." ( I added that last part)

Then Gase objected and wanted more time to pretend to think about it and for good measure insulted Dr. Eloise Kailin for being so bold as to represent Our Water Our Choice when she's from Sequim. Naturally our three stalwarts were good to discontinue fluoride for 16 months and let the people decide if they want to re-start it in 2017. I'm thinking "Damn. That's Sissi, Michael and Lee, and Downer brought it up so it's going to pass, they are going to discontinue fluoridation" and it goes to the vote and Downer voted against his own motion. No, really. So, after Downer's impassioned speech, most of which he quoted from PDN, and asking the council to shut down the fluoridation unit, but keep it maintained, ready for action if it was restarted in 2017, but for now lets stop it. He had a chance to do it, he had the votes, he choked and all was lost. Step down, Downer.

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Meanwhile, during the second public comment period a speaker went after Gase. They asked him questions, which he answered (because he's an idiot).  He had said, in comments earlier, that Eloise was NOT a resident of Port Angeles, but she's interfering with our city. Then he said it was her fault that the city spent so much to fight fluoride. He threw out a couple of dollar amounts. He said the city spent something like $125k, then added, "and Delta Dental spent another $600k." Whoa! What? He was then asked, "So how much would it have cost if the city didn't fight it and it was just put to the vote of the people?" Then he was taken to task: "So then you all spent $10k of our money to do a flawed poll, that you could have made perfect, and not flawed.  YOU give the excuse that it was flawed for not following it."   
 
Amazing......so, now it is clear there is $$$$ in this. How do we figure out how much Delta Dental has paid Cherie and Danny, and/or Collins? 
 
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Also...In other sure-to-be-(un)surprising news...Clallam County has an opioid problem (41 known overdoses in the first six months of this year) and does not have an air carrier.

52 comments:

  1. Sounds like Pat Downie didn't just go off of the agenda, he went off the rails.

    What the hell?

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    1. When I first heard the whispers about a "fluoride deal" in the works, I was, of course, a little skeptical, given the past actions of the Fluoride Four. But, the one thing I never even thought to ask was whether or not such a deal would be part of the (literal) agenda, since, as everyone in the world knows, you aren't supposed to discuss, much less vote on, items that aren't on the official agenda.

      Well, everyone in the world knows that except, it seems, Pat Downie. Who has been around long enough to know better, but still did it all wrong. So I'm left to wonder if it was a set-up he knew would blow up, or if he really is just that much more addlepated and didn't bother to do it the right way.

      Either way, Pat looks like a fool (again!), and the issue is not only not solved, it is, in fact, probably worse and more contentious than before. Apparently there was some shouting in the lobby after the City Council meeting ended...Maybe someone got that on video?

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    2. Untrue, CK. The "not on the agenda argument" for defeating Downie's motion is bogus. Did anyone ask for Bill Bloor's opinion on this? If they did and he replied that it was improper, his name needs to go down into greater infamy than it already is.
      Last night's council meeting was a regular meeting. The Open Public Meetings Act requires governing bodies to stick to the posted agenda only at "Special Meetings".
      It is routine for non-agenda items to be discussed and voted-upon at regular meetings.


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    3. CK don't overestimate the man. He's so inept he can't even make a political deal happen. He had to go to Plan B and actually discuss it with fellow councilmembers before the next meeting, but that pooch is already screwed.

      And what, pray tell was his motivation? Well it sure wasn't suddenly growing a spine. Hmmm.

      And then Kidd as well as Gase beating up on Dr. Kailin, there are no words for how low they can go. Um, what about the 1000+ citizens who actually signed the petition and want a vote to make sure this fascism never happens again.

      The Fascist Four ride again! You want a vote on your initiative, Port Angeles? Well SCREW YOU! Signed, Bill Bloor.

      LOL, you people keep thinking that corrupt officials will magically change. Why can't you accept the fact that this is hard-core corruption in your face.

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    4. Dottering old fool, Downie. One foot in the grave, one foot out. Wonder who's paying his medical bills -- Delta Dental?

      Maybe he should contemplate this quote:

      Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand small uncaring ways. ~Stephen Vincent Benét

      He sure lost a lot of life last night. He had 50 people sitting on the edges of their seats, high hopes, and what did he do: FAIL.

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    5. CK, you should know better. The agenda of a public meeting may be modified at any time. Open Public Meetings Act, RCW 42.30.077.

