What is that Noise?

While sitting on my back deck enjoying the HOT dry weather, I heard a noise.  But it could not be the noise I heard.  That noise I heard was a mower cutting grass.  My lawn is short, dry, and looks more like straw then grass.  My mower has not been seen for many weeks, so what was this noise I heard?

The Lake County Dept. of Transportation had sent a worker out on a tractor towing a mower to cut the few weeds that have grown since the last time they cut the parkway.  I walked out to see these weeds that must be cut and it was hard to see the difference since last they cut these weeds.  He made not one pass, not two passes but three passes to cut these weeds that must be cut.

This may sound funny but not when you consider the wages and gasoline used to cut these hard to see weeds.  Do you think there might have been other duties, jobs and tasks this man on the mower might have done?

Glad to be Back!

Your Lake County Central blogger has been to Europe to see how they live.  Very nice people, good food, beautiful countryside, historic sites, and socialist governments.

Whenever a problem pops up the first question asked is what will government do to resolve the problem?   A local radio reporter asked a member of parliament why it was taking several years for government to approve or disapprove an industry permit that would bring needed jobs?  In response the member of parliament said he was not office during the previous years in question but things would be resolved in good order now.  When pressed on what he would be doing to get the permit, the member of parliament said any pressure on his part to the permit office would be seen as an abuse of his office on the permit process.  In other words the government bureaucrats will not be bothered by the elected representatives of the people.

A large portion of the people over there are looking for public services but at the same time do their best to avoid paying taxes owed to the government.  They see government as corrupt, with no way to improve or influence it.  Corruption in government at the national or local level is seen as the norm, with only the rare occasion of someone being caught and being brought to justice. 

At the same time loud voices are heard asking for more public services and money to be spent on a variety of problems.  No matter what the problem, local or national the first questioned asked is what will the government do to solve it?

Does this start to sound familiar to you?  In this country have we started to forget:  "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."  

Think about that this November.