4/9/2008 – Editorials
By Richard Peterson
I want to put my two cents worth in on the Old US 281 issue.
The commissioners are in favor of fishermen using the road to gain access to good fishing along the roadway. But they want to discourage through traffic on the road for two reasons: 1) safety and 2) wear and tear on the fragile road.
They’re right. The safety issue is most important. When there are lots of fishermen parked along the road and especially when they’re there with their families, traffic is not a desirable addition.
Children might become excited when fish are being caught and run into the traffic.
To discourage traffic, they’ve lowered the speed limit on the road to
25 mph. That’s fast enough when children are present. That’s fast enough for that road.
The lower speed limit also lessens wear and tear on the road. Trucks are forbidden from traveling on the road and anyone who sees a truck on the road should report it to the sheriff’s office. Because of their weight, those trucks will damage the road. The county can’t afford to rebuild the road, so when it’s too damaged to use any more, it’s done for good.
I’m sure the county is going to fill the potholes with cold mix, but that’s about all that’ll be done.
If you’re in a hurry, it won’t do you any good to take the road as a short cut. I timed it and it takes nine minutes to travel from Minnewaukan to the north junction of ND 19 traveling 25 mph. It takes seven minutes to take the new highway to that point at 65 mph. If you go faster than 25 mph on the old road, you’re in danger of getting a speeding ticket because the sheriff’s office is going to enforce that speed limit. You won’t like that. On the other hand, your insurance company will enjoy the higher premiums you’ll be paying because of disobeying the speed limit.
There’ll be lots of grousing and complaining about the 25 mph speed limit. But it’s there for a very good reason.
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When he was running for president George W. Bush proclaimed that he was a uniter, not a divider.
He has been a total success in this respect. He has succeeded in uniting the entire country against him and the wrong-headed policies he stubbornly clings to.
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Congress has tied itself in knots trying to please George W. Bush on the farm bill, which Bush threatens to veto.
Congress should quit trying to accommodate him and simply pass a bill that’s good for the nation and for farmers. If Bush demonstrates more of his incredibly poor judgment and vetoes it, the veto should be overridden.
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As of Wednesday, April 9 we still have 286 days of the Bush nightmare to endure. Whoever is elected as the new president will inherit the colossal mess he leaves behind. Two hundred eighty-six days is a long time, but we’ve endured more than seven years of stubborn incompetence. I hope we can handle an additional 286 days.
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Humor for lexophiles (lovers of words):
Police were called to a day care where a three-year-old was resisting a rest.
Did you hear about the guy whose whole left side was cut off? He’s all right now.
The roundest knight at King Arthur’s round table was Sir Cumference.
The butcher backed up into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work.
To write with a broken pencil is pointless.
When fish are in schools, they sometimes take debate.
The short fortune teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.
A thief who stole a calendar got 12 months.
A thief fell and broke his leg in wet concrete. He became a hardened criminal.
When the smog lifts in Los Angeles, UCLA.
The dead batteries were given out free of charge.
A dentist and a manicurist fought tooth and nail.
A bicycle can’t stand alone; it is two tired.
A will is a dead giveaway.
Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.
A backward poet writes inverse.
In a democracy it’s your vote that counts; in feudalism, it’s your Count that votes.
A chicken crossing the road: poultry in motion.
If you don’t pay your exorcist you can get repossessed.
Show me a piano falling down a mine shaft and I’ll show you A-flat miner.
The guy who fell into an upholstery machine was fully recovered.
You are stuck with your debt if you can’t budge it.
A calendar’s days are numbered.
A lot of money is tainted: ‘Taint yours, and ‘taint mine.
A boiled egg is hard to beat.
He had a photographic memory which was never developed.
Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end.
When you’ve seen one shopping center, you’ve seen a mall.
When she saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she’d dye.
Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead to know basis.
Santa’s helpers are subordinate clauses.
Acupuncture: a jab well done.