One Out In The Third

Stop The Unnecessary Killing...

2010-11-05T17:39:00.001-05:00

Ever come across this scene once or twice a year in your lawn or on a walk through the park? Ever wonder what happened? Well if you have...you have just seen the tip of the iceberg. Our politicians...mainly those evil "Progressives" in favor of such alternative energy solutions as wind power are only setting our migrating fowl up for a bigger fall. Wind farms with tower lighting...the poor birds haven't a chance. You figure it out...then do your part.

Horror Stories...

2010-10-28T09:51:00.005-05:00

More claims of voting fraud. And more. And even more...

Sell Your Nebraska Absentee Ballots...

2010-10-27T21:03:00.007-05:00

Nebraska has been the bastion of conservative thinking for as long as anyone can remember...a state in precision lock-step with the Republican Party. It's time for change though...and here is your opportunity to help make that change...while making a little change yourself.

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More Goon Squad Tactics...

2010-10-27T17:54:00.005-05:00

SEIU...Go figure. It's time to go back to a paper ballot...I.D. and a polling place. There is even fraud going on with absentee ballots.

It's time to tighten...not loosen voting laws. This ain't Dancing With The Stars...it's the future of our nation.

The "Og" Out Here In The "NEB."...

2010-10-27T15:17:00.015-05:00

The Ogallala Aquifer...covering 174,000 square miles and extending over eight High Plains states...provides nearly all the water for residential...industrial...and agricultural use. Because of widespread irrigation...farming accounts for 94 percent of the groundwater use. It is truly the lifeblood for our region.

"Because of the Ogallala...the High Plains is the leading irrigation area in the Western Hemisphere. Close to 13.6 million acres are irrigated in the Ogallala region. The leading state irrigating from the Ogallala is Nebraska (46%), followed by Texas (30%) and Kansas (14%)." The Ogallala Aquifer is being depleted at an alarming rate and some studies suggest that it will run dry within the next 25 years.

OK...it's time to share what I think of the XL Pipeline. If you research Nebraska pipelines...you will find there are already over 20,000 miles of pipeline...one kind or another...running throughout our state. Pipelines parallel both sides of the Platte and Republican river valleys nearly the entire length of our state. These pipelines have been in place for years...there are routine aircraft flights that frequently check Nebraska's oil pipelines looking for leaks. The industry says that when it comes to moving oil or natural gas...pipelines are by far the safest method of transport. I could go on and on but I won't. It's a safe industry and technology makes it safer with each passing day.

The recently invented "XL issue" is in its entirety an election year "Pitch a Bitch" contrived by Jane Kleeb and her local gang of "Hippie Wannabe Leftists" in an attempt to smear politicians they don't like. Guilt by association..."Evil Heineman"..."Evil Johanns"..."Evil Smith"..."Evil (fill in the blank)"...etc...etc...etc.

Nice try Jane...but you missed the friggin' boat...completely. You missed the part where agriculture is probably the prime enemy of the Ogallala out here in the "NEB". For many years I have pointed out that Nebraska irrigation is majorly responsible for the Ogallala's depletion and future demise. I will not mention how our "Stewards of the Land" are poisoning it with chemicals...all while our friends in the Unicameral and other "electeds" ignore the long term outcome. The pipeline is the least of our "issues." Pssst...have you ever seen a plot of all the oil wells in Nebraska and where they sit? We could have a "Deepwater" event right here in Huskerland...what would that do to the "Og"? Get moving Jane...kill the oil fields too.

It's also hilarious how after Jane's "P a B" surfaced in the media that our state and national "electeds" immediately backed away from the XL Pipeline saying we should rethink it...even the desperate Ben Nelson jumped on board. It's my opinion that our "electeds" didn't miss the boat...they flat fell out of it. They should have grabbed the economic bull by the horns and touted how the XL is one of the best things that could happen in our state...offering new jobs...new industry and a boost to our economy. And are you ready for this? What they should have said is that it's time for Nebraska to consider building a new...state of the art...high tech and environmentally friendly OIL REFINERY right here in the "NEB" to process the Canadian crude. We need to replace the aging refineries along the Gulf Coast and Nebraska has a lot to offer including a secure distribution point in the very middle of the U.S. How much difference is there between an oil refinery and our local water hog ethanol plants anyway?

Fossil fuels are not going away...in 1960 there were 74,000,000 registered automobiles in the U.S...and in 2008...close to 256,000,000...and that doesn't include fossil fuel consuming trains...boats...planes and public transit buses. We aren't going to reduce the use of fossil fuel burners to zero in our lifetime...or in our children's lifetime. We can still be "earth friendly" by building safe refineries and pipelines while transitioning to nuclear power and if it has to be...building a forest of ugly and inefficient wind and solar farms. In the meantime maybe we can look into extracting oil from oil-rich Montana and North Dakota instead of relying on foreign oil be it from Saudi Arabia or Canada. Looks to me that the Canadian oil is headed to foreign markets anyway.

No...the XL Pipeline is no threat to Nebraska or to the Ogallala Aquifer...we should take advantage of it...prosper from it...you know...be "progessive." And in the meantime...like yesterday...we better be giving serious consideration to reducing irrigation and look at growing crops that are suited to our climate. We should be extending the life of the Ogallala here in the "NEB" as come one day a gallon of water will be much more valuable than a gallon of gas.

A couple of other funny things...elements of Jane's goon squad are working against her on this. Validates the theory that "Money Talks...and Bullshit Walks." Finally...what the hell was Heineman thinking when he/his campaign took donations from XL? Flags popped up on this move that even a third grader would notice.

On a different note...because I find it funny too...one of our local television news anchors is referring to hopeless Mike Meister...Dem. candidate for Governor...as..."Mister Meister." That sounds like a name you would give your cat or a Ron Popeil gadget you would use to spray your flowers with.

Do What I Say...Not What I Do...Arrogance Thrives In The Land of Progressives...

2010-10-22T12:14:00.004-05:00

"Jimmy" Williams...

2010-10-22T11:13:00.006-05:00

Journalist Juan Williams firing from NPR this week is really no shocker. Living in western Nebraska for several years NPR and Nebraska Public Radio was one of the few "news sources" available...local Scottsbluff/Gering television was laughable at best...KDUH lived to it's call-sign and you relied heavily on radio for your touch to the world. Western Nebraska was news starved. I guess when you're living the good life though it doesn't matter. I bet Smith and Meister traded copies of Doc Savage growing up. Well maybe Meister did.

NPR was a common stop late in the afternoon and Juan Williams was one of their few commentator's that I took time out for when he came on the air. I surmised him to be a moderate liberal that appeared to do a little research for his reports. His move...and Mara Liasson's move...to Fox were a bit of a surprise when it first happened but they have both settled in nicely and seem a good fit for the touted "fair and balanced" bunch...although I choose to believe they have both "seen the light" and were evolving...shedding their liberal leaning views.

Getting back to the gist of things...despite what some would say is "political-in-correct speak" on Williams' part...even though the majority of us agree with what he said...the crowner to me is that NPR has been after Williams since his alignment with Fox and since Fox is the Progressive's favorite news source to bash...what better week to can him than during NPR's fund raising week. "Keep those checks coming in folks...we had to eat one of our own...but that's ok...we're NPR...we're publicly funded and it seems we are going to have to devour Mara too." Williams won't even look back over his shoulder...he'll write another book...make even more money...and be happy at Fox.

Since moving to central Nebraska and Al Gore's invention of the internet...news and commentary travels at the speed of light...no more 28 WPM teletypes to rip and read from...NPR has fallen by the wayside. News comes so fast today that what's read in the local foot-wide newspaper (local foot-wide newspaper = smaller than a Jimmy John's...much slower and much less enjoyable) is two days...sometimes two weeks old before it reaches your door step. The only thing keeping our local foot-wide alive is the obituaries (how's that for irony?)...if the local mortician could only afford a good server and web designer.

Halfast Traffic Count...

2010-09-15T15:13:00.004-05:00

Our overpopulated Senior High School...that is an accident waiting to happen in itself already...is trying to close a street that separates the the school from the athletics fields. The school administration says the street is dangerous and a threat to students crossing it during school hours and it should be closed. Others say it is a land grab by the school to increase building space while others say closing the street won't solve the problem...only divert traffic to other sides of the school and create an inconvenience to local traffic.

In their infinite wisdom our Mayor and City Council have ordered the street closed during school hours and a traffic count taken. Our foot-wide newspaper has been running a daily traffic report...with both sides of the issue taking part. The school says no complaints...the neighbors say otherwise.

To check things out I drove around the school and neighboring streets to see how the traffic count was being conducted. What I found was that there appears to be no traffic counting equipment in place...anywhere. Are they just running the test during school arrival and departure times then pulling the equipment or are they having the Calculus class come in early? I don't know. To run a meaningful count one would think that they would have counters on every street within a few blocks of the school 24/7 to note where the increases or decreases in flow are occurring. Obviously not the case. This morning a couple union guys were diverting traffic away from the school at State and Custer...after painting the intersection crosswalks. Why would you schedule this during a valid traffic count? I think the whole thing is a ruse by the City and School and that there will be a permanent street closing after the "comprehensive study."

A few options the school might have is to build a safe skywalk or tunnel over/under the street. What I did notice this morning was that the closing of College Street at the school provides a better view of students crossing it where it is closed. Maybe a permanent ban on parking on College Street south of the school would be a safe and serious consideration? Passing motorists would have a better chance of spotting little Betty or Bobby as they step off the curb. One would think a high school student would have learned how to cross a street safely by their junior year. Another option would be build a second high school on the south side of town and reduce the number of students jammed into Senior High? That place ever catches fire or a disaster strikes...the present Senior High will be a tragic scene.

