WCMessenger.com: Inside Wise

Major safety issue ...

Anyone with a lick of sense realizes that the one primary entrance to the new Decatur High School off College Avenue demands a stop light.

So why hasn't the Texas Department of Transportation - specifically the local office - started work on a light? It's not like the beautiful new building, which will have almost a thousand young drivers entering and exiting next fall, suddenly appeared on the landscape.

We know the likely answer ... they need to conduct a year-long study or a traffic survey before they spend a penny to install a light. But you and I both know that light will be needed. It's called common sense.

Losing can make you sick ...

Do you ever wonder why someone would run for county office? Consider this:

The pay has improved dramatically in the past five years. The benefits - auto allowance, insurance and retirement - are pretty darn good, not to mention lots of holidays.

Then there's the vacation and sick leave policy ... wait, there's no vacation or sick leave policy. In other words, you can take a six-week vacation or stay home for weeks with hay fever or never even show up.

That sort of behavior isn't taken very well by voters and results in a "throw out the rascal" attitude the next time his or her name appears on the ballot.

But what about that kind of behavior after an elected official loses in a primary or runoff election?

That leaves nine or 10 months for the losing official to simply take off without consequence.

It's a problem which concerns elected officials in Wise County. Simply put, they know that county government doesn't get much respect as it is, and if one of their own takes advantage of the system it reflects badly on everyone.

Outside Wise ...

Former Sheriff Phil Ryan and current Sheriff David Walker said they wanted to try their hands and minds at writing a version of Inside Wise.

So, we said go ahead ...

They decided their comments would be known as "Outside Wise."

First, Ryan's words ....

Things we hear about but never see: Unit system, long range plan, school financing, significant rain event.

Things we wonder about:

How can everyone in the county live on the worst road in the county?

How can people vote straight party when they won't even buy apples by the bag for fear of getting a bad one?

What is the definition of "Good Old Boy?"

From Walker, we get a similar dialogue ...

Quote of the week: "Why do we pray for rain, and then complain about the mud?"

Why do parents threaten to call the police on their kids when they have done something wrong, yet when the kids need help they are also told to call police?

Why won't the schools take care of the kids that talk in class instead of asking law enforcement to do so?

We hear all about people wanting to diet and lose weight, when exercise is the real answer - especially when the first three letters in diet may be what you get if you are not careful.

Who do we trust - the politicians or the letter writers when it comes to elections? Will the concerns be the same in four years, will the citizens be happy, or are they just expressing their frustration over some "political" decision. As the world turns in politics, could the letter writers do any better than those in office? Can a road be paved, a subdivision approved, a traffic ticket wiped out, a case refused, tax appraisal reduced, an ambulance bill lowered to make everyone happy again?

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Our response to Ryan and Walker .... leave the writing to us and we won't carry a gun.