Be thankful Pilgrims
I know Thanksgiving is more than a week away, but with our altered column schedule I’ve chosen to address the topic today.
Like the father figure at today’s blended-family dinner table, I’m going to deliver a pre-meal speech on things to be thankful for.
Early retirements
Kick-save and a beaut! That may not be the first thing that came to people’s minds when they read or heard about Creston Community Schools’ 17 early retirees, but it’s definitely how I would describe it.
While it’s true I don’t know many of these early retirees and their services will more than likely be missed, what a boost to the district’s budget. I have to believe these individuals voluntarily chose to end their tenures in Creston, thus creating what could be substantial savings for the district over the years to come.
In a time where money is tighter than my belt after two turkey legs and an entire pumpkin pie, this will surely help.
Creston Schools will undoubtedly miss the experience that leaves with these retirees next year, but there is an upside. Each position that is filled brings the opportunity of new blood moving to Creston.
My guess is most of the early retirees will continue to live in the area, so the trickle effect could be younger individuals or families starting a life here without the loss of older, respected community members. Having ambitious new employees may help both the school and southwest Iowa economically.
Let’s just hope they can find housing upon arrival. Where is the Iowana when you need it?
Harvest
Hooray for agriculture. The little gold nuggets being tenuously removed from area fields must be good news for the state of Iowa.
A record-setting soybean crop and above-average corn production should help a region dominated by agriculture. Even if prices tumble some, beef producers could then see the benefits.
I’m no economics professional or car salesman, but “cash for clunkers” may have also spurred an increase in purchases of vehicles suitable for ethanol. If that industry can come to fruition, corn producers should be dancing in their untreated fields this winter.
If you really want to solidify the markets, try soybeans in your three-bean salad Nov. 26.
Hawkeyes
I may lose some readers here. It’s enjoyable to see the Iowa Hawkeyes football team crumble like Ricky Stanzi’s ankle.
Maybe I should root for all Iowa teams, but that’s just not how I was raised. I blame solid Nebraska football traditions, six months living in Ames and my faithfulness to the Michigan Wolverines.
Either way, Hawkeye fans were just confident enough in their team for these two losses to be comical. With the men’s basketball team in Iowa City off to a junior-varsity start, that only leaves a Capital One Bowl loss for Herky fans to look forward to. It was a good run.
So when you’re dishing up the yams and slicing off another slab of Iowa top-choice ham, remember things could be worse.
Our economy is down, but not ranked in the bottom 10 nationally according to a recent article I read, and Iowa was recently rated as the 15th healthiest state according to the United Health Foundation.
Have Uncle Ted toss you an extra tea roll this Thanksgiving, and for those of you who are worried, I promise I won’t be driving my car in the area that weekend. Heck, by this time next year we may even have a Republican as governor-elect.
