We're finally closing in on the end of another election cycle... more thoughts.

(FULL DISCLOSURE: I freely admit that I am totally opposed to Marc Boldt's election this time, just as I was last time, since he's completely sold out to the left; forgotten/ignored GOP principles, supports the CRC scam in it's entirety and wants to hang tolls around our neck for the next several decades that would destroy a great deal of small business in Clark County as a result.

NO candidate or campaign or anyone involved or in any way concerned with any candidate or campaign was aware of or approved or had input into this post.

Further, Marc Boldt is my brother-in-law, and I worked for him as his legislative assistant for 6 years while he was in the state house, 1994 - 2000.)

Lew Waters is a local legend here in blogging circles.

He's spoken his mind repeatedly and well over the years.  We do not always agree on the issues confronting us, but that's to be expected.

We both have about 3/4's of a million views for our efforts, each.  We've both been attacked as persons for having the temerity to express our views.

We're both veterans; Lew served in Vietnam.

For those who have not bothered to put on this nation's uniform, here's the thing:

Those who have served this Nation in our military have pre-paid their 1st Amendment right.

Lew has certainly prepaid his.

In reiterating that this election locally has been THE most hate-filled, lie-filled psychotic effort to date (And I know that next year will be even worse) I take a candidate down view of the outcomes.

I oppose Dalesandro for county-chair because he's a young, gullible fringe-leftist Obama supporter with a narcissistic streak a mile wide... and who won't "represent" the views of anyone to the right of Mao, as evidenced by his giddy reaction to Obama's re-election and his rabid support of the CRC Scam combined with his political opportunism.

I oppose Marc Boldt for what once was just his record of governance but has not morphed into the fact that he's become a full-on jerk.

The Gang of Five used-to-bes, who support this clown to run our local government, ask us to forget all about his actual record... forget about his years-long support of tax increases, his unyielding support of the CRC/Light Rail/Toll scam that wasted $200 million, forget all about his vote to take our weapons away in the event of a county or state declared emergency... and for me, personally, forget all about his dangerous showboating while texting and driving a commercial vehicle in Oregon... and then being petulant enough to text me proof of it while he was doing it.

I'm reminded of the Parable of the Snake..

An old woman was walking down the road when she saw a gang of thugs beating a poisonous snake.  She rescued the snake and carried it back to her home, where she nursed it back to health.  They became friends and lived together for many months.  One day they were going into town, and the old woman picked him up and the snake bit her.  Repeatedly.  "O God," she screamed, "I am dying!  Why?  I was your friend.  I saved your life!  I trusted you!  Why did you bite me?"

The snake looked up at her and said, "Lady, you knew I was a snake when you first picked me up."

Like Obama's re-election, putting Boldt back into office as a political nobody is the exact... same... thing.

Electing Boldt will make government bigger and more expensive.  (Much like electing either Olson or Green, come to think of it.)

And here, locally, we'll pay for it.

None of those on the ballot running for a county seat have indicating ANY ideas concerning the solutions to our cross-river transportation problems.  None of them.

ALL of them want to resurrect the CRC Scam and ram light rail and huge, ever-increasing tolls down our collective throats, particularly Boldt, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT HE WANTED WHEN HE WAS A COMMISSIONER.

I cannot support Boldt merely because I used to work for him 15 years ago or because he is my brother-in-law.  I cannot and will not mindlessly support anyone, even if related, merely because of that relationship.

Boldt wants to govern ME as well, ladies and gentlemen, and his positions are wrong as are his history and personality... as evidenced by his snarky, arrogant, petulant jerk text messages to me and others smart enough to oppose him.

And that's why I support Liz Pike.

Nothing else is relevant to that.

At this point, we have 3 choices for county chair: one proven conservative who's fought for us and two proven leftists who've fought against us.

Money is no issue here for me any more than it is for leftists hypocrites who complain about local money in politics but keep silent in the face of personal wealth and out of state money going to those they support.

There's no reason whatsoever to listen to hypocrites.

I, too, have been slighted by the local GOP leadership.  They have done and said things that make me angry as well.

But I cannot simply withdraw from the local political scene based on that treatment and let the Bogers and the Crains and the Boldts and the C23G Haters have it all their own way since we KNOW that their perspective is NOT what is in the best interests of the people of this county generally or me and my family particularly.

You see, I have to live with the outcomes.

And while it will, in reality, make zero difference if either Olson or Green is elected (Since they're the same on the issues that matter) it will make a great deal of difference in our lives personally if Marc Boldt, his arrogance, his holding the law in contempt and providing proof of it, his record of ignoring what the people want... his tax-increase fetish and everything that goes with his leftist influence (Look who's supporting this guy and ask yourself "why.") and all that goes along with it certainly will.

Professionally, this will be my last election.  Like lead poisoning, this level of crap has built up to the "intolerable" zone.

This election cycle has brought out the absolute worst in people connected to politics that I have ever seen and I am sick of it.

It's ripped the veneer off the lack of integrity of so many I believed in and shown them to be what they really, really are.

And that's all for me.

That does not mean that I won't hammer on RINOs like a gong, or remain silent in the face of fringe-left tyranny.  I, too, have prepaid my 1st Amendment right.

But this has passed me by and the 25 years I've devoted to it here, locally, is enough.  Excepting doing all I can to make sure that Crain and Rivers don't get elected to anything, I'm out.

And I really don't care who runs against them.