Your Voice: Who paid for Cuba trip, and who went?

Dover Taxpayers, it looks like we have other citizens who understand Dover City

Planner C. Parker's Cuban Escapade Scheme.

Foster’s Daily Democrat printed a response from Mr. Parker on Jan 10, 2014.

Mr. Parker mentioned he "hoped his time in Cuba will help him find innovative

ways to encourage others to participate"!

Mr Parker wants us to believe he's interested in Cuban agricultural strategies.

A communist country is more aligned to Mr. Parker's ideals, as long as he

maintains that level of superiority and control here. Right! Like Che Guevara

redistributed land to the peasants. Maybe he should have bought Che's tedious

"Guerrilla Warfare" or read Che's own accounts on how this once medical doctor,

relished in mass murder as a "tool" of political influence. At least if he had

read the book, Mr. Parker could have consolidated centralized power as Che recommended. Much different than Al Qaeda's loose "franchise" model of terrorism today.

Maybe he should have bought a copy of Farming Magazine, (Amish, Mount Hope, OH) from about two years ago, when they did an entire multi-page story about Cuba's gardens as a need to provide food.

Because as most know, Cuba is WAY short of basic FOOD!

Who were the eight other New Hampshire attendees to this conference? Why aren't they "celebrating" this totally functional trip?

Most of us aren't "HIP-Hop Stars, so we can't just fly over to a communist country.

How did he get there and was it U.S. State Department approved?

Was the trip public or privately funded? OH! $460 came from city funds.

What are their positions/titles within the community?

I certainly hope someone from the critically acclaimed Strafford County Regional

Planning "team" was in attendance. They certainly wouldn't want to leave any

"regulatory stone" unturned. There are probably differing "compliance" factors

in Cuba. I'm sure they could learn about better "compartmentalization" to help

all these SOLONS avoid the dreaded "Right To Know Law."

Agriculture takes 20% of the working population to produce 10% of the food.

Cuba imports 80% of the food it consumes, and then rations it to the public.

Cuba imports 90% of its fuel. That 1949 De Soto coup don't run on water!

One would think being in the “Torrid Zone” they would have a longer growing

season than New England. Yet, it's still not enough in a communist country.

You know, on any given day, I could see someone in their garden and ask how

their plants are growing. Most likely they'd be glad to share more information

than I ever wanted. Politicians are above that! They would rather go somewhere

where people might think they're important. I guess there is nothing like a trip

to Cuba to "mind-meld" with people who know how to control their subjects!

Isn't it good to know where our "potentates" stand?

I hope Mr. Parker's next venture will be to the Antarctic in July to learn how

to make snow cones. But then again, what would the rescue cost be?

Taxpayers should call for an outside investigation of this mess, and the entire

details made public!

- Lou Archambault, SMSgt USAF (Ret)

Rochester