One comment in the foot-wide paper also caught my attention. One local said the traffic problem now extends to the Five Points area...that traffic is backed up. For about a half hour to an hour each morning it is a busy intersection because of local school traffic...shortlived. This scene has gone on for years...not just recently. You would think this is Houston or Denver listening to some people. If you can't handle the pressure of 5 Points at "rush hour"...leave earlier or later...or find an alternate route.

Fresh Meat...and No Cheesy Suit...With Correction...

2010-09-09T12:16:00.003-05:00

The Third District House race just got a little bit more interesting with the addition of Dan Hill running as a conservative Independent. With the democrat contender holding on with a 17 percent share in a recent "who you gonna vote for" poll...a three-way split still leaves Adrian Smith as the front-runner.

Hill says he and Smith share similar beliefs...except he isn't reluctant to take on a larger leadership role...something Smith hasn't done. Smith does get points for listening to his constituents.

I hope Smith finds time for at least 3 or 4 debates...I don't expect it though. I think Hill is a viable candidate and deserves a listen...especially when incumbents get too comfortable in their position...you never know.

Correction 9/10/2010...an email this morning from an anonymous commenter corrected me on Adrian Smith's voting record in Congress and I must apologize for my gross error and set the record straight. I misread my source.

Again...my sincere apologies to Congressman Smith...and no...I do not "just make up stuff" in my postings. I strive to be 100% accurate.

Here are the facts...

Adrian Smith has only missed 31 of 3,385 (<1%) roll call votes since Jan 4, 2007. This is the 30th best voting record in Congress.

Adrian Smith has sponsored 11 bills since Jan 4, 2007 of which 10 haven't made it out of committee and none were successfully enacted. Smith has co-sponsored 261 bills during the same time period.

The Answer My Friend Is Not Blowin' In The Wind...

2010-09-06T10:00:00.001-05:00

An interesting article that provides a nice overall perspective.

Grand A"Fair" - Day One...

2010-08-27T21:22:00.003-05:00

Wow...it was packed...automobiles lined both sides of the streets for blocks...filling church parking lots...children filled with excitement...people wheeling in in wheel chairs...I kid you not. Not on the south side of town...but the north. Day one of the State Fair...and Skagway North...GI's long-time super market puts on it's annual free customer appreciation barbeque with live entertainment at Abbott Park across the street from their store. I bet there were over a thousand people served. Didn't see any out of county freeloaders...it was a majority of hard working Grand Island people.

Heineman was at the State Fair Grand Opening with his toothy cheerleader smile working the crowd...Mike Meister showed up in his Goodwill suit...is it seersucker?...and bad mouthed the Gov. on the 6 o'clock NTV news. Funny thing was...Heineman followed Meister and although he didn't throw any cheap shots back at Meister...he did go out of his way to make sure he said he wasn't going to lower himself by throwing any cheap shots at Meister like Meister threw at him. A true gentleman politician wouldn't have even acknowledged that Meister made a cheap shot in the first place. Sticks and Stones Governor. Heineman's mistake of the day was not showing up at the Skagway barbeque and hanging out with some real Nebraskans.

One proud moment for GI and the State Fair came when our Mayor proclaimed..."Take a whiff...we don't stink anymore."

Greatest BS Story of the Year...

2010-08-24T17:34:00.000-05:00

If you believe this to the degree it is being reported...I have some bridge stock on the Platte River you might be interested in.

Hindenburg Update....

2010-08-24T16:11:00.003-05:00

The father of the "Hindenburg Omen" has parachuted from the ship. Thought the DJI was on a slight rebound early this afternoon then it tanked. Obama's "Summer of Recovery" continues...tanking markets and housing values in the toilet.

The Best Way To Get To The State Fair...

2010-08-24T10:47:00.004-05:00

Ok...there is no best way...expect traffic congestion and delays once you hit the GI city limits...I am sure the local AM newsradio will be providing traffic updates.

If you are coming in on the newly finished South Locust "Obama Stimulus Expressway" (paid for with "free money" I might add) expect the first bottleneck at the south Wal-Mart. There are two poorly placed traffic lights within less than a block of each other at the Highway 34 junction and unless the City Engineer or Traffic Division has a brainfart and realizes this will be a problem...there will be issues. The next bottleneck will be at the main entrance on South Locust on the west side of Fonner. On an average day there is lots of local traffic going both ways and with Fair traffic crossing into Fonner from the north it will be jam city. I wonder if they will close off left turns from the north into Fonner?...or if they will use the traffic light or have the NSP doing hand and arm signals? It's two lanes each way and unless the locals stay home it will be gridlock. A story in this morning's foot-wide newspaper tells how the local Chamber of Horrors...er...Commerce will be conducting daily prayer services during the Fair to pray for smooth traffic flow. Everyone is "hoping."

If you are coming from the east I suggest taking the east exit on I-80...cruise into town on 34/2...take the free turn onto South Locust and then wait in the mile-and-a-half line like everyone else...keep to the right. Coming from west or north...you are on your own...everyone knows no one lives west or north of GI. Don't try parking in any of the surrounding business lots...they are already posting notices in the local foot-wide newspaper saying violators will be towed. Skagway South and Advance Auto Parts...as well as some other businesses are offering $10.00 parking but it is limited to a few stalls. Shuttle service will be available from satellite parking areas where-ever they are.

As a good citizen I promise to avoid South Locust during the Fair. The key is to drive safely and be patient. And no road rage...

No Change Here...

2010-08-23T16:58:00.000-05:00

Getting back to the serious side of things....the right of our out-of-state and overseas military personnel to vote in local and national elections has been a hot button issue with me for years.

In 2008, when Nebraska's Democratic leadership decided to be like Iowa and control ballots with a "caucus"...one issue that jumped out immediately was how this process denied our military personnel a fair shot in picking candidates. I wrote members of the NDP and Ben Nelson pointing out how a caucus would not let our troops be a true part of the process. All I got back was lip service. Nebraska's first Democratic Caucus came and went...in utter failure and with record low participation...contrary to their toutings.

Things haven't changed a lick for our troops...their voice remains stifled and our friends in D.C...on the Democratic side for some reason...still turn their backs on the men and women they send into harms way. Get off your butt Senator Nelson and straighten this mess out. Our troops have earned their right to vote...and to have their vote counted.

Snub The Tub...

2010-08-23T16:17:00.001-05:00

Prince Charles says the Brits...and the rest of us I guess...should rip out our bathtubs and stick to a short 5-minute shower to help stem the tide of excess carbon use that he and "Chicken of the Sea" James Cameron believe is destroying our planet. The princely comments were more amusing than the article...especially the one from the poet in St. Louis.

Loose Cannon Alert...

2010-08-23T13:15:00.002-05:00

Chuck Hagel tooted his horn again today endorsing Pennsylvania's Joe "Gimme A Job and I'll Leave Arlen Alone" Sestak as his pick for the U.S. Senate.

Political motivation??? You betcha...Hagel is hoping Obama will look his way when he reloads his cabinet...Secretary of Defense...Secretary of Defense. It's funny in a sickening way how far ego drives politicians.

GI Independent Newsdogs Asleep At The Wheel...

2010-08-18T11:50:00.005-05:00

Well maybe...it could just be selective news reporting by our local foot-wide parakeet cage liner. I find it odd that NTV and KHAS both picked up on the report yesterday and the crimebeat crew at the Independent remains majorly "scooped."

The little voice in the back of my mind says the Independent suffered a "Chamber of Commerce" moment and chose to ignore the story...but then again you can only fit so much news into a foot-wide newspaper...especially when the County Sheriff is taking away our fishing and crane viewing rights. The funny thing is...well not funny...they dumped the body next to the bridge so the signage should also restrict the area around the bridge.

Putting The "Spill" Into Perspective...

2010-08-18T08:57:00.000-05:00

The Grand Generation...

2010-08-17T14:04:00.001-05:00

VJ Day, Honolulu Hawaii, August 14, 1945 from Richard Sullivan on Vimeo.

Rocky September???...

2010-08-15T11:41:00.002-05:00

Never heard mention of this predictor before...the question is do we sell now or just wait and watch it come and go??? Stay tuned.

Nuff Said...God Bless Our Troops...

2010-08-13T17:06:00.000-05:00

Best Places To Eat During the Fair...

2010-08-13T16:40:00.007-05:00

For Those With a Death Wish...The Fair Food.

For a Steak...Lulu's Prime Steakhouse in Chapman - 308-996-2244. On Highway 30 just east of GI...great steaks but the prime rib and dinner salad are a little anemic. Their specialty Chicken Fried Steak will serve 4 full grown lumberjacks easily...bad part...I think they are only open on weekends. Number Two...Texas T-Bone on South Locust...I would have given them the #1 honors but their steaks have slipped in size and quality lately although their dinner salad is still probably the best in all of Nebraska and most surrounding states...a meal in itself. The guy down the street to the south requires two forms of payment with his high dollar menu and you don't get what you pay for in my honest opinion.

Chinese and a pleasant atmosphere...Hunan's on North Webb...catch the lunch menu or the evening menu...you won't regret it. Other than the Tokyo Express near the north Wal-Mart...save your money.

For a sandwich and cool refreshing beverage...Bullwinkle's on North Webb. They have the best burgers...club sandwiches and by far the best french fries in town...they are actually served hot. You may have to wrestle a local to find a place to sit...the place fills quickly in the evening.

