Yikes! It?s nearly time for school to be out, and now the English teacher says we must complete a theme before we leave.
Oh yeah, I?m not a kid anymore…wrong authority figure. It?s the editor, not the English teacher, and it?s this column. I forgot it was due this week. I have to come up with something meaningful for you, and my wife says I really hadn?t ought to pick on Howard Collett anymore.
Sorry, Howard. It?s just that you are one of the few good guys to hold public office that I?ve known?even had the good sense to quit, and play at other games when you felt it was time.
Most people don?t seem to have that good sense. When they grab hold of a little power, they change nearly overnight, and become a problem for the rest of us instead of part of the solution we expected.
Golly, I?m almost writing about something here. It?s the power of the word, you see. I don?t seem to be giving it up even when we all know how little good I?m doing?at least that guy out on the east side of the county says I fill a lot of space while saying very little.
Take Sarah Palin, Howard. Now that woman isn?t giving up power easily.
But how can we fault her for making all of the party pros so uncomfortable with the security of their power while turning a more than tidy profit on her book? Wouldn?t it be nice if she spoke up enough to get all of the incumbents unelected next time around?
Don?t worry, Sarah, I know they say you are ignorant and incompetent, but most of the people of that caliber did get elected last time.
Even the president seems to be rising to the low of my expectations of him while the economy survives despite all of the payoffs to investment bankers.
I think that one good grain crop in Marion County has more to do with how we do than all of the machinations of politicians and corporate leaders in power. Our efforts lay in prohibiting them from taking it from us.
Yes, I was thankful for that grain crop, but I saw in the lives of my young cousins returning from service in Iraq this Thanks?giving that you people in power still have the ways to mess with the rest of us.
Even the State of Kansas that I used to think was in the business of preserving the common good for our people is messing with us under the auspices of power-hungry politicians following the guise of budget balancing.
Our county commissioners grow tired of seeing burdens shifted to local shoulders as the state abandons its budgeting to require more taxation to pay for services at the local level.
It seems to be the new show in town?mandate something at the county level without money to help out, and point out the budget cuts you made at the state level.
Then you take away money promised to the counties, and label it as savings. Call it the ?let-me-stay-in-power legislator two-step.?
Why, the ultimate legislative two-stepper could even take a wealthy company like, say, Transcanada Keystone Pipeline, and say, ?We will forgive your property taxation as you cross Kansas counties if you render unto us the pleasure of your campaign donations.?
Naah, they wouldn?t do that just to hold onto power, would they?
The only thing I can think of to illustrate how it is dealing with a guy holding onto power is a question for you: ?Did you ever try to break a dog of sucking eggs??
It usually takes red pepper inside an egg for him to get the idea that he can get burnt, too.
Yikes! I better get around to finding something to write about instead of just getting more ornery every minute…something different than not picking on Howard Collett, although every time I write his name it adds two words to the theme, and I can say it just because I have the power to say it.
How about next time I talk about a movie theater for either Hillsboro or Marion? Do you Tabor and our high school students ever go on things called ?dates? to movies anymore?you know, young men and young women together….? One of the best power struggles I know of.
