CRANKY IN THE MIDDLE - Issue 3

CRANKY IN THE MIDDLE: OBSERVATIONS FROM ST. JOHN, KANSAS
Volume 1 - Issue 3 - August 10, 2006

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
--- Albert Einstein

SCAB PICKERS BEWARE
Just when you think that the liquor store issue is going to heal up a bit, somebody keeps picking that scab to lay open that wound. Look at how this tactic has worked for us in the Middle East….uh, not so well. When you pick a scab continually, it introduces more bacteria, causes unsightly scarring and after a while just hurts. Anybody got a bandaid?

TUBES…………THE NEW INTERNET?
United States Senator Ted Stevens, R -Alaska, describes the internet as “a series of tubes”. This geezer chairs the senate commerce committee that makes decisions about regulating the internet, and he doesn’t even know what the internet is!
Alaska should retire Ted, he’s a bozo and seems to be in a permanent state of brain freeze.

“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the universe.”
--- Albert Einstein

DON QUIXOTE’S GOT NOTHIN ON ME
How did this get started? I went back in the windmills of my mind and tried to sort this all out. I was reminded about remarks made by a city council person, referring to “that mess on the west side of town”. The remarks were probably not meant to be hurtful, but were. I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt…..just this once.
The location in question, was bought by a local businessman, and cleaned up at his own expense. (It saved the city a few bucks, that’s for sure.) Over the course of time, the transformation of that corner lot was a radical improvement. Maybe the time it took for clean up wasn’t timely enough for some people, but when you consider what it looked like before he started…………….Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Instead of an encouraging word or a pat on the back about the progress, oh no, this businessman got dissed in a very public way. Is this any way to keep businesses?
He didn’t have to locate his business here. He generates payroll, jobs and pays a boat load of taxes you probably never heard of. How can that be a bad thing? I guess it might be if you know absolutely nothing about running a business, and you’ve got your panties/boxers/briefs in a wad all the time. If I wore a hat it would be off to him. I think an apology is in order, and getting off his back would be an appropriate gesture.

“Great ideas often receive violent opposition from mediocre minds.”
--- Albert Einstein

I’M A CITIZEN, HOW ABOUT MY CONCERNS?
About a month or so ago, I was persuaded to take a drive out to Spearville to see the wind farm under construction. I was tired, it was hot, and I didn’t really want to go, but being the good natured soul I am, I went to keep peace in the family, and I got to eat out………..that’s usually the deciding factor in these matters.
I was amazed and somewhat overwhelmed by these 60 foot towers that look like oversized pinwheels. Oddly enough, it was a thing of beauty.
Awesome is the only word to describe it, and it got me to thinking about where are we going to get our power and water in the coming years? Tom Friedman said that green is going to be the next red, white and blue. I think he’s right.
I would really like to see some discussion on this subject and see what the long term strategy for our city is. It’s never too late to be prepared.

“A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves”.
--- Edward R. Murrow

HEY……YOU, GET OFF OF MY CLOUD
On these hot, muggy days, when a person is forced to work outside all or part of the time at their job, you can bet that it gets really old feeling like you have been reduced to a puddle of goo day after day. In fact, it makes people a little testy once in awhile…… imagine that?
When you see a rattlesnake…..leave it alone, don’t walk up and give it a kick and be surprised if it bites you………you deserved it.

“You do not lead by hitting people over the head --- that’s assault, not leadership.”
--- Dwight D. Eisenhower

LEGAL IS AS LEGAL DOES
Is backing into a parking space legal? I don’t know. It’s probably about as legal as parking in a diagonal parking space when you are in the south bound lane and you cut across the north bound lane of traffic to park on the east side of the street, a/k/a/ making a J turn.

“I’m conservative, but I’m not a nut about it.”
--- George H. W. Bush