Traditional Mexican...Rafa's - hands down. While the owner is hedging on paying his share of the newly assigned food tax the city has imposed...their food is outstanding...but be ready for traditional. There are other places that claim to be traditional in town...but in reality are no different than Taco Hell. If you are really brave you might hit one of the Roach Coaches parked along South Locust *

* See Fair Food.

For an cheap impromptu picnic...Hit Skagway and load up with a bag of your favorite chips...a bag of your favorite hamburger buns...a couple of cool drinks...a can of Bush Beans and utensils. Then head to Schroder's at the Conestoga Mall Food Court...and pick up a pound or two of their beef brisket. It melts before it reaches your mouth...best around. If you are into instant gratification...just go directly to the Mall and do a sitdown in their store next to the big screen.

Best donuts in town...Skagway North at Five Points...get there before 8 am and you can practically steal a dozen.

Restaurants in Hastings...none...nada...don't waste your time. Ok...Murphy's Wagon Wheel downtown.

Kearney...None worth driving the 80 mile round trip for...ok...the Cellar Lounge on North Second for a large order of their onion rings.

Coming in from the east...you might catch a good meal at Chance's R' in York. Coming in from the west...Ole's in Paxton...especially for Sunday Brunch...they serve a royal feast and you can watch the taxidermy look back at you while dining.

Worth the drive and a GPS may not find them unless you have their Lat./Lon...catch them on the weekend...The Speak Easy southwest of Funk near the booming village of Sacramento. The last mile may prove a challenge if it's been or is rainy. Even on a dry day the last mile makes you think you have reached the edge of the universe...still worth it though if you are after a good steak. For those wanting a waypoint...Lat./Lon.= 40 24 29.68 North...99 16 30.78 West... or the traditional phone number...308-995-4757

Coming next...the best way to sneak in and out of GI.

They Still Don't Get It...

2010-08-13T11:33:00.002-05:00

Grand Island's City Council and Mayor continue to show little sincerity in reducing city spending and holding property taxes at current levels. They continue to come up with nickel and dime cuts here and there but nothing with teeth.

When you are talking about revenue shortfalls to the tune of millions the best they can come up with is the elimination of a bad idea round-about and cutting the funding for studies for an overpass that will only lead to traffic gridlock in downtown GI (the council was really sorry to have to cut the study funding because there were millions of dollars in "grant money" available for it's construction - why do local politicians and city managers believe "grant money" is free?) They also decided not to build the Fire Training Center...after spending over half a million dollars for 20 acres to build it on...I want to know how that property was ever valued at $590K???

If they were serious they would permanently close the Heartland Shooting Park...cut back the overfunded public parks...and close the Library back a few more hours than the token 5 hours they offered. Instead...they want to close two of the four recently built wading pools that are free to local children while a visit to the Water Park costs the better part of a 50 dollar bill for a family of four...and then terminate the people that actually fix our streets...sewers and water works and provide police safety.

GI's present and past Mayor's and Councils have spent taxpayer dollars like whores on a holiday...a new showplace city hall with major cost overruns...a Convention Center voted down twice by voters and of most recent the grab for the State Fair. It's obvious that the State Fair was a red herring when other Nebraska cities wouldn't touch the State Fair. We are now left with a deteriorating infrastructure that can't be funded because of frivolity. Why didn't they have the foresight 10 to 20 years ago? I can only attribute it to their own personal greed...that and the good old Chamber of Commerce mentality.

Mitch Nickerson...who has never been a taxpayers friend...must have drawn the short straw and offered up the possibility of a property tax increase while the Mayor clamored she just wanted the budget passed soon...she must have better things to do. You can bank that our Mayor and Council already have a property tax increase planned and will hit us with it at the last moment because Lord knows we've cut everything imaginable...I call BS!

Meanwhile our Mayor avoids city taxes on her family business...wants handouts to expand her business...all while making record profits as gun and bullet sales soar by 45 percent across America...all while paying $14.00 an hour.

So when you pull into town to visit our State Fair...bring lots of cash and be sure to spend it...we need it. Wear your Kevlar too...City and County Law Enforcement staffing is lean. Try not to commit any crimes either...our Taj Mahal jail has too many vacancies and it's not generating enough revenue from the Feds...so you might have to cook your own meal before TV time. Maybe they could cut costs at the jail by turning the air conditioner up a couple degrees.

Coming soon...the best places to eat in and around Grand Island during the State Fair and how to sneak into town without using what will likely be a gridlocked Obama Stimulus Expressway - South Locust.

"Recovery Summer"...A Joke At Best...

2010-08-13T10:13:00.000-05:00

Gallup just completed a survey of weekly spending that reveals further decline in the average Americans spending during the first week of August 2010...a month where most parents are preparing for the new school year. Even worse than last years poor numbers. While the present administration...government officials and economic guru's right down to the local level keep singing the "Happy Song" one can only wonder how much worse it's going to get before it gets better. To be honest...the way our government spends...all levels...I doubt we will see a "recovery" in our children's or grandchildren's lifetime.

With "back to school spending" in the toilet...makes you wonder how Christmas sales will go after the seasonal employees get their pink slips.

We Can't Do It...

2010-07-16T18:32:00.007-05:00

The United States obviously is not able to afford legal immigration let alone the illegal influx. It is time for "change." I don't think the "change" we will be getting from our President and legislators will be in the right direction.

This Ain't Pleasantville Dorothy...

2010-07-06T17:09:00.005-05:00

A story in this mornings GI Independent pretty much labeled GI's citizenry as a bunch of pigs. According to Betty Curtis and Jack Sheard of the Clean Community System...who are in need of hundreds of volunteers to step forward and put a fresh face on our community...cause frankly GI looks like crap and it's long overdue.

Why? Because the State Fair is coming and we don't want to look bad. According to Ms. Curtis...GI's property owners don't know trash when they see it because they have been buried in it for so long. Ah...bliss is living in squalor and not realizing it. So...we need volunteers to clean up other peoples trash...hundreds of volunteers.

Hey Betty...maybe you can also provide some fresh paint for the ghetto housing along South Locust...and for the ratty looking taco stands working out of peoples front lawns. Funny she didn't mention that the probabilities of being shot...stabbed or bludgeoned in GI is comparative to Omaha's. Maybe she and Mr. Sheard can clean that up too...afterall we need to make that lasting impression.

Why not hire a Hollywood scene crew to come in and build a facade up and down South Locust? Sorry...I am spending too much time keeping my own yard clean than to worry about other peoples yards or business property. I consider their comments to be an insult. GI doesn't look any different than Lincoln or Omaha.

One More Weasel...

2010-06-30T21:02:00.011-05:00

Pete obviously didn't receive Jumpin' Joe Biden's "Smartass" Memo.

Here's Another Two-Faced Weasel That Needs To Go...

2010-06-29T09:07:00.006-05:00

Why do I have the perception that Lindsey is now against it after he was for it? While not a big fan of the left leaning "The Hill"...it shows how two-faced Graham is. I got to give him some credit...his ability to pick the right meeting to attend was on the mark.

We have been "snake-bit" by too many "career politicians" and a house cleaning is in order. While I support Adrian Smith out here in the Third...one comment he made long ago still raises my hackles...his stated desire to be a career Congressman.

Ben...Any Nebraskan But You...

2010-06-29T08:23:00.000-05:00

Ben Nelson is at it again...he's disassociatin' himself from the Beltway Crowd...telling Nebraskan's in his latest letter to the folks back home that DC ought to be more like Nebraskans. Some Nebraskans anyway.

Ol' Earmark goes on to say he is trying to teach the DC crowd to be more like Nebraskans...be responsible spenders. Well Ben...you should have practiced what you now preach back when you were trying to be relevant with the Health Care Bill. Isn't our Healthcare bill an "unfunded mandate" that you and your cronies will be funding on the backs of taxpayers? As Joe Biden succinctly put it... “Why don't you say something nice instead of being a smartass all the time?"

We can only hope that Governor Dave and the Clowns of the Unicameral take heed to Ben's advice...when considering the $679 million dollar budget shortfall...more taxes will only decimate Nebraska's economy.

A Bunch of "Smackin' Nazi's"...

2010-05-23T11:01:00.011-05:00

Our outgoing mayor...known for her blunt alligator mouth remarks...literally stated Arizonan's are a bunch of Nazi's when it comes to the recent Arizona Immigration Law. In a recent interview with the Grand Island Independent (Saturday May 22nd, 2010 edition...Page 4-A...upper right...Lincoln Pool Story...last sentence) she blatantly...likely without much thought...used the "N-word." I find it odd too that the Indy didn't post the Newsmakers weekly interview on their web-site like they ALWAYS do..it usually gets center page billing. Too many State Track meet stories George?

...Found the Newsmakers Story Buried In Their Archives...

Like her liberal friends in the video I seriously doubt that she has read the bill (I have...it's a brief 18 pages...not ten like some purport). I guess it's expected from our mayor...being the good Democrat that she is. The video leaves me wondering who the real puppets are.

It's a good thing she's headed out the door...her spending has set this city back several years...and her final day in office can't come soon enough for a lot of us. I look forward to her crawling back into her "tax free" zone. Maybe Arizonan's ought to boycott Hornady Bullet products while they cut the power to LA???

Of course all this has left me pondering what our mayoral wannabe's are thinking about Arizona's law? I bet a dollar to a donut that our former mayor wannabe...the good Republican he touts himself to be...pulls some kind of "Heiny Manuever" when queried about what the folks in Arizona or Fremont are trying to do to stop the costs borne by illegals. So like his primary opponents...who also call a club a club...I will be voting for the other guy come November.

