Good news, some worries

School's out for many or will be shortly. The Missouri Legislature has adjourned with the conclusion of a better session than what was originally to be the "perfect storm" of financial, political and philosophic turmoil.

The economy and jobs are improving, although compared to most countries they've never been bad.

Even though gasoline prices are high, adjusted for inflation they are still not the highest prices per gallon ever. Gasoline is definitely cheaper per gallon than most bottled water and much cheaper than pump prices in Europe.

As long as the health of you, your family and friends is good, we are blessed to live in this U.S.A. with relatively little to worry about.

But many do worry, some about little things.

But we should -- at least I do -- worry about the international terrorist threat and the battle for the war of ideas going on now in Iraq, Afghanistan and worldwide.

This is a new no-boundaries, no-easily-identifiable-enemy battle that must be won not for us but for our grandkids.

Also I worry about media coverage of events and campaigns that are based upon tearing down your opponent, not building up your candidate's virtues and plans.

Why? Because too often in recent history this has been the winning strategy.

I encourage everyone to get more involved in informing themselves so our representative government elected by informed citizens will work.

The Internet is a great source for getting liberal and conservative columnists upon which to then form your own opinions.

Be wary about the many election-year books that are being published. I've been especially appalled by the gross distortions of Michael Moore, who is making a living out of misinformation cleverly packaged.

Soon to come: former President Bill Clinton's book. I look forward to reading it so I'll be better able to critique the objectivity of the favorable and unfavorable critiques.

I've been spending some time in Arkansas recently, where I heard, "Bill, we hardly knew you" and Hillary will "never return except for political benefit."

There ain't no rules around here! We're trying to accomplish something! -- Thomas Edison

The more I want to get something done, the less I call it work. -- Richard Bach, author of "Jonathan Livingston Seagull"

"I attended another House Judiciary Committee hearing on same-sex 'marriage' today, and one thing that has struck me at each of these hearings is the unwillingness on the other side to even debate the issue. At the last hearing Rep. Robert Scott (D-Va.), after hearing testimony on the importance of marriage to children, made the dismissive comment that 'marriage has nothing to do with parenthood.' In today's hearing Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), who was a witness at the hearing, was questioned on the abundance of data that show the devastating effects same-sex 'marriage' has had on societies that allow these unions, such as Scandinavia. Instead of answering the question, both Reps. Frank and Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y,) faked outrage at the data and repeatedly tried to change the subject. In addition, Frank felt the need to pepper the discussion with inappropriate jokes-not exactly the kind of seriousness you'd hope for among lawmakers debating the very definition of marriage." -- Washington Update

The following was read by U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch to a group of newspaper editors and publishers at a newspaper meeting I attended in Washington, D.C., recently.

These brief descriptions are generally too accurate and were thus considered generally funny by the attendees.

A Brief Guide to American Newspapers

(Author unknown)

1. The Wall Street Journal is read by the people who run the country.

2. The Washington Post is read by people who think they run the country.

3. The New York Times is read by people who think they should run the country and who are very good at crossword puzzles.

4. USA Today is read by people who think they ought to run the country but don't really understand The New York Times. They do, however, like their statistics shown in pie charts.

5. The Los Angeles Times is read by people who wouldn't mind running the country -- if they could find the time and if they didn't have to leave Southern California to do it.

6. The Boston Globe is read by people whose parents used to run the country and did a far superior job of it, thank you very much.

7. The New York Daily news is read by people who aren't too sure who's running the country and don't really care as long as they can get a seat on the train.

8. The New York Post is read by people who don't care who's running the country as long as they do something really scandalous, preferably while intoxicated.

9. The Miami Herald is read by people who are running another country but need the baseball scores.

10. The San Francisco Chronicle is read by people who aren't sure there is a country -- or that anyone is running it. But if so, they oppose all that they stand for. There are occasional exceptions if the leaders are handicapped minority feminist atheist dwarfs who also happen to be illegal aliens from any other country or galaxy, provided that they are not Republicans.

11. The National Enquirer is read by people trapped in line at the grocery store.

Gary Rust is chairman of Rust Communications.