Columbia County Vector Control 's representative spoke Friday May 25^th on the weekly KOHI Call In. The call in is done every Friday from 9 A. M. to 10 A. M. a program which allows citizens to call in and discuss their views on global, national and or local topics of interest.
My concern was some of the information that was talked about by the Vector Control representative; he said that the mosquitoes in Columbia County are the species that is known to carry West Nile Virus. And the Virus is spreading, and cases of the virus seem to be increasing. But the Vector Control does not have the budget needed to properly battle the impending problem.
This brings to my mind several points of interest.
If the Vector Control budget is suffering a shortfall, to properly address the mosquito/ West Nile Virus problem, WHY did the Vector Control Board agree to give back tax monies to REDCO? Monies collected from US Gypsum when the corporation comes on line to pay tax revenues into the county? With an impending problem such as West Nile Virus to the immediate health, of the general population, was this a wise move on the boards' part?
Why is Columbia County having such a problem with an increase of mosquitoes?
Could it be, all the stagnate water which comes along with abandoned surface mining pits? that are through out the region? I suggested to the representative that the surface mining companies contribute funds to the Vector Control to address the mosquito problem, since these corporations are constantly creating more stagnate water for the mosquitoes to breed in, the answer that I was given was that the majority of the surface mines were grand fathered in, grand fathered in? I understand that that yes these mines are grand fathered in on reclamation where as they do not have to fill the hundreds of acres of giant holes that they have created, or properly address the pits at all. BUT I ask, what does grandfathered/ reclamation have to do with addressing the potential outbreak of West Nile Virus in this community? The representative then followed to say that he was just an employee at the Vector control and those issues would have to be addressed by the board.
I attended a Commissioners Board meeting several years ago where the Vector control, and public health were addressing the impending problems associated with mosquitoes/ West Nile virus, so yes Vector Control knew very well that they would have a problem to deal with in a few years, so again, why was the board determined to give back much needed and critical monies to REDCO?
Will the vector Control come back to the voters to ask for more revenue to run the department, while the huge surface mining corporations once again create a problem and leave it to the middleclass and poor to pay for their greed? While the middle class and poor continue to slip down in their standards of living, and while the corporations continually reap more profits every day. Are we the working middle class and poor going to stand by and allow these corporations to once again shift their responsibility on to the general population of this county by creating a possible epidemic in this county? Problems, that will not only cost more tax money to control, but possibly cost lives?
The REDCO boondoggle has been a Pandora's box ever since REDCO was formed, how long will the after effects of REDCO plague this county?

People over 50 years old and those with weakened immune systems due to HIV/AIDS, cancer, or organ transplants are most at risk for the infection. Most of the time, symptoms of West Nile virus are similar to the flu and include:

• fever
  
• headache
  
• neck and back stiffness
  
• muscle ache
  
• tiredness
  
• joint pain
  
• swollen glands
  
• rash