Letters - April 8, 2010

Census vital to farmers, ranchers and rural America

USDA Farm Service Agency has teamed up with the U.S. Census Bureau to encourage all farmers and ranchers to complete the 2010 census.

The census forms, which were mailed in March to all residents in the United States and Puerto Rico, are comprised of 10 questions and take only 10 minutes to complete and mail back in the postage-paid envelope. The questions include names of residents, ages, sex, date of birth, race, relationship to the head of the household, whether the resident rents or owns and a telephone number should the Census Bureau have any questions.

Having everyone counted is critical to the security of rural communities and will ensure that the more than $400 billion in federal funding will be allocated to these communities annually to support schools, broadband initiatives, hospitals, emergency services and public works projects.

The census, which is taken every 10 years, also is used to determine the number of seats a state has in the House of Representatives and to apportion representatives equally among the 50 states.

The need for rural America to be counted in the census has grown since it was first implemented in 1790. Back then, the 13 original states had a population of 3.6 million, with 94.9 percent living in rural areas. By 1990, that number significantly decreased to 24 percent of the population living in rural areas.

Yet, it is the farmers and ranchers who are the backbone of rural America and provide the food, fiber and water that is essential to all Americans, whether they live in rural, urban or suburban areas.

“I believe rural America is the heart and the soul and the guts of America. And, I believe that we have to start paying real attention to our farm families and to those who live in rural America if we want to preserve that value system,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “So, it’s important for us to figure out new strategies and different strategies and expanded strategies for bringing prosperity back to the farm, prosperity back to the ranch, and prosperity back to rural communities.”

This prosperity starts by each farmer and rancher completing the 2010 Census. It’s not only the law, but an avenue used to help revive America’s farm, food and values.

Everyone needs to be counted.

Judy Olson,

State Executive Director

Washington Farm Service Agency

Wind Works Northwest mailing:

Another view from Oakesdale

In response to Wind Works Northwest’s expensive mass mailing to our county citizens, I ask:

Why do they lie about the reliability of wind power; the environmental damage of wind power; the bird kills and bat kills from wind turbines; the danger of low frequency noise pollution to the residents who live near industrial wind turbines; residential property values of homes near industrial wind turbines; and the noise volume of industrial wind turbines?

If industrial wind turbines make such “good neighbors,” then why do people abandon their homes to get away from them?

Why does Wind Works say that wind power is good for the environment, but is unable to prove it? Wind power that replaces hydro power has no environmental benefit at all.

Even Wind Works’ name is a lie. Industrial wind power wreaks havoc with the electrical grid. (And guess who is paying to fix that mess.)

Go to wind-watch.org. Learn some truth.

Why is Wind Work’s sales pitch an appeal to greed? Why do they not mention where all the money is coming from? Wind power cost three times more than hydro power. Wind power increases our power bills. Some of that theft will go to local governments and some to local property owners. The majority of the money coming out of our pockets goes to the corporate billionaires.

Why do they not mention Whitman County’s liability for allowing industrial wind turbine near homes?

By refusing to outlaw high levels of low frequency noise pollution, Whitman County is liable for the value of every residential property that has one of these “good neighbors” pop up next to them.

This liability is potentially in the tens of millions of dollars.

The County is liable because it is willfully disregarding its obligation to protect the public health.

The County is also in violation of the State Environmental Policy Act, which requires the County to “assure safe, healthful surroundings” to its citizens.

The facts are: industrial wind turbines create low frequency noise pollution; high levels of low frequency noise pollution prevent people from sleeping; lack of sleep leads to ill health.

A provision to the wind turbine ordinance that limits low frequency noise pollution to 50 decibels daytime, 40 decibels nighttime would eliminate the liability.

Intelligence dictates the elimination of a huge liability by outlawing high levels of low frequency noise pollution.

Moral fiber should compel citizens to call their County Commissioners and tell them that it is wrong to allow the continuous dumping of high levels of low frequency noise pollution onto a neighbor’s property.

Roger Whitten,

Oakesdale