Michael Ware
Baxter
Does anyone else find it ironic that Jasper County has become ground zero in the Bakken pipeline debate? For the past 40 days, semis have been hauling 100-foot pieces of the Bakken pipeline from the Newton railyard to a rural storage location.
A steady stream of trucks, every day, depositing pipe in Jasper County. All done during daylight hours, in plain sight of all who care to watch. Meanwhile, our watchdog and state representative Dan Kelley is traveling the circuit, fighting his new pet project, the national debt. What does he have to do with the national debt you may ask? Nothing. It is another task he has taken in order to travel, peruse and attempt to build his own personal and political stature. Meanwhile, back here in his own district, his constituents are forced to fend for ourselves.
He has now taken to Facebook airing his displeasure and promising a fix. Meanwhile, the pipe continues to pile up. This is just another example of how out of touch Mr. Kelley is with his own district. How can this go on for 30 days, and he not know about it? The answer is simple. Apathy.
As our self-appointed watchdog is traveling with Ed Fallon, the wolves are allowed to mingle freely amongst his unattended flock. Our dog has once again shown that he is all bark and no bite as the oil pipe continues to pile up in House District 29 — his own backyard. I would ask that Mr. Kelley put away the suitcase and spend some time here, fighting for his own district.
We deserve a representative that places us first. In my opinion, we don’t have that at this time, and the pipe keeps coming.