Nuke plant means crucial jobs

Dear editor:

I live in Elmore County. I am expecting my second child, but neither me nor my husband can find work. My husband and I moved to Elmore County four years ago, then we moved to Nampa, but he lost his job there and we've moved back to Elmore County.

We are young people looking to grow our family and we want to work.

Is the Elmore County Commission so out of touch with working people that they can't get on the ball and rezone this land for a power plant? They're not remembering the real purpose of their jobs, which is to find a way to make things work and grow this place economically.

Instead they twiddle their thumbs and pass it off to some other bureaucracy.

That's not a good way to treat someone who wants to bring thousands of jobs here and is capable of doing it if given half the chance.

That's not the strong leadership we elected them for.

If the airbase were proposed today, I don't think it would stand a chance of approval.

The developer is now looking at other counties and I can't blame him. More than a year after he applied for rezoning the land the county can't make up its mind about a simple rezone. This does not send a good message to future businesses, that a few influential farmers hold veto power over jobs and industry for everyone else here.

The comprehensive plan should be used to help growth and new opportunity, not to keep industry out, and it should be changed when a good industry is proposed. A few opponents and anti-nuclear activists are using the comp plan to shut out more high-paying jobs and to make a political statement.

I think the Elmore County Commission is too comfortable with the airbase here, but that is not a sure thing. We need to diversify and get more major employers.

Who are the opponents to say who can and cannot work at a power plant? People who oppose this plant shouldn't be the ones who dictate who can work there.

If you don't think you could work at a power plant then don't apply but don't shut me and my family out. We have the desire and ambition to want a power plant here and to work at it.

We are hardworking people and all we want are good jobs. We've looked into power plant jobs and I know we could qualify for work at a nuclear plant. Yes, there are a few nuclear physicists at the plant but they also need people with mechanical, management and technical skills.

Elmore County is a great place to find people like that.

Brittney Hakin