I was thrilled in 1999 when the Kokomo Tribune allowed me to spread my wings as a local columnist! It was in November of that year when my first articles were published.
The fact that there are more than 750 lobbyists in Indianapolis and many thousands more in Washington is hardly a secret. Sure, lobbying is an integral part of our democratic process – people seeking out elected officials to argue in favor or against specific policy measures.
It seems to me that the older I get, the shorter the day is. And the nights are for the birds, as I have to fight my way to sleep.
I have been reluctant to engage in the squabbling over the accuracy of the stimulus figures because I believe it is more important to focus attention on the underlying “rob Peter to pay Paul” reality of Washington’s endeavor.
I’m picturing holiday weather outside frosty windows, and a party inside. Friends grab handfuls of trail mix.
Back in February, Eric Holder – the country’s first black attorney general – announced that we were a nation of cowards because, “we, as average Americans, simply do not talk enough to each other about race.” Holder is right.
Kokomo Firefighters Local 396 president Rick Daily and two city department heads gave state legislators their collective opinion of the property tax caps during a forum this week.
When I was 13, I started baby-sitting for the children who lived next to door to me back in New York.
I turn 28 soon but for a few days this week, it felt a lot more like 108.
I want to talk about the place where my dad and I both worked. It was called Continental Steel, and it truly was the backbone of this city of Kokomo.
When the going gets tough, the tough get going — that seems to describe Jimmie Johnson’s Sprint Cup team.
Since NASCAR changed the method by which a champion is crowned, the California-born driver and the Lowe’s Chevrolet racing team out of the Hendrick Motorsports stable has excelled in the 10-race Chase.
There’s about one half-inch on my entire body that doesn’t hurt.
It’s just behind my right ear.
Is paying your sister’s entry fee for the 500 Festival Mini Marathon for her birthday like a husband buying his wife an iron for Christmas?
Remember these headlines, “Letterman Regrets Telling Jokes About Palin's Daughter,” “Governor Regrets Remarks on Race,” and, more recently, “Van Jones Steps Down.” Jones had to resign because he suggested “… a government role in the Sept. 11 attacks and [made] derogatory comments about Republicans.” Jones said, “If I have offended anyone with statements I made in the past, I apologize.”
Have you given thought to what you have stored in your book of memories?
I always thought it would be cool to have something named after me: Like the Misty Knisely School for Kids Who Can’t Read So Good.
There are several issues regarding Kokomo’s taxi business venture that need to be discussed.
Who is going to pay the excess costs of operating a government-run taxi business after the stimulus money runs out?
This summer, I made a trip to Washington, D.C., and several trips to Chicago. I usually cannot wait to see the sign that reads “Welcome to Indiana.” Nothing quite like being “back home again in Indiana.”
Only at the Kokomo Tribune can you sniff a package of plastic-wrapped powdered doughnuts and it be not only OK, but endorsed by a co-worker.
It sounds horrible to say that I’m glad the final Kennedy died.
As a board certified physician, specializing in bariatrics as well as restorative and functional medicine, I have seen firsthand the devastation of metabolic syndrome and obesity. The article published by the Tribune really hits the nail on the head.
These days, I know there are many more “important” things to discuss than Nora Ephron’s new film, “Julie & Julia.”
Serving as board president and spokesperson for the Board of Trustees of Kokomo-Center Township Consolidated School Corp., I, Joe Dunbar, wish to share with our patrons that Mr. Harold Canady’s recently published letter to the editor is one board member’s opinion, and not the opinion of the total board.
It’s a question parents dread. But sooner or later, every youngster will want to know: “Where do mascots come from?”
A police officer stopped a night driver with an inoperative headlight. After the officer began chatting over the rolled-down window, he noticed a collection of knives in the back seat.
It seems to me that polls and research on topics that are not of any benefit to a large number of us are not needed.
