Through An 'Old Timer's' Eyes
By Howard 'Mac' McDonald

On Tuesday night, much of America tuned in to the State of the Union address. Although I am not a big fan of President Bush, I would not have wanted to be in his shoes that night. The good things that have happened have been far outweighed by the bad. No matter what he does for the rest of his term, I believe he will have a hard time living down the decision to invade Iraq.

The Democratic response did not bash the President and was right to the point. If the Democrats capture the White House, I hope the new President doesn't fall into the same pit as this one. When the President and Congress are of the same party, we don't have the checks and balances we need and that can mean runaway spending.

The Game Commission will soon be deciding how many antlerless deer licenses to sell. There are always all kinds of opinions and theories and rumors about the Game Commission. Some people believe the agency is influenced too heavily by the big timber companies. Others are convinced the Game Commission and the timber interests have been importing coyotes to cut down on the deer herd.

I am open to all of the theories, but one thing I do know is that the deer herd is way down. The Game Commission has allowed a large doe kill for the past 10 years. Since many does will drop two fawns, that has a big impact. I have known some families that have had as many as 11 antlerless deer permits.

We need more people with common sense influencing the Game Commission. That agency is almost as clandestine as the CIA. It's more powerful than the Pa. State Police.

We all knew that sooner or later the white stuff would make an appearance. That clean white layer from Mother Nature put joy in the hearts of some and dread in others.

One of the main reasons we returned to the northern Pennsylvania hills after being away many years was the changing of the seasons. Many people think the weather is so much better in other places and some leave these parts because of the weather. Our weather isn't the greatest, but on the other hand it's not the worst. When was the last time we had a hurricane?

We didn't let the roads scare us off last Saturday. We motored to Coudersport without any major incidents.

Outside of town, we met some friends at Fezz's Diner. That completely restored 1950s diner is one of the most unique places I have seen. The breakfast is excellent and it is a delightful step back in history.

It was no earth-shattering feat, but when we got home via Rt. 6 and Smethport, we realized that we had passed through three different county seats. The snow-covered landscape was beautiful, like a scene from a Currier & Ives Christmas card.

Cameron County, with its tiny population, is considering a Home Rule Charter to shut down the townships and boroughs and run most operations at the county level. I am a firm believer that, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Our government might be a little bent, but it is not broken.

The main kingpin of the home rule plan would be a county executive. That manager would need to have some i m p r e s s i v e qualifications, and that may require bringing someone in here. Our school district is a shining example of how that works. I have some serious reservations about the plan.

Soon, the Super Bowl will be upon us. The Bears and the Colts will be locked in mortal combat to win the Lombardi Trophy. When you get right down to it, they're probably motivated more by that big paycheck that goes to the winners.

I will be anxious to see those 30-second TV commercials that sell for around $2.5 million.

My prediction is that the halftime show will, once again, be worse than anything else about the big TV production and the pre-game show won't be much better. I also expect that, as always, the National Anthem will be butchered and will sound anything but patriotic.

Emporium's Kwik Fill has been remodeled and looks great. Next door, the new Rite Aid is taking shape. Meanwhile, Mountain Laurel Credit Union has some nice new digs.

It would be great if we could fill the vacant storefronts with tenants. My Redneck Dictionary has a definition for vacant: "If vacant pay, vacant stay."