Letter to the editor

September 26, 2010

   Someone tell me that it was a joke that you printed in your newspaper regarding drought relief and how the money would be distributed.

   Is it right that the Klamath Tribes will receive $1.6 million in drought relief while some farmers’ fields burn up from lack of water with no drought relief payment?

   The tribe does not farm or ranch, so why is the taxpayer being asked to give the tribe money for drought relief?

   Our commissioners should have taken notice that the Public Utilities Commission granted rate increases for power to pay for dam removal already. Or did they overlook that, too?

   Did they also notice that the cost for the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement has risen from $450 million to $1 billion all while our schools fall down and   we cannot operate the jail as needed and provide safety for our kids, but yet we are being asked to spend all of this money on the KBRA? The KBRA does not guarantee that there will be water for farming in drought years. The Endangered Species Act dictates the lake level and how much water will be released. We do not have a water storage plan. With no leadership, how can we make changes to improve and make Klamath County better? Just wondering.

   David Hurst

   Klamath Falls