In the Chicago area, we generally referred to carbonated soft drinks as “soda.” We might say “soda-pop” or “pop.” But we would never call an orange soda-pop a “coke,” as one might in central Indiana. “Coke” might refer to an off brand of cola, but it meant some kind of cola – usually “The Real Thing,” Coke itself. A Pepsi meant a Pepsi, an RC an RC, etc.
This week, I am going to go out on the limb and relate my thoughts on ways to live a little cheaper and still maintain a somewhat usual daily existence.
Have you wondered how you, as a parent, can improve your child’s vocabulary? What about helping your child improve academically?
Despite all its flaws — and there are many — conservatives would be wise to recognize that the Republican Party remains the most effective vehicle to advance their values.
I have recently grown more and more frustrated by the lack of coverage in our local newspapers concerning cap-and-trade legislation of carbon dioxide.
Sometimes when I get into a verbal scrap with a friend, he’ll say: “What makes you think you’re so smart?” It’s a good question. The truth is that I am incredibly dense about so many things.
It seems every day we hear of people who just could not take life anymore and decided to end theirs.
It’s amazing the lengths conservatives will go to defend the right-wing status quo.
A good example was a Wall Street Journal editorial on June 24.
My wife walked in the house last night at 10 p.m. I had been watching my 27th documentary on Michael Jackson’s life, so I figured I could miss one more clip from “Thriller.”
According to Internet sources, 18 doctors are named “Dr. Doctor,” in our country, and one is named “Dr. Surgeon.” I hate to think how many ministers are named, “Pastor Parson” or “Pastor Shepherd.”
I was asked by my readers to relate some of my memories of the past. So here goes with what I remember of those wonderful days of my childhood.
Memories are to me as gold was to Midas. As long as I have my memories, and I have the chance to share them with you as part of the older generation to the younger generation, I have my gold.
When news broke about South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford and his affair with a woman from Buenos Aires, I was in a meeting near a television set. As the story unfolded during the governor’s fascinating press conference, I said, “Whenever another one of these guys gets caught, it really brightens my day.”
When are we as a united country going to run our country with united representatives, there to do what is actually good for the country and not so good for those fat cats who have never worked a job, other than the one as a person of politics?
Sometimes I chuckle when I peruse news headlines. I am not envisioning those newspaper headline bloopers, like:
Though predictable, it was no less despicable. Just a day following the heinous murder of the country’s foremost practitioner of infanticide, George Tiller, radical antihuman rights activists on the left were already condemning the entire pro-life movement for facilitating the incident.
Why is it that there are some people out there out of work, yet they’re too lazy to put out a garden so that there can be food to eat?
I have served the church I pastor for 26 years. Although the last 10 or 12 can best be described by the word “pleasant,” a few of my earlier years were anything but pleasant. Conflicts, negative personalities, people with agendas and problems made me wonder whether I could stick things out – and sometimes I barely did.
This is the time of year I like the most.
Each year I go out to the lot behind the house to get my garden area fertilized and prepared for the plants that I will grow for the year.
I have plenty of opinions – a prerequisite for anyone writing regularly for the “Opinion Page.” Yet some of my opinions do not provide enough material (or interest) for a column, so I occasionally splice a series of mini-columns together and call the hybrid, “My Opinionettes.”
We start out in life with the training of our parents, with whom God entrusted us, and the teachers in the schools where we begin our education. Mom and Dad will not always be there, but the training they put you through will always be their part of your growing up.
I miss those days of old. I miss my parents and my old childhood friends.
Most of them have been called Home. I won’t see them again until God decides that I have been around long enough – that I have endured enough pain in my body and my heart.
Time for another look at a little-known roadside stop right here in Indiana. This time I found a gem on my way to Chicago where Hoosier John Schreiner has just what the doctor ordered – prescribed might be a better word. His History of Pharmacy Research Center in Griffith, just south of Gary, is the culmination of a lifelong (excuse the expression) addiction to drug store memorabilia.
“You know, except for the mustache, you look a lot like my mother,” one man said to another.