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    6. "Modified" is a wide-ranging word...But really, given how contentious this issue has been in Port Angeles, and given how defensive the Fluoride Four are about the issue...Did it really make sense for Pat to just sort of spring it on people? Was that really a good faith effort? Or did it explode...Just like he knew it would?

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    7. Pat Downie, of all people, apparently thought he could roll Eloise and/or Marolee, and then screwed up his own "dastardly plan," thereby, yes, making things worse, not better.

      Great leadership, Mr. Downie! Lying, waffling and whining, all in one meeting. Well done, sir!

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  2. Four people who made this a third-class town.

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  3. You can have an announcement at the beginning of the meeting to add or remove an agenda item. Removing items obviously is not unexpected as it could be that new information came up between the time the agenda was published and the meeting itself. Adding things though, while legal, is generally frowned upon if it is something that gives the appearance of trying to slip something by the customers. Benign things, ok. But if you see an agency do these types of maneuvers on a regular basis with items that you *know* the public would have an opinion on, it's time to start calling them out on it and making sure the media and higher up state agencies are aware. See RCW 42.30.077.

    That being said, I keep seeing this as just if there's no harm in discontinuing flouride until it can be put to a vote, then why wouldn't you do it? They could gracefully acquiesce and the ones finishing out their terms could go quietly at least (They are well beyond anyone having respect for them or leaving a legacy of anything other than having been an embarrassment - seriously every time I see that Cherie's made yet another public appearance for a photo op I just cringe for what people must think of PA.) Instead they continue to dig in their heels and people don't do that unless there is either money involved, or their egos and narcissism are wildly out of control. I cannot believe how delusional they are. Do they not realize how backwater, small town hick, ignorant redneck buffoons they make themselves appear and the damage that is doing to PA? This is damage that will take longer than they were in office to recover from. Thanks for THAT legacy!

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  4. I sure am interested in that $600 k that Delta Dental is alleged to have spent here, influencing the policies of Port Angeles. How do we find out the realities of that?

    So, people are dying of overdoses, and the community complains about the drug and homelessness problems in town, while the city does nothing but put up an ugly fence at the single most publicly visible intersection in the city. The tourist must be impressed. Which looks worse?

    And, what has the City done to address the problems, other than put up that fence? Work to open up ANY shelters for the homeless? How much in grant money has the City and area agencies received over the last 10 or 15 years for drug and homelessness related issues?

    And, another $200,000 grant for the Port, supposedly to find another air carrier for a region that has repeatedly shown it is not an economically viable market. But, they'll apply for that grant, endlessly, right? How many grants HAS the Port and City received in connection to the airport, over the last 10 or 15 years? Research project, anyone?

    It is such an embarrassment. It is like that movie, Groundhog Day. Just one bad story after another, day after day. Can these bozos do anything right? Obviously not.

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    1. Part of that dental money was likely illegal bribes in the form of compensation to be paid later (post-office) for their votes, so it doesn't have to be reported.
      While Downie may have thought about how he would answer to that "constituent", none of the others even want to deal with the prospect of, shall we say, renewed pressure. Gase being the most defiant to keep whatever's been promised last year in the back room. They're not just backwater, they're outright criminals.

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    2. Strange the Dental Foundation has 600K for local political lobbying but none of the local dentist will accept Medicare or Medicaid patients. Such hypocrisy is unacceptable from these professionals.

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    3. Medicare and Medicaid patients don't need dental insurance.

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    4. Medicare does not pay for any dental care in any state nor does Medicaid-it is not the dentists who determined this. They will accept anyone as a patient, but those without money or employer dental insurance must pay at time of service.

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  5. Thanks for getting this to us, CK. It sounds like the meeting took a surprising turn, briefly, before the Fluoride Four turned right back into backwards.

    THIS is why our council members have no credibility. THIS is why they are laughing stocks to a majority of the community. At least clowns know to get out of the car, right? But these bozos just keep going and crash it into the wall, full speed, every time.

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    1. The puny article the PDN has thrown up (literally?) on their website about last night's meeting doesn't do it justice, it would seem. Par for the course, of course...

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  6. Do you suppose the Port will EVER learn to stop announcing things...before they've actually happened? I mean, come on folks. An egg ain't a chicken until it's hatched.

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  7. No shouting in lobby. One fellow let out a yeah when Downie brought up the motion. Of course that enthusiasm died pretty quickly.

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    1. you just didn't stick around long enough

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    2. There certainly were some f-bombs directed at Downie after adjournment. That ain't democracy, it's bullying. It's a great way to stir up people against you who otherwise would not give a shit about fluoride.

