This week, we have observed two different money issues in two different communities in the KSFY viewing area.

 In Sioux Falls, the City Council was faced with the decision of increasing the city sales tax from 1.92% to an even 2%. It doesn't sound like much of an increase but it would have resulted in an additional $4 million dollars a year in revenue. Money the city was going to use for road infratructure.

 In Dell Rapids, voters were faced with the question of a $16 million bond issue to expand and improve the existing high school there. It would have added some lab space, among other things. The impact though, would have been great. It would have increased the property tax on a $150,000 home by over $400 a year.

 In both cases, the measures failed.

 In Sioux City, the sales tax increase proposal fell by a vote of 5-to-3. During the public comment portion of the council meeting, many people asked the council to reconsider adding a new tax burden at a time when the ecomony is in a slump. According to those who spoke, the Sioux Falls Food Pantry is nearly empty from an increase in services. The Salvation Army's utility asistance fund is tapped out according to a spokesperson with "Volunteers Of America". Several council members, including Bob Jamison, argued this tax will have to be paid sometime if the city is to keep up with growth.

 In the Dell Rapids case, the superintendent told our Robert Wilson much the same thing. If Dell Rapids are going to keep up with growth (and technology) money will have to be spent.

 In both cases, I think they'll end up being right.

 The hard fact is; growth costs. It takes money to provide services, to build good roads and fix bad ones, to hire new cops, new firefighters, everything a city needs if it is going to maintain it's quality of life. Trust me, I am no fan of taxes. I like my money to stay in my pocket, thank you very much, but at some point we're going to have to pay up if Sioux Falls is going to remain Sioux Falls. Bob Jamison is right, though he conveyed the message in hard terms. When faced with stories of people going through hard times and not wanting any additional tax burden, Jamison responded by saying "...I have no qualms of looking at someone who is in that disadvantaged state in life and tell them they should pay something." He is right, but when he said it many people in the Council chambers looked at each other with a pained look on their face.

 Quote Of The Day: "But in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." Benjamin Franklin

 This Day In History: Frank Sinatra died at the age of 82 on this date, May 14th, 1998.

 Thanks for stopping by! Feel free to leave a comment below or send me an e-mail by clicking here.

 Trust me, I am not any threat to any race car drivers anywhere in the world. I am not a speed demon. My last speeding ticket was 16 years ago. My wife refers to me as "MIss Daisy" when talking about my driving. So trust that the following is not coming from someone with a lead foot.

 Having all that out of the way, do you find drivers in Sioux Falls are amazingly SLOOOOOWWWW?

 Wow. I was driving arond today trying to run some errands and I got stuck behind every slow person on the road. I mean they weren't even doing the speed limit. I realize some roads are going to be prone to slow traffic because of traffic congestion (41st Street, Minnesota Avenue). But drive other streets in this town and it seems like everyone is on a Sunday drive, content to meander to and fro while people who are trying to get somewhere before Thursday are chomping at the bit.

 I do not honk my horn at these people. I do not make any gestures to these drivers. But I pass them like I am on fire whenever I get the chance. And these aren't old people either. The stereotype of an older man or woman driving a big car slowly through town is not what this blog is about. I'm talking about the 20-something woman who is driving, smoking and texting at the same time (actually saw it yesterday, may lightning strike me if I'm making it up). I'm talking about the two guys in the sports car cruising around at what appears to be 15 miles an hour with their bass cranked so loud people in Guam can hear it. Slow slow slow. It's really driving me nuts. If I'm in the car by myself I'm fine. I can make all the comments I want and no one hears me. It's when the boys are with me that I have to clam up and mind my p's and q's. Believe me, it is tough. Traffic is one of those topics that can get me a roll. I would prefer slow bumper to bumper traffic in LA because that's understandable. A million other people are on the road. But I don't get why drivers in Sioux Falls are so slow, so deliberate in taking their time.

 Phew. That's off my chest. Thanks!

 Quote Of The Day: "Life is too short for traffic." Dan Bellack

 This Day In History: Pope John Paul II was shot and wounded by Mehmet Ali Agca as he drove through a crowd in St. Peter's Square on this date, May 13th, 1981.

 Thanks for stopping by Brian's Blog. Feel free to leave a comment below or send me an e-mail by clicking here. 

 Some new notes on our economy that I would like to bring you. The result of traveling and observations from just everyday life.

 On Saturday, Mandy, the boys and I drov through Sioux City, Iowa. Roughly 24 hours later we drove BACK through Sioux City, Iowa. In that 24 hour time span, gas prices increased by 10 CENTS! In ONE day!?!? Ouch.

