Marion County taxpayers should know about potential pitfalls with respect to the county’s spending habits, policies, pay plan based on performance and other procedures that happened in the recent past. In addition, what action is being taken to either correct or explain to the public what the commissioner’s reasoning is in resolving these issues? One major concern is the spending […]

I think we all have heroes. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that, so long as we only aspire to be like them, rather than compare ourselves to them. There is a difference, I should point out. That is, it’s one thing to aspire to be a great programmer, artist or writer. It’s another entirely to compare one’s self […]

The Marion County Commission discussed a new pay plan at its meeting Tuesday, and because no action is being taken, I hope commissioners consider the pros and cons thoroughly before taking action to approve this plan. A glaring problem with the methodology of using pay plans, whether it’s with McGrath Consulting Group Inc., or any of the others, is that […]

Most of us, I suspect, have our own long history of failed New Year’s resolutions. At the beginning of each new year many people, including me, start out with the sincere intention of ending a bad habit and setting out to living life as we should. Then after a day, week, or even a month, it’s back to the old […]

When one of our long-time commissioners told a fellow commissioner during a public session to “shut up,” it was not only unacceptable, but it left me wondering what has happened to us. In fairness, it’s not just a Marion County problem, but rather it’s a problem throughout the country. Yet this type of bitterness, mean-spirit and lack of respect for […]

The Marion County Commission is looking at a pay plan for employees, but before making any decisions, it would be in the best interest of the taxpayer to study this compensation package closely. And, as taxpayers, it would be in everyone’s best interest to ask questions. In my opinion, there are some very nice people who are county employees, some […]

Whenever I hear an old song, or see somebody who looks similar to a friend I once knew, I begin reminiscing about other people who I’ve lost touch with, and who meant so much to me at different stages of my life. When I was growing up, my parents didn’t stay in one place too long. Born in Atchison, we […]

The quote: “Change is the only constant in life,” came from a man named Heraclitus, who was a pre-Socractic Greek philosopher. And, no truer words have been written or spoken about change. Some recent changes prompted sad feelings, and in this case it was my friend and neighbor. Other changes might cause someone to feel mad, glad or scared. Years […]

As some of you may know, I’m a huge sci-fi fan. Some of the things I’m going to describe may seem like science fiction, but it’s all either already real, or extrapolated based on existing science. For decades, scientists sought to understand what’s called protein folding. A tiny bit of background: nearly all life on earth has a genetic code […]

After reading the Free Press editorial last week, I sat back and thought about how two local guys took a huge chance almost 20 years ago by starting a free newspaper that would go to every home in Marion County. The logistics of such an undertaking boggles my mind. It just couldn’t have been that easy. But Joel Klaassen, former […]