More reasons not to be a politician

Growing up, the possible careers a young child dreams about range from pilot to race car driver, doctor to teacher. My personal choices remain toy-tester, ski-lift operator and chocolate maker -- all sadly yet to be realized. Not surprisingly, politicians rarely rank high on that "what I want to be when I grow up" list. Looking at the current political scene, who could blame a young person from shying away from seeking a political office.

As if we don't have enough fodder with our own council, consider the Lincoln City Council which has been pondering a ban on smoking in restaurants and bars for quite some time. Whether the ban is a good or bad idea remains to be seen. The real amusement comes from the process to get the ban passed. The "Lincoln Smoke Free Air Act" is working its way through the system and has had more changes that the coaching staff at the University. One of the amendments would outlaw smoking in bars and restaurants except in smoking rooms -- that is if a facility can ventilate it properly, can find enough room to either renovate or to expand and can find the funds to do all of this. And by the way, employees wouldn't be required to enter these rooms, so it would be a help-yourself facility. Sounds like my kind of place to go and relax and not get waited on. If that amendment doesn't float, another idea is to allow smoking in bars if their revenue from food sales falls below a certain percentage, yet to be determined. I can see it now. A customer wants to have a snack (and a smoke) with his dinner, but it will push the bar owner over his percentage for the month and consequently, be breaking the law. Sorry, you can't eat tonight. With all these amendments, the real problem lies in enforcement. The "smoking" police are going to be spending their time busting bar and restaurant owners, while their cars get stolen outside. Here's an idea: Pass all the ordinances and let the city council members do the enforcing.

The trial continues in South Dakota for Rep. Bill Janklow, who's accused of second-degree manslaughter after running a stop sign and colliding with a motorcyclist. Again, time will soon tell whether Janklow is guilty or innocent. But if he is found guilty and sentenced to jail, his stint in the House of Representatives will likely be over. I said "likely" because he could still return to Congress. If his sentence is more than two years, he "should refrain" from voting or taking part in committee meetings until his record is cleared or until re-elected, according to committee rules. I had always assumed that a felony kept you from leading our country, but as the rule book says, anything less that two years doesn't really count.

Fortunately for Janklow, he doesn't live in Geuda Springs, Kan., where residents could soon take matters into their own hands, as early as February. The mayor of this small south-central Kansas town stepped up earlier this week and vetoed an ordinance which would have required residents to carry their own firearms and ammunition -- or face a $10 fine, according to an AP story. The city council felt this ordinance was necessary since there is no local police force. After the debate on gun requirements in settled in Geuda Springs, the city council will take up a hotter issue: whether to ban smoking in their bars and restaurants.

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This column is dedicated to Gazette production manager Roger Schmidt, who passed away Thursday. Although Roger had an opinion on every law and bond issue ever considered in McCook, he never took the newsroom's advice to run for public office.

-- Ronda Graff likely will never run for political office -- she doesn't want to be quoted in the paper -- but she's still hoping for a call from Hershey's.