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    3. what is bullying? Speaking up?
      What communist country are you from?

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    4. Anon 6:19, you're supposed to sit quietly and nod approvingly at anything and everything our Beloved Leaders do or say.

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  8. Let's see Gates originally said he'd follow will of the voters for the survey. Survey comes out and results not what he wanted. Voted against wishes of voters. States fluoride is a health issue and not up for public to decide.
    Well then why in the hell did he vote for the "survey" and spend 10K of tax dollars money on it if he wasn't going to listen to it anyway. If nothing else this shows his incompetence as a public servant and waster of public funds.

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    1. I assume you meant to say "Gase." Correct?

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    2. Yes GASE is the four letter word...

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  9. And another thing about Gase: He says he's a Republican but goes against Republican Ideology per their own Platform (regarding forced fluoride.) He can't even be a good Republican!

    -Republicans oppose all new tax increases. We believe that "limited government is the foundation of a free society," and thus support fiscal responsibility in government
    -Republicans oppose a government takeover of health care and support the repeal of Obamacare. We support competition among health care providers and giving patients more choices.


    Excerpts from: http://clallamrepublicans.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Platform-Comparison-2012.pdf

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    1. Your points are excellent ones. Hypocrisy is even less hard for me to forgive than stupidity. You can be honestly or accidentally stupid. But hypocrisy is a conscious choice.

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  10. If you could shoot up fluoride they'd ban it.

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  11. From today's Peninsula Daily News article on this (two day old) subject:

    The tally against adding Downie's proposal to Tuesday's meeting agenda included Downie, who voted against discussing his own proposal.

    “It probably sounded confusing, but believe me, my intentions were trying to gain some degree of trust with the electorate,” Downie said.

    HEY PAT! I don't think the whole trust thing worked.

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    1. Really? Downie did all that in some kind of ploy to try to get some trust back from the people that are so pissed off at him?

      He is worse off than I thought.

      Just Step Down, Pat.

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  12. What is the mechanism by which one can audit or investigate where the $600K came and went? Can anyone in the city government respond to this question on this blog? It's all anonymous.

    On another note, the more I listen to Kidd the more I realize she does not have the appropriate amount of discernment that a person who sits on the city council needs. Her pronouncements are vacuous. Gase... he's not stupid, it just seems that he is in it for himself, like wise the heavy white haired guy on the far left. Downie is a sweetheart, but his fighting days are over.

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  13. Hey don't forget this council also clearly indicated they will not even allow you, the citizens, to vote at the end of this year on your own certified petition. Just like at the county, hey let's all sweep this under the rug until we're out of office and collect our bribes.

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  14. I just have to say, being that right now in Cleveland, history is being made...Given how coarse and overbearing he is, how nasty he can be, and given the low-esteem with which so many people and so much of the world holds him in...I truly do believe that Donald Trump is just the guy to make America grate again.

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    1. Bait America Again

      Make America Hate Again

      America, Tempt Fate Again

      He'll Make America Late Again

      Fake America, Mate (again)

      And for a real candidate, make America wait, again.

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  15. Ahhh... I had to reread that, knowing you are a Sanders guy. "Grate", a play on words. Ha.

    Even so, I have to add that a vote for Hillary is a vote for Wall Street, hedge funds, big business, corruption and crony capitalism.

    So what's a fellow to do.

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    1. Vote Third Party. Hillary and Trump are both greedy egotists. They both make me sick, personally.

      The Republican Party could - could - learn a lot, if they want to, from the fiasco of either a Trump victory or defeat.

      But the Democrats stand to learn all the wrong lessons if Clinton wins.

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    2. Couldn't agree more about the two being all wrong, but we all know the machine politics in America, with the marginal interest and engagement of the vast majority of the population, guarantees one of the major candidates will win.

      The changes we want will not be found in current national level politics.

      Look around. We can't even mobilize enough momentum to address our issues locally.

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    3. Sure, vote for a third party candidate - and wake up to President Trump on November 6th!

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    4. Agreed with CK here. Vote for a 3rd Party candidate. The votes they get and the two major corrupt parties don't, is building the wave of [hopefully] the near future of politics and governing. The current state of the political system desperately needs an overhaul. And neither of the two major parties wants to do that since they reap from it. They need to be relegated to 3rd Party status.

