Off the Editor’s Spike

by Darryl Wilkinson

If you haven’t ever attended a Farm Bureau annual meeting, perhaps you should. Oh, sure, there was paperwork and resolutions and policies and reports and elections. But it’s hardly a “stuffed shirt” affair, not even when the state president speaks.

Mr. Kruse, or Charlie as he prefers, fits in comfortably here. I’ll bet the same goes for those times he’s standing before legislative committees at Jefferson City or Washington, D.C., and even the Missouri Supreme Court if need be. Friendly, confident and in command of the issues that count.

When Charlie looked around the Christian Church fellowship hall, he wasn’t looking at the new walls and attractive brick exterior. He was seeing the vitality of this community. I appreciated that. And he noted how the Farm Bureau meeting started with the pledge of allegiance and a prayer last night. It wasn’t a remark of apology but of pride.

I guess Charlie’s just my kind of guy.

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Anyone want to bet on whether all those yard signs go down as fast as they went up?

It used to be that seeing a yard sign indicated a recommendation by the property owner. But I’m not so sure. Lots of people simply hate to say “No” when asked. And then there’s plenty of examples when no permission was even asked.

The Missouri Department of Transportation says anyone posting any kind of sign (political, advertising or personal) on the MoDOT right-of-way is illegal and can constitute a distraction or traffic hazzard. MoDOT is not responsible for the cost of the removed materials; all removed signs will be held at the nearest MoDOT maintenance facility until the owners claim them.

You might note, however, that MoDOT’s sign removal procedure does not apply to roadside memorials and crosses because that issue is currently under review. If you’ve got a question or comment about this, you can call the district’s toll-free customer service center at 1-888-275- 6636.

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I’m thankful for this primary election and the good voter turnout. A long list of “what ifs” existed when all the candidates for sheriff on both ballots were in consideration. Now that it’s pared down to just two candidates, questions about peace officer training are moot and a sharper focus can be applied to better issues.

Nobody asked me but I think it’s ludicrous for a candidate to promise increases in staffing without even discussing the budget with the county commissioners, almost as silly as promising to hire deputies on the condition they reside in certain towns as a condition of employment. Such promises sound good, too good to be realistic. I suppose you don’t have to fool all the people all the time; during election campaigns it’s sufficient sometimes. Unfortunately. But not this time.

As far as I know, neither candidate still in the race for sheriff made promises they might not be able to keep. Maybe the primary election process works after all.