It's time for a new "Open Forum" for Times readers. Once again, this is your chance to 
say something, report breaking news or ask a question. Any topic is fair game, although the Times' comment policy still applies. Keep it clean; keep it civil. (Please see the bottom of the left-hand column.)The Times' Web site averages around 650 hits a day, according to an independent tracking service. That means the Times is the perfect forum to air your thoughts, news tips, announcements, complaints and concerns. Our "Open Forum" is also a great place to find out what old friends are up to, get advice, share and find information, and let the Times' staff know what you'd like to see on this community Web site.
Now go ahead and sound off. We are listening.
You think you're cool with your pants on the ground?
ReplyDeletewhy an American Flag and a BEER sign for the open forum picture, is there a hidden meaning here
ReplyDeleteOnce again, I would urge anyone interested in learning more about potential funding sources for village projects to attend the KIRKHAM MICHAEL Funding Workshop. This year's York, NE workshop will be held on Thursday March 11, at the Holiday Inn. The session runs from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
ReplyDeleteFunding for projects like: infrastructure planning, water and waste-water system improvements, streets, storm sewers, lake restorations, drainage activities, hike/bike trails, and other needed improvements will be discussed.
Yes, KIRKHAM MICHAEL is an engineering firm, but a person or village rep that attends is under no obligation to use them for potential projects. There is no cost to attend, and KM even provides a meal.
To reserve a spot (or three!) contact Rick at 402.477.4240 by February 26th.
If you have ever wondered how other towns have been able to afford to have paved streets and drinkable water, contact your village board and tell them to attend.
Mike -- it's a shame that we don't have more agrressive leaders. If you're on the town board, take advantage of this chance to help the town or send someone from city hall to do this. It just makes sense to be involved with this kind of thing.
ReplyDeletethere has got to be a better picture of Dorchester for the open forum, the park, co-op, the new snack shack, the school anything other than a beer sign and a leaning light pole, is this how you want people to picture our town
ReplyDelete'Anonymous' (Feb. 5):
ReplyDeleteAsk and you shall receive.
Thank you for reading the Times.
Is the city and the state ever going to do anything with the pieces of property they bought in the community, or are they going to hold on to them for year with nothing done.
ReplyDeleteBoth of these properties would make excellent building sites.
Looks like the cost of maintaining the properties is making both properties pretty expensive.
I say, use them or lose them
There's an interesting story about local farmer, Harvey Schweitzer, in the Journal/Star.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.journalstar.com/news
/local/article_ba2c9c76-138f-
11df-b6c0-001cc4c03286.html
Though it would be great to have someone attend this meeting you are also asking them to take off of work from their job for this. I heard that recently there was a city council member that did attend a grant writing seminar in Lincoln. Just because he did not advertise that he did this doesnt mean that there arent some that are trying. To anonymous on Feb. 5 I encourage you to run for city council seeing as there will be 3 spots up for election. Please apply by March 1st. One person alone cannot take on 3 or more other naysayers. We need more than 1 or 2 new people to tackle these "problems" we have in town. Looking forward to seeing your name on the ballot.
ReplyDeleteMaybe people should attend the city council meetings and see who is for what before throwing all council members into one pot. How about a group of people coming in and bringing up the paving issues and see how far you can get with the issue. It is not as easy as you think. Be sure that you call ahead and get your issue on the agenda otherwise you might not be heard. Their needs to be more people going to the meetings voicing their complaints to the board instead of only putting it on the blog.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how psychologists would analyze this quote:
ReplyDelete"An ideal age: to be young enough to trade on your little-kid right to ask inappropriate questions, but grown up enough to know what the right questions are."
I see that the Dorchester Times has over 93,000 hits since December 2008. That is amazing, congrats!!
ReplyDeleteif you guys had been keeping count from when you first started this site I'll bet you would have lots more, probably over 250,000.
To Anonymous 2/7-8:56
ReplyDeleteWhat properties are talking about?
