Those who oppose the proposed SSA terminal are doing our region a great service regardless of whether the terminal is ever approved. All ideas in life are made better with input from others. The proposed terminal is no different. If the terminal is ultimately approved, it will only be because SSA was required by opponents' input and criticism to better address our communities' concerns. And if approval is never given, it will be because the negatives of the proposed terminal outweighed the benefits in the collective eyes of our community stakeholders. Good or bad, this is the democratic and political process at work.

While I applaud the passion of the terminal opponents and I respect their motives, I encourage you to do more. I hear no solutions being offered to address our community need to create jobs that can support families. "No" may be part of the "right answer" for our community, but "no" is not the solution by itself. We can "no" ourselves into a dying economic base. If we want our children to grow up and stay here, they need to believe they have a future here.

I believe "no" comes with a responsibility. If I opposed the proposed terminal, I would feel morally obligated to work equally passionately to create a positive, responsible business environment to help my neighbors who may not be hired due to my opposition. This is my challenge to you. Do more.

Ken Karlberg

Bellingham