 Then this morning, I went out to do some shopping. I passed a gas station and noticed the gas price. About an hour later I came back out of the store and looked at the same sign. The price per gallon had increased by 2 CENTS in ONE HOUR!

 Come on!

 Then Mandy had to get a prescription filled. She took it to another pharmacy, not the one she normally goes to, just to get a price comparison. The result? The new store charged her 12 dollars LESS for the same prescription she usually gets filled somewhere else. A 12 DOLLAR SAVINGS just by changing stores.

 My wife is the Queen of bargain shopping, thank goodness, for just this very reason. She knows what stores charge for everything from New York Strip to deoderant. It seems it's necessary now more than ever. Just simply amazing what prices are doing these days.

 I heard something on the radio a couple of days ago and it makes sense to a certain extent, but I wonder when it would really kick in. The commentator on the radio said people will only buy gas up to a certain price before they REALLY cut back on travel, and thus cut back on their gas purchases. The commentator says when consumers, fed up and disgusted by gas prices....cut back on demand, the gas prices will fall. I think this is true. Basic economics says so. The other side of that coin is once people start buying again, the price will go right back up again.

 Something has to be done. I know I have said this before and you may be getting tired of hearing me say it, but this is one of those issues that does not discriminate. EVERYONE is feeling pain as a result of this. It is a pocketbook decision that is becoming more top of mind by the day. And solving it will require more than words. It will require deeds and it will be expensive.

 I was just thinking the other night, for everyone to switch over to hybrid fuel or electric cars, the initial cost may be mind blowing. Automakers will have to re-design their plants. That will cost money. They will have to invest in new research and development, which will cost money. One way to make up this cost is to pass it on to the consumer through the cost of the car, meaning we will be paying out more money to get alternative-energy cars up and running in order to make it a viable industry.

 In short, even if our economy improves...it will be short term. The long term, I think, still has a lot of dollar signs associated with it.

 Quote Of The Day: "The future, according to some scientists, will be exactly like the past, only far more expensive." John Sladek

 This Day In History: Axis forces in North Africa surrendered to the Allies on this date, May 12th, 1943.

 Thanks for stopping by and spending some time! Feel free to leave a comment below or send me an e-mail by clicking here.

((Brian's Note: Dr. Jeff Stein is the executive secretary of the Iowa Broadcast News Association. He covered his first Iowa presidential precinct caucus in 1980, making this eighth campaign as a reporter/analyst. You've heard his comments here on KSFY; his regular forum is as political analyst for KWWL Television in Cedar Rapids/Waterloo, Iowa.))

No. No, she should NOT get out of the race.

Never mind that Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) is going to need a minor miracle (or a major scandal to befall her opponent) to win the Democratic nomination for president.

But until Sen. Barack Obama (D-Illinois) actually has locked up 2,025 delegates to August's national party convention (with some to spare, in case folks change their minds), it's not over. And she knows that.

Look how quickly the fates of fortune have already turned in this election cycle. Last summer, many claimed there was no way Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) would overcome lack of funding and lack of momentum.

Now the American war hero has a 50-50 chance of becoming the 44th president of the United States.

Last fall, the Democratic nomination was a foregone conclusion...Hillary Clinton would be the nominee by Valentine's Day.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the nomination...the voters actually had something to say.

Obama won in Iowa. Clinton finished third. Many wrote her off then.

Five short days later, she was the winner in New Hampshire.

So don't tell her--or me--that this thing is over. Is there another Rev. Wright issue to surface? How about comments that voters are "bitter"?

And if the role of 'super delegates' is to vote in the best interests of the party, what if by summer, Clinton has the best chance (poll-wise) to defeat McCain (as she does now)? Will they say they vote for the candidate with the 'best chance to win' the general election, or stick loyally to promises made in the dead of a Midwestern winter?

I understand the legendary George McGovern suggesting that she drop out; after all, it's not likely she will win, and he has more than earned the right to avoid being a mere prop at a campaign rally with the stench of losing surrounding it. That fully explains his allegiance switch only a day before she was to come to South Dakota.

But let her play the string out if she wants. It's less than a month until South Dakotans vote in the last primary election of the season. No greater harm will come to the party by her staying in. And Democrats may well thank her later for sticking it out.

It has so far been one of the most fascinating, historic election cycles ever. Why think it won't get even better before November?

((Brian's Note: Dr. Stein is helping to teach the next generation of broadcast journalist as a professor of broadcast journalism at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa.))

