Sara and Callie, 1988

Sara and Callie in a tree house on New Street, 1988

Wonderful memories, this picture. These two girls have grown up into fine young ladies with wonderful families.

Sara's Birthday

Today, our daughter Sara is celebrating her 27th birthday.
Happy Birthday Sara!

Dean Johnson, RIP

definitely not safe for work

most definately this is not safe for work.

And defiantly not safe for work.

Wearing Flag Pins and Putting Ribbon Magnets On Your Car: Marks of a True Patriot

Some things are just too hokey and transparent. I don't like those ribbon magnets on the back of cars. Tony Orlando tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree is about a convict for crying out loud. People wearing flag pins...wearing a pin does not make me patriotic. I was glad to read this today.

Is Bush a war criminal? Using the criteria that we (the US or A) used to prosecute Nazi war criminals (Godwin's law), the answer appears to be a yes.

"If I Didn't Care" .....

Read this article. It is about the controversial omnibus bill signed by Governor Blunt that included a provision that directly benefited one individual to the determent of many others.

See anything interesting in it? How about this quote:

Blunt signed the provision into law earlier this year as part of a much broader bill. But he says the issue wasn’t particularly important to him and he didn’t know who was backing it.

This guy is our governor and he doesn't know what he is signing into law? What is wrong here?

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Maybe we ARE all Bozos on this bus.

BUT a bike race.....NOW THAT'S important.

Tulsa Friendlier to Developer Than Springfield

Tulsahas a river and a developer, no John Q or city council to compete with ?

Lot's of stories here.

This is the same guy who developed Branson Landing and pulled out of Springfield last week (Last Man Standing)

Who ARE These People and Was This Photo Shopped?

Am I Paying For This Thing?

I go to McDonald's for lunch quite often, it is fast, convenient and my wife tells me I need to eat lunch so I don't get crabby.

I eat the same thing everyday..I know what I like....from the dollar menu, 2 double cheeseburgers, hold the cheese, or I will order 2 double hamburgers, a medium fries and one of those 89 cent big drinks.

The total runs between $4.46 and $4.57. I don't know why the difference. The McDonald's on Sunshine across the WOW eyesore is the most expensive. The McDonald's on Chestnut Expressway and Highway 13 is the cheapest.

I suspect, although I am not sure, the reason the McDonald's across from the WOW is the most expensive is because of the special taxing district. Everything within sight of WOW is taxed higher to pay for the dang thing......see the post below this one about the leaf dump..if you don't use it, you don't have to pay for it. the money quote:

Equally important, by adding the proposed non-commercial brush disposal fee, all residental and commercial customers who directly benefit from this City service will contribute to its on-going operations and improvement. The fees paid by customers of the brush operation will meet over 80 percent of the brush lot's direct annual cost in 2008. By 2010, it is anticipated that these service fees and associated product revenues will make the YRC brush lot a self-supporting public enterprise.

Today, I am at the Sunshine McDonald's. There are two registers working. It is 11:35 am. The east register is taking customers on the east side of the register, the west register is taking customers from the west side of the register.

I am at the west register, second in line, no one was behind me. The east register is filling a huge order, happy meals, shakes and salads. The man in front of me places his order, I step up, the counter person says, "May I take your order", or something like that, and I place my order. An lady who was standing between the registers says, "I was here first."

I IMMEDIATELY step back and motion for her to go ahead, while at the same time saying, "sorry, I didn't realize you were in line." She says, "no, that's alright."

I told her to go ahead and order. Again, she said no, that's alright. I said to her, you brought it up, lady, not me, and I stepped further back. The counter person looked at me and, with shrugged shoulders, took the lady's order......a big mac meal.

The lady was standing in the wrong line, complained because she didn't get waited on, and then when I gave her my spot, she declined. Then why did you have to make that comment???? That McDonald's has seen its share of interesting stuff.

As I left the store and was going to my car, I saw her driving away in her car, resplendent in W stickers.

Customer Advisory 2007-5: New Non-Commercial Brush Disposal Fee

I got up early Saturday and, with my grandsons Trey and Austin, loaded the last of the brush from the ice storm that remained in my daughter's back yard in my son's pickup truck and went to the leaf dump to dump it. I remember reading a letter to the editor about the new fee, but had forgotten about it until I pulled into the brush lot. Luckily I had $3.00 in my wallet.....that was all I had, $3.00 and the brush lot doesn't take credit or debit cards.

The young man working the gate listened to my beef and gave me the following:

On June 4, 2007 the City of Springfield enacted City Ordinance #5682 establishing a $3.00 per vehicle service fee for the disposal of non-cmmercial brush at the City's Yardwaste Recycling Center (YCR). This fee will become effective on July 1, 2007. The City will continue to accept leaves, grass and other yardwaste athe YRC at no charge. Current commercial fees for brush disposal at the YRC will remain unchanged.

Since 1992 brush disposal at the YRC has been free to all non-commercial residental customers. Since 1995 commercial YRC customers pay brush disposal fees ranging from $10 to $30 per load depending on the type and sixe of the vehicle.

In 2006, the YRC brush lot received 43,500 loads of brush from residents, businesses and contractors from throughout the Springfield metro area. Over 85 percent of these loads were from non-commercial residental customers.

The annual operating costs of the YRC brush lot are over $170,000 per year. However, commercial brush disposal fees and public donations met less than 15 percent of these annual costs. The remaining 85 percent of these annual costs are born only by customers who use the City's Sanitary Landfill for their solid waste disposal. The landfill receives less than 25 percent of the total solid waster generated in the metro area. Recognizing the long-term financial requirements of the landfill and to insure the continued operation of the brush disposal site at the YRCX, now make it necessary to linti this brush disposal subsidy by enacting this new fee.

Equally important, by adding the proposed non-commercial brush disposal fee, all residental and commercial customers who directly benefit from this City service will contribute to its on-going operations and improvement. The fees paid by customers of the brush operation will meet over 80 percent of the brush lot's direct annual cost in 2008. By 2010, it is anticipated that these service fees and associated product revenues will make the YRC brush lot a self-supporting public enterprise.

If you have any questions or concerns about this request, please feel free to contact me at 417-864-2001.

Sincerely,

SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT DIVISION
Thomas F. O'Neill
Superintendent

43,500 loads of brush? Who did the counting? I don't ever remember seeing a counter out there except maybe once when the guy told me the stuff I was dumping was too long and I had to cut it shorter.

Less than 25% of our trash goes to the landfill? Where does the rest of it go? Kansas?

Equally important,..., all residental and commercial customers who directly benefit from this City service will contribute to its on-going operations and improvement. Using this logic: I don't go downtown, why am I paying for it? I don't have kids in school, why am I paying school taxes? I don't go to parks, why am I paying park taxes? I don't frequent the square, why am I paying for it?.....et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

Another Urban Legend or Fighting Fascists With Fascism

I deleting this post because I can not verify that it actually happened. You can read the original posting
here. It has urban legend written all over it. Michael Ledeen posted this on the National Review Website. I wish there was more documentation with it, such as who sent it, to whom was it sent, when was with sent, any other people observe the same incident, you know, the usual who, what, where, when and maybe even why.