By the way...I support Arizona's law...they are doing what the U.S. Government fails miserably at...enforcing the same laws.

The Arizona Bill...

The Fremont, Nebraska Ordinance proposed in 2008...

Ben Nelson Off The Hook...

2010-05-18T17:14:00.003-05:00

While listening to the radio this morning I heard a brief snippet from Arlen Specter Pennsylvania Senator blazing the trail for Ben Nelson in 2012. Senator Specter said it was he...evidently not Ben Nelson...that provided the 60th vote on Obamacare. At this time I would like to apologize to the senior Senator from Nebraska if he can prove that it was not he that provided the 60th vote. Specter even admits it on his Senate web page. Ben...we are so sorry...we'll be even sorrier when you are mistakenly removed from office in 2012.

Road tripping today I also heard the Attorney General Blumenthal of Connecticut story. Being a 10-year active duty Marine Corps Vet during the Viet Nam era...voluntarily enlisted not drafted...volunteered for duty in Viet Nam but sent somewhere else...I have to say the AG has no honor...Marines don't pretend...because you will be caught.

It's funny how you can forget something as simple as being a non-combat reservist with a trail of draft deferments prior to enlisting to save your ass from the draft. And for not really being a Captain of the Harvard Swim Team...I won't even go there. As we say in the Marine Corps...this guy is lower than whale dung...Liberal Connecticut deserves him. I'm being polite.

Oh...wrong picture...that's Phil Spector.

Non-Committal...

2010-05-17T22:14:00.002-05:00

The true color of our Cheerleader-in-Chief re-surfaced today during his call-in show. With all the goings-on in Arizona...Dave says leave it up to the folks in Fremont...it's not my hometown anymore...until the next election that is. What exactly is your stand on illegal immigration Governor? Is Arizona wrong? Maybe we should get Miss Oklahoma up here to run for office.

Two Entertaining AGW Nutcases...

2010-05-17T16:49:00.003-05:00

Tiny Tim was a man...er...human...er...ahead of his...ah...time. Alice Cooper on steroids.

Al Gore is just an idiot...all he is lacking is the falsetto.

Let's All Do What The "Kurdies" Do...

2010-05-11T09:22:00.002-05:00

Now that I have our attention...Get out and vote today.

Where's The Money???...

2010-05-10T11:26:00.000-05:00

April tax/fee collections for the State of Nebraska were released by the Nebraska Department of Revenue today...the good news...sales tax revenue was a smidge above what the Forecasting Board predicted for April...the really bad news...income tax receipts for the month were almost 52 million below their projection. This is substantial...off the charts...and our Cheerleader-in-Chief Governor Dave Heineman is disappointed.

My question is how can the State Forecasting Board be so far off when predicting income tax revenue? Did a large number of individual Nebraskans and corporations decide to take a tax holiday? Is there a big bag of envelopes sitting in a dark corner in some Lincoln post office...or did last weeks Wall Street guy that entered the Proctor and Gamble stock sale do the spreadsheet numbers for Nebraska?

I can only think that May's numbers will be better...but I have my doubts. Funny too that an Iowa television station scooped all of Nebraska's media in reporting this.

The Running Man Revisited...

2010-05-10T01:35:00.002-05:00

The recent rash of taserings has added another dimension to sporting events. I am thinking this could be the next version...albeit somewhat tamer...of the running of the bulls held in Pamplona each year. Baseball and golf are boring venues. It's time to spice things up...spontaneous taser runnings during the 7th inning stretch...anytime during a golf tournament...and during half-time events at football games. 4 or 5 runners out on the field or course at one time trying to dodge the taser would only make it that much more exciting. Throw 3 or 4 "taserers" into a marathon run and I bet the Boston Marathon would see faster times. Can you imagine the grimacing that slow motion would capture? Let's liven up boring sports.

The Fair Is Coming...The Fair Is Coming!!!...

2010-05-04T22:00:00.006-05:00

Another post before I hit the rack..buried inside this morning's daily news...which arrived after 7am I might add...was a story about how our Mayor and members of the City Council were going to hold a study session to finally declare war on GI's "smell problem." I also caught the 10pm NTV story re: the same. While it wasn't mentioned in the pulp and ink copy...NTV's reporter showed video of the Mayor and Council's plan to impose fines on our local and habitual smell miscreants...pretty much naming J.B. Swift on the east side of town...McCain's on the north...and a long standing feedlot on the west side of town. Something to the tune of 1500 smackeroos depending on the results gleaned from the City's "Nasal Ranger SWAT Team."

Now I'm not even close to being one of the brightest lights in the barn...but...don't we already have State and Federal agencies responsible for keeping tabs on offenses to our atmosphere? The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality...the Environmental Protection Agency??? Seems back in 2000 folks in GI complained to the NDEQ about the gagging atmosphere surrounding the Monfort/JBS facility and City Wasterwater Plant...and the complaints went nowhere. I think a few complaints may have been shuttled to the deaf ear of the EPA. Our previous Mayor...now running for Mayor again...could only offer lip service and an official telephone number to an answering machine that citizens could call to "air" their complaints of offensive odors within our little burg. Little has been accomplished in the past 10 years and finally JBS is going to spend millions to upgrade their equipment to tone down the burning blood smell emanating from their plant frequently. Why? Because the State Fair is coming to town and they don't want to "stink."

Regarding McCain's...yes their processing puts out an offensive odor and the feedlot on the west side of town can be rank at times too...although the feedlot has been in place a lot longer than the new housing building around it. I would say the feedlot was there before a third of the present city has been in place.

I will cut this off...but the one burning question I have is...If the Nasal Ranger SWAT Team tags any of these or other industries with a "Stink Violation" and imposes a fine...nice revenue generator eh?...what keeps them from telling the City to "Go to Hell?" There are no NDEQ or EPA violations. "Take me to court baby" would have to be my response.

Ted Lets It Out...

2010-05-04T12:28:00.000-05:00

Hunting Down A Terrorist Dog Is Easy...Just About Anyone Else Too...

2010-05-04T12:06:00.003-05:00

Omaha Is As Bad As Grand Island....

2010-05-03T10:37:00.001-05:00

Another blow to Isla de Grande's persona...Shootings per capita in Omaha are as bad as Grand Island's.

Nebraska Watchdog points this factoid out and State Senator Brad Ashford has planned "Shooting Summits" for both cities in the near future. If anything...this should be a warning to the carny operators during GI's opening State Fair run...a shooting gallery will be a revenue loser.

Senator Ashford thinks we should have Federales with automatic weapons on our street corners.

Green...Green...It's Green They Say On The Far Side of the Hill...

2010-05-03T09:03:00.004-05:00

Here I go again...another "green" issue...no...not the oil leak in the Gulf...Downtown GI's leaders are whining about Buffalo Grass. This is a front page story.

As part of the Second Street revitalization our leaders went to the experts to find the right grass that was heat tolerant...conserved water and didn't require a lot of mowing. Now after last years planting "it isn't green enough...soon enough...and heaven forbid it has weeds." Whaa...Whaa...Whaa... The grass is still dormant and the Chamber of Commerce isn't happy. It's "BUFFALO GRASS" not Coursemaster Blue. It's obvious these people don't know Jack about putting in a lawn. They take time to establish and you don't kill dandelions in a day. Last check there were over 200 inmates in the Hall County Jail...they can use their dinner spoon to dig weeds and if the grass ain't green enough give them a can of foliage paint.

I live in a town facing a 5 million dollar budget shortfall that continues to grow and these clowns are crying about how flippin' green the grass isn't. So much for the Conservationist of the Year Award for GI's Business Improvement District. And to think we have a Water Festival here every year.

Disclaimer: I am not...nor do I associate with Tree Huggers...but I do believe in common sense.

The Right Call...

2010-04-28T11:17:00.005-05:00

Grand Island's Unions rejected the plot by our Mayor and City Manager to save face and $150K with a 2 day furlough of city employees...a last ditch attempt to make up for this years $2M budget shortfall.

I am no fan of Unions...although sometimes I feel they are necessary for safety and work environment issues...and this time I think they...the union...made the right decision to say no. It isn't the city's rank and file that has pushed Grand Island over the debt precipice ...it is our city leaders..Mayor Hornady and previous mayors...council members and city management.

Why should the men and women out patrolling our streets...putting out our fires...maintaining the streets..and making sure our toilet doesn't back up into our basements etc. pay the price for a bunch of legacy building...tax and spend bums? The $150K is a pittance when compared to the frivoulous spending by our current and past...and I use the term loosely..."city leaders." There are other cuts that can be made....dump the money pit Shooting Park...increase specific user fees...e.g. golf course...Events Center...maybe plant a few less trees and flowers in the parks this year. The furlough idea is a joke...an attempt by the Mayor to shift the blame away from her and her pals.

The sad thing is...the City's cost of hosting the State Fair has not been realized yet. A $2M shortfall this year...a projected $3M shortfall already in next years budget...wait for the bills to show up in the 2011-12 budget...we ain't seen nothing yet GI. The previous Mayor promised our property taxes would go down with the sales tax he had to have...he was right...he just didn't tell us the property tax cut would be short-lived.

I support the Unions decision on this one...but don't expect much more because I think our city workforce is well taken care of. Almost forgot...we shouldn't let our county leadership off the hook either...their spending habits also helped put us in the mess we are in.

Wind Power Coming To Nebraska...

2010-04-26T12:32:00.004-05:00

Although the caption says "fatal"...the vulture did survive the fall initially. Another video shows it with a badly broken wing and barely able to walk. A fellow captured it and put it in a box but it did not say whether the bird survived or not. Now...back to Nebraska...Picture an early spring morning with a shroud of low clouds and fog draped over the landscape...a mix of low flying geese...cranes and Whoopers bucking a northeast wind at about 200 feet. Uh..oh...wind farm.