((Brian’s note:  Cary recently retired as “The Iowa Traveler” after a 25 year run at CBS2 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  We’ve worked together and are both board members of the Iowa Broadcast News Association.  Cary won the IBNA’s highest honor, the Jack Shelley Award, in 2006 for career achievement.  I asked him to send something our way.))

As a baby boomer, I feel like I’m living my parent’s life…in reverse. 

My folks were born in the 1920’s and grew up in the 1930’s when a nickel would go a long way, that is, IF you had a nickel which was hard to come by in hard times during the Great Depression. 

I can’t tell you how many times, when I was a kid and until the day he died at age 81, my dad would say: “I remember when you could fill a whole bag of groceries for five dollars.” or  “I remember when gas was ten cents a gallon.” or “My mom would send me to the store for a loaf of bread and a gallon of milk and I could keep the change from the fifty cents”. 

My dad went to war in 1942 at age 18 and saw Navy service in two fierce battles:  Iwo Jima and Okinawa.  My mom was a Rosie the Riveter at a St. Louis airplane plant and a mom to my older brother.   

When my dad came home from World War II he had a bunch of jobs from taxi driver to railroad worker as jobs were hard to find when the thousands of servicemen returned to the civilian work force. 

In 1948 they built the new Ford Motor Assembly Plant and he literally got in on the ground floor loading parts from railroad box cars.  Eventually he would work his way up from a blue collar to a white collar clerical job, a job which would become his career in middle management. 

I know there were ups and downs.  When he was still blue collar the union had a strike at the Ford plant and there were times when he wondered how he was going to feed his now two boys. 

But generally as the American economy became a dynamo in the 1950’s and 1960’s he benefited and climbed up the economic ladder.  This resulted in his buying his first car, his first house, moving to the suburbs and enjoying those Eisenhower and Kennedy years. 

And that was the America I was born in.  I’ve always said, I’ve never missed a meal. In my youth, things just seemed to get better all the time.  We always had tv, air conditioning, a nice car and plenty of food.  It truly seemed like the good life and when I watched “Leave It To Beaver”….I could almost see my own family…me and my brother and my mom and dad, although my mom didn’t wear pearls every day like Mrs. Cleaver. 

I went to war in the Navy…the Vietnam War…came home and began my broadcast career. 

I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining but remember the title of this piece is “Living My Parents Life in Reverse?”. 

When I was a kid, the price of Twinkies was ten cents.  Last time I checked, they’ve been about $1.19 and probably any second a $1.29.  Gas, yes I can remember 19 cents a gallon gas when I was in high school (1965). 

And although both my parents and I have seen increased prices of things, it sure has seemed like the prices have risen faster and higher lately.  For the first 11 years of my life a first class stamp cost 3 cents. In my teens…for five years…the price of a stamp stayed a nickel. 

And now it seems stamp prices increase almost yearly…and this week, comes another price jump. 

My dad retired with a pension and life long medical care thanks to those who fought for union benefits. 

I hope I’m not living my parent’s life in reverse.  I hope this current bad economy, some call a recession, doesn’t slide into a real depression.  I hope we’ve not living in an age of “constant war” for the United States. 

Whoever is elected President in November is going to have their work cut out for them.

God help them! God bless us.

((Brian's Note: Cary J. and I have known each other for more than 10 years now. He is a wise man and I greatly value his friendship. Feel free to leave a comment below or send an e-mail by clicking here.))

 I'm starting to get a little ancy to hit the road and drive. I'm not sure how far I will be able to go given the current state of gas prices, but I want to travel and explore.

 I can remember growing up in Des Moines, Iowa and having the desire to see others places and do different things than my upbringing had allowed. It is the desire we all share, I think, as youngsters. The deep seeded belief that live has to be better and more exciting somewhere other than where we are. I would often listen to distant radio stations at night while sitting on a porch swing in my backyard. Dialing in different voices from cities and states far away. Listening to the news from places foreign to what I had known.

 I have been fortunate in the fact that I have been able to satisfy that desire. To see most of our nation, to drive through big cities and small towns, to sample local cuisine and customs. But part of my reasoning has changed.

 Maybe it's age and experience, but the desire to seek out different things just doesn't appeal to me as it once did. The desire to look for bigger, bolder and better has been muted somewhat. Bigger isn't always better. A cliche but it is true. Bolder just means more in your face and after awhile chasing a thrill based on that leaves you feeling empty and wanting more. After awhile, you just find it to be elusive. It gets old and frankly, boring.

