THE FLUB-A-DUB AWARD

July. Finally some heat. Good pool weather. Thank heavens I didn’t turn it into a fish pond.

Cottage takes another stab at the Flub. I like the secretness of it all. They seem to be fashioning themselves after Washington. They always say it’s for the betterment of the employees, that they don’t know what’s going to happen to their lives. We wouldn’t want to scare them. Yea.

The BNSF made a bad mistake endorsing remote control yard trains, but they ain’t about to admit it. Lately, they got more trains on the ground than they got on the tracks. I can hardly wait for the disaster. Probably blame it on terrorists.

Galesburg economic development is usually in the run for the Flub. The school board quietly reported a loss of tax dollars somewhere in the neighborhood of $500,000 last year. They didn’t report that they voted to support the city in giving tax breaks to businesses in Enterprise Zones. When you add up all these incentives, it never comes out to the benefit of the taxpayer, or to city and county tax recipients. Not once have I seen research indicating that TIF districts or Enterprise Zones work to the advantage of the taxpayer. They do help the businesses. Maytag is a prime example. What it is is a modern day crime. Look no further than the Day’s Inn. Then bend over.

How about that Railroad Daze? I never heard a thing about the carnival. Downtown was about the same as any other day. Not many around. What a pathetic mess. We had some acquaintances come into town who stayed at the Ramada. They won’t come back. The place apparently models itself after Railroad Daze: Run down and worn out.

The President of the United States lies to the public in order to justify a war against Iraq, leading to thousands of deaths, and no one seems to much care. Clinton lied about a blow job in the White House and the House impeached him. Makes sense to me.

The Flubs are flying. Bungling is at an all-time high. I never seen so much Mickey Mousing going on in all my life. July’s Flub goes to the ever increasing costs of living in Galesburg. Everything is going up at a time when the city should be paying us to stay here. In a town losing population, how can real estate taxes keep going up? Waste service goes up, even though there is less trash. Sewer service goes up, even though there is less crap. At least, technically speaking. When is it that city hall and county government lose employees to match the declining population? I think it’s all a trick. With everything going to hell in a hand-basket, you’d think things should be getting cheaper. So much for logic. In a world full of Flubs, how is it they all seem to be in leadership positions? Another unanswerable mystery. Kind of like where the hell do all those socks go?