A reader told me recently that I should write something I know about, instead of showing the world that I am dumb about how our system works here in America.
A couple of recent local TV news segments have me scratching my head. One station did a story on how to save money when dining out.
We have a day set aside to honor the link between God and us, and it is called “Mother’s Day.” That is our way of letting the world know that our mothers are among the most treasured of all people.
My wife complains about it. I brag about it. I think I’m one of those gifted men who can do it any time I want, day or night.
Watching American economics – particularly the automotive sector – is like watching a psychedelic pattern spin around. Crazy, man, crazy.
I had many responses from a recent column. I’m 72 years old, and that is young compared to many of my readers.
Albert Einstein once said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
A music director was having trouble with his drummer. He confronted him repeatedly, but his performance did not improve.
While at a funeral of a member of our family, a nice couple came up to me and asked if I was the one who wrote columns for the Tribune. I told the gentleman, yes, and he said he reads all of them, and that made me feel good.
I got some great news the other day about my new book “Mornings with Barney.” A European publisher has bought the rights and the book will be translated into German. I was so excited about this that I couldn’t decide if I wanted to celebrate by indulging in a hearty Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier or throw all caution to the wind and just inhale an entire Black Forest Chocolate cake at the Heidelberg Café.
Since I was a youngster, I have discovered that there are many out there who do not value what life is and why we are here. You might call it disrespect, but I call it wrong.
It is well known that developing early reading skills is crucial to children’s success in school. Children who enter school with large vocabularies start school ahead of children who haven’t been exposed to a rich language environment.
How do you, the parent, help your child have a large vocabulary?
I trust Scott Futerfas remembers how I like my steak cooked.
Although The Quarry opened on a small scale last week, Scott Futerfas may discover Monday if he’s building customer trust.
If he’s not, he should call Rick Doran.
As I reported last week, I started a Scrabble competition on Facebook with my sister in New York. For legal reasons, this word game is called Lexulous, but it’s too hard to say Lexulous, so if the Scrabble people want to sue, let them come and get me. I’ll have a few choice words for them, none of which are acceptable – and not because they’re proper nouns.
For many of us, this is a solemn time of year. Many Christian Kokomo Tribune readers have or will spend time in worship today, as we commemorate what we consider to be the most important event of history: the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
As a man of 72 years of age, you might think that I have seen it all, but I haven’t yet.
I go back many times to when I was growing up in a large family, and I feel good about what I received.
I moved last weekend.
Here’s my monthly look at offbeat, little-known stuff going on in Indiana. This time it’s a warning for bar hoppers: There are three pubs in Indiana where after a few Bud Lites, you could end up with crabs.
I was raised in Cicero, Ill. – at one time the Mafia capital of America. As a boy, I used to deliver papers to the house that, at one time, belonged to Al Capone.
My sister and I have been playing Scrabble against each other on the computer. Linda lives in New York and things must be pretty dull out there because this is apparently the biggest thing to hit the Big Apple in years.
I knew it was going to be a bad day when I asked my friend what size shirts he wore. He responded, “Extra Medium.” OK, it didn’t really happen, but opening lines are tough to come by!
Lately I have read columns and heard broadcasts by well-known people who say they want President Obama to fail in all the things he is trying to do.
For years, the Howard County Council, as many others in the state do at budget time, made reductions in budget lines with the knowledge that additional funding will be needed in the future.
Certain topics inevitably lead to an argument. Religion and politics should be avoided at work and social gatherings.
An interesting e-mail came my way, entitled, “You might be from Illinois if ...” It began with these witticisms: “If your last governor is headed for prison and the governor before him is already there, you might live in Illinois. If your latest U.S. senator lied to get the job, you might live in Illinois.”
There’s no question that we are in a time of uncertainty, and how we deal with it has been difficult for many to decide. When you are in what we are today, you start worrying about how you’ll buy food and keep your home.
The feud between Obama Democrats and Rush Limbaugh is getting old.
