If I may I would like to comment on a few items in several weeks of Courier-Herald papers.

Mr. Elfers’  column repeatedly gives advise to Republicans on how to win future elections. He suggests that Republicans should support and bow to the lawbreakers that come into America illegally and receive free stuff from Americans, because if they don’t, immigrants won’t vote for Republicans ever again. More advice in another column suggested that if Republicans don’t trump the free college gift that Obama and his progressive buddies want to hand out, Republicans won’t win young people’s votes.

Of course the progressives want free college because they know that over 85 percent of collage teachers and professors are hard core progressives, or worse, and they will indoctrinate our young students to the evils of the conservatives and the wonders of Marxism.

Mr. Elfers multiple times expressed his opinion that Republicans are old white people and if they don’t think and do like a progressive, few in future generations will vote for Republicans. God help us if that were true. But the facts are that as people age they actually get smarter than the Al Sharptons and MSNBCs of the world and abandon the Democratic Party which has truly become the Progressive/Socialist/Marxist Party.

Second observation: In the article regarding Fire District 28, the statement: “Another budget highlight noted by Hannity was the union agreed to not take any pay raises.” The article fails to mention that Hannity and the last board of commissioners gave the firemen a 20 percent increase in compensation in their last two-year contract which includes a $10,000 cash health savings account for husband and wife staff members and $5,000 for the other District 28 employees. Also not mentioned, the (board) refuses to allow public comments at Fire Board meetings and public correspondence to the board are also not read during public meetings. This is highly irregular.

And from someone who has attended almost all of the commissioners’ meetings for the past several years, Commissioner Angie Stubblefield and Commissioner Stan McCall have gone above and beyond in their duties in attempting to repair the giant mess the previous commissioners produced. Most of the previous board meetings were 5 to 20 minutes where the current ones are all over an hour. Commissioner Dave Hannity continues to provide very few comments or input during commission meetings.

The meetings are live on the city of Enumclaw site and archived on the district’s site.

Lastly: I went to all three of the Enumclaw School District meetings held to promote the spending of over $80 million of taxpayers money, on two of the district schools. I spoke to many district staff and can only conclude that the over $60 million high school renovation is because the heating system is hot and cold and not up to snuff. The classrooms we toured In January were between 70 and 80 degrees at 8 p.m. I was told that the heat is not shut off at night. This must cost many thousands of extra dollars a year. Also the roof on a few of the buildings have small leaks. Every building in the district is clean and spotless which says a great deal about the excellent maintenance staff. None of the staff I spoke to at the three meetings could explain why our science classes are outdated and what is needed to update them. That includes the vice principle.

I know of no business that owns buildings in as good a condition as EHS where they would tear it down because of the heating system and a few roof leaks.

Ted DeVol

Enumclaw