An open letter to the Port of Friday Harbor:

A couple of months ago I purchased a used, but very nice ($70,000 new) mower for the estate I manage where it previously took some 40 hours to mow. I cut the time down to about seven hours and started thinking of other cost-effective areas to solicit and mow. The mower cuts 11 feet at a time, is comfortable and quiet.

I approached the port manager to explore the feasibility of mowing the airport. She shared with me that they had three employees to maintain the grounds and spent approximately 50 hours a week maintaining the airport grass during the growing times. She then queried me: “What would our employees do (if you mow the grass)?”

I was also told that it would be great if they had the money in their budget for a similar mower. I even offered to mow in order that they more precisely estimate the cost savings.

I stopped by to follow up recently, as the grass is starting to grow. I was informed that the port had found the money to purchase a similar mower (at a cost of over $40K) and will be having their own employees cutting the grass and would not need my services.

This is yet another example of our government avoiding the hiring of private contractors to accomplish non-essential services (As a painting contractor, I used to maintain the courthouse and the airport before being edged out by the county).

The growth of our government has to be curtailed. The tasks of maintaining our property (not simply the essential services of justice and infrastructure) should be accomplished by our private contractors, as a free-market service corps.

I would also like to point out that in the United States of America, there is but one coveted and lifetime job: that of a justice in the U.S. Supreme Court. Everyone else is subject to having their jobs eliminated, diminished or re-assigned, and believe me, that will not happen from the top down.

Peter DeLorenzi
San Juan Island