ELECTED: Where has service gone?

On Dec. 24, W.L. Rathburn sent a letter to your paper complaining about higher taxes being imposed by entities in this county in spite of current economic conditions. I enjoyed reading it because it was right to the issue with what is going on in Kootenai County now, but would like to add a point or two.

I moved here eight years ago and at that time noticed a real care and concern for local inhabitants by the various elected representatives in both local and statewide offices. They were responsive, understood the needs of their constituents and were a great change from those I had in my previous state.

Within the past four years, however, this has disappeared. The housing bubble that greatly inflated the value of our homes and caused our property taxes to greatly rise gave local politicians and school boards a whole pot full of money to do with as they wanted. Now that the bubble has burst and values have gone back at least mostly to where they should be, these insatiable politicians can't take the reductions and do with less. District 271 has at least cut some millions from its budget, being forced to do so because of reduced state funding. There is an arrogance that has taken over in such bodies as the North Idaho College board, Coeur d'Alene City Council (especially in their dealings with their money carrier the LCDC, its cushy relationship with NIC and the unrestrained rush to spend tens of millions of dollars developing their precious education corridor). They are bent on sticking it to the taxpayer without concern, avoiding votes by the people on huge expenditures because of relationships that let taxpayer money be spent all over the place without proper concern for voter approval.

There is currently one lawsuit against NIC's financial relationship with the "Friends of NIC" or some such name challenging its constitutionality. I hope it succeeds in dumping this funding source arrangement, blatantly fraudulent in my opinion. Elected officials heading off to Boise are hopefully finally going to jump into the Urban Renewal District law which was either poorly written or subverted by the current LCDC and its control mechanism, the Coeur d'Alene City Council. Changes are dearly needed. One need only look at your headline a day or two back, "LCDC to fund Ed Corridor Plan," and see in the story where at least two Coeur d'Alene council persons are concerned with how fast this development is going. You figure? Jam it in and get it done before the legal people at state finally change some laws and stop this good old boy use of our tax money. To their discredit, many voters/taxpayers remain woefully ignorant of what is going on.

Arrogance is now the attitude from those in the highest positions, "the ends justify the means" continues to be the motto of this county, and you will keep paying another 3 percent a year whether you like it or not because this two-year junior college just can't do without it. Damn the taxpayer, full speed ahead.

DAVID COPPOM

Hayden