On my way into work today, I was listening to the Joe and Patti Show on KGMI and they were talking about gophers in Thurston County. Apparently, a couple from there are upset because they cannot build two more houses on their 20 acre plot due to an endangered species of gopher living there. You can read the Olympian article here. They were given the choice to either pay to relocate the gophers or fence off the gopher section and only develop part of their 20 acre plot.

So I’m listening to Patti Brooks talk about the government coming in and stealing our property rights, valuing a little rodent over taxpaying citizens, and how the government should compensate landowners for this, when it hit me. Patti Brooks is a socialist. This couple made a bad business investment. They bought land with hopes of developing it without looking into potential hurdles. Their business investment didn’t pan out and now, Patti wants us, the taxpayers, to bail them out. Just give them a big old government handout for their failed business venture. That’s called socialism folks. Straight up, corporate socialism. Maybe Patti wants us all sucking at the government teat, but I would prefer that people have to live with their business decisions, good or bad.

Furthermore, Patti is trying to destroy our cultural heritage. Yes, the gopher is a “rodent,” but it is an essential part of the ecosystem. I want our natural lands protected so I can take my kids fishing or hunting. Patti wants to flush all that down the drain. Who needs our outdoor recreation? Property rights are at stake. We need to save our forests, ecosystems, and yes, rodents, so that our children can hunt and fish, ride bikes, and climb mountains just like I did growing up, and my father before me.

I don’t think we should let a socialist like Patti Brooks destroy our cultural heritage. If you want to let Patti know how you feel, you can post to her blog about the subject here, or you can email her at patti@kgmi.com

 


In case the sarcasm wasn't clear enough, I don’t honestly believe that Patti Brooks is a socialist, or even that socialism is necessarily a bad thing. I was making the point that Patti rails against big government every day, but when it comes to the government cutting her a check over a failed business investment, she is all for it. It is pointing out the irony of her contradictory positions.

As always, thank you for reading.