Veterans We Remember

In 1918, on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, at eleven o'clock in the morning, an armistice was signed that would herald the end of World War I. Today we celebrate that occasion across our great nation and thank all of those who have served in any branch of the service. Whether in peacetime, or while at war, your service was a commitment to your fellow Americans to defend the constitution of the United States of America. We thank you for your service and want you to know that it will never be forgotten.

Remember our soldiers and hold accountable those who would lessen their sacrifice. If the reporter is biased, point out their inaccuracy. If the poet cheapens patriotism, write for yourself. If a protestor has the wrong message, stand up and yell. When a judge is soft on those who would take our liberty, take the gavel from their hand. If the politician would infringe on our right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, then VOTE. Our freedom has been paid for through the sacrifices of others.

God Bless America.

National Park Eliminates Trash Cans, Why?

Today was a great Father’s day. My child woke me up at 8:00. Later in the day, we drove to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) and drove around Cades Cove loop.

We stopped at the Cable Mill and I picked up a piece of trash in the parking lot; because that’s just what I do. When I looked for a trash can, there was not one to be found. So I carried the trash into the small store and asked if they could throw it away. I was told that they removed all of the trash cans. I said, “Excuse me?” That's what my brain defaults to when I hear something so absurd that I can't formulate a response.

The gentleman behind the counter said that they removed all of the trash cans on the site (except I did notice one in the bathroom for “diapers only”). Now, the GSMNP is perhaps one of the cleanest, most pristine, areas that I know. The water is clean, the trails stay relatively trash free, and you don’t notice litter along the roadways. So, what genius decided to make a policy to take the trash cans out of a major destination? How many people carry a trash bag in their car?

If you have a car full of kids and they are eating snacks, drinks, and using plates and napkins, wouldn’t it be a good idea for them to have a place to clean out the car? Wouldn’t it be cheaper to take out the trash everyday than to clean trash up along the roadway?

I’m sure that they have a theory, about how eliminating trash cans is a good idea, to keep the park beautiful; no I’m sorry, really? I can’t even type that line without my brain looking back over the sentence. I’m sure that somewhere in a file is a memo that outlines the rational and I would love to read that and know who signed on the dotted line.

This policy should seriously be reconsidered and I am asking everyone to call the Ranger at (865) 436-7777.

Oh, by the way, while walking back to my car I picked up another piece of trash, yeah, just because that’s the way my father raised me.

Tree Topping Hurts?

Recently the Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB) has been in a battle with a prominent local citizen over their tree trimming policy. KUB has been working on “preventive maintenance” to lessen the effects of storms on power outages; by trimming nearby trees away from the utilities right of way they hope to lessen the power outages caused by trees and limbs falling on power lines during thunderstorms and when it snows.

A prominent local citizen feels infringed upon because one of the trees they want to trim is in his yard. This created a review process that the utility is undergoing to justify their policy and to provide a citizen forum to implement future public policy regarding the protection of KUB’s right of way. So, what does this mean to the average citizen, or more importantly, where will we see utility rates go from here?

Obviously, power outages are inconvenient to us all. They cause accidents when traffic signals fail and they cause hardships on businesses and families. KUB attempts to prevent these outages by clearing away limbs and trees that, during a storm, would blow, sway, or fall and interfere with the power lines themselves.

Preventive clearing of these obstacles is cheaper, because crews are not on overtime and the work can be scheduled in an orderly fashion. If the door is opened for customers to contest this process, then the utility will have to “request permission” from the homeowner before they can clear a right of way they have already compensated the homeowner for in the past. This will lead to higher rates as KUB implements additional procedures and legal obstacles to reduce damage to power lines and equipment. So what is the answer?

Maybe homeowners should have to sign a waiver accepting any liability for the expense of clearing the power line during a storm and assume the liability to citizens for any damage caused by the power outage. Maybe because you were fixing dinner for an important family function or client, you can sue the owner of the tree because they didn’t let KUB prevent the power outage in the first place. Or perhaps KUB should charge the replacement of transformers and power poles to those homeowners that don't keep the right away clear themselves.

In the end, the only ones that will benefit are the lawyers that represent each side.

Shouldn't Everyone be Rated?

Someone recently reminded me of an old joke that goes like this: What do you call the person that graduated last in their class from Medical School? The Answer: Doctor.

We have a news program in town that goes around and looks at restaurants with particular attention paid to their Health Inspection rating. They point out those establishments that didn’t make the grade and why. I have noticed recently that they also point out those that scored exceptionally high in their inspection. One guy in my office used to always point out which restaurants had the worst score that week, saying, “Don’t go there.”

It seems to make sense to me that after a bad score is reported would be just the time to go there. Isn’t the purpose of an inspection to correct the problems? Do you think the manager, or owner, just says, “Whatever?” So why do we look only at restaurants?

Wouldn’t you like to see a rating on other businesses that are inspected? What other businesses are inspected? I know that Hair Salons/Barber Shops are inspected. Do they fair well? What about meat packing/processing companies? The butcher at the grocery, I bet they have inspections.

We could post numbers outside of the building “Rating this Week: 84.” You could just keep driving down the road until you came to a really high score. I ate at a very popular restaurant many years ago and had a roach crawl across my table. As I got up to pay the bill, I expressed my concern to the owner. He responded politely, “Yeah, they sprayed last night.” Shouldn’t that receive a number outside the building?

If we are really so concerned about ratings shouldn’t we know where our Doctor finished in school?

This blog is for entertainment purposes only and is the opinion of the writer. If any names were used, it was only as a reference point and no harm was intended.