It is my turn. I just finished reading the article on the salaries and bonuses paid to the top people at Avista. In the article a certain Jessie Wuerst, a spokeswoman for Avista, reassured all of us ordinary rate paying customers that "less than one cent out of every dollar we pay in rates goes to the salaries of the top 13 officers of the company." Wuerst went on to say that it really is the cost of energy that drives the salaries upward.

It makes perfect sense to me. The more we pay for energy, the more should be paid for those who help deliver us this new higher rate energy. After all, these folks have to pay more for their energy at their homes. Mr. Morris and the other top 12 officers should now feel well at ease knowing that with their pay increases they will be able to pay for their personal utility bills. I'm sure they all breathed a sigh of relief. I know at our house we feel good when we pay our electric bills even though there were times we couldn't. So, I guess we are all good. We pay more and they get more. Sounds like a good deal for somebody. Before I leave off here I need to state my real reason for writing. It has to do with the last paragraph of this article. Wuerst goes on to say that even though the level of compensation of the executives is controversial we need to have qualified, ethical, and dedicated people that provide energy for us 24/7. At what pay level do these top 13 become ethical and dedicated?

I'm going to take a straw poll right now. How many of you readers out there would be willing to be ethical and dedicated for a compensation package of $3,240,000? How about $2,240,000? How about $1,240,000? How about $240,000? How about $24,000? I know people out there who are both dedicated and ethical for a lot less than $3,240,000. Many people have these qualities and are paid nothing.The audacity or ignorance to presume that money assures dedication and ethics totally escapes me. Qualified people? Yes, people should be qualified to hold the position that they hold; however, oftentimes qualifications are political and can change with the wind. Dedication and ethics are a matter of the heart.

Since our electricity providers demand such a high payroll, how about the workers on the hydro-electric dams that generate the electricity? How about the linemen that work on the lines? How about others? The E.M.T. that could save your life? The garbage collector that keeps our city safe and sanitary. What about the police that patrol our streets? At what pay level do these people become dedicated and ethical? Bernard Madoff was not ethical even though he made billions. Maybe if he had pocketed more money then he would have been ethical. What do you think?

Since Jessie Wuerst had tied ethics and dedication to dollars perhaps the top folks at Avista should be paid more. How about $32 million for Mr. Morris? Or maybe $340 million or $3.2 billion. Avista should make sure these top hands have enough income so they can remain ethical and dedicated.Avista should also make sure these folks have a great medical and dental plan. Lord knows you sure don't want anything bad to happen to these folks because you might not ever be able to replace them and if you could who knows how much it would cost to get new people up to a proper level of dedication and ethical conduct. Instead of having any ill feelings about the compensation packages given to these folks we should share in their good fortune. Maybe we could all write them cards expressing our gratitude that they are dedicated and ethical and have been for a rock bottom price compared to some of the people we have read about in this world.

Besides, if we don't like the money Avista pays these folks we can just go use the other electric utility company. You know, the other company. The other company. The other. Whoops. I just remembered. There is no other company. Since there is no other utility company that I can use as a member of our fair community, I think I will close this letter and turn off my lights which will add to my bottom line as no one seems to be willing to pay for me to be dedicated and ethical. Alas, I guess I'll have to be dedicated and ethical for nothing.Kenneth Harris is a Coeur d'Alene resident.