Obviously County Commissioner Campbell has heard from his constituents over his statement that a fellow commissioner would “starve to death” on a salary of $67K. Unfortunately, he tried to explain what he “really meant” to the NWF Daily News: Okaloosa County commissioner says quote was taken out of larger context

When James Campbell said fellow Okaloosa County Commissioner Don Amunds could “starve to death” if he was limited to a commissioner’s salary, he didn’t mean it as an insult to everyone who makes less, he said Thursday.

“I didn’t mean it as a slur to the people that aren’t making $67,000,” Campbell said. “What I want to do is apologize … If it’s my mistake, I apologize. I didn’t mean it that way.”

Mr. Campbell doesn’t understand that all he is doing is making it obvious that he and his fellow commissioners are not very good with their own money, which is why they need to make more than twice the median income of a man in Okaloosa County. If they are this careless with their own money, why would the taxpayers trust them with their money? There are a lot of people in the county who manage to cover the cost of raising kids and making mortgage payments on a lot less than $67K. They may not live in exclusive enclaves on a golf course like Charlie Morris, but they have decent homes in nice neighborhoods.

In tough times, the county needs to have people who know how to live on less, not people who are apparently struggling to live on more.

The BBC is reporting on the fires and the weather system that makes them almost impossible to control: Two dead as wildfires burn in US

Wildfires have killed two people and destroyed dozens of homes in the US states of Oklahoma and Texas.

A number of small towns were evacuated as fire crews struggled to contain the blazes, which ignited on Thursday and were fanned by strong winds.

Dozens more people were injured, two seriously, by the fires, which prompted the closure of a motorway in Oklahoma.

Meanwhile in neighbouring Arkansas a tornado struck the town of Mena