I like it when people complain about what does or doesn't go on at the village board meetings. You have the right to go to these meetings and voice your input. I am a former resident of Dorchester now living in Crete. I go to every city council meeting in Crete. You would be surprised what you will learn at these meeting. Some of it maybe good and some of it maybe stuff that you don't want to hear. One good thing about it you get to know the council members and the mayor. The other good thing about it is you have a better understanding of what is going on in your town/city. I would encourage everyone to go to there towns board meeting or council meeting.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Cody. I have an 87-year-old friend who goes to every Crete city council meeting. She is a walking encyclopedia when it comes to city government.
ReplyDelete"Record snowfall has buried Washington — and along with it, buried the chances of passing global warming legislation this year." "Democratic senators say a bill that was once a top priority for the party and for President Barack Obama cannot be dug up again during 2010." U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) "on Tuesday used the D.C. snowstorm to make a political jab," saying "It's going to keep snowing in DC until Al Gore cries 'uncle.'" Meanwhile, Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) said "the blizzards that have shut down Congress have made it more difficult to argue that global warming is an imminent danger."
ReplyDeletehttp://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/677-e2-wire/80519-climate-change-legislation-buried-under-record-snowfall-in-capital
Bottom line: Where's the snow plow?
ReplyDeleteThe new wrestling ratings came out in the lincoln paper today wensday and some of are kids moved up in the ratings could you please up grade your wrestling news.
ReplyDeleteDo you remember 9/11? Do you even care anymore in our politcally correct era of Obama? See new 9/11 photos at
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1249885/New-World-Trade-Center-9-11-aerial-images-ABC-News.html
Send them to the White House.
I heard a couple of wealthy investors with Dorchester connections are thinking about donating money to start a paving fund for the town. IS THAT TRUE?
ReplyDeleteHere is a question for those of you planning upcoming class reunions: Do you find Facebook or Clasmmates.com to be a more effective communications tool? Our class has found that Facebook is much better for keeping in touch and planning reunions.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how psychologists would analyze this quote:
ReplyDelete"An ideal age: to be young enough to trade on your little-kid right to ask inappropriate questions, but grown up enough to know what the right questions are."
SKEPTIC: From the field of psychology we are likely to get a myriad of responses, ranging from common sense (provided it not too closely aligned with religous beliefs, that sarcastic) to the completely absurd.
Young people who have reached the age of reason (somewhere between 11-13), who are intelligent enough to understand what the right questions are (or who are intelligent enough to pick them up from conversing adults), should be parented well enough to know when to speak (amongst peers, in a debate, with their parents) and when not to (in a meeting where adults are meeting to discuss adult matters.) In addition adults should also know how to conduct themselves so as not to invite youthful participation in adult conversations.
For those adults who want to champion the free speech rights of spoiled brats, understand that your credibility and integrity may be diminished. Also (brat and parent) be prepared to experience the verbal backlash from a perturbed adult who is accustomed to discussing adult issues with adults.
Guiding Principle: If you don't have skin in the game, you can't play. Children, kids, adolescence have very little too lose in situations compared to adults. Therefore, it is not proper for them to participate as if they do. And parents should know the difference. The fact that adolescence seem to be gaining adult rights in many avenues of socity is troubling.
Thank you poster "February 14, 2010 1:13 PM" for weighing in on my question. I would have flunked your "Guiding Principle." I am 48, but the joke is that I was born 80! As a child, I preferred the company and conversation of adults rather than my peers. Of course the adults discussed interesting topics such as the Vietnam war, etc. However, my company was not welcome among adults!(The only exception was a retired school teacher who tolerated my endless questions.) I still prefer the company of older people provided they are not curmudgeons.
ReplyDeleteCommon sense,
ReplyDeleteWe live in an age of perpectual adolecence, in case you haven't turned on MTV or another trash television channel lately and witnessed the long haired, hippie, dope smoking, maggot infested white trash that infests our homes on the latest reality TV show.
The ideal age nowadays may be when the blood stops pumping.
This is a good lesson for ALL of us.