Some say the environmental impact statements for wind farms have a tendency to conveniently ignore local migration patterns and endangered species. I guess we will see how well Nebraska does as time goes by. For the record...I am not a tree hugger by any stretch of the imagination...I do take issue with pink elephant technology though...which I believe wind power is. This pig in a poke would not fly without subsidies and special tax considerations. Tells me right there that we the people...while we might feel a warm fuzzy thinking we are lessening our dependence on foreign oil and the evil twins coal and nuclear energy...we still get left with immature technology and a healthy removal of the funds from our wallets and purses.

What's The Deal 10/11???

2010-04-26T10:31:00.005-05:00

For months now...mainly since the transition to HD/Digital mandated by government and the television manufacturers association retirement fund...our nightly viewings of the local CBS affiliate from Lincoln have been an exercise in frustration at times.

It seems...more often than with the other local networks...the Demon Pixel Pixies come to life and dump their disruptive pixelation dust on our TV's. Last night the screen pixelated then went black on all our sets with only audio...the straw that broke the camel's back. When this first began I thought the problem was mine...had the cable guys out...they checked the signal...upgraded what needed upgraded to where our home was "optimally tweeked" to receive a good signal.

I called our provider the Evil Charter Communications and got nowhere with a nice lady but did find out that this was a "network problem"...not theirs...where have I heard that line before? Obviously I have not been the only one that has complained. I then asked to speak to a supervisor or maybe even the corporate President. She said the highest I could go up in the Charter phone tree was her supervisor...too bad the CP doesn't take calls.

Anyway...Joe the Cable Supervisor...sorry Larry...came on the line and read me the same script. I told him that obviously 10/11 doesn't care or they would have fixed the problem by now and that my provider...Charter...is not providing a service I am paying lots of hard earned money for. I went on to tell him that having lived in western Nebraska for almost 15 years...the Good Charter out there...the same company as his...was aware that the local affiliates in Scottsbluff offered a poor signal and hence the Good Charter of the west brought in the Denver affiliates who offered a better signal. I suggested the Evil Charter in central Nebraska do the same...bring in another CBS affiliate that provides a quality signal until 10/11 can deliver the goods.

Joe said he would notify the network and gave me a ticket number and said that the problem will be investigated and repaired within 24 to 48 hours. I am visualizing Ken Siemek with his electronic analyzer looking for bugs in his weather machine right now.

They Shoot Porkers Don't They???

2010-04-08T19:49:00.006-05:00

Yet the illegals have "free range" in Isla de Grande.

Do It For The Young People...

2010-04-08T18:56:00.002-05:00

Our high speed sausage stuffing Unicameral continues to propose bills like Hell is on their heels. One of the current bills oozing from their well-worn bill stuffer is LB861 ...a bill allowing local swill joints throughout the state one more hour of revelry before they flash the lights and announce last call. A myriad of the Unicameral's finest are in favor of this bill...Senator Colby Coash...the same guy traumatized by the goings on in Whiteclay...part-time Sea Captain/Party Barge Operator and boat salesman Kenny Rogert...and former bar owner Brenda Council. Some of their primary reasons include "doing it for the young people of Nebraska lacking things to do"...countering the competition from Iowa where bars are open until 2 am...and to keep the bar tabs and tax revenue in Nebraska.

They honestly believe if they keep Nebraska bars open another hour there will be less drunks on the road racing to Iowa at 12:45 am...they are right...but in reality they are only forestalling the race by an hour and keeping it in Nebraska. What great deductive reasoning our friends in the Unicameral possess. What a love-fest. Here's what central Nebraskans think.

That Gasping Sound is GI Dying...

2010-03-31T10:46:00.001-05:00

Here we go...our city leadership is on a mission. How to make up a 2 million dollar projected revenue deficit in the this year's city budget...and a projected deficit of 3 million dollars in next years budget. This mornings headline in the Daily Disappointment attempts to solve part of the problem this fiscal year by furloughing...sending home without pay...every city employee for 2.5 days...if the unions agree to it. This...according to the news report...will garner a savings of $150,000.00. This doesn't even scratch the surface of the 2 million shortfall. In her infinite wisdom the Mayor even suggests we cut back on concrete repairs (streets?) and sewer maintenance...areas that are already underfunded.

What caught my eye in the story was that this years 2 million dollar shortfall is partly attributable to a 1 million dollar loss in city sales tax revenue because of the bad economy and unemployment (and it wasn't that long ago the Chamber of Commerce and Nebraska's economic gurus were touting Nebraska was almost bulletproof in the sagging economy.) My question is...if we are a million short in sales tax revenue...what created the other million dollar shortfall? Could it be overspending by our glorious Mayor...her predecessors and our wonderful city council? I and many GI-ites would likely respond with a resounding YES! I guess when you are in a legacy building mode it's "Damn the dollars...man the tax increases...and full speed ahead."

With around 5 million to make up over the next year-and-a-half...the only alternative is to raise property taxes in Grand Island and increase fees...bend over folks it's coming. Budget cuts are out of the question in GI although I believe we would be better off by selling or giving away the Shooting Park...cutting back on the exorbitant parks budget...cutting travel and large ticket items. It's time to cut frivolous spending practices like we have seen over the past several years and get back to the basics of maintaining the basic infrastructure and the protection of life and property. We look like Omaha and that ain't good.

Fences Build Good Neighbors...or More Dancing Mounties...

2010-03-28T18:45:00.001-05:00

I think before Obama and his minions open the door to the 12 million or whatever number of illegals there are in this nation...before giving them free health care...we ought to give this a try. And the world thought we were the only ones with or considering a border fence. I think if you tried to cross this border illegally you might run into trouble a thousand times worse than what you would by trying to carry a 4 ounce bottle of shampoo past an overzealous TSA screener (I had a bad airport experience this week) which would be bad.

The U.S. Senseless...

2010-03-16T17:39:00.004-05:00

Irony. You can live outside the Grand Island city limits and be counted in the "2010 Senseless Drive Toward 50,000," that will release the federal fundage floodgates across our Grande Isla...but on the other side of the coin you outsiders aren't good enough to get a library card in GI unless you fork up $40.00 annually to be a library patron. This is an outrage and a slap in the face to the people bordering this festering pustule of humanity and greed.

I have half a notion to go on Craigslist and offer my services as a "Library Mercenary"...checking out books with my free card under the cover of darkness...providing them to the folks outside the city confines for a mere $10.00 dollars a year. I wonder if there is a limit to the number of books I can have checked out at one time? I bet I could sign up enough clients to leave me with a pretty good stockpile of cool refreshing beverages this summer. Books for Beer...oooh rahhh! You could pick your selections up at my house avoiding the crime ridden downtown and the traffic congestion that the New Nebraska State Fair will bring...that's worth another fiver at least. Maybe I could recruit a team of "Checkout Commando's" (minimum 10-year enlistment.) Forged Library cards are out unless I can get into their computer database so I can't go there cause the Library Police are going to be watching.

Speaking of Library Police...nothing was stated in the local pulp opinery regarding the stiff behavioral enforcement sanctions the Library Gestapo want enacted. Seems some of the local stiff noses think our library gets a bit unruly and populated with undesirables at times. And for the life of me I can't remember if burka's will be allowed or not.

Isla de Fantasia...

2010-03-14T20:29:00.013-05:00

I guess since I mentioned it I might as well give a "duck and cover" salute to the annual migration of Sandhill Cranes that converge upon de Isla each spring. These long-legged throwbacks to pterodactyls...numbering in the tens...if not hundreds to thousands...arrive each spring around the end of February and first week of March to stage their flight to Siberia where who knows what they do when they get there? They spend about 6 weeks chowing down in area fields nearly doubling their body weight for the long flight north. They are a treat for tourists from near and far. School kids learn about the birds and their long journey and love them almost as much as the local Chamber of Commerci. Of course what they fail to tell the children is these ugly fowl foul the soil and groundwater while they are here...while guaranteeing that most farmsteads are heavily invested in Culligan reverse osmosis machines...and ensuring that local roads are filled with scatter-brained tourists pretending to be on their first clueless drivers training excursion on a country road...all while burning up carbon credits that the guano birds try so hard to restore.

If we want to really turn this into a capital raising endeavor I say we offer a 6 week crane season like the states to our south. That's where the money is. Hunting. Blinds up and down the Platte River filled to the brim with hunters hoping to limit out before they lift off the former mile-wide and foot-deep river. I even have a few slogans that might help the local economy. "From the Platte to Your Plate...Crane Tastes Great!" or "Crane...The Other Dark Meat." I have others.

This is just scratching the surface...there are still the hundreds of thousands of snow geese...blue geese...Canadian geese...ducks and random Whooping Crane infecting our water supply. But I won't go there...today anyway. I look forward to mid-April when they soar and belch through the upper wind currents of the atmosphere searching for the southerly low level jet stream to aid their cruise to Siberia...where who knows what they do when they get there? The only other advice I can give unsuspecting visitors is...Don't look up between late February through mid-April when in south-central Nebraska...if you do...wear goggles.

That about sums it up for me. I remember as a youth being able to walk almost close enough to touch them. Now with "commercial involvement" you can't get within a quarter mile of these feathered dinosaurs.

Life On Isla de Grande....Week in Review...