 So while I am ancy to hit the road and drive, I want to do so just to get away for a little bit. I want to take some solace in the rhythm of the road and the feeling that I do not have to be any specific place at any specific time. To be able to sit down with Mandy and talk without having to go somewhere and do something. To be able to play with the boys as long as they want me to play with them. To not feel bad when I leave for work and have to look at Austin's face. He doesn't like Daddy to leave and it makes me feel bad sometimes.

 I think this weekend, Mandy, the boys and I will hit the road. We'll look for letters on signs and in license plates, we'll yell "Pediddle" if we see a car with a headlight out. We'll stop somewhere and have some pizza and not look at the clock. It will be good.

 Quote Of The Day: "Freedom is a possession of inestimable value." Cicero

 This Day In History: The Beatles signed their first recording contract and hired George Martin to be their producer on this date, May 9th, 1962.

 Thanks for stopping by. I always enjoy hearing about how many of you read the blog daily. Make sure to stop by here this weekend for my "guest hosts". See you next week!

 Thursday was a big day for the Allen family. Austin graduated from 3-year-old pre-school. It was a bit of a touching time. To know he has his first year of school under his belt. He is such a good boy and a smart boy. I know I am biased, but please let me have my moment.

 As a special treat, Mandy and I told Austin we were going to take him out to lunch. We let him pick where he wanted to go. We expected him to name one of the fast food haunts he loves to visit for cheeseburgers. He honestly loves them a lot. I envision him becoming Wimpy from Popeye if we don't do something soon.

 However, to our surprise our son said he wanted to go to his favorite Chinese restaurant. This took us a little by surprise, but hey, why not. I like Garlic Chicken as much as the next guy.

 So we go. It was an adventure. First off, Austin got out of her chair about every three minutes to walk around our portion of the restaurant for no reason whatsoever. Just got up to walk around. In the meantime, we started feeding Cameron little pieces of steamed rice. Remember that part of the story.

 So Austin continues walking around the restaurant until Mandy gives him her patented "evil eye", then he sat down. For a minute. Then he walked over to Cameron and tried to give him a sip of 7 Up. We explained Cameron can't have 7 Up yet (he's 10 months old). So Austin sits down. In the meantime, I am amazed at how much rice Cameron is eating. So I give him some more.

 In the meantime, Austin leaves our section of the restaurant to go look at a fish tank in the lobby. I go and get him and bring him back to our table. I sit down and notice Cameron again needs more rice. I comment to Mandy how much he likes rice. Mandy is too busy asking Austin why he's trying to place a plate of food on a window sill near our table. I got up again, explained to him that he had to come sit down and eat. I turned around and saw MOUNT FUJI in rice underneath Cameron's chair. It literally looked like we took a bag of rice and dumped it on the floor. I was mortified. Mandy tells me "oh you should see what he does at home", leading me to remind her we weren't at home, we're in public and our son has made a huge mess. All the time, Cameron is smiling and showing off his two new teeth.

 Ah, the joys.

 Quote Of The Rice: "No use crying over spilt rice". A quote I just made up to sum up our day.

 This Day In History: David Berkowitz,. aka The Son Of Sam, plead guilty to murdering six people in New York City on this date, May 8th, 1978.

 Thanks for stopping by and taking a read. Feel free to leave a comment below or send me an e-mail by clicking here.

 All right, the above really isn't true. I DO have my IPod. However, with my computer waiting to be moved from my home in Iowa to my new home in South Dakota, I have not been able to update it. For months. Meaning i have listened to the same things about 35,000 times. It's starting to get old.

 I don't require a lot to be happy. I love my family and my close friends. I need shelter overhead and food on the table. A good job to make money to support my family. I am not an overly flashy guy and I really don't require much to be happy. That having been said, I desperately need to update my IPod.

 Making matters worse; I am going to have to start everything over once my computer gets here. You see, on my old computer, I had about 35-hundred audio files. Favorites songs. Radio airchecks. Various lectures and sermons which I enjoy listening to. My old computer died a horrible death. Blue screen of death. Total failure of the start up drive. The whole works. Meaning all those audio files I had collected are now gone; vanished forever. I know there are worse things that can happen to a person. But come on..feel my pain. I had a lot of ABBA on there. Poof.

 So one of the things I will look forward to once I get everything to Sioux Falls will be starting a new audio file system on I Tunes. I will also make sure to back up all those files so I never lose everything again. Let me tell you, it's no fun.

