12/7/2005 – Editorials

By Richard Peterson

You may think the Benson County Farmers Press was just a little newspaper in the middle of nowhere, going to a couple old ladies in Lallie, but you’ve got another think coming.
Dick Huffman of Minnewaukan called to say he advertised some Blue Heeler pups for $50 each. Four of the pups were sold to a buyer in Nigeria, Africa. Huffman said the Farmers Press was the only place he advertised, so he knows it’s responsible for the sale.
Likely the buyers saw the want ad on our Web site (www.bensoncountynews.com) or on the statewide classifieds Web page (www.ndclassifieds.com) where all our want ads are placed at no extra charge.
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I see the ND Department of Transportation (DOT) has placed stop signs on US
281 at the junction of ND 19 north of Minnewaukan. Ordinarily I would loudly denounce such a stop sign, but considering the circumstances, I have to support the decision of the DOT.
The DOT will not admit that this is a very dangerous intersection, but those stop signs at the junction of ND 19 actually tell a very different story. It is highly unusual for stop signs to appear on a major US highway at the junction of a relatively minor state highway. Because ND 19 is about 10 feet higher than US 281 where the two intersect, people traveling north on US 281 can’t see what’s coming at them from the north. People traveling south on US 281 can’t see what’s coming at them from the south. To compound matters the junction is on a curve and it’s very easy to get in the wrong lane after crossing ND 19.
If US 281 was built up a quarter mile north and south of the junction, the problem might be solved. That is not practical now, because the construction season is over. The only alternative is a stop sign on US 281.
Without a stop sign, another accident is bound to happen. The stop sign may create problems, especially if snowdrifts form at the junction, but those problems are small compared with another traffic fatality.
I think the DOT has fixed the problem as much as it can be fixed. It appears US 281 which is sitting in the water will be abandoned next summer after new US 281 opens and then the problem will be gone.
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Sayings from this week’s e-mail:
I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow is not looking good either.
I love deadlines. I especially like the whooshing sound they make as they go flying by.
Tell me what you need, and I’ll tell you how to get along without it.
Accept that some days you are the pigeon and most days the statue.
Needing someone is like needing a parachute. If he isn’t there the first time, chances are you won’t be needing him again.
I don’t have an attitude problem, you have a perception problem.
Last night as I lay in bed looking up at the stars in the sky, I thought to myself, "where is the ceiling?"
My reality check bounced.
On the keyboard of life, always keep one finger on the escape key.
I don’t suffer from stress. I am a carrier.
You are slower than a herd of turtles stampeding through peanut butter.
Everyone is someone else’s weirdo.
A pat on the back is only a few centimeters from a kick in the butt.
Don’t be irreplaceable — if you can’t be replaced, you won’t be promoted.
After any salary raise, you will have less money at the end of the month than you did before.
The more you put up with, the more you are going to get.
You can go anywhere you want if you look serious and carry a clipboard.
So this isn’t Home Sweet Home . . . Adjust!
Ring bell for maid service. If no answer, do it yourself!
I clean house every other day. Today is the other day.
I came, I saw, I decided to order take out.
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused.
I’d live life in the fast lane, but I am married to a speed bump.