Jealousy

The Broad Ripple lady and her roomie are a couple of teases, what with their tropical bicycle riding pictures and all.

We have a certain amount of snow remaining, even in the sun-drenched areas -- about two feet as of Saturday when the old bridge was snapped on canal hike a few hundred yards from my quarters. There's a little less today, but getting across the field from the house to the water is still snow shoe work.

(No, you can't shoot there. It's inside the village limits and a game preserve to boot. I still carry a belt gun in deference to the cougar rumors.)

Write your critter

Okay, so maybe it is futile, but I still believe telling the truth to legislators is worth doing. This morning's contribution goes to a state rep here in the corn fields.

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Dear _____,

I was taken by a subhead in the Register this morning on the programs labeled "child development."

"Fifty-nine different boards provide oversight of state empowerment efforts. Since 1998, $336 million has been spent, but the number of children helped isn't known."

What on earth does this say about (a) the laws passed by the legislature and (b) the willingness or ability of legislators to pay attention to the results of what they do?

Hiring some people and printing up a new letterhead is not necessarily a good thing, even if everyone screams, "It 's for the children!" A legislator who make this point forcefully is a legislator history will remember kindly.

He could also note that the best child development program is a caring parent with a library card.

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I forgot to remind him that any law or program using "empowerment" in the title is 100 per cent certain to be a scam .

As to the Olympics recently ended:

"While enjoying all this Olympic hoopla, we might note that the original Olympic games were pointedly and specifically non-national. Winners were highly honored as individuals, but no notice was taken of their place of origin. Those old Greeks were touchy and irascible people, but they held that regionalism was inappropriate to athletic competition."

Jeff Cooper seemed to get many things right.

Evading Justice in Massachusetts

Brother Borepatch of Massastan squeeks by. He could have been sent bye-bye for two years for illegal possession of a dangerous object.

H/T to Roberta.