[Vision2020] re: conflict of interest

[Donovan Arnold]

Carl writes:
>
>"Melynda, in her usual thoughtful manner, lays out the legitimate concerns 
>of many of us.  I'd like to focus on one.  As she writes: " In his capacity 
>as President for the Chamber, he made staff hiring
>decisions which systematically favored members of his own church."  I can 
>honestly say that it would make no difference to me if he belonged to and 
>hired only members of the Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, 
>Unitarian, or the Church of What's Happening Now faith.  If true, it would 
>still be wrong."

This is what I don't understand. How can anyone allow or tolerate this? If 
this was cute little girls in miniskirts he was hiring in place of qualified 
individuals to do the job, he would be rightfully fired by any competent 
manager or owner of the company, likewise should be the case for religious 
hirelings.

It is shocking to me that people take this lightly. This is as serious to me 
as if you discriminated against hiring someone on the bases of disability, 
race, color, gender, or family status. As far as I know, and understand, it 
is illegal, even in Idaho, to hire or not hire people on the bases of 
religion. This alone is reason enough to impeach and remove Kimmel from 
office, and fine him, if guilty.

I am sorry I don't have the time, patience, or eloquence in my wording as 
many of my V2020 colleagues,  but if you don't find people being hired on 
the bases of religion serious enough charge t for trial, and if found guilty 
be thrown out of office, then you either have rocks for brains, a cold 
heart, are a bigot, or all of the above. Sorry if this offends you, but that 
is my opinion. Southern Idaho may still be in an age of discrimination, but 
Moscow should speak out against this, even if it is happening in the private 
sector. This is why people call Idaho the "land of Nazis", because people 
are defending this obvious bigoted behavior--even people in leadership 
positions.

They use to do this sort of thing all the time when I was in Student 
Government at UI until I got another senator to help me use parliamentary 
procedure to block the appointments of bed buddies and pals and open the 
opportunities to other students that were better qualified to do the job. 
(And yes, we pissed everybody off, they promised their friends the positions 
they wanted).

It appears that Our Chamber of Commerce needs to learn this lesson too. You 
hire people on the basis of merit, and merit only. Not your friends, not 
your bed buddies, not your beer buddies, and certainly not members of your 
congregation. MERIT, that is all.

I know that the members of my family that have served as members and 
President of the Chamber of Commerce would never hire people on the basis of 
religion, and will be shocked when I tell them that this is going on now. My 
Grandfather is probably rolling over in his grave considering all the work 
he did to fight discrimination, only to have it put right into an 
organization he once presided over and gave much of his life too. To shame, 
to shame.

Sincerely,

Donovan J Arnold


>                                                                            
>                                                                            
>                                                                            
>                             Carl Westberg Jr.
>
>

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