ReplyDelete"Florida family gives up on small-town North Dakota"
A tiny North Dakota town's promise of cash and free land lured only one family from out of state. Now, Michael and Jeanette Tristani and their 12-year-old twins are trying to move from the town without a traffic light back to Miami. The family found a cliquey community that treated them like outsiders.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/
20100216/ap_on_re_us/us_saving_
hazelton_3
Very Bad Outlook from Harden by reality . I don't think the world is any worst then it ever was, There is just more of it on the air waves and out in the open. Remember life is what you make of it!!
ReplyDeleteMaybe this is needed here in Nebraska. Just saw a news story talking about a new law in California that gives parents direct power to fire non-performing teachers and principals. I wonder if this addresses the real issue-quality of student and parent involvement? At least California is trying to improve the quality of education. CA used to have the best public school system. Hard to believe.
ReplyDeleteTo anonymous above ... good luck fighting the teachers union on this one. They are soooooo powerful in lincoln and in DC that you could never get such a change through. We should all be asking our teachers to drop their membership with the very, very liberal NSEA, which is the teachers union. We need to know who is for us and who is with the special interests.
ReplyDeleteto the comment on teaching.......
ReplyDeletethere are so many people out there that dont have a clue what goes on in teaching.
many of the people who are "running the school" are basing descisions on what is best for their kids, or what will save them the most money.
has nothing to do with education
Here's the disconnect: Obama wants to cut spending on subsidies for farmers and the crop insurance industry by $10 billion over the next 10 years and reroute that money to school lunches and other children's nutrition programs.
ReplyDeleteNebraska's Congressional delegation wants to trim the deficit, but they don't want spending in THEIR districts cut. Typical politicians! They would only consider reducing subsidies if they hear from constituents.
Start writing and calling.
I'm going to start writing, calling, sending airplanes with banners, etc. to the White House.
ReplyDeleteIn the past year, the growth in deficit/debt has grown exponentially! Barack is no friend of the taxpayer nor of the farmer/rancher.
To see what has happened to the U.S. debt since Pelosi and Reid took over Congress in 2006, go to http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/
You will see that farmer subsidies, while I don't like them, are less than 1% of the budget, versus welfare for those who refuse to work or who keep popping out illigitimate kids. Those folks get about 30% of all welfare spending. END IT NOW!!!!
Many people are worried about the federal government deficit and some are calling for reductions in spending. To put people back to work and strengthen the economy, the government must continue to invest substantially and run a large deficit.
ReplyDeleteHouseholds and businesses are struggling to stay afloat. State and local governments are cutting back. The only way to create jobs and get the economy back on track is for the federal government to run spend money to buy goods and services while running a short-term deficit. This will, in turn, spur firms to produce more and hire additional workers.
Federal government deficits can be a problem. A large deficit when the economy is reasonably strong can be unwise. But in times like these we must run a sizable deficit or economic stagnation will continue indefinitely. The time to reduce the deficit is after the crisis is behind us.
Translation of the comment above:
ReplyDeleteWhen you're in a really big hole, keep digging.
The Obama administration and Congress are buying votes by giving more welfare and tax credits to those who don't pay taxes. That is why the top 10% of income earners in the nation pay 95% of all taxes, a sure recipe for a collapsed economy.
Keep your Keynesian economics and statist theory to yourself. I want a dollar that is actually worth the paper it's printed on. I'm not so sure Obama and the Democrats in Congress even care.
That is why the LORD says,
ReplyDelete“Turn to me now, while there is time.
Give me your hearts.
Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning.
Don’t tear your clothing in your grief,
but tear your hearts instead.”
Return to the LORD your God,
for he is merciful and compassionate,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
He is eager to relent and not punish. [Joel 2:12-13]
Can the schools fire non-performing students and parents? Most of the school problems start at home. Few parents anymore expect anything from their children at home: chores, respect, manners. Why do they think that when they get to school they don't do well? When faced with the expectations at school they do exactly what they do at home-as little as possible or nothing.
ReplyDeleteTo Poster February 18, 2010 9:21 PM:
ReplyDeleteAre you a retired teacher, school psychologist or administrator?
You sound embittered.
I hope you are not doing any volunteer work in the schools.
Something to consider:
ReplyDeleteDid you know that in 224 years, under 42 presidents U.S. foreign-held debt totaled $1.01 trillion, and in only eight years of Republican leadership under George W. Bush it was increased to a staggering $2.06 trillion?