2010-03-14T19:32:00.004-05:00

Crime this week in GI kept true to form...An early morning assault on a woman opening the Byco store across from Fonner Park...home of the New Nebraska State Fair...A brother stabbing a brother in the predawn hours...And one late entry this Saturday morning when a man broke in on two other men in a local motel room and beat them with "the arm of a chair." The Chamber of Commerce attributed the latter crime to a moment of "religious fervor gone awry" and is blaming the Pope. We should be paying for this type of entertainment. Oh...we are.

Also of note...the Sandhill Cranes are arriving in force...but avoid back roads...they are going through a mushy thaw cycle...are deeply rutted from the bad winter...and underwater in some areas around GI.

Beware...Census Scammers....

2010-03-10T09:09:00.014-06:00

The Bogeyman is coming to your house soon. He's out there. He will be coming to your house...you'll find him in your mailbox...knocking on your door...he's everywhere.

He's in GI already...$90,000 in local tax dollars and "private contributions" are being spent to "boost" GI's population to 50,000...a move to latch deeper onto the federal teat. My question is why not push it up to the next level? If 50,000 nets you millions in federal tax dollars...what will a population of 75,000 do for us? Bring in some more illegals...homeless...annex Funk. Some local officials say the 50,000 doesn't have to be found within the city limits of GI...it's a "local area" thing. Define "local area."

Hey...federal dollars come from Kearney...Omaha...San Francisco...New York...it's not just our money...it's everybody's.

As a "One Out" public service...here is a tip on how to fill out Question 9 on your form.

Sean Penn...Every Village Has To Have One...

2010-03-09T10:36:00.000-06:00

Hey Spicoli...Read My Lips...Your Cousin Hugo = Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...Despot Dictator...

My apologies to Larry Fine...a real actor.

Morning Poll Numbers....Do You Feel The Love?...

2010-03-09T08:51:00.001-06:00

The GI Independent Daily Poll...

I love the way they word their questions. Do I detect complacency in the third choice?

Poll Results...

How concerned are you about Grand Island’s $3 million economic shortfall?
I am very upset about the entire budget situation in Grand Island.		(95 Votes, 63%)
I am concerned but confidant that the city council can shore things up without increasing taxes.		(13 Votes, 9%)
It’s no worse than other communities’ problems. We’ll muddle through it.		(44 Votes, 29%)

Business As Usual...

2010-03-08T10:53:00.002-06:00

Seems that Grand Island's three million budget shortfall has jumped another $16,000. GI's leadership appears to be suffering from One-Hand-Doesn't-Know-What-The-Other-Hand-Is-Doing Syndrome...and as I have said for years...making poor investments in the entertainment and parks business while letting the basic infrastructure fail.

I am not exactly sure who did the fuzzy math for NTV when they reported property taxes would go up $1200.00 a year and their report that GI was suffering a gasoline tax collections shortfall...what they meant to have said was fees collected from natural gas sales. At least they tried. One of the upcoming candidates interviewed led me to believe her resolution is for us to pay the upcoming tax increase and live with it. I hope the folks in her Ward think twice before applying the #2 pencil to their ballot. It's time to bite the bullet...not bury us deeper.

The Isle de Grande...Delayed Weekend Recap...

2010-03-08T10:07:00.006-06:00

Was going to write a "sharp commentary" regarding the three million dollar shortfall GI is facing due to our city leadership's failure to not tax us enough (will discuss the details of that on-going robbery at a later time.)   What trumps the city's budget SNAFU is that local news folks were very...very...slow out of the gate in reporting the alleged Five Points Bank heist midday Saturday.

Can't understand why the story didn't show up in the Sunday paper. Maybe they had to clear it through the Chamber of Commerce before going to print???? Don't know if it made the weekend news on either NTV or KHAS. I would think that maybe KHAS would have picked it up...NTV hasn't a clue on weekends. Update: KHAS-TV scooped them all...they reported the heist Saturday.

What prompts a 15-year-old to rob a bank? Did his allowance get cut due to the bad economy?   Under the influence of video games? Maybe the Nanny Committee in the Unicameral can offer some sweeping legislation protecting teens...and bank tellers...from the evil of video games before this session ends.

50,000 - By Hook or By Crook...

2010-03-03T11:29:00.004-06:00

Bankrupt Grand Island's money grubbers are all excited about the upcoming 2010 Census. They put "Pop. 50,000" on the signage to GI's entrances and the federal coffers will open like a dam break at Kingsley Dam...providing a flood of your tax dollars for it's "progressive" needs. GI wants the 50K population so bad they are using local tax dollars to fund advertising on local media to "Get Out The Count." I thought there were federal dollars already promoting the Census...I see the tacky commercials all the time on the telly.

Today's news reveals that GI is obviously wasting its time and money. Just do what they do in Ogallala...fake it by having the Clowns of the Unicameral change the rules to keep the federal flood gates open. It seems anything goes anymore. Maybe GI should charter a bus and import a few homeless to reach it's goal.

Another Useless Law Coming To You Soon...

2010-03-03T10:51:00.002-06:00

The Clowns of the Unicameral are spinning their wheels again with more of their useless legislation. That being the ban on texting while driving. There are layers and layers of laws already on the books relating to dangerous driving...careless driving...willful wreckless and motor vehicle homicide to name a few. Not only do these present laws cover texting...but also include dangerous driving associated with giant slurpee spills...eyeliner application or shaving while driving as one former Nebraska legislator was accused of a few years back.

How does a policeman profile a texter? How do they know that the "alleged texter" isn't dialing a voice number? "Honest officer I was just calling my mom." Will they pull the violators phone records to prove he was texting at the time of the chain reaction collision? I am sure a search warrant would be required and any good lawyer could squelch such an attempt. What if little Becky hands her texting device over to her friend Louise who is riding shotgun just after she sent three cars careening into a cornfield? "Honest your Honor...I was just letting her use my cell phone."

This is a useless and unenforceable bill that ranks right up there with seat belt laws. I wish our friends in Lincoln would spend more time reducing spending and less on feel good nanny government.

Just Wondering...

2010-03-01T10:09:00.007-06:00

What a planet slammer...I've rode out a 7.1 temblor and can't begin to imagine an 8.8. This monster tied as the 5th strongest earthquake since 1900 and was 500 times stronger than the recent Haitian earthquake.

There is one question that leaves me scratching my head in the wake of the recent quakes though...why has the magnitude of the tsunami's been weaker than forecast? The Chilean quake put the whole Pacific and 53 nations under the gun for significant fast moving waves...they do move fast. We have Tsunami Warning Centers across the planet with big budgets and lots of high tech gear. Although this kind of bust is good...the busts seem to be occurring with a little more frequency.

Forecast Extent of Coverage

Tsunami Forecast Travel Time

Dancing Mounties...

2010-03-01T09:05:00.005-06:00

Caught brief glimpses of the closing Olympic festivities Sunday eve and thought it was odd that at 9:30 it came to an abrupt end. No sign off thanking us for watching. No "See you in England in 2012." Just go to commercial and nuthin'. Next thing here comes the much advertised Seinfeld "Marriage Ref." Was NBC thinking that we would all hang around? This rollover to trash...I watched enough to change the channel...was like receiving the sudden news of the unexpected death of a friend. A ratings robbery. The News...Weather and Sports at 10 and then...at 10:30 a DVR replay of the rest of the closing. There was no announcement at 9:30 that I saw stating NBC would replay the remainder at 10:30...just back to the Olympics like nothing had happened. I am sure the Canadians and others sat there for an hour with the gigantic beavers while the Maple Leaf "larvae" Girls hung from the curtain as Olympics fans took a timeout and viewed the "Marriage Ref" and local news.

Some of the blowups were terrifying...the aforementioned giant Beavers and the giant Mounties and Moose. What scared me the most though were the Dancing Mounties...when the announcer said they were real Mounties...I had my doubts immediately when they marched in...I have seen Cub Scouts drill with more precise footwork and alignment. Then my chin dropped when they jumped into their Busby Berkeley routine. Made me thank God that while they couldn't dance...at least they could take down a hairy lumberjack miscreant with ease. The whole thing has left me traumatized yet this morning. My perception of Mounties as cool tough guys slipped a couple of notches.

All-in-all the closing was quite the organized extravaganza...except for the unannounced hour long break. To that I say...NBC you are a bunch of self-promoting dorks.

This Strategy Works Well...

2010-02-27T21:22:00.001-06:00

The Isle de Grande...Weekend Recap.

2010-02-27T10:01:00.009-06:00

All kinds of news in the Home of the State Fair this week. The local news reports a "gang or rafter" of turkey's taking over Hall County Park...seems this takeover has disturbed some of the local "high roofers" and they want Game and Parks to come in and arrest and relocate them. A few other "gangs" of a different species of turkey needs some attention in GI too. Speaking of arrests...was coming back from Kearney yesterday about 3 pm and just west of Alda ran into a "rafter" of State Patrol and Sheriffs' cars swarmed around a mini-van. Noticed a nice young man in cuffs getting a lot of attention. Didn't know if I should drive through or stop with all the flashing lights. Another patrolman was coming in from the east like a bat out of hell...he tried to cross the median and failed to realize that yesterdays warm temps had turned the center median into a quagmire resulting in a nice out of control slide. I was looking at a possible head-on if I stopped so I went on...of course if he would have hit me it would have been my fault since he had his flashers on. I don't know why the patrolman felt he needed to be in such a rush...there were already 7 cars surrounding the detainee. On a related note...donut sales were reported down in GI yesterday afternoon.

