First, in referencing the Letter to the Editor submitted by
Clara Bettencourt, my great aunt, I too have been a loyal Free
Lance reader for decades, albeit, only half as many as Aunt
Clara.
Editor,
First, in referencing the Letter to the Editor submitted by Clara Bettencourt, my great aunt, I too have been a loyal Free Lance reader for decades, albeit, only half as many as Aunt Clara. My profession has taken me and my wife from Hollister for much of our adult lives, but the majority of our families will always be there. No matter where our lives have taken us, whether it was Monterey, Marin and Sonoma Counties, or places like Hawaii, Michigan, and now Washington D.C., by virtue of the Internet, we’ve always been able to follow our roots and enjoy the online version of our hometown newspaper, the Free Lance.
Secondly, I must say, as someone privy to the constant political infighting that’s typical within the great bureaucracy of our nation’s capitol, it’s been very disappointing and almost comical – if it wasn’t such a waste of time and money – to follow the endless tit-for-tat battles between various public officials in a community the size of Hollister and San Benito County.
From my perspective, there seems to be blatant disregard and gross abuse of the way our democracy was and is designed to work. Certain public officials ought to feel very ashamed of themselves for abandoning their sense of community, as well as the oath they tool to serve the common good of the people they represent, and stop wasting their constituents’ hard-earned dollars. I’ve been constantly reading it for over two years now.
How long are the people of Hollister and San Benito County going to let it go on? Particularly, when the communities these so-called public officials pretend to represent are going bankrupt, have less law enforcement than they should, no vice principals, 35 students per teacher etc. etc. etc. Totally inexcusable.
However, I do have some advice for these public officials who seem to have lost their sense of purpose, go talk to my grandparents Art and Betty, my Aunt Clara and the rest of their brothers and sisters. They, in addition to all the others who still remain from our country’s greatest generation, will tell you what it means to serve.
Andrew K. Bettencourt, Washington, D.C.