If you knew about that, why did you choose to remain silent, in total lock-step with the worst president in our nation's history?
Your new found criticism seems quite hypocritical in the face of your sheep like following and support of Bush.
As a suggestion, instead of coming across as whiny and uninformed, why don't you attempt to help fix the massive problems you helped create?
For eight years you never once raised this issue as George W. Bush inherited a budget surplus, then created the largest deficit any nation in the world had ever recorded.
You not only never raised the subject, you actually helped him accomplish this feat by staying in total lock-step with his policies. You played an active role as an "enabler."
I know that Obama is destroying the U.S. dollar.
ReplyDeleteI know I will do EVERYTHING humanly possible to defeat him and those who think like him, including liberal Republicans like G.W. Bush.
The future is ours, conservatives. We can't afford any other way.
Move on!
D.H.,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your quick reply.
I love you!
See the facts the liberal bloggers (most are jobless, living off mommy and daddy or living in fantasy land, still going to rock concerts at age 30) don't want you to see. Go to the Obama spending chart or this photo recently taken at an Obama rally.
ReplyDeleteAmen, brother. Whoops, I just used a Christian reference ... will the dictators/liberals/socialists come after me now?
ReplyDeletePoliticians can talk all they want about eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse. But the truth is, we could pull the plug on the entire federal bureaucracy and it would barely make a difference.
ReplyDeleteThe real problem is runaway costs in three sacred entitlement programs: Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.
Until something is done to bring them under control before the baby boomers start retiring en masse, the rest is just talk.
This is what the LORD says:
ReplyDelete“What did your ancestors find wrong with me
that led them to stray so far from me?
They worshiped worthless idols,
only to become worthless themselves." [Jeremiah 2:5]
Did you see this??
ReplyDelete"Central Falls, R.I. fired all 88 teachers and staff at its high school.
The move is part of a national shake-up that U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan hopes to engender in public schools.
He is forcing states to identify the bottom 5 percent of their schools and take one of four actions with each one: closure; takeover by an independent organization; transformation; or turnaround, which calls for firing all the teachers and rehiring no more than half of them in the fall."
Maybe they'll have to call in school psychologists for the teachers. That's a switch!
More on the massive teacher firing from the Christian Science Monitor:
ReplyDelete"This is clearly a blunt instrument," says Dan Goldhaber, research professor at the Center on Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington in Seattle. But "the research is so overwhelming that teacher effectiveness matters and there's a very wide degree of variation in effectiveness in the workforce."
It is possible that this is a watershed moment in US labor history, not unlike the Reagan administration's firing of unionized air-traffic controllers in the early '80s.
The reaction has been muted so far because the Obama administration is Democratic, but public-sector unions must be paying close attention to what is happening.
ok
ReplyDeletegot a question that will probably never get answered
blog people. you keep breaking your own rules. Why is this???
your instrument for communication is flawed and needs fixing.
With the snow melting... the true condition of our roads are coming through. I shouldn't be getting stuck on a "mud" road trying to get home when I live IN TOWN! There is a reason I have never wanted to live in the country but I am seeing that some of those roads are even better than our town roads. It doesn't even need to be pavement. I encourage the town board to talk to someone on the Sterling board and ask them how their asphalt roads hold up for their town. Maybe that is worth looking into???
ReplyDeleteAnonymous (FEB 26): You're an instrument. The blog is fine as it is, who knows what youre even talking about!? DON'T READ IT IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT. Keep it up blog people, I like your service.
ReplyDeleteThanks to Jan Stehlek and Jeanine Feeken I learned where my grandfather's sister, Ruby,is buried. I also learned that my great grandfather,Robert Luther Maxfield,as a deacon of the Dorchester Christian Church,conributed money to help buy the land for the Dorchester cemetery.
ReplyDeleteI'm planning to visit Dorchester this summer to see the grave, the church and,if possible,the old homestead--or any home built prior to 1900. Any help accomplishing this would be greatly appreciated.
The Dorchester Christian Church no longer exists.
ReplyDelete