Mar 17 2010

Third McLoud Mandatory Water Hookup

Pete Pendley

I sent this to the Friday Gazette on 7 Feb 2010
I cannot speak for anyone else, but I moved to the country to get out from under all the rules cities place on the residents—rules that the few (Governing Body) place on the many (The Citizens); rules that in many cases, the family who lives across the street is not subject to because they live in the county outside the city limits. Yes, those few making the rules are supposed to represent those many, but as in any other endeavor where the many fail to constrain the few, the few begin to think the many has no say; consequently, the few get bolder and bolder as they advance their agenda. Too often, too, the bolder members of the few lead the remainder to believe their way is the only way the city can survive.

In a large city, the above scenario is almost impossible to reverse because those many are busy, and by virtue of their circumstances, they do not know how to restrain that few; most may think the power of the few is unlimited, and in a large city, they may be right.

But in a small city or town, while each of the many is an individual, there is more closeness, and there is not nearly as large a number in the many as there is in a large city, but still in the small city, most may not know the power of the few is not unlimited.

Now, let’s speak in specifics: The city of McLoud has around 4500 residents which would equate to around 2500 voter-age residents, yet in the past 35 years that I have lived out here, the most I have ever seen vote in a city election was about 400, and that was a hotly contested election: The Prison. Usually, there are about 100 who vote in a city election. Elections to pick a council member have been almost non-existent.

While the city of McLoud stretches out over about 18 square miles, the nucleus is an area of less than one of those square miles; the remainder is mostly either rural home sites or farms with a stretch of I-40 running through the rural part about three miles south of the nucleus. Four of those five few who make the rules that the many are subject to live within ½ mile of city hall with three of those four living a stones throw from each other maybe three blocks at most from city hall— right smack in the nucleus of the city. While one of those four lives somewhat rural, only one of the people’s representatives lives far enough from the nucleus of the city to be what I would consider to be rural while the rural area being governed by those five individuals comprises about 95 percent of the area being governed.

That is a little background; stay tuned; we have some big decisions to make, and we hope every citizen in and around McLoud will help us make those decisions.


Mar 14 2010

More McLoud Mandatory Water Hookup

Pete Pendley

This is a letter I sent in to the Friday Gazette (McLoud’s Newspaper) Jan 25, 2010, and it was printed thereafter:

In last Friday’s Gazette, when city manager Dillon was mentioning “several homeowners on the edge of McLoud opting to hook in to city services this past year,” he did not mention anything about those households who if they did not opt to take the water service that they would be assessed a $17.00 per month availability fee under the threat of a $20.00 per day fine if they did not connect to the service. Continue reading


Mar 11 2010

African American Is a Racist Term

reasonmclucus

Kevin Myles the president of the Kansas chapter of the NAACP recently claimed that a government retreat on enforcement of civil rights threatened the rights of blacks. Actually the threat comes from the perpetuation of the racist belief that skin color separates us into different “races”.

http://www.hutchnews.com/Todaystop/naacp-speaker–2

The best way to eliminate discrimination is to recognize that skin color is only skin deep. Skin color does not automatically make us different in any other way. Continue reading


Mar 10 2010

McLoud Mandatory Water Connection

Pete Pendley

Well! There it is: The printed version of the City of McLoud’s Mandatory Connection to City Water and/or Sewer ordinance was recently distributed. This legislative ordinance does not list the effective date, but I am guessing they passed the emergency clause by simply declaring it to be an emergency without going the required step of stating the actual emergency in a separate paragraph. No matter though, it would have gone into effect in 90 days anyway. Continue reading


Mar 9 2010

Seven African Ancestry Presidents?

reasonmclucus

The media refer to Barack Obama as the first African ancestry president, but as many as six other presidents may have had African ancestors. Like many other white Americans, they may or may not have known about African ancestors. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08036/854713-51.stm?cmpid=elections.xml

Skin color depends on only about seven genes which means if sex occurs across the color line frequently enough, the dark pigment genes could be lost in some children in a few generations.

After the broadcast of the Roots miniseries, many Americans decided to research their ancestry. Many whites were surprised to find ancestors who had served in the military in the 19th Century who had the letter “C” after their names meaning “colored”.

President Warren G. Harding had black cousins and admitted that some of his ancestors might have “jumped the fence” as he put it. Continue reading