2008 Year in Review

Editorial

I have a concern…No, paranoia. I want my editorials to have some meaning, but not be too serious. I don’t want to be negative, but I also don’t believe that everything in the world is wonderful. I think that the world often appears differently depending on the glasses you put on. You can bury your head in the sand, ignore the news and the world around you, and enjoy the bliss of ignorance. You can also listen to the news every chance you get and get your stomach in a knot worrying about all the things that are going wrong in the world. Somewhere in between is where we should be.

Don’t be a dolt, but don’t be a worrywart. If my editorial seems negative, I may have written it after filling up at the pump. If it seems flowery, then my son may have just told me that I’m his best friend in the world. That kind of thing can change your glasses.

Last week I attended maybe the longest city council meeting I have been to. Usually they can pound right through the issues if there aren’t a lot of public comments. But this time they had presentations about infrastructure. It was pretty interesting really. Here is what I took away from the meeting:

1. Our streets are in pretty decent shape, but maintaining them is important, and getting more expensive with the price of petroleum what it is. Thank goodness that we have maintained our streets the way we have.

2. Our water and sewer rates have fallen behind the times. Sure, you can get by for a decade without raising rates, but that will come back to bite you when it is time to replace a pump or paint a tower or build a new public works building. If you wait until those projects are upon you, then they are tough and painful to do. I dislike paying more for anything. But, if the alternative is to get no water service, then I know what I have to do. We will see what the council decides to do with the rates.

It finally feels like a Midwestern summer now. Hot and humid. It’s the perfect time for an air conditioner to break down. I have had two break down recently. You never appreciate having air conditioning as much as you do after living without it for a while.

Thanks for spending time reading The Morrison Post. I appreciate your readership and the advertising that we get.

Have a great week.

by Ben Wolf, Guest Columnist
July 23, 2008