Hostage exchange

Mary Dye, 9th Legislative District representative, has protested the cutbacks in funding for fairs in the state. Reportedly, the threatened budget cuts at the expense of county fairs is not new. The cuts seem more symbolic than financially important. Out of the entire state budget of billions of dollars, the fairs have only been getting $4 million. Mark Schoesler, state senator for the 9th District, blames house Democrats.

County fairs are important to rural communities. They provide entertainment, opportunities for education, local fundraising and a point of pride for locals.

State support is not massive, but it is vital to the fairs themselves.

Nevertheless, they are and have been held hostage by the Democrat members of the house.

On the other side of the ledger, the Republicans seem hell-bent on killing any support of the John Wayne Trail.

They have consistently stonewalled, obfuscated and confused efforts to fund the trail and its maintenance. The three local legislators, Dye, Schoesler and Representative Joe Schmick, simply do not support the trail. They are staunchly opposed to funding it. Of course they are all rural landowners and seem intent on keeping the great unwashed masses from getting near agricultural holdings.

So here we are at an impasse, or so it seems. The fairs have yet to get funding because the Democrats are reportedly holding them hostage. The John Wayne Trail may not get needed funding because Republicans are holding it hostage.

An answer exists, however.

The answer is an old-fashioned prisoner exchange, a fair trade of hostage for hostage. The fairs could get funding approval in exchange for funding approval of the John Wayne Trail.

The parties should think about this simple proposal.

And, after the hostage exchange, there would be no losers. Each party could claim they did what was best for the citizens. They would be winners.

The real winners, however, would be the people of the state . . . assuming that matters.

Gordon Forgey

Publisher