Life in GI can't go on with what seems to be a murder of the week. This weeks stabbing/bludgeoning was allegedly committed by a mother/son team in the shadow of the State Fair grounds. Other than that just a random assortment of burglaries...forgeries...assault and strangulations and child abuse. It's Obama's fault...all those unemployed men out there. Friday's jail report included 202 inmates/detainees...11 new bookings and 9 releases.

Mr's One Out combs the daily liberal whinings with a little more scrutiny than I...and was perusing the legals and came across what appears to be a "Payouts For Parents Program" in the school spending report. Hundreds if not thousands of dollars paid out for "parental mileage." Seems if the school doesn't provide bus service parents are reimbursed for mileage. This must be a new program...well in the last 40 or 50 years or so because there was no reimbursement to my parents...or any of my friends parents that I know of. You had to go to school and you either walked...rode your bike...got a ride at your own expense or pooled with others because school was mandatory...bus or no bus...uphill both ways in the snow or not. I would think if the state or locals are trying to find things to cut from the budget to save money...this line item would be one of the first.

Ka...Flooooosh...

2010-02-26T21:18:00.003-06:00

Good thing Nebraska's Financial Forecasters don't forecast the weather or are in charge of our retirement investments. I can't think of a time in the past year and a half they have hit what state tax revenue income would be. Looks like our Governor and friends in the Unicameral are going to have to trim another 30+ million from Nebraska's budget...just less than a week after other "forecasters" said Nebraska and most of the other abutting states were bouncing back economically. Like everyone else...no one has a clue.

I'm riding with the guy that said we have a rocky row to hoe the next ten years and there will be peaks and valleys along the way. If our leaders at the local...state...and national level don't give an extra strong tug on the spending reins yesterday...it's only going to get worse. Unfortunately I don't look for them to change their "tax and spend and tax some more while throwing in a new fee or two" habits.

Not For The Squeamish...

2010-02-26T16:35:00.001-06:00

The first indication of Obama being like the rest of us. Then he looks at it....ewwwww.

Help Me! I'm an Idiot....

2010-02-26T16:24:00.004-06:00

This guy makes Dan Quayle look like Einstein.

No Working Lunch Here...

2010-02-26T15:45:00.004-06:00

While at work Thursday I caught a couple brief glimpses of the ObamaCare Bi-Partisan Parley. Didn't have the audio turned up as the television is meant to be for situational awareness. So...without audio I had to visually interpret my quick glimpses of the proceedings. What did I interpret you ask? Well...I'll tell you anyway.

First of all I saw a bunch of D's' gathered in one area...and R's grouped up in another area. Where the Hell was the Seating Czar? We don't have one you say? Well I guess I will have to perform a self-appointment. What I would have done is arrange the seating DRDRDRDRDRDRDR...etc. That arrangement would have been noticed by Joe and Jane Sixpack. Reid and Pelosi looked like the Corsican Brothers...joined by a common bladder with Obama.

Come lunchtime Obama slips off...nnnnnnnnnoooo. As Lunch Room Monitor Czar...he sits and eats out of the same Valentino's buffet like everyone else. Hopping from table to table in 5 minute intervals...being one with the troops.

The whole thing appeared staged and the 2:1 ratio of talk time favoring the Dems made it appear even more so. I think bi-partisanship got left out in the parley parking lot.

Weasels In The Hen House...

2010-02-25T21:02:00.003-06:00

Al Gore is in hiding...there are threats to yank his Nobel...and the Brits don't want his movie "playing in Plymouth"...or any other school in England. Legislators coming to our rescue seem to be a recurring theme that is wearing thin...and of course the usual suspects keep showing up. If you think Senators Lieberman and Graham are our friends...I think you are gravely mistaken...and Kerry and Reid can't help themselves. They've just about attained "Maverick" status in my book. It would be interesting to follow their money trail.

No Witch Doctors Here...

2010-02-24T09:08:00.006-06:00

Call your Representatives tomorrow...or today for that matter.

You Make The Call...

2010-02-23T20:16:00.002-06:00

Pop Corn téléphone portable micro-ondes
by sassiere

Not totally sold on this yet...but interesting just the same. Next time I am sitting in a goose blind with 6 guys with cell phones going off...my waders are going to be lined with Reynolds Wrap. I don't think this was Nebraska popcorn either...the kernels looked kind of mutant to me.

Robot Weather - No Hot Air Here...

2010-02-22T19:30:00.001-06:00

The local guys can be replaced...

Imports R' U.S....

2010-02-21T20:10:00.000-06:00

McCain Should Be Buying Carbon Credits To Cover The Horse Crap He Puts Out...

2010-02-21T13:21:00.003-06:00

This is why I had a hard time voting for him. Having gone through the gamut of "Maverick's" in recent years...I have come to the conclusion that "Maverick" translated means "twists in the wind." Time for Arizonan's to put this guy out to pasture.

McCain Called On The Carpet...

The Pudding...

Life On The Isle de Grande...

2010-02-16T20:04:00.012-06:00

The top editorial in the local paper this morning focused on how Grand Island was saved by the Governor when he used his influence to speed up the start to the second half of the already underutilized South Locust bottomland run to I-80. On a good day...the average two-way hourly traffic count on the current two-lane 6 mile stretch between 6 pm and 8 am runs about 60 vehicles an hour at best...and not much better from 8 am to 6 pm. This is based on my frequent counts...not the Chamber of Commerce or City Justificator's numbers. I am certain my count might triple during the two weeks of "TGISF."

The grade work has been complete for a couple years now and they just demolished the last farmstead in the way last week so it's full steam ahead. The funny part is had it not been for "Obama and The Stimulators" the multimillion dollar "Road to Gridlock"...(there are two stoplights within a block of each other just before it crosses Highway 34 into town...which will by the way be a major bottleneck come State Fair time...that is if they come) would have not been possible...maybe for years after the State Fair debut.

I suggest they name the thoroughfare "Hornady/Vavricek/Gnadt Drive" so years from now our most recent trio's legacy of failure will live on in perpetuity. And you know what? The present two lane South Locust and the other 5 primary entrances into GI would have easily handled the State Fair traffic. We gotta put on a show for the sake of the show no matter the cost. I would have rather seen the Obama money go to fill a few of the "Black Canyon of The Gunnison-like" potholes in town. How could we have done it without Obama and Dave Heineman? Take a bow guys.

Since the Mayor and Chamber are in such a toot to have this done by State Fair time...I can imagine the pressure they will put on the contractor. I can also imagine the quality of work from a rushed project...especially when the pace of most Nebraska roadwork is akin to the speed of Egyptian pyramid building when it comes to "gettin 'er done."

Of equal importance...Crime is down in GI this week...only 1 stabbing in a dugout clearing weekend barroom brawl...and a buried story about one of the local baseball teams doing a little preseason batting practice on about 20 car/truck windows this past weekend. Also as I predicted another mayoral candidate surfaced at the last minute...she didn't want to be Governor and I doubt she's a Democrat anyway. Mary Lanfear...a retired nurse...threw her hat into the ring and just in her introduction and a letter to the editor regarding gangs in GI's public schools...she is rising like cream to the surface when compared to the other wannabe's. Of course talking the talk is always easier than walking the walk. I do know though that when you want something done you call in a nurse...I've been married to one for 33 years and I speak from experience...they put in a harder day by noon than any three energizer bunnies do all day...sorry Unc.

I chose the round-about photo above for a purpose. One of the local citizenry suggested GI needed one at the famous "Five Points" intersection in a letter to the editor this morning. Hey pal...You trying to rid GI of all it's old people? Such a death trap would confuse and wipe out most silverbacks. You also have to have a population for round-abouts...and this ain't Houston. It's podunk Grand Island, Nebraska...even if they falsely report the population at 50,000 in 2010.

As you can tell by now...I don't like politicians pissing our hard earned wages away on unneeded projects.

Update...I falsely reported the batting practice numbers...there were only 19 reports...that were reported. I apologize for over-reporting earlier.

Robot Weather - February 15th...

2010-02-15T15:06:00.000-06:00

The local guys can be replaced...

A Different Wind Story...

2010-02-15T11:40:00.001-06:00

We hear how Nebraska needs to climb aboard the wind energy train. As with every green energy project that comes along...or any business for that matter...they won't fly without subsidies...tax credits or grants. Here is a story from the American Thinker that shows the other side of wind energy you rarely read or hear about.

Letters...We Get Letters...We Get Lots and Lots of Letters...

2010-02-14T23:03:00.003-06:00

Not really. But I find it interesting in who...or is it whom?..stops by my poor excuse for a blog site. I installed the Feedjit gadget out of interest to see where stoppers-by hail from. One post I made when the Copenhagen Summit was underway has had about a half dozen hits from India and a couple from folks in Norway. Now I know that the folks in India stand to see a lot of rupees come their way if Al Gore actually sells his snake oil and the world buys into it. But I hope for the sake of the world Al Gore is swallowed up in a bog...one that emits lots of methane...he'll feel right at home that way.

I also hope the title of my post did not give the folks over there in the shadows of the dripping Himalayas hope. I just wish them well and hope they can become as responsible for their part of the planet as we have in the United States over the past 50 years. How now "brown cloud?"

This Is Worth The Whole 4:46...

2010-02-11T16:57:00.003-06:00

I love Minnesota...these people can really "get down." They are actually better than The Who was at the Superbowl. I couldn't tell if the guy in the mask was supposed to be Hugo Chavez or Al Gore...then I thought...they are the same...both pompous asses...not the guy in the video...Hugo Chavez and Al Gore. Great video.

Build Me Up Buttercup...

