1. Dates with my little brother
City government is an interesting case study. Lately, it fascinates me. In a series of recent weekly vignettes, I saw the exchange of pointed inquiry steeped with business psychology.
Today in Sparks City Council, Mike Carrigan took his characteristic stance on the edge of his chair, hunched over, and periodically stabbing his pen in the air toward the object of his inquiry.
It was a riveting case of reverse cross examination. A representative from Waste Management sat before a panel of council members under a barrage of questioning. The city of sleepy old
Waste Management is involved in a controversy over an exclusive franchise agreement with the city. The issue seems to be a no-win situation for all parties. If Waste Management is granted a franchise agreement for the entire waste stream it would effectively lock out smaller trash hauling companies from the industry. Steve Duque, the owner of CastAway Trash hauling, would lose a decent chunk of his commercial business and might have to resort to Top Ramen to feed his family.
On the other hand, if Waste Management doesn’t get the whole chunk of the business pie they will have to raise residential rates by almost 38 percent. In that case, they would take commercial business out of the model entirely, assuming that none of those customers would use Waste Management.
From my vantage point at the back wall of the room, you could see the beads of sweat coming from his forehead. He was a business man through and through – his strong voice never cracked and his responses were bold and professional. But man, was he under the gun.
This is the exciting part of my job. The drama and excitement tempered by professionalism is fascinating. What is more, this is the foundation of our democratic process. Too often we do see the strong arm of the government flex its muscle and hand down dictates and unfunded mandates. But then we see the process play out in debate and it restores my faith in our government.
Be critical, jab your pen into the air, chew butt on both sides of the issue and don’t be afraid to ask the hard questions. It is the basis of your rights and a privilege that needs to be fiercely protected and exercised!
My comments do require a little justification. With that said, I am excited to get back to the norm - where city council acts as a great sleep aid.
I love the Fourth of July! The smiles, the sun, the beach, the smell of barbecue - everything is amazing. Once every year I get to spend a few beautiful hours, outside, with some of the people I love the most in the whole world. To me, that is heaven.
As the sun goes down, we all sit there and catch up on life. We have been going to the same place every Fourth since the ‘kids’ were all little. Now most of us are married and one of the group is expecting her first set of twins!
But a funny thing happens when the fireworks start to shoot out from the top of the Nugget. No matter how young or old, our eyes all get just as big and we all sit there enjoying the show and loving the fact that we are together.
I watched my little brother and his best friend, who I love as if he were family, peer at the fireworks over the tops of 3-D glasses. Their eyes were so big! The youngest boy’s mouth formed a breathy “wow” as the colors rocketed into the air. Then I looked around at all the people perched on their lawn chairs, enjoying the show. Our little crew had grown over the years as we adopted a couple of “in-laws” and extended our definition of “family.” But no matter how much we grow, the feeling is still the same. Words can’t express how much I love those family and friends.
What a manic day. There came a point in the heat of the afternoon when us girls at the Trib were running all over
My editor had warned his all female staff a while back that if we didn’t bring a pair of comfy tennies to work that we might end up regretting it. And there I was, running to an appointment with two-inch spikes strapped to my feet. Oh, I looked amazing, and at the end of the day my feet (surprisingly) don’t hurt. But, heck it is hard to run in those things!
The bitter taste of nausea is starting to accompany the landslide of election coverage that I am seeing on the big news networks. All the talk of Cindy McCain’s cookies, Michelle Obama’s stint on the View and Bill Clinton’s dirty mouth have all added up to annoying nasally background noise that makes Lindsey Lohan look interesting.
My recent distaste for the election hoopla might spawn from the fact that I have been immersed in it for so long. It is my job to find tidbits of truth in the muck, wash them off and present them in pure form to the rest of the world – or just the handful of people who read the Sparks Tribune.
Unfortunately, it is a time-tested fact that politics always ends up making its way into the mainstream media drenched in the muck. As I am spoon fed the latest gossip on Hillary and Barack, it begs the question, why do I care?
Coming home from work today I saw the moving van pull up at a neighbor’s home. She is a single mother with three kids, trying to support them as a part-time realtor. I learned that, for the first time, they will be moving into a house. You should have seen the look on the little girls face as she talked about it incessantly.
Something came through the wire the other day about Starbucks closing 600 stores nationwide. My first thought was for Carrie, the manager at the Starbucks down the street who had gotten to know us news hounds by name and always seemed excited to see us.
The other day I decided to take a walk around my neighborhood instead of driving 30 minutes south of town to my favorite hiking spot. The gas would have just been too much.
To me, that is politics. The policies and plans that these candidates actually implement could change the world that my little neighbor girl lives in. How will this effect her, my neighborhood or me? Whether Cindy McCain’s cookies are her own recipe or a Toll House reproduction really has no bearing on my life. Give me political news I want to know.