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    5. I don't vote Third Party with the thought they'll win (at least not at this point). I vote Third Party because it is one way to make it clear to the major parties that they haven't earned my vote. When enough people do that - say, voting for the Greens over he Democrats - it becomes in the party's best interest to take note, and move that way.

      In theory.

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    6. Bernie sold out... its sad that you don't understand. There will be no change.

      Third Party will have no support mechanism and accomplish nothing but paralyze.

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    7. Aw, it's so nice of you to be so condescending to me, being that I "don't understand." If only, gosh, I could understand.

      Hopefully, though, you can understand that it's my vote, not yours, and I will do with it what I want. Trump's a maniac; Clinton's a crook. Both are hungry for wealth; neither has any idea what life is like for the common person.

      So, fuck 'em both, and vote - dare I say it? - your conscience.

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    8. Let me interject a less "either/or" option into this conversation.

      We know the major parties, the "established political machine", want exactly this kind of division in our local communities. Since it is "one person, one vote", all of the national circus-created-to-attract-attention politics are "local". But, the only impact your vote really has is as a percentage in a presentation for the next high paid political consulting firm for one party or the other. So the company can justify the numbers in it's next contrived campaign. It's just business. Haven't you figured that out, yet?

      The only way to influence the "machine" is to act locally, and take back our representative political representation.

      "Just say no" to the contrived issues, stand up at the next meeting of your choosing, and demand actual action plans to solve specific issues. If and when a candidate falls back to non-answering pre-prepared canned political non-response, demand a real answer with the threat you will walk out, on the spot.

      Organize lots of local voters to attend local campaign events by candidates seeking local votes. Instruct them with the above. "Answer me with real solutions, or I'm walking out right now."

      Politicians do not like to see people walking out on their events. First and foremost, they want public approval. They want votes.

      We've done the "protest vote". They just don't care. We have to get involved, and take back our representation.

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  16. I think the only reason we don't have an air carrier is that the Port refuses to think outside of the box their large ego's are in. Port Angeles cannot support a four or five round trip a day air carrier with our depressed economy and unemployment rate. I would venture to guess that is what the Port is soliciting from air carriers because that is what we had from our failed Horizon and Kenmore services. What we need and could reasonably support is a air carrier that could provide a reasonable priced round trip early morning and a mid evening flight daily along with a pledge that at least the Port and the City and County would use the air carrier when ever they needed to travel at least as far as Seattle for business. Im certain that as reasonable as that is it isn't BIG enough for the Port and their big "Master plan" to suck up every dollar of Grant money on the planet they can possible get their grubby hands on.

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    1. The EDC seems to think that having an air carrier service will magically bring prosperity to the area. It's backwards. The air carriers don't want to be here because it's not feasible for them due to a lack of demand. Now if the so called leaders can turn things around and make PA a destination or a desirable place to come for meetings, and for businesses to thrive, THEN it will possibly be attractive to an air carrier. But the fact that we are not *that* remote works against us as well. In the time it takes to catch a hop from here to SeaTac, you could have driven over, and then at least you'd have your car so you wouldn't need a cab or rental. If you don't want to take your car, then Rocket or Dungeness Bus Lines offer easy aand far cheaper alternatives. But the so called leaders don't get it. They don't want to do the real work to turn things around. They want a magic handout to fix everything for them.

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    2. Not to defend the Port in any way, or to try to defend the idea that Port Angeles can support a real air carrier, but, it is not quite that simple. The flights that leave Port Angeles have to connect in a meaningful way, with enough of a majority of flights leaving SeaTac to other popular destinations.

      Arriving at SeaTac a half hour after your connecting flight left doesn't work. Arriving at Seatac 18 hours before your scheduled flight from Seatac doesn't work, either.

      And, obviously, Seatac has flights leaving from early morning, until late at night, depending on where you want to go.

      The issue is, what are the most popular hours, and do they satisfy enough people's needs to make an air carrier viable. So far, after all these years, and with companies coming and going, nobody has been able to make it work.

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    3. The EDC thinks whatever board chairman Randy Johnson thinks and Johnson thinks the airport is a cool place to park his plane so he can helicopter over now and then and take the plane out...

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  17. Build a float plane dock and operate on the waterfront. Stack logs on the Fairchild Runway.

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    1. Where will the terminal be located?

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  18. it's so sad that there is no definitive answer in this country....what a mess not just nationally but also right here at our back door.....but the tide will change it always does...just hope it doesn't require more bloodshed... Personally, i just want to live for my pets and my garden and my loved ones...sheesh...

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