McCook Daily Gazette: Opinion

A universal headline (02/08/12)
LINCOLN -- It is what you might call a universal headline. At some point, you can find it in pretty much any newspaper in America and most of the world. "Flood aid procedures frustrate ..." read a Nebraska newspaper this week. Change "flood" to whatever's appropriate. School aid. Fire aid. State aid. Food...

I want to be just like you (02/08/12)
My mother had beautiful hands. They were small and delicate and her fingers were perfectly tapered and ended with nails women today pay a small fortune for. My hands are perfectly functional, but rather large, with oversized knuckles. My fingers are long without a hint of a taper, but I can grow the same nails, although I can seldom be troubled to maintain them. ...

CDC: Sodium comes from surprising source (02/08/12)
Nine out of 10 of us consume more sodium than we should, that's no surprise. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most of us take in about 3,300 milligrams of sodium per day, about twice the recommenced 1,500 milligrams per day for people 51 and older, before we even reach for the salt shaker...

Shame on someone (02/07/12)
There may be a dog on the loose in the area of the 600 block of West Fourth. My cat is dead in the garage, reached by entering through the pet door. The tracks in the snow tell the story. Shame on someone. McCook, Nebraska...

Shooting cougars (02/07/12)
Regarding "When the animals can shoot back" in Gazette's Feb. 2 issue: Was this printed as a serious suggestion? That "Permits could be offered through an auction" to kill the 20 or so cougars left around Nebraska and "imagine what some hunters would pay for a permit to kill a mountain lion, and either have it mounted or have it made into a 'rug' type of trophy."...

My great race (02/07/12)
And the winner is: The Airlines! It wasn't a great race, just a trip from McCook, Nebraska to Greensboro, N.C. to fetch a newly purchased Cessna 182, Skylane, and fly it back to McCook with the new owner. Sleepy-eyed, I departed McCook at 4 a.m., drove to North Platte and boarded Great Lakes to make connections in Denver. ...

Essential Air, new slogan, web page good combination (02/07/12)
McCook has dodged a bullet in its battle to stay competitive in the economic development battle. On Monday, the Senate gave final congressional approval to the Federal Aviation Administration Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act, which includes continued funding for Essential Air Service subsidies for McCook...

Looking out for Nebraska's military bases (02/06/12)
Efforts to cut federal spending are underway in Washington. My hope is they will yield results because the deficit is entirely too large and spending has been out of control for too long. Like anything, the cuts must be done wisely and fairly. Take defense. At the end of January, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta requested a new base realignment and closure commission (BRAC) as a part of the fiscal year 2013 defense budget...

Smoke poison ivy? (02/06/12)
Dear Editor, Some folks may use a Bible verse as an excuse to use marijuana. I'll use a Bible verse as a reson not to. "Everything is permissable" -- but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissable" -- but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others (I Cor. 10:23,24 NIV). Folks should read the whole Bible, not just one verse...

Too many drivers still unbuckled (02/06/12)
Seatbelts have been standard equipment in cars for nearly 50 years, but too many of us leave them unbuckled. It took a combination of nagging and tough law enforcement, but an estimated 85 percent of Nebraska drivers wore safety belts in 2010, according to the Nebraska Department of Roads...

Reformed Essential Air Service vital for rural Nebraska (02/03/12)
When talking to residents in the Third District, issues of access are often discussed: access to health care, veteran services, and, certainly, transportation. One important initiative which facilitates transportation access is the Essential Air Service (EAS). ...

Nebraska Business Hall of Fame (02/03/12)
We have a bold and strategic vision to make Nebraska the ideal place to create jobs and grow a business, the best place to obtain an education for students of all ages, and the perfect place to raise a family. We've made fundamental investments in education and the economic vitality of our state and as a result Nebraska has made significant progress and we have consistently ranked in the top 10 as a business-friendly state...

A lot, a little, or none (02/03/12)
We've been under a winter storm watch for two days and a blizzard warning for one. Rain was supposed to change over to snow at midnight last night and accumulate 3 to 7 inches by daybreak but, as I write this at 5 a.m. on Friday morning, it's 37 degrees with light rain falling...

