Re: government incompetence

I admit that, as I have aged, I have become more and more cynical. I have been involved with law enforcement since I was a boy. My dad became a game warden when I was 10 and later served two terms as Flathead County sheriff.

I have close friends who have been, or are, career officers, and I have been a Flathead County special deputy for more than 20 years. As a result of that experience, I have come to the conclusion that we have a complicated legal system that results in justice less often than it should.

In 1932, Billy Kruse was shot to death in March. Despite heavy snow, a deputy sheriff, county coroner and county attorney managed to travel to the scene, impanel a coroner’s jury made up of local residents and find the shooter not guilty by reason of self-defense. All done in less than a month.

Today, a shooting of any kind results in months or even years of investigation and court appearances. This costs tens of thousands of dollars and causes no end of mental anguish. Are the results more accurate? I don’t think so.

Ronald Smith executed two young men, was caught, tried and found guilty. By his own admission, he shot the two just to see what it felt like to kill someone, and he requested the death penalty. The judge obliged him, and he was sentenced to die more than 20 years ago. The appeals process has cost millions of taxpayer dollars. Is this justice or just a complicated legal system? You decide.

As our entire system has become more complicated, less efficient and, I believe, less responsive, it has also created some ironic twists.

We have 25 Border Patrol agents on the North Fork to Eureka international border. This costs taxpayers more than $2 million per year. What do they accomplish? For “security” reasons we cannot be told even though other areas list all Border Patrol arrests.

The Forest Service is finally working on the Red Whale Fire Mitigation project. This is years after it was planned due to legal action and threatened law suits. This too, cost tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars.

I can’t wait to see what happens with the Red Whale High Density Sapling Mastication project that is in the works.

The Postal Service is broke — again. Their cure is to close post offices and reduce service. Why then does it make sense if I want mail forwarded to the North Fork from Columbia Falls that it has to be sent to Billings where they install a yellow sticker, send it back to Columbia Falls and only then put it in the North Fork mail bag? At what cost?

In the current election, all candidates are promising lower taxes. When did you see that happen? Never.