I turned 62 last week. It wasn’t the kind of turn I was looking forward to. I was actually hoping for a U-turn, but I guess I should be happy to be moving forward and enjoying the ride.
In three days, this writer will have been married to a pretty, blue-eyed lady named Ramona for 52 years.
“I really think you need to do this,” said Mary Ellen the other night. Fact is, she’d been pestering me about it for weeks.
“Look, I’m too old for this. Can’t I just take up skydiving or get a motorcycle?”
“No, I think you need to learn how to blog.”
We did not want to hear the news that the AP broke Monday: “The Dow Jones industrial average plummeted below 7,000 at the opening bell and kept driving lower all day, finishing at 6,763 — a loss of nearly 300 points ... It hadn't traded below 7000 since October 1996.”
In our family, our grandpas both died at an early age in separate traffic mishaps. Most of us never had the chance to know them.
Time again for another oddity I’ve uncovered in my travels around Indiana for the third edition of “Indiana Curiosities.” This trip takes us to Miami County:
A man walked into his bank to cash a $100 check. “What denomination?” the clerk asked.
It seems to me that a day cannot pass without hearing about some poor soul being scammed out of a lot of money.
There are terrible people out there who prey on all of us – waiting to get a chance to take our hard-earned assets and put us on the street of despair.
I was talking to a friend of mine who runs a small bookstore. Like most small business owners recently, he has seen a drop in business and profit and was looking for suggestions. So I gave him one.
The Feb. 14 paper carried two articles that jumped out at me: a page one story about road construction and a page A7 one about General Motors and Chrysler. Both were reminders we are in the midst of an economic crisis more severe and widespread than most can remember.
If President George Washington were alive today, he would be blowing out 277 candles on his birthday cake! Like Abraham Lincoln, Washington is one of our few larger-than-life presidents.
We are right in the middle of the 2009 session of the Indiana General Assembly, and there are many issues that draw a large amount of public comment.
With all the problems we have these days, we probably will have to bring back some of those of the older generation to get us out of it.
Imagine if your library were suddenly plucked from your community. Most of us would feel a terrible loss.
Unfortunately, nearly 400,000 Hoosiers need not imagine; they do not have access to a public library.
One size never fits all, whether it is T-shirts, bathrobes or libraries. But that is the recommendation of the Kernan-Shepard commission.
The issue of forced school consolidation is an issue that impacts all Indiana schools and communities. Recently Gov. Mitch Daniels stated, “In the interest of our children, we must reduce the number of school bureaucracies
Work hard, we tell our kids, and you can go far. Work hard, and you can be whatever you want to be. Maybe even governor or president.
There has been a lot of discussion recently about Governor Daniels’ proposal, as presented in the Kernan-Shepard report, regarding restructuring county government. Having spent 16 years as a county commissioner in Howard County, I’d like to offer a “good vs. bad” analysis on the subject.
This writer was asked to elaborate on something I wrote a couple of columns ago, and so here are my comments.
Last week, I got this note from my brother in New York:
“Dick,
“Did you know that chicken wings are going up in price due to a shortage of chickens? I’ve been warning everyone about this for years.
Two female nurses were gossiping about a third.
I complain constantly that I live so far from my parents. I only get to see them two or three times a year, which is a bummer because my mom and stepdad are truly two of my favorite people in the world. Sadly, they are 14 hours away by car and several hundred dollars away by plane.
The other day, I received something interesting in the mail. It wasn’t an exotic postcard from Maui; it was a thank-you note for a recent purchase I had made.
“Dear Mr. Wolfsie,
“Thank you for buying a new Oreck. We hope it brings you many years of vacuuming pleasure. Please call us about hosting an Oreck party today.
“Your friendly Oreck sales team”
In my opinion, American society is always getting better and worse. Two hundred years ago, families were stronger, churches fuller and taxes lower – but multitudes were enslaved (African Americans) or the victims of genocide (the American Indians).
The waters are muddy: It can be challenging to distinguish what is actually a good change from the not-so-good one.
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