July 05, 2013
Friday PM

With the recent revelations of scandal after scandal in our current government, it is only a matter of time before our own communities corruption comes to light. Exhaustion is the only word that comes to mind when dealing with the current system. Not to mention as we speak, every person reading this is certainly wondering what is REALLY going on? Not only out there in the world, but right here in our own town of Ketchikan. For the past few years the world has been progressively waking up to the reality that our own bureaucracy is a facade and that our current local governments are not much better. Supporting personal agendas through manipulative processes and seemingly getting away with it time and time again. However, it is about time we put our own community back together. How, you may ask, do we do this?

Together we must question our currentcommunity's public departments as well as do our own research through all of the financial budget requests for every project in the last few years. Available to the public by request at city hall or online. The more you read the more you question; $300,000 dollars for a tin and plywood training shack; giving hundreds of millions away unnecessarily to businesses and non-profits; requesting funds for countless unnecessary things that have no real VALUE to the community. Mr. David G. Hanger had it right when he wrote there is No Representative Democracy in Ketchikan; however, together we can place our community into better hands in no time.

Ketchikan has honestly spent some strange amounts of money on things that were not worth their value. One in particular that I have found interesting is the South Tongass Volunteer Fire Station's emergency generator that the Ketchikan Gateway Borough paid for in 2012 AND 2013! ($225,000 dollars in 2012 and $234,000 dollars in 2013) After further investigation of the generator at the Fire Station, not once but multiple times and also contacting the company distributor in Washington, I was alarmed to find out that this generator is usually priced at about $10,000 dollars. Can someone explain the disconnect or is there something that we are missing? Lies about finances, lies about fund movements, lies about "community" projects, contracts going 100% over budget, still no accountability...

Hope is always on the horizon and the community will soon have to accept the wonderful reality that we are the ones that get to change the outcome. Together with the correct petitions and votes we can change the charter of the town, reinstating authoritative power over community decisions back to the Mayor. Then we can actually have a voice that represents our community's needs and wants. After careful consideration I have also taken the recommendation of creating town meetings to anyone that would like to join. You are more than welcome to stop at Dave's Red Anchor to talk, view paperwork, or just enjoy coffee any morning.

As we speak, there are more than 400 cities protesting worldwide against major corruption. Media blackouts, news stations that tell you everything but what is actually going on, censorship of the internet, the use of tax dollars for endless war, and the list goes on. Just this past Saturday the largest protest in the history of the world occurred in Egypt (with a total number of 33+ millions joining the movement.) Real democracy starts at home, real equality starts right where you are, real caring starts with the person next to you, think global, act local.

"In the time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act."- George Orwell

Thank you for your time as well as your patience.

Ed Plute
edplute@gmail.com
907-254-5445
Fiscal Responsibility Group
Ketchikan, Alaska

We will be having a meeting at Dave’s Red Anchor (1935 Tongass Ave. Ketchikan, AK 99901) on Sunday, July 7th, at 1:30 pm to determine the fate of the charter as well a discussion on the community of Ketchikan's fiscal responsibilities.

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The opinions of the author do not represent the opinions of Sitnews.