Feb. 22, R-C Letters to the Editor

Pick up after your dogs

Editor:

With all the snow and very cold weather, the day seemed a little warmer and a nice day to explore and walk the new pathway going from Jake’s Wetlands, across Lantana, and down to Buckeye. Saw a cute little calico kitten off the path near Carson Valley Inn, but she wouldn’t come close. 

The walk has changed a bit from when it first opened last year. A few empty water bottles and an aluminum soda container had been randomly tossed with little regard for our beautiful environment or other hikers.  Some landed in the wetlands area adjacent to the walking trail. A few were on the paved trail itself along with a discarded energy bar wrap and a Frito bag.    

 The biggest change, though, was the amount of canine waste on the walkway, itself, and it wasn’t the product of a coyote or bear. Between the pathway’s beginning off Lantana and continuing to Buckeye, twenty-eight dark, brown piles — some quite substantial and some from smaller animals —- were observed. When warmer weather comes, you can bet the odor will be substantial. 

Many of us enjoy walking with our cherished doggies, but at the same time we have a responsibility to help maintain a clean passageway for others coming after us. 

Perhaps the county could add garbage cans along with those “Dogipot” smart litter pick-up bags available throughout Jake’s Wet-lands and other public areas. For individuals, who don’t carry a plastic bag all the time, it would make it easier for them to grab a “Dogipot” from the dispensers located along the walk and  clean up after their dogs do their business. No walker needs to look forward to meandering a beautifully constructed walkway out in nature to confront a pile of scat.

Robin Sarantos

Minden

Douglas not getting value for money

Editor:

The Board of County Commissioners recently approved a $520,000 gift from the transient occupancy tax in support of an interlocal agreement between Douglas County, acting as the Tahoe Douglas Transportation District, and the Tahoe Douglas Visitor’s Authority as part of Tahoe Regional Planning Agency permit condition for the Event Center. This is a TDVA requirement not a Douglas County requirement as stated in the agreement.

The commissioners reviewed a request for $600,000 on other occasions and turned down the funding request because the residents of Douglas County were not getting equally served to those in California.  We still are not.

Twenty stakeholders helped initiate a one-year pilot program before the $100-plus million event center opening stated to be July 10-18, 2023. Those 20 collectively contributed approximately $900,000 while Douglas County was asked to pony-up $600,000 for approximately an eighth of the service area. Board discussions were on the right track to provide a sum in good faith and then discussions in my opinion went south. Raymond Suarez Program Manager and PIO for the South Shore Transportation Management Association and Lew Feldman suggested the program would be terminated without the Douglas County contribution. It is not clear if the 20 contributors will continue the same funding level in fiscal year 23/24. 

Is Douglas County throwing good money at a pilot program that may not succeed beyond the first year?  There is a history of past failed micro-transit in South Lake Tahoe. 

In anticipation of the TRPA permit condition, a previous board approved Resolution 2020R-037 by which Douglas County agreed to allocate up to one-half (of the 1 percent  of the TOT funds. This language gave the BOCC a lot of latitude in the amount to be gifted. 

Also questionable is providing $520,000, where $600,000 was requested and there will only be four months left in the Douglas County fiscal year when executed. At best, I suggested $50,000 would have been fair-share with possibly $200,000 total in future years which is equivalent to El Dorado County contribution of $200,000, The City of South Lake Tahoe $150,000 and the major employers Edgewood, Ballys, Harrahs/Harveys, Barton Health and Heavenly collectively contributing $187,000. My opinion the major employers are getting a break as this provides their employees a free transit opportunity.

The $520,000 was conditioned and the interlocal agreement will need to be revised to include: service area expansion of the Douglas County residential areas (let’s hope so), revisiting any future funding request and a seat at the table on the South Shore Transportation Management Association. 

Ellie Waller

Alpine View

Biden’s failed policies

Editor:

President Biden’s failed policies are the beneficiary of a growing economy with 6 percent GDP, inflation 1.4 percent and interest rates of 2 percent, Covid19 vaccine fast-tracked with 30 million vaccinated and supplies available to the rest of the nation, left him by his predecessor, President Trump. 

It has only taken two years of Biden mismanagement to bring the economy’s growth to zero, core inflation 6-plus percent — 14 percent if food and energy included as was in 1980s, which is the equivalent to a tax increase of $5,000 a year at this rate per individual to continue until inflation brought back closer to 0. 

Biden and the Democrats used the green agenda, which includes unscientific global warming-climate change, as the driving force to enact their socialist agenda. 

Biden’s actions and regulation’s as a war on fossil fuels changed the U.S. from an exporting nation to an importing nation more than

doubling the energy costs.

During the pandemic 40 percent American small businesses were forced to close, and when re-opening, had to compete with government’s generous unemployment benefits. This caused 7.2 million men 20-45 permanently leave work force. 

Biden’s claims of great job growth -mostly people returning to

their old jobs. 

The $5 trillion added to the economy contributed to the

inflation. The human invasion of our southern border increased from 458,000 during the last year of the Trump administration to 4 million in two years of Biden plus 1 million got-aways, who avoided contact with border security agents and are potential criminals. The conclusion is that Democrat’s ultimate objective is a simple one to let in a great block of new voters, that will support their party in overwhelming numbers for generations to come, thereby changing the political landscape of American Society. 

Mark Tarvainen 

Gardnerville