Congress may actually pass an economic stimulus bill this week, which is good news for the short-term needs of the country. There is no question the economy is tottering, and could easily tip over from recession to depression, so a bill that focuses on saving jobs and creating jobs is desperately needed. The good news is that the bill will definitely help achieve some of those aims. The bad news is that it will lay a crushing debt burden on taxpayers for the future, which can only be addressed if government becomes far more efficient in the use of tax dollars than it has in the past. That could very well force, down the road, what many of us have wanted for years, a smaller, more efficient government. But somehow, that doesn't seem likely. Because Congress hasn't figured out that the model for government is, and should be, changing. And the best example is the stimulus package. Despite billions of dollars in cuts, it still contains way too much pork. And some of the cuts (to make way for that pork) seem to make no sense, such as dropping $40 billion to help keep schools from having to fire teachers. That's counter-productive. The bill is supposed to save or create jobs, not leave them threatened. Both sides of the aisle bear the blame. The Democratic leadership rolled over on way too many pet projects among its members, losing sight of the long-term goal of the bill. And Republicans kept insisting on sticking to the same failed policies of the past, and playing the same old games where personal and party political power carried more weight than the needs of the nation. One GOP leader actually admitted his goal for the bill, and the amendments he introduced, were designed to divide the Democrats and make them look bad. So much for caring about the people of this country. Both parties should be ashamed. It is time for Congress to look up from its myopic and petty party power games, and its proclivity for pork, and look at the desperate state of the nation, focusing solely on programs that stand a good chance of meeting the goal of keeping people working. Making things work should be a bipartisan issue. This bill should be about America, not the Republican or Democratic parties. -- Kelly Everitt

Be fire wise this season

Posted Wednesday, June 11, 2014, at 8:02 AM

Winter is over. Spring is rapidly disappearing, and the next season will soon be upon us -- fire season.

Summer sort of takes a back seat as a season in this part of the country. The main purpose of summer, after all, is merely to dry everything out so we can burn the state down.

Nearly a third of Elmore County has burned in the last three years. The worst fires last year, the Pony and Elk Complex fires, were lightning caused. In fact, lightning is a major cause of fires in this area.

But so are humans. We can't do a lot about Mother Nature, but we can do a great deal about the human causes of fires, and the damage that results.

It is absolutely imperative that every person who heads out on to the desert or up into the hills be fire wise. Genuinely think about making sure your activities won't spark a fire.

That means watching your campfires and making absolutely sure they are out.

Don't drive vehicles with catalytic converters out into brushy areas (or anything else that creates high heat or sparks).

You really don't need to shoot at exploding targets -- at least not at this time of year.

If you smoke, do it in your car if at all possible. One careless butt, or an ember that breaks away, is all it takes.

And, of course, as we near the Fourth of July, there's the ever-present problem of people who just have to set off fireworks in areas where fires can easily start.

Remember, if you start a fire, you are legally responsible for the costs of putting it out. One careless spark and you could be bankrupt. More importantly, you'll be responsible for the destruction of someone else's property. And since fire can kill, you risk being responsible for that as well.

In addition, every homeowners on the edge of the desert or who owns property in the mountains, can and should take measures to protect their property in the event of a fire. One of the best methods is to build fire breaks around your property.

When you are out doing your spring gardening, think about creating a strip of land, preferably ten yards wide, that would be resistant to fire. That could be anything from simple dirt, to landscaping with rocks, to well-watered grass -- anything that won't rapidly burn.