The belated disclosure of his 2010 tax return by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney confirms the public speculation that Romney and his wife pay income tax on his enormous income of nearly $22 million in 2010 at a lower rate than many middle-income taxpayers.
Their federal income tax of less than $3 million amounted to an effective tax rate of only 13.8 percent, although the top federal income tax rate of 35 percent was supposed to apply to taxable incomes in excess of $379,150 in 2010.

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Watching the razing of the old Indian Mall is like saying goodbye to an old friend. How funny, I suppose, that my “friend” would be more than an hour’s drive away and we didn’t see each other all that often, but I sure enjoyed our longstanding relationship.

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Dear editor:
Andrea Bruner’s Jan. 25 article on the city council meeting that clarified the proposed sandstone works north of Batesville was a superb exposition of public views. The article was fair, balanced, positive, helpful, informative, good-willed.
My view is gratification that the vast deposits of St. Peters Sandstone to our north will result in upped employment and availability of natural gas energy. God put the gas and the enabling sand supplies here long, long ago, and it’s heartening to see God’s Providences unfold, giving local and national blessings.

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What would you want your dying words to be?
Would they be kind, reflective of a life lived without regret or would they be meticulously chosen to tell off that person you always wanted to tell off but couldn’t do in person or alive for that matter.
Well, now there’s an app for that.

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Two current news items cross paths in a surprising way. On Jan. 23, the United States Supreme Court ruled that police must have warrants to track suspects with GPS.
Two days earlier, the Lifetime Channel aired “Drew Peterson: Untouchable,” portraying how the Bolingbrook, Ill., policeman reputedly tracked his now-missing wife Stacy’s every move, using her cell phone coordinates. Certainly the ruling applies to the Bolingbrook Police Department, but does and should it apply to him as well?

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A passage in a book I was reading recently made me aware that many folks may be familiar with the rain crow’s call but not with the bird itself.
In the novel, a man who seemed familiar with nature — up to that point, anyway — told two boys and their young sister that the mourning dove is named for its melancholy call. So far, so good. But then he said it is also called the rain crow because it often calls on cloudy days.
Whoa!! The mourning dove and the rain crow are two different species. The rain crow is a cuckoo — a yellow-billed cuckoo, to be specific.

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I have cynophobia — the fear of dogs. Which is strange to me because we always had a dog around while growing up. Normally it was some stray that my older sister Lorie dragged home. She loves dogs and they love her. She would carry them home, sometimes even against their wishes. They were filthy and stinky but Lorie didn’t care. She would give them a bath and dress them in our clothes.

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Columnist’s note: Let’s get the “But seriously folks …” disclaimer out of the way first. This column’s satirical tone is an exercise in “whistling past the graveyard.” Asphyxiation “games” are deadly serious. Parents must be watchful. The DB Foundation has posted warning signs online at http://chokinggame.net/chokinggame.htm.

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Mitt Romney’s hurdle in winning the love/respect/admiration/fear of his party can be summed up in one photo. It was taken by his son, Tagg (doesn’t Sarah Palin have a kid with that name?) and put on Twitter this week. It’s of Romney and his wife Ann, presumably in a hotel basement, side-by-side pouring detergent into washing machines. Mitt is of course, wearing a starched button up shirt and jeans, which is what people who never do laundry think people would wear when they do laundry.

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Dear editor:
I am writing about the proposed recreation sales tax. I was born and reared at Charlotte and Oil Trough and have lived at or near Salado since.

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Let’s dance.
When governing bodies and the media get into a fracas over what can and what cannot be done in open meetings, it usually involves challenging the Freedom of Information Act.
Last week, the Calico Rock City Council decided the newspaper, nor anyone else such as you, John Q. Public, could use electronic media devices while the council was in session.
After seven aldermen voted in favor and only one abstained, the White River Current co-publishers say they plan to pursue legal action against the city.

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There’s a major political event approaching this fall, and though I have no doubt it will be overshadowed by the elections, I hope you’ll carve out some time for it anyway.
On Sept. 17, we’ll observe the 225th anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution.
It’s the document that set everything in motion, of course, creating the carefully balanced, three-branch representative government that we’ve come to take for granted.
But 225 years is a long time, and it’s instructive to reflect on what’s happened since that piece of parchment was signed.

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