Don't change what isn't broken

Those of you who are scratching your head when you hear that Bonners Ferry was "Idaho's Friendliest City," you are not alone. This being in the past is about the only thing that the locals and newcomers can agree on. Sad, but true.

The political season has come and gone, but it always seems to pull the scab off on who we are and what we stand for. The paradox of that is we are not a monolith in thought, yet we seem to have to rediscover this time after time.

My first experiences here came as a child in the mid-1960s while passing through on family trips or stopping regularly when the junior hockey bus came through. I could not think of a better place to retire after an arduous military career shortened by injury. After all, my roots are regional.

What is new to our region is the assault upon it by those who have a misconception of what we are all about. Recently, I had a new neighbor tell me: "I'm not the kind of guy who will come knocking on your door." Just think about that. What does that say?

We are not a community obsessed with possessions. Yet, now I'm seeing every imaginable recreational device that flies, floats, or flees … all crammed in on a lot with no room left for snow storage.

We are a community of modesty. We'll pull over when your car breaks down, we'll babysit your dog, and you may get some pie over the holidays. This community will give, even when it hurts. That is just who we are. We are not fancy and we will not judge you by the car you drive, the neighborhood you live in, or what clothes you wear.

Hardship has borne out a rugged individualism here. We have little patience for sissies, general laziness, and following what is trendy. Sheep belong in Montana.

I kind of grin when the newcomers come to the realization that what the Redoubt Realtors told them about this area is not true. We tend to chuckle while they prepare for the apocalypse. What are they going to do when all that out-of-state money is gone? Are they going to ask for a job? Yeah, right.

I'm not a financial advisor, but I know basic math. One should always have an exit strategy. It is easy to move here when coming from a high-income, high-cost-of-living region. The opposite is true, come time to leave. Be aware of what is called the "poverty magnet." That pull can be quite strong.

It seems as if most newcomers want to slam the door shut once they are now here. Well, I don't want all the same fast food joints repeating every six traffic lights, either. That we can agree on, but don't tell us how to fix it.

I am proud of my career spent in the Marine Corps and Navy. I love this country from top to bottom. Yes, that includes the government, because the government is us. We put it there and it is our duty to participate in it's exercise. A constitutional republic with a free people cannot exist without personal responsibility as a premise. Compromise is a strength, not a weakness. It is the only path to harmony and patriotism requires it.

No storytelling, in popular culture, has captured the essence of carpetbagging in the inter-mountain west quite like Taylor Sheridan's "Yellowstone" series playing on the Paramount Channel. Although embellished, the vibe of the show is about as real as it gets. It feeds on the conflict.

The urban counterpart to this was the Los Angeles riots of the early-1990s. When Rodney King was pulled from his truck and savagely beaten, he later stated: "Why can't we all just get along?"

Yes, we can … if we try. But to those who would tear down our institutions, I will say: "Don't make me go 'Beth Dutton' on you!"

GERALD B. HIGGS

Bonners Ferry