Bumper sticker of the week: Negativeland: Where saying yes is never a possibility.
Quote of the week: ''I would recommend almost dying to anyone. It's a good wake-up call. It's a whole lot more powerful than coffee or drugs.'' The Peever.Com. Bruce Weik
I'm on a roll with these unions. ''One, two, three, four, who's getting booted out the door?'' What a group! This is like a Boy Scout troop with a gay leader. The odds are against them. Maytag votes no contract but not to strike. This must make sense to somebody. Probably management. And why not a 7/8ths majority before a strike instead of 2/3rds? Isn't that a little risky? And Gates. Why not just dump the union and tell management you'll work for minimum wage? Maybe that would keep them in town. It's tough to strike. When Reagan was allowed to replace the air controllers, unions were history. Did any of them think national strike? The union leaders jumped into line faster than a speeding BMW. They sat on their hands, shut their mouths, and sold out the working men and women of this country. You folks ought to keep your union dues and buy something worthwhile, like a ticket to Mexico.
I think the taxpayers should buy Zeller. Actually, I suppose we already have. We just need to claim it as ours. It would be a great place to put politicians: The George Ryan Center for the Politically Insane.
Some good things amongst all this nonsense:--
Fish: This organization goes about its business of feeding the hungry without any fanfare, in a humbling and dignified manner. They are a prize among their non-profit peers.--
Habitat for Humanity: A noble idea. ''There's no place like home.'' Habitat ends up getting a lot of property back and has become one of the largest real-estate holders in America. Giving should have no attachments.--
Family Planning: This is a good place to get some help and advice regarding the wonderful world of sex. Much more practical than ''please don't have sex until you're a Christian.'' They don't make you feel worse than you already do, which seems a requirement for Christian groups.--
Teachers: Imagine having to spend all day with your kid(s)! Teachers get blamed for the dumbing-down of our children. For the real cause, look in a mirror.--
And here's to the drug dealers in Galesburg. I hear you are going to give one day's take every week to sponsor treatment for those you get addicted to your wares. This should certainly help, but I doubt it will ease your conscience much. In fact, I doubt if you have one.
Congratulations to the city council for denying any further funding of the Days Inn Motel (I think? The name changes faster than the weather). Unfortunately, the city council got us into this mess to begin with. Never, ever, TIF a single building. This is what's called ''giving a little help to your friends.'' It probably would be seen as illegal, even with the wide open TIF regulations that exist. At best, it's just plain stupid.
Here's how I sum up the Henderson Street Project: The continuing dumbing-down of main street U.S.A.
Never let it be said that The Peever is not right on some of the local happenings. The Carl Sandburg Board hires the acting President. I ought to run for that Board. The election comes up about once every decade. I could save us, being the taxpayers, a bundle of money. No more pretending. Just take the most logical, local candidate for anything and hire them. No disappointments, no mess, no fuss. As we can see from all the successes we are experiencing in Galesburg and Knox County, the policy of ''keeping it in the family'' has served us well over the years.
Peeverisms:--
The U.S. arms every country in the world and then expects them not to use the weapons against one another, or us. This marks a departure from reality that characterizes mental illness.--
Large companies want to run the world. Enron is a good example of this. Enron actually made what were political decisions in India in order to get a contract to build a power plant. India has huge deposits of coal, so naturally Enron build a natural-gas fired plant. They had connections in Saudi Arabia. This type of thing is normal for a world looking to the profit motive as a way to control itself. It won't happen.--
If you have to hire an attorney, consider shooting yourself as an option.--
I went to Wal-Mart and complained about everything being foreign made. Did they know that all of the clothes they were selling were made in sweatshops overseas and in this country? They had me arrested for shop-lipping.--
On the other hand, right when I thought everything was coming along pretty good, I met my new neighbor.
I thought the April Fool's story on the front page of The Zephyr was great. It surprises me how many people believed it. Either we have a lot of untrustworthy people in charge, or people are just not paying attention to what they read. Either way it scares me.