Another long session devoted to alcohol at City Council last Monday even-ing. Council was attempting to formulate a policy on whether to allow booze on city property.

Most in the gallery were against use of wine, spirits or beer in any way shape or form anywhere on city property, especially the Senior Center. Several in-fluential citizens pointed out recent successful events where alcohol was an ancillary part and no misbehavior resulted. In the end the council en-dorsed existing policy where consumption of alcohol on city property is not allowed except under special exception. In plain English that means that council has to grant permission before the event.

During the long discussion on teetotaling, one of my dear sweet friends, Mary Beth Augustyn lectured the council on why they ignored a petition, regarding abstinence at the Senior Center that she had presented several weeks ago.

The petition was signed by, I believe, 85 seniors, who evidently weren't happy to be ignored.  It may be time for a lesson in civics.

We operate as a republic form of government, most commonly mislabeled as a democracy.

From federal on down to local government we elect representatives to do our day-to-day decision making. Once elected and in office, the public no longer has control of the individual council member.

Each councilman is free to vote as he or she deems best for the city. Sure, we the voters can attempt to influence the councilperson's vote by petition, discussion, testimony, cajoling, the written word or any other legal manner, but that official can still vote any way he or she pleases.

We the voter have only one option to force the official to our will and that is to vote him out of office the next time around if we think he votes wrong.

Having a little experience as an elected official I can tell you that it is flat difficult to assess public opinion.

Sure, the aggrieved show up at the regular sessions of the governing body, but there is always a second side of the story which just may be the opinion of the majority of the public, the "silent majority."

So the thing to do is to listen to as many constituents as possible, openly discuss issues over coffee or a beer, read opinions, and in the end vote as you think your mother would want you to vote. You aren't going to please all the people all the time.

 

I had occasion to fly over Greensburg, Kan., yesterday. The pictures [see: http://www.kansas.com:80/static/slides/050507torna... don't lie, the place is devastated. From the air one can see that the twister came from the south and proceeded due north right through the old center of the town.

The west edge of town suffered considerable damage but the center is flat gone! I'm reminded of how the old McCook Army Airbase looked, say, 10 years ago when the foundations and streets were still in place but all the buildings gone.

The east side of Greensburg out around the golf course with large affluent homes and the airport suffered lesser damage.

A farmstead about a half mile north of town displayed what had been a new large steel grain bin that now looks like a wad of crumpled aluminum foil!

We who choose to live on the Great Plains have to be of hardy stock to put up with such damage but keep on keeping on!

 

I was humbled to receive a birthday card signed by a lot of the patrons of Old Sarge's Bar. So Ann and I stopped by and enjoyed visiting with several people that happened to be present.

Some we knew, some we just met. Good people one and all and hospitable to one whom unintentionally slighted their character.

A good lesson for me!