Upgrade is behind the times

To the Editor:

Saturday, Aug. 4, 2007 we received a letter from Lincoln County Dept. of Environmental Planning advising us of an address change. They also changed our name from C-r-o-w to C-t-o-w. It makes me nervous that they are unable to spell our name correctly.

Also, the letter contained no offer of monetary compensation to pay for the legal changes of the title of our property, vehicles, drivers license and registration, Social Security, having checks printed with the new address, return address labels or the additional cost of postage or phone calls to notify IRA accounts, credit cards, publications, doctors, dentists, insurance companies, utility companies, business contacts, or libary card. The list goes on and on in addition to the needless stress. This change of address will have repercussions for each person affected for a long, long time.

I wonder why Lincoln County can't upgrade the 911 system the same way major cities and states do. For example, the system used in Denver and its outlying communities executed and utilized all changes in a computer database and were able to efficiently enhance and upgrade the 911 system involving millions of people without having to change a single address. A computer database! What a concept!

The emergency services have been doing an outstanding job of locating people and giving aid to those who need their help. How have they been managing to do this so well? How much confusion and delays will be added when the address changes are implemented? How many people will be at risk as a result of it?

I wish there was such a thing as a brain enema. If it could be applied to the Environmental Planning folks, maybe they could think more clearly. It might even be beneficial to the EPA.

It makes no sense for so many people to be inconvenienced for so long and at their own expense of money, time and frustration just to accomodate Lincoln County's latest 'bright' idea.

Is this another project designed to line someone's pockets - again - at the expense of the citizens? It's no wonder Libby is considered a backward community. I shudder to think of what's next on their agenda and how much it will cost us.

Oh, by the way, anyone with a land line has been paying for the privilege of supporting 911 each and every month for quite a long time.

Patty Crow

Libby