Few arguments on need to cut deer population (02/03/12)
Hunting is getting a lot of attention in the Legislature this session, with committees considering a bill to allow hunting of mountain lions, one to allow farmers to kill one antlerless deer for every $1,000 in crop damage caused by deer and another bill to create a deer donation program to help feed low-income Nebraskans and prison inmates...

Groundhog, National Weather Service both make dire predictions (02/02/12)
Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his den in Pennsylvania to see his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter. He won't get much of an argument around Southwest Nebraska. If predictions come true, it might be six weeks before we see the ground again, never mind our shadows...

'Luck' worthy of a big bet (02/02/12)
David Milch and Michael Mann are -- taken separately -- two of the more dynamic forces in film and television. Milch, with his unique, intricate writing style, has been a creative force in television for a few decades now. From his breakout work on the grandfather of modern police dramas, "Hill Street Blues," to his breakthrough efforts, with another all-time great cop show in "NYPD Blue" and the acclaimed revisionist Western "Deadwood," Milch's bonafides are enviable...

Who goes there? (02/01/12)
It had been a particularly challenging week and I was delighted when bedtime arrived Friday night and I could turn the radio alarm clock to the off position. Even without a nudge from that appliance, I started waking up, right on time, but repeatedly settled back into a deep sleep, reminding myself over and over again that it was Saturday morning and I could sleep as late as I wanted...

Yes, it really is still winter (02/01/12)
With the shirt-sleeve weather -- we tied the record high temperature, 70� on Monday -- it's been easy to forget we're in the middle of winter. Mother Nature is promising to give us a good reminder on Groundhog Day, no matter what Punxsutawney Phil says Thursday, with the arrival of a winter storm...

Extending limit to three terms a good idea (02/01/12)
It's not as good as an outright repeal of term limits, but Sen. Tom Carlson's proposed constitutional amendment to limit lawmakers to three back-to-back terms is a step in the right direction. Nebraska voters approved term limits of two consecutive terms in 2000, which went into effect in 2006. Senators can run again if they sit out one term...

Getting the scoop (01/31/12)
There was an interesting letter to the editor this past week from a lady who bravely signed her name Dixie Kofler. She suggested, possibly tongue in cheek, that this newspaper run a "gossip page" for all the different businesses/agencies in the community. ...

Bedbugs make unfortunate comeback (01/31/12)
"Good night, sleep tight, don't ..." well, you know the rest. Unfortunately, what used to be a fun bedtime rhyme for kids has turned back into real advice, thanks to the resurgence in bedbugs. The problem, which came into the spotlight with discoveries of the parasitic insects in hotels and motels, came closer to home this week with news that bedbug-sniffing dogs were being called into University of Nebraska dorms and a fraternity to deal with the critters...

Good substitute (01/30/12)
I'm writing about Stan White's thoughtful letter: "God-given plant" (1-27-12). Is there any legitimate reason that a natural herb that has never killed anybody should be classified the same as heroin? I think not. Marijuana is a good substitute for potentially deadly painkillers such as Vicodin and is also a substitute for alcohol...

Pot and free will (01/30/12)
Re: Stan White "God-given Plant" 27 Jan. Marijuana prohibition contravenes the God given right to free will, to liberty secured by the U.S. Bill of Rights, the Canadian Charter of Rights And Freedoms and the United Nations Declaration of Human rights...

No sign of recession in local construction (01/30/12)
If there's a recession in the construction industry, somebody forgot to tell McCook. The latest sign came this weekend with the demolition of a small house next to the McCook Public Library, purchased for possible future expansion by the Library Foundation. For now, it will serve as much-needed parking, and the library plans to add an elevator to allow better use of the existing basement...

Nebraska's proud military tradition (01/30/12)
Looking out over a gathering of about 200 people in late January as I sat in an auditorium waiting to speak, my thoughts went to Nebraska's proud military tradition. The 200 people were members of the Nebraska National Guard, who had recently returned from Afghanistan, and their families. They were the latest in a long line of Nebraskans who have served their country...

Online Classifieds

Submit Your Classifieds

Posterboard

Upload a Flyer

Home