A better way

Editorials

Written by Don Ratzlaff Tuesday, 04 November 2008 14:16

Even with Election Day still a day away as this is written, the question surfaces: How do we move Marion County forward from this point? Whether the jail issue on Tuesday’s ballot fails or passes, there is a bigger question that should be considered more seriously. Simply stated, is the county-commission model of administration the best model for our future? Is it time to consider a more professional model where elected officials set policy and the day-to-day machinery of government is overseen by a full-time manager equipped to understand the complicated challenges of conducting public business in today’s sophisticated world?

The management of the jail issue has been a case in point. Whether you agree or disagree with the specific...

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Best bet for fuel relief is 'natural'

Partly Nonsense

Written by Joel Klaassen Tuesday, 14 October 2008 14:18

I’ve been mull­ing it over about breaking our dependence upon foreign oil and can’t help but think that it won’t be solved until we figure out how to easily make our cars, trucks, trains and boats more efficient.

Switching all of our vehicles to hybrids and electric will take a long time since not everyone is in a position to buy a new vehicle just now. And it isn’t possible to make enough ethanol to substitute for all of the gasoline we need.

So we have to find a way to fuel our vehicles with something that can be an intermediate step, and it looks to me like compressed natural gas could make that happen.

From what I have read it is fairly easy to convert to CNG and it costs much less than gasoline too. You can make it at...

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Time to Vote

Editorials

Written by Don Ratzlaff Tuesday, 28 October 2008 14:19

How many months have we withstood the carping, the negative advertising, the conflicting statements of “fact” and all the double-speak that goes with the political season? And now the end is near. In six days the votes will be cast, the decisions made. And the joy we can anticipate is akin to having someone beat your hand with a hammer: It feels so good when they stop.

How many times over these months have you almost walked away from it all, declaring your determination to vote “None of the above”—or not at all?

Resist the temptation.

Voting is one of the most important rights and duties we have as American citizens. Much of the world does not share this right and privilege. They live under oppressive governments that...

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A week of big stories and events

Partly Nonsense

Written by Joel Klaassen Tuesday, 07 October 2008 14:09

The issue regarding the one percent sales tax proposed for a new jail was one of the biggest stories of this past week. It befuddles me that we are just now starting to hear what is actually planned one month from the election. The information presented was vague at best and biased.

After the Hillsboro meeting I had a man come to me and say he had seen in my column that I hadn’t found anyone who supported the jail idea. He said, “Well, now you have.”

He went on to say, if I understood correctly, that he bought a vehicle and groceries out of the county because he didn’t receive friendly treatment locally.

There are two major problems I see with that mindset. He doesn’t intend on helping pay for the jail anyway and won’t be...

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