Morris letter: Fireworks law

Fifty years ago in Illinois, fireworks were illegal. In a hot, humid and green place, the only thing you could buy were snakes and sparklers. The rest were illegal because they were perceived as dangerous. Here, despite all logic, they are legal/available in a high-desert town with fire hazards everywhere. When something is so contradictory to common sense, you probably need to follow the money. Someone is probably paying a lot to keep selling fireworks, and someone else is on the receiving end to keep it legal. Three cheers for Chief Dennis Doan for wanting a ban. He’s not fooled by the “I promise not to light them off here” affidavit. Ada County Commissioner Jim Tibbs is a classic example of a double-clutching politician — “Gee, I don’t know, someone may get mad, but let’s have a conversation to examine the problem” (translation: let’s pretend to do something and make sure nothing gets done). Tibbs, if you want to cover your flank, let the people vote and decide if they want to keep the fireworks in the hands of professionals, and not the kids across the street dropping bottle rockets on my shake shingles two weeks every summer.

This story was originally published July 18, 2016 at 5:25 PM with the headline "Morris letter: Fireworks law."