Some Of Us Have The Spirit Of The Energizer Bunny
I think of retirement on Monday mornings.
It’d be so good to sleep in and forget about going to work for the next five days.
Then, reality sinks in. It’d be good for a week or so, but I’d miss the grind and the contacts. I’d hate to become an old geezer who fades into the background until he isn’t even a shadow of himself. God willing, I want to be at my keyboard until the end.
That’s why guys like Post Falls businessman Bob Templin and Secretary of State Pete Cenarrusa inspire me.
In 1983, Bob, then 63, could have taken the money and quit after he lost Western Frontiers. Instead, he pioneered the hospitality business in Post Falls. Now, at 74, he could quit again, after the sale of Templin’s Resort to Cavanaugh’s. But he called Monday to talk up a potential effort to reduce the state’s supermajority, so we can pass bond elections to build adequate school buildings.
Pete, on the other hand, isn’t ready to quit at 80, after 31 years on the job. Noting he has a colleague in North Carolina who’s served more than 50 years, Pete says: “I guess it’s not time to go yet.”
I hope I have the energy and drive Bob and Pete do when I reach their age. In fact, I’d settle for that enthusiasm when I reach next Monday.
Just how much is local control worth?
So, Idaho Senate Education Chairman Gary Schroeder of Moscow wants the state, not property taxes, to pay the $5.9 million annual tab for North Idaho College. And college officials are balking? C’mon. NIC officials fear the community will lose local control if all the funding comes from Boise, as it does for the two-year programs offered by three of the state’s fouryear colleges. Interim President Ron Bell, for example, said it’s important that Kootenai County residents help fund the Coeur d’Alene college. Then, that’s easy for him to say. He’ll be long gone while we’re still paying the freight. It’s one thing to approach the fine print in Schroeder’s bill with caution. But it’s another to undercut possible tax relief. I hope that’s not happening here.
‘The Pack’ satisfied us losers
There’s nothing as satisfying as watching your favorite pro sports team win a world championship - unless, of course, it’s watching an underdog like Denver beat a buddy’s team. In that case, you still can become emotionally involved in the outcome of a Super Bowl, knowing that an upset means you can taunt your friend until spring training begins. It’s a guy thing.
, DataTimes MEMO: D.F. Oliveria’s “Hot Potatoes” runs Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can comment on the items by calling (800) 344-6718 or (208) 765-7125, or by sending e-mail to daveo@spokesman.com.