 Quote Of The Day: "You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life..." ABBA's 'Dancing Queen', 1977

 This Day In History: Germany unconditionally surrendered to the Allies in Rheims, France on this date, May 7th, 1945, paving the way to end World War II.

 Thanks for stopping by. One note of response to "Grey's Lover" who responded to my previous blog about severe weather coverage interrupting our normal TV schedule. I know 'Grey's Anatomy' is popular. Keep in mind if we ever have to blow out a whole bunch of shows for weather coverage, we will run those shows at a later time so you can watch them or record them. But again, I still get a thorn in my side when people pick up the phone, call us and scream at us when all we're trying to do is help people to stay safe.

 Feel free to levae a comment below or e-mail me by clicking here.

 Ever have one of those days when you are just lacking energy and as a result, everything else goes to the wayside? It's hard to concentrate and focus. It puts you into just a cranky and foul mood? I am in that situation today.

 For no real apparent reason, both Austin and Cameron decided to have fitful ngihts of sleep. Affecting me more than my wife because I usually get up with boys at night. I figure she is with them all the time during the day, I can try and step in at night to help her get some sleep.

 Neither boy is sick. Thank goodness. But neither one really slept well or slept hard. Usually Austin is like a brick. He falls asleep and then he stays asleep. You can pick him up, move him around, juggle him with a tennis ball and a blender....and he won't wake up. He will sleep through tornado sirens if given the chance. Cameron, who had been having trouble sleeping, has lately done a beautiful job of falling asleep and staying asleep. But not last night. It gave me the chance to sit up and watch some bad overnight television. No "Yo Gabba Gabba" (thank goodness) but a lot of other weird things, including:

 (1) An informercial for exercise equipment. Really, if I don't exercise now, is an infomercial going to get me in the mood?
 (2) Some weird show on "Cartoon Network". I swear, I would love to know the color of the sky in their world.
 (3) Reno 911. OK, it's weird but I like to watch it every once in a while. The humor is so off-beat that it really catches my attention.

 Time to respond to some comments and e-mails you have left for me:

 JP: Thank you for your comment on Michelle Parker. She was a true friend and an awfully nice person.
 Bonnie & Billy: Your thoughts on JP Skelly are right on the target and appreciated.
 J-Girl: I hear your thouhts on stations interrupting programming for severe weather. Having said that, it's severe weather! We don't interrupt for the heck of it. We want to keep you, and everyone, safe!
 MJ: Thanks for understanding our severe weather policy.
 Huron: Really? I should watch "Dancing With The Stars"? Maybe I'll give it a try.

 Quote Of The Day: "People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one." Leo. J Burke

 This Day In History: The German airship "Hindenburg" blew up and burst into flames in Lakehurst, New Jersey on this date, May 6th, 1937.

 As always, thanks for stopping by and taking time to read the blog. Feel free to leave a comment below or send me an e-mail by clicking here.

 A friend of mine died over the weekend. I found out by listening to the radio and it came as a shock. One of those things that when you hear it your heart drops and your stomach turns.

 Her name was Michelle Parker. This month, she was celebrating her 29th anniversary as a news reporter at KCCI Television in Des Moines, Iowa. My hometown. I can't remember watching Channel 8 and not seeing Michelle Parker reporting.

 She was a pioneer in a sense, one of the first (and few) black females to work on the air at an Iowa television station. I don't think she ever saw her work as "groundbreaking". I always got the sense she never wanted to be seen as a "black news reporter" but as a news reporter who happened to be black.

 My personal experience with Michelle Parker began in my late teens. I was fortunate enough to get work as an on-air news reporter at WHO Radio in Des Moines when I was 17 years old. One of my first beats was to cover Des Moines City Council. In the beginning it completely took me by surprise. I had no idea what was happening. It was Michelle Parker who saw me drowning in my ignorance and came to my rescue, explaining the process. It got to the point where I began to understand how the council worked, all thanks to her willingness to help a fellow journalist. Over time, she would stop me several times and say "I heard your city council report on WHO and your reporting was right!" It was a much needed boost and was always appreciated.

 Which brings me back to yesterday and hearing the news of her death. She was 52 years old. She died of apparent heart failure. At the time she initially fell ill, she was attending a birthday party for a fellow KCCI employee.  One of her friends. The night before she died, she had won an award for her reporting from the Iowa Associated Press.

 She was a good person. I wish I knew her better. What I did know of her was someone who was kind, never jealous or mean, and always willing to help a stranger and make a friend as a result.

 Good-bye Michelle Parker.