The Gadfly On The Wall
Most Influential: Our list of the state's most influential political figures this week has gotten way beyond any fair share of comment and discussion. I thought it'd be an interesting exercise, but had no inkling so many folks would weigh in with their own nominees, so many so I'm working on Part II, out next week. No Logic: Car wrecks kill people all the time, as do nuts behind the wheel who deliberately kill people, but I don't hear safety advocates calling for cars to be banned. Yet, in Finland, I hear the gun control nuts are calling for guns to be banned after a single act of senseless violence. In that act, a teenage boy shot and killed eight people and himself. The main stream media, of course, is all over this story. The Associated Press, and other news outlets, jumped on the story, headlining how the rampage put Finns on the defensive "about their relationship to guns." The story notes that Finland has the third highest rate of firearms possessed per 100 civilians, at 56. The U. S. is No. 1, with 90. The AP story quotes "international gun control activists," but nowhere in the story is there a quote from "international pro-gun activists." So much for balanced reporting.
Hefley Haven: He was the respected elder statesman of the Colorado congressional delegation, she was a respected member of the Colorado Legislature. That was then; today, Joel and Lynn Hefley are (once again) Oklahomans, having "retired" to their ranch spread outside Purcell. I suspect that, as with many of us, that word "retired" simply means they now do things at their own pace instead of the pace of others and stay as busy as before. The Hefleys are OU grads and once lived in Oklahoma City before making their mark in Colorado politics. Why retire to Oklahoma? They say they found their haven and heaven here and they add they don't miss the political limelight at all. Good for them. Welcome home.
Looking At Leaves: Ann and I have made the leaf tour. We crisscrossed eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas and found the best color in the Fayetteville area. The best views were of the Illinois River along Scenic 10 from the Gore area up to West Siloam Springs. And as often as I've driven Oklahoma's highways and byways, I'd never before found Camp Gruber. We did, outside Braggs.
Housing Market Slump? Based on what's in the news, one would believe the housing market in the OKC Metro is in a serious slump. I haven't found it and I've been looking. Being in the residential real estate investment business, we've looked at a couple dozen properties in recent weeks, made low-ball offers (the market's down, right?) and then watched as the properties sold in a few days for full, or near-full, asking prices. We did find a good buy, and jumped on it, catching a motivated seller at just the right time. I suspect that, in time, the property would have fetched the full asking price, or closer to it than we paid. Point is, at least in my recent experience, that "housing slump" is hard to find.
Hefley Haven: He was the respected elder statesman of the Colorado congressional delegation, she was a respected member of the Colorado Legislature. That was then; today, Joel and Lynn Hefley are (once again) Oklahomans, having "retired" to their ranch spread outside Purcell. I suspect that, as with many of us, that word "retired" simply means they now do things at their own pace instead of the pace of others and stay as busy as before. The Hefleys are OU grads and once lived in Oklahoma City before making their mark in Colorado politics. Why retire to Oklahoma? They say they found their haven and heaven here and they add they don't miss the political limelight at all. Good for them. Welcome home.
Looking At Leaves: Ann and I have made the leaf tour. We crisscrossed eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas and found the best color in the Fayetteville area. The best views were of the Illinois River along Scenic 10 from the Gore area up to West Siloam Springs. And as often as I've driven Oklahoma's highways and byways, I'd never before found Camp Gruber. We did, outside Braggs.
Housing Market Slump? Based on what's in the news, one would believe the housing market in the OKC Metro is in a serious slump. I haven't found it and I've been looking. Being in the residential real estate investment business, we've looked at a couple dozen properties in recent weeks, made low-ball offers (the market's down, right?) and then watched as the properties sold in a few days for full, or near-full, asking prices. We did find a good buy, and jumped on it, catching a motivated seller at just the right time. I suspect that, in time, the property would have fetched the full asking price, or closer to it than we paid. Point is, at least in my recent experience, that "housing slump" is hard to find.
Labels: Gadfly's Columns
posted by Mike McCarville @ 7:27 AM
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