McCook Daily Gazette: Opinion

How did we ever get along without GPS? (02/22/12)
Back in "the good old days" we had to learn how to read a map when going on a road trip and that wasn't even the hardest thing about it. The hardest thing came when you had to re-fold the map! Now, we punch a couple of buttons on our compact Global Positioning System, or GPS as it's known, and this compact device tells us exactly how to get where we're going...

Making breakfast a real 'happy meal' (02/22/12)
LINCOLN, Nebraska -- State agricultural groups and the governor have demonstrated their willingness to shower the Humane Society of the United States with hellfire and brimstone if the well-funded animal welfare organization even looks like it's about to propose statutory or regulatory changes relating to the treatment of farm animals in the state...

School is now in session (02/22/12)
I'm off to summer school. At least, I hope it will be summer school. I certainly don't want to go back to the days when we had to walk to school, in the blinding snow, uphill both ways. In any case, I think I'm going to enjoy the classroom curriculum. Time has come for me to learn how to be a child again, and just in time. This grown-up stuff is getting old in a hurry...

Ignore stereotypes, not heart attack symptoms in women (02/22/12)
It's one thing to accept stereotypes when it comes to the behavior of men and women; it's quite another when someone's life depends on it. That's the problem when it comes to women, especially women under 55, who may be experiencing a heart attack. According to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which included 1.1 million patients from 1994 to 2006, women having heart attacks are less likely than men to get immediate treatment and are more likely to die in the hospital.. ...

Let them teach (02/21/12)
Noted in passing, the headline read: School board OK's early dismissals each Wednesday. Wow a shortened day for all the McCook public school kids every week. I'll bet the kids will like that! The teachers probably would like it, too, except they will be kept in the penalty box for the extra two hours each week. I'm also sure that this taxpayer is not convinced that the truncated school day each week is a good idea, either...

'Passport' program offers attractions around Nebraska (02/21/12)
With many of us facing time and financial constraints, a summer vacation may seem like an unaffordable dream this year. It's tempting to give up on the idea altogether, or plan a "staycation," but the Travel and Tourism Division of the Nebraska Department of Economic Development has come through again with a list of destinations easily reached with less than a day's travel and tank of gas...

Another busy week in Lincoln (02/20/12)
It is another busy week in Lincoln for me and I look forward to the last of my 2012 bills having their committee hearings. Senator priority bills and committee priority bills have been declared and many of those bills have been scheduled for debate on the floor this week. I will further discuss priority bills as well as discuss Legislative Bill 1043 for this week's Letter Back Home...

McCook origins (02/20/12)
After looking at the Internet about the American Civil War, I found out about a Gen. McCook and your town being named after him. It is my belief that this surname originated in my hometown, Loughrea. Before the English system of hereditary lordship was introduced in 1543, a Hugo Burke or in the Irish language "as Gaeilge" Uag D. ...

Male gender studies course long overdue (02/20/12)
When you're a man, your last name stays put. Wedding plans take care of themselves. You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness. ------ It doesn't take long to find a list of differences between men and women when doing an Internet search, but we're sure a new University of Nebraska-Lincoln class will have plenty to cover...

Reprint Lincoln speech? (02/17/12)
Dear Editor, Coming up on Monday, Feb. 20, Americans will celebrate Presidents' Day. As most readers will recall, some years ago we took the time to honor Abraham Lincoln on his birthday (Feb. 12) and George Washington on his birthday (Feb. 22). It almost seems that we are losing perspective on the original purpose of honoring two of our greatest presidents...

Things you might want to know (02/17/12)
We talk a lot about common sense; as if that's a good thing. I remember my uncle describing a guy once by saying that he was smart as a whip but didn't have a lick of common sense. So it has always been something held up as a good thing. The problem is that common sense is sometimes wrong too. ...

We would have preferred 'USS McCook' (02/16/12)
We would preferred to have it named the USS McCook, and there's already a USS Nebraska nuclear submarine in operation, but is heartening to see a new state-of-the-art Navy ship will be named after Omaha. The USS Omaha will look kind of like Darth Vader's flagship, a stealthy tri-hulled "Littoral Combat Ship" designed to deploy manned and unmanned vehicles and sensors in support of mine, undersea and surface warfare missions...

