Some thoughts on a third Bush term

Written by Dale Suderman Wednesday, 20 June 2007 09:53

The grassroots movement to re-elect George W. Bush to a third term as president is catching fire. But its success is dependent upon citizens moving quickly.

First, the 22nd Amendment to the constitution must be repealed. This vengeful amendment written after Roosevelt was elected to four terms in the White House can be repealed quickly if Congress and the state legislatures act now.

Putting Dick Cheney on the vice-presidential ticket does present some problem since his health is in question. But I suspect that if we find an ultra-light extension cord and run a 220-volt line to his pacemaker he will be good to go for at least four more years. (It might be good if his hunting license was also quietly suspended.)

There are many reasons for...

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Galileo’s heresy predates Darwin’s

Written by Dale Suderman Wednesday, 06 June 2007 10:23

Evolution has been in the news lately. Three Republican presidential candidates shyly raised their hands to say they did not believe in evolution in a presidential debate last month. This past week, Senator Brownback wrote a vigorous op-ed diatribe denouncing evolution in the august pages of the New York Times.

In the past few days a Creationist Museum costing $27 million opened its door to the public in Kentucky. For $19.95—less for children and tour groups—one can see children cavorting with dinosaurs and the friendly vegetarian dinosaurs boarding Noah’s Ark. (I am unclear if the most famous dinosaur of all—Barney with his purple pajamas—is included in the exhibit.)

The creationists insist the world was created a...

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Grumpy old men aren't always right

Written by Dale Suderman Wednesday, 16 May 2007 08:09

The second oldest joke in America goes like this. A young boy is taken to the barn and shown an 8-foot high stack of manure. He immediately takes a pitchfork and starts digging into it frantically.

When asked the cause for his energetic digging he says, “Well, with this much manure, there must be a pony in there someplace.”

This lad stands in sharp contrast to the grumpy old men who daily place their bets that there is no pony.

“Yup, not only is there no pony, but tomorrow there will be another pile of manure, even if you clean that one up today,” they lament.

And they sip their coffee and chortle on about the naive idealism of the kid.

Grumpy old men wager every day that each and every new idea, concept and lifestyle will...

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Some ‘fields of dreams’ worth the cost

Written by Dale Suderman Wednesday, 02 May 2007 07:55

On June 5 the Hillsboro school district will vote on a $6.625 million bond issue to upgrade the elementary and middle schools, construct new athletic facilities at the high school and develop a unique public/private athletic field to be shared with Tabor College.

Bond issues can easily produce strong feelings. They place an unusual burden on property owners—often the same folks who don’t have kids in school.

But there is no truly equitable way to produce tax revenue. A sales tax is the most regressive tax of all. A 12-year-old kid buying a candy bar pays the same taxes as a multi-millionaire buying the same candy bar. An income tax would be the most equitable, but few counties or cities have an income tax.

I don’t know the...

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