YMCA project, coming changes and another attack

Your old columnist made a bit of a mistake last week and I apologize. I mentioned that the team of volunteers that are putting together the large fund to make modernizing improvements to our YMCA would depend on tax money for a backup if they came up short. No! Their plan to meet their goal is to depend only on donations. That is you and I sending a check out of our personal funds. Grannie Annie and I have done just that so let your conscience be your guide if you too haven’t opened your billfold and given them a generous gift.

Yes our communities provide essential services through tax money and here in Nebraska that includes all three: property tax, the sales tax and for the state an income tax. But then we have a host of organizations like our local hospital, the YMCA, our churches and more that are “tax free” and survive strictly on donations. Personally I think that I prefer the donation route as people get interested through being volunteers and being involved also keep an eye on the finances.

If you subscribe to and read our local Gazette Newspaper you may have noticed that weekly fellow columnist Mike O’Dell is participating more often and will probably become our future editor. Or in the words of our current editor Bruce Crosby “I’m trying to work myself out of a job!” He has evidently applied for Social Security and is looking forward to living a more relaxed life along with his wonderful wife Candy who earlier retired from her public relations job at Community Hospital. I wish them luck but could give them a hint.

In my own experience the only difference in “retiring” rather than working full time is that one is just as busy as before it is just that the pay can be a lot less! Like I tell people, and that is experience talking, that I’ve retired five times, but it just hasn’t taken yet.

So welcome Mike to the job of editor. I have worked with him writing short columns for years and enjoyed the experience. Hopefully you dear readers will too.

As most of you know I watch primarily FOX channel for political news. Two assassination attempts against Trump has our news people on maximum alert. Personally I am impressed that two different Secret Service sharpshooters have spotted the danger and took the correction action to stop the shooters before Trump was assassinated. Good people those active Secret Service agents; the ones doing the protecting. I’m not too sure of those higher up and in charge including our current President Biden. Pundits keep talking collusion of those in charge but personally it looks more like incompetence to me. After all they all got on board with DEI for instance to hire for skin color and gender rather than hire for competence.

Best advice that I’ve heard so far and that from a Senator that had been on Seal Team Six. He was suggesting that Trump hire a private protection team, former members of Seal Teams and similar military trained members that know how to protect a person when surrounded by the enemy. Sad that it may come to such.

Looking forward to the Heritage Days activities. The weather guys might not be cooperating, but rain is needed parade or no. We are Nebraskans and will cope one way or another.

That is how I saw it.

Dick Trail