Balloon Flights

I don’t follow the news as closely as I should, or could, but if something is important enough it does filter down to me and then I can inform myself by reading recent publications and talk to those that actually follow the news.

I used to get the newspaper and read it from back to front, but it seems that as time passed, so did my interest in the world around me. I just started wondering if any of what I read was pertinent to my life. Any big happenings on a global scale are like reading a history book, interesting and perhaps a little tragic but no impact on my life whatsoever. For instance, the tsunami in the Indian Ocean that killed 230,000 people in 14 countries was just something I read about. I know on a certain level that I should be saddened by this tragedy, but there was nothing I could have done to prevent it and aside from donating a few dollars to charity, nothing I could do to help. Sure, I could have flown over there and been another useless mouth to feed, but the 230,000 is just a number and I have no concept of death on that scale.

You would think that news on a national level would have more direct effect on me, but not really. It matters not what government is in power, they will do what they feel is best for the country and not bother to ask my opinion. That is how it should be. You can’t ask 30,000,000 people if they would support blue carpet in the senate offices or did they favour an aqua instead. We elect these bozos to make the hard decisions. I suppose that if our government declared war on another country I might have to get by with a little less sugar, but I am too old to fight and probably too old to be of any real use for the war effort. I live in the centre of the country and after an invading army took control of the oil fields they would move on to the seats of power which is no where near my home.

Local news should have more impact on me but once again the decisions are made and I generally hear about them a week or so late. I could get more involved in the community, but I was pretty involved for a number of years and I just can’t seem to find anything I care enough about any more. I find that even news about the weather doesn’t interest me. I can’t change it and when I look out the door and it is raining I get an umbrella. If it is cold I put on a coat. If it is hot I put on shorts and the air conditioner. If it is snowing I sit inside and watch one of the movies I have recorded. I might be able to have some impact if I became involved, but more than likely I would just get frustrated.

Case in point, it became known that the city roads department was going to put in a roundabout near our house. People started to call the city to get some information and even our alderman didn’t know about the proposed interchange. This led to a town hall meeting with representatives of the city explaining why it is important for this area to have a roundabout. Blah….blah….blah! Someone found they had extra money in the budget and decided to try and slip a roundabout into the construction schedule. You know what will come of the town hall meeting? It will be decided that after careful consideration, the majority of the people asked were in favour of the interchange. We will get our roundabout, like it or not.

There is some interesting news in the media lately. Some guy (or gal) attached a lot of helium balloons to a chair and was seen floating over the city. The authorities want to talk to this individual and probably charge him or her with endangering the public safety. What they are really pissed off about is that they didn’t get to hold a town hall meeting about it and take a poll of those who attended as to whether balloon flights should be taxed and licensed.

If you read about the outcome, let me know because I am busy living my life.