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Meyer's Malarkey

One wonders why folks get so intense over political issues. Does it really make any difference which candidate is elected? The bureaucracy continues like a steam roller in spite of which party is in power.

Do some really hate Bush for going to war when it seemed like the thing to do at the time it was done? Folks were in agreement. Now they aren't. Would Al Gore have kept the peace by ignoring what was happening, including the terrorism attack on the World Trade Center? Or, would John Kerry have preserved peace? Remember, he voted in favor of the attack on Iraq. One wonders.

Dan Glickman was a Republican before he became a Democrat. He told me he changed party affiliation because it would be tougher to defeat Garner Shriver in the primary, and if he got elected to Congress he'd want to be a member of the majority party (at that time, Republicans were not plentiful in Congress). Then, Glickman related, he got to Washington and discovered that neither party was in charge. He found that bureaucrats ran the place.

A little book arrived full of statistical information about the 50 states and District of Columbia. Kansas looks good, statistically, when compared to others. Mississippi looks bad. So does D.C. Kansas is first in wheat and sorghum production, has better than average schools, is reasonable on taxes, but is a bit low on personal income. We knew that.

Back to politics. Why are same sex marriage advocates so determined to legalize that practice when many folks just "live together" these days without the need for nuptials? Those who go through the trouble of tying the knot officially will untie it within a few years? When you consider many don't get married at all and most of those who do are soon divorced, what's all the fuss about?

This column won't comment on controversial subjects like capital punishment or abortion. They are too dangerous for an elder editor. But it seems strange when some who favor capital punishment are opposed to abortion. Or, some who are in favor of abortion can object to capital punishment.

There are some issues this former editor plans to avoid, including politics.

— BILL MEYER

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