Rotary Gram

Durango High Noon Rotary Club

August 1, 2002

"Many forms of government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time......"

Winston Churchill............

Jeff Brown opened the meeting by remarking that it is a big week for Rotary in Durango.. He said that 12 High Noon Rotarians went to the chartering night reception for the Durango Daybreak Rotary club. The new club's roster reads like a who's who of Rotary, with Past Presidents and Past District Governors as members. Charter Members include:

Kevin Bruce, Ann Butler, Joe Choquette, Robert Conrad, Rodney Cross, Susan Cross, Roy Crow, Robert Dolphin, Deb Duncan, John Francis, Bard Heroy, David Huckins, Dot Larson, Gene Larson, Olivia Lopez, Darrel Lowder, Cathy Neil, Gary Penington, Neill Peterson, Deb Schultz, Bill Tarpley, Dorothy Tarpley, Jan Williams, Joe Williams.

Bob Griffith lead the group in a prayer and the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance. Jeff indicated that today's program was special and called for the introduction of guests and announcements.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Golf Tournament August 17th: Missy Rodey announced that all the hole were fully sponsored, but there is still the need for more teams to compete and for more door prizes. Jeff reminded the club that 1/2 of the funds that club gives away annually comes from this event. Get some friends, get some clubs and play some golf!! Remember, golf is easy and relaxing. The ball doesn't move, so it is easy to hit. Sponsors for this 7th annual event include:

Cottonwoods at Dalton Ranch, Neilson's Inc., B Bar Cattle and Consulting, Wells Fargo Bank, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Great Clips for Hair, Bob's Johns, Specialty Incentives, Rio Grande Portland Cement Company, The Wells Group, Vectra Bank of CO., Acordia Wells Fargo Insurance, Linda Lou Parks/Triple S Realty, Crane & Tejada, Lewis Mercantile, Phoenix Cement Company, Basin Printing, Durango Ski Corp, Brennan Oil Co., Masters Investment Management Company, Wal-Mart, El Rancho Bar, Breckenridge Brewery, United Pipeline Systems USA, Durango Credit and Collection Co., Inc., A & L Coors, Inc., Tradewinds Construction, Radiology Associates of Durango, The Four Putters, Southwest Colorado Mental Health Center, AC Houston, Spanish Trails Motel, Durango Electric, Plateau Environmental.

GUESTS:

The Honorable Scott McInnis

Tylan Gilbert

Jay Gill

John Francis, visiting Rotarian

Kevin Bruce, visiting Rotarian

Howard Wilson

The Honorable Mark Larson

Jack Crawford

Diane Doney

Gerry Fleuriet, visiting Rotarian

Joyce Schroeder

At this point, the walls parted, joining the HNR and Kiwanis clubs for a joint presentation by State Representative, Scott McInnis. Rep. McInnis was introduced by Patty Burkholder. He is a Colorado native and represents the 3rd District, covering the Western Slope to Pueblo, the San Luis Valley and portions of Douglas and Jefferson counties. McInnis worked as a police officer, fire fighter and attorney before being elected to the State Legislature and then to the U.S. House of Representatives.

McInnis is a member of the House Ways and Means Committee and many other committees important to the state. He joked that he 'took the walls down between Rotary and Kiwanis' and recognized his friend of 22 years, Jack Walls, before beginning his planned remarks.

He focused his presentation on the impact of the fires, the international situation, corporate America and wasting disease. He indicated that the federal government will cover 100% of the cost to fight the fire on federal lands (89% of the total) and 75% of the cost of the remaining 11% of the land, leaving the local economy to deal with approximately 2.75% of the cost (my calculation).

Resources are being strained, with the funds set aside by Congress for wildland fires exhausted. Other sources are being found and more is on the way, including help for businesses that qualify for assistance. Due to the drought, many businesses were already suffering, but federal help is limited only to the impact that can be attributed to the fire.

He recognized the community's support of the fire fighters, including volunteers that handled 30 - 40,000 telephone calls. In the country there are 75 million 'high risk' acres of forests that need to be dealt with. Unfortunately, national environment groups have opposed 100% of the efforts for mechanical thinning of the forests.

Regarding accounting scandals and other corporate misdeeds, McInnis that 99% of U.S. corporations are "doing what they should be doing." He urged us to remember that Stanley Tool is attempting to set up their HQ in Bermuda to escape most U.S. Federal Taxes. He stated that the economy is showing good fundamentals and that it will recover.

In terms of the threat from Iraq, he says we have to stop the perpetrators or be prepared for a nuclear explosion. A preemptive strike would certainly infuriate the Muslim community throughout the world according to McInnis. He said the President Bush is committed to to eliminating terrorism and to beefing up national security. Referring to Iraq, he said "we do not intend to ignore this cancer."

Those is Washington that leak details any plan to deal with Iraq were labeled as traitors and should be dealt with appropriately.

Wasting disease that affects the deer and elk populations is a growing problem for the State. Hunting brings more revenues to the state each year than skiing or other recreational activities. Further, there is a growing body of evidence that indicates that the disease may infect other species, including man. There are some that believe that elk farming may play a role in the disease, but McInnis reminded us that eventually, Colorado's herds will have to be rebuilt and elk ranches may very well be the source for the animals.

Rep. McInnis responded to questions at the end of his remarks and asked Mark Larson to lead us in God Bless America. The last comments from the crowd were from Kiwanian who suggested that the answer to the world situation was prayer. McInnis agreed, indicating that we should also carry a gun.

A member of the Kiwanis Club thanked the speaker and brought the meeting to a close.

Aug 8 - Durango Mt Resort

Aug 15 - Park Dedication

Aug 21 - Board Meeting

Aug 22 - Butch Knowlton and Duke Schirard

Aug 29 - Amphitheatre Celebration

Sep 5 - Rotary District Governor

Sep 12 - Bob Dolphin, Ft. Lewis College

Sept 19 - Kiwanis Pancake Luncheon

Sept 26 - NFIB State Director