2010-02-10T17:21:00.008-06:00

Buried on page 3 of the Daily Disappointment this morning was a story about a spin-up group wanting local tax money to promote the 2010 Census in G.I. The report went on to state that there are parts of our drive-by city that are "hard to count." They went on to identify the problem areas and that for a token $20,000.00 in "free tax money" from the EDC crowd and $70,000,00 from private sources...they will spray the city with advertising encouraging the locals...some not so local...to participate in the upcoming head count. The ulterior motive is to roll Grand Island's population over the 50K mark so it can become an "entitlement community"...qualifying the former Third City for more "free" federal and state tax dollars down the road. Hey...why not? It's "free money."

So where does the $90,000.00 ($20,000.00 "free" tax dollars)...if they collect that much...go? Well it goes to the local media of course. Talk about Stimulus II. Will the EDC reduce the "free tax money" proportionately if the private contributions fall short? I remember in the old days when there were free PSA's/ads played/printed in abundance when there was a need to benefit a community/organization. Obviously those old days are long forgotten.

Robot Weather - This Day In Weather History...

2010-02-09T08:42:00.007-06:00

The local guys can be replaced.

Audi Sales Plummet In 2010...

2010-02-08T13:27:00.003-06:00

Superbowl Reflections...

2010-02-08T11:40:00.001-06:00

While I enjoyed the game (it would have been better to have seen the Vikes in action)...I think it was the final song by The Who (very grizzled and very worn)..."Won't Get Fooled Again" that caught my attention the most...it made me contemplate the 2010 political races and if maybe the song was actually a battle-cry for our nation or a cheap shot at our present Commander-in-Chief. The words just seemed to fit.

Cabin Fever An Issue In North Carolina???

2010-02-08T09:37:00.004-06:00

Seems the folks in King, NC must get a little edgy during a snowstorm. I think local government is overstepping its bounds just a smidge. At least they could have allowed explosives purchases.

Just think...all those people snowed in at home with no booze and all that weaponry and explosives that they can't take out of their house.

...Update...The news link was updated with a followup of some of the local citizenry's and Sheriff's reactions. The Sheriff caught a little heat.

Deer? What Deer?

2010-02-08T09:03:00.006-06:00

Nebraska for years has had an overabundance of deer. Now...the NG&P Commission has given up and says "No Mas" and is letting our Unicameral decide how to control the deer herds. They have made all kinds of suggestions that stop just short of "deer drive-bys"...giving ranchers and farmers the right to drop Bambi and his cousins any day of the year and as many as possible. Even going as far as paying a 25.00 bounty. In a rare moment of wisdom they did back off on night hunting.

My question is...What do they have planned for the snow geese that each drop a pound of doo-doo in Nebraska rivers...lakes and ponds on a daily basis? Snow geese numbers are growing exponentially from east to west across the state and are showing up in places they never used to. Turkey legislation may also have to be a back burner consideration by our friends in the Unicameral as they seem to have replaced the pheasant population in our state.

The Next 11 Days...

2010-02-08T08:33:00.001-06:00

Robot Weather - Strong Winter Storm Tonight Through Friday...

2010-02-03T13:07:00.009-06:00

The local guys can be replaced.

The Yin and the Yang...

2010-02-03T12:34:00.006-06:00

A "recent" Gallup poll of Nebraskan's may be giving Nebraska Closet Democrats false hope. Of course the results were something I have suspected for some time now. That the "Red" in Nebraska does not run as deep as some purport it to run. It would have been nice for LJS to report the demographics of what areas of Nebraska were polled...etc. etc. It's highly speculative and contentious on my part...but I think the poll was heavily weighted by the "easterners" in our state and that the Third District provides the edge for Nebraska Republicans.

Hear that "tickety...tickety...tickety" in the distance? That's Don Walton and Jane Kleeb doing the "Happy Dance."

Leavenworth's Street Sweeper Revealed...

2010-02-02T01:40:00.004-06:00

The Sweeper photographed late one evening outside his penthouse on Leavenworth...

The Sweeper's SAB brother...Living abroad in the Sahara...or possibly on a sandbar along the Platte River north of Funk.

Robot Weather - February 1st...

2010-02-01T12:22:00.005-06:00

The local guys can be replaced.

Fewer Cows...

2010-02-01T10:56:00.011-06:00

Yesterday's local pulp fiction had a story telling how Nebraska beef production numbers are down as we start the year. I wonder if the reporter decided this was worthy news after eating in some of GI's finer eating establishments the past few months. I know it has sparked my curiosity. Of late...it seems whether you order a steak on South Locust or on the pot-hole ridden 281 corridor...the part that isn't in the city's 2010 budget to resurface...it is hardly identifiable as what one would perceive as a steak by Nebraska standards. I thought a good steak came out hot on a platter and was at least 3/4 of an inch thick. Of recent it might be a half inch thick if you are lucky. I've seen thicker slices of bologna... and without your glasses you could easily "misteak" "tongue of Hushpuppy" for one of GI's 8 ouncers.

What happened? Did GI's restaurateur's decide to go healthy on us? Are producers sending the good steaks out of state? C'mon folks...this is Nebraska...we used to be the "Beef State"...it said so on our license plates. And did the restaurant prices drop when the butcher surgically "parted the meat" into two? No...prices went up.

Well..it looks like I am on a quest for a restaurant that serves old-style "Nebraska Steak." A note to visitors...if your plans include a great steak dinner during the upcoming horse race season...or State Fair...if they get it built in time and the State Supreme Court rules in favor of the move...which it shouldn't...you might want to survey the surrounding burgs for that sleeper steak house or do as the cows say..."Eat Mor Chikin."

Cut Off At The Pass...

2010-02-01T09:20:00.002-06:00

The Objective Conservative had an interesting scoop this morning...seems "Benito/Benedict/Ben Dover" Nelson memorabilia has become passe in some Nebraska circles.

Squeal Like A Pig...

2010-01-29T22:55:00.003-06:00

Our nation and the rest of the world is going to hell in a handbasket and Obama can still find time to "fix" college football. He must have slept at a Holiday Inn Express after the SOTU the other night.

Coup de gras...

2010-01-29T13:08:00.000-06:00

No Brain...No Conscience...

2010-01-29T12:43:00.000-06:00

Ol' Earmark (Benito/Benedict/BOHICA Nelson) has announced to the Omaha World Herald that he can "handle the heat in the kitchen" and intends to run for re-election in '12. One of my Bucket List Dreams is to live long enough to vote this embarrassment out of office. I wonder if I can get an early absentee ballot? I don't know why not...Dead Dems have been voting early and often for years.

The Devil Made Me Do It...

2010-01-20T21:47:00.000-06:00

It always pays to go back and review some videos to see the "Whole Picture." This video cut was the best in my book (it really "cracks" me up - sorry the buns...er puns were intended) Look at the faces of the fellows "behind" the scene. They are obviously very happy workers as witnessed by their smiles. The Plumbers Union issued a statement saying the incident was staged.

Didn't I See This On Craigslist Last Week?...

2010-01-20T11:08:00.000-06:00

In the Lost and Found Department...

I can see how you might lose your keys or leave your eyeglasses somewhere...but how do you lose a 3 ton train engine?

The One Out In The Third Crime Tip Line is offering a $10.00 reward for all information leading to the return of this engine and the conviction of all miscreants involved with this crime.

From the Rumor Mill Department...We have heard that Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle and a cadre of Omaha Street Dept. employees were last seen with this motor trying to improvise a snowblower attachment.

I wonder if anyone has checked under the snowdrifts at the railyards?

I Love Minnesota...

2010-01-18T21:12:00.001-06:00

SEIU Gets Religion...

2010-01-18T14:16:00.000-06:00

The More Things Change...The More They Remain The Same...

2010-01-12T11:29:00.000-06:00

It was our Hall County Board/County Jailer with a ridiculous grand scheme to tap into our pockets a few a days ago...now it's the City of Grand Island. The city's golf course is showing a near third million debt load built up over the past few years. The city folks want the "city to pay the city back" to clear the books. This will allow them to move forward to decide whether or not to continue to run the golf course as an enterprise...funded entirely by fees...or change things and fund it with a mix of fees and local taxes. I golf once a year just to say that I did (I find it much more relaxing to shoot things...or fall out of a boat at 2 in the morning trying to reel in a giant wiper...all on my own dime as much as possible.) That being said...you know that I am a big pay for your own fun or stay home guy...not allowing my entertainment "needs" to be a burden on the folks that pay taxes.

It got funny deeper into the news story...after they get the debt paid off...the City Parks Director...a guy that thinks money grows on trees...except in city parks...announces that oh-by-the-way...we need to replace diseased trees...renovate the club house...and drop a cool million on a new underground sprinkler system...and I don't know who has another couple million laying around for that. All the while knowing that the city's annual sales tax revenue is expected to fall a half million short and we have a tanking economy...what a piece of work. GI has great visionary leadership bar none (it amazes me how politicians are now crawling out from under the rubble realizing that we are broke and now is the time to do something about it - vote em out...they won't change.) I say maybe we should just plow the golf course under and plant corn.

Aside from a park or two or a standard swimming pool...I believe that's all a city or state government owes us in our search for quality life. Taxpayers should not be obligated to fund water parks...shooting ranges...racing parks...colossal stadiums or amphitheaters etc. If it's an entertainment venue it should be privately built and funded. Like business used to be..."sink or swim baby." I salute Kearney down the road for keeping their Entertainment Center/Hockey Arena private...I know it's a rough go...and I support them and encourage others to do the same. I hope they succeed.

Let's All Do What The Amish Do....

2010-01-11T17:43:00.000-06:00

Seems religious freedom trumps ObamaCare. Where do I sign up?