'America's 50 yard line' has a nice ring to it (02/16/12)
We haven't had a chance yet to read a new book about football in McCook, Nebraska, as well as Linton, North Dakota and Canadian, Texas, but we like the title. "Prairie Blitz: high school football on America's 50 yard line" by David Almany is ready to be released...

Who's in charge? (02/15/12)
I was nearly speechless. Nearly. A news broadcast revealed that somewhere in the United States of America, we now have the school food police. Not just to check on the USDA approved menu items and whether or not they are offered in the appropriate quantities; but to inspect -- and pass judgment on -- whatever is packed in a child's lunchbox from home...

GOP providing entertainment, for now (02/15/12)
LINCOLN, Nebraska -- Retiring U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson spoke up when former Democratic lawmaker Bob Kerrey said he would stay out of the 2012 Senate race. Not to worry, Nelson said, the Ds have viable potential candidates. He was making it up. For Nebraska Democrats, the bright side will be in the short term--watching Don Stenberg and Jon Bruning savage each other...

No shortage of scammers today (02/15/12)
Whatever the issue, there seems like there's someone ready to take advantage of the unsuspecting. The McCook Police Department recently issued a couple of warnings about possible scams that had been brought to its attention. The first involved a company offering home repair insurance, that promised to foot the bill, for instance, if the water line from the city main to your home is damaged. ...

A compassionate volunteer (02/14/12)
Fred is a farmer living a fair distance northwest of this fair city. Unmarried, Fred also owns a nice single-engine airplane that he flies off his farm strip. An innovative kind of guy, he constructed his own hangar using parts from obsolete center pivot irrigation systems and proudly proclaims it to be "mouse proof." That in itself is no mean trick because mice looking for winter shelter can squeeze through the tiniest gap to set up cozy homes in little-used airplane interiors...

Session nearly half over (02/14/12)
The 2012 Legislative session is nearly half over and the Speaker of the Legislature has asked for priority bills to be submitted. The deadline is by adjournment Thursday. This past week Legislative Bill 540 was debated and advanced on the floor and I would like to focus my letter back home on this bill...

Remembering 'Big Red' (02/14/12)
Stephen Spielberg's new movie, War Horse, stirs up memories for me now in 2012. Dec. 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was bombed by Japan. The cavalry division of the Colorado State Guard was activated. I have documents signed by Gov. John Vivian and Gov. Lee Knous of Colorado stating that my father, Ted Hancock, served in the cavalry division until April 1947...

Jail decision welcome, long overdue (02/14/12)
It's no longer a jail, but a "law enforcement center." Whatever the name, the new building on the north side of the Red Willow County Courthouse probably should have been built a couple of decades ago, after the old county jail fell out of compliance with new jail standards...

They're Ba-a-ck: The E-15 critics (02/13/12)
There they go again. Last week, the House Science, Space and Technology Committee approved along party lines a bill that would require the Environmental Protection Agency to commission a study of the ethanol blend E15 before allowing it to be used in vehicles. This will cause an unwise delay in use of this fuel that holds so much promise...

'Help wanted' signs out for truck industry (02/13/12)
By 2018, the United States will need about 2 million people in a job that earns in the mid-30,000s of dollars a year. You don't need a college degree, but you do need to be able to pass a drug screening test, have no felony convictions and have a good driving record...

Nebraskans need tax relief (02/10/12)
Throughout our nation, citizens are focused on one issue -- the economy. One of the best ways to help hard-working, middle class citizens and spur economic development is through tax relief. This year, Nebraska is not the only state focused on tax relief. Kansas, Oklahoma, Idaho, Ohio, Maine, and New Jersey are all debating income-tax cuts this year...

We need a serious budget (02/10/12)
As a former chairman of the House Budget Committee once said, "If you can't budget, you can't govern." Budgeting is one of the most basic things people do. Families and businesses in Nebraska budget every day, figuring out what their needs are and how they are to be met...

Looking a gift horse in the mouth (02/10/12)
A year ago Barack Obama was prime for the picking. The economy was in the tank and as James Carville proposed when Bill Clinton ran for President in 1992, "it's the economy, stupid" because people always vote their pocketbook. Combine the economy with all the character assassination charges being leveled at Obama by every right-wing critic on television and radio and it looked like he was a loser for sure in 2012...

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