I'm sure there are times you feel like voting against local levies as a way of punishing government for being too big. I've felt that way too.

But I'm encouraging you to vote in favor of the EMS and fire levies for support of ambulance and fire services in Grant County Fire Districts Nos. 10 and 11.

Beside, you really can't touch Washington, D.C. from here except at federal election time. You only punish yourselves, if anyone at all, with a "no" vote.

The money raised by these levies is dedicated to services that provide you with assistance in case of a fire or an injury accident. It cannot be used for treadmills for crabs or to save the snail darter.

When you consider what these funds could mean to you some day, your share is minute. If you own a $100,000 home, you pay $25 a year to guarantee you have ambulance service available all year.

In the case of fire, a $100,000 home owner would pay $100 a year to guarantee quality fire protection all year. That's cheap.

Recently you've seen a series in The Royal Register by Brad Nelson about the people who volunteer to provide these services. Nothing sticks out for me with any of them, but I am impressed with all of them.

These people make time to carry out critical tasks you and I don't. We lack the time or sense of urgency.

Consider voting for the levies as a way to show appreciation to these men and women. They should have the best equipment and conditions for their own safety.

Five minutes is sometimes the gap between losing or saving a home or a life. A local ambulance or fire truck can provide that five minutes.

Voting for these levies is something you do for yourself and your family.

On another front, praise is due to the Mattawa-Desert Aire Lions Club, and particularly Bob Adler, for their efforts on the Desert Aire community celebration Hot Desert Nights.

I spent some time there on Saturday and can truly say I enjoyed myself.

Hot Desert Nights reminded me a lot of Royal City's Summerfest. There was no carnival and, yet, it was incredibly festive.

As I noted in a previous column, I grew up in the Yakima Valley, where every community festival had a carnival. "Community" always seemed to be missing and, after a while, I didn't care if I attended.

I can only surmise the carnival became the central point and displaced the coming together of friends and neighbors.

Not in Desert Aire and not in Royal City. Here the people come for each other. They gather in one mass group, greet each other warmly, and carry on as if they were all brothers and sisters. It doesn't get better than that.

I didn't know what to expect when we launched The Royal Register last fall. I can report now that the sense of community has exceeded anything I could have imagined.

Soon, Mattawa will have its revived Mattawa Community Days, another Saturday in the Park, and I'm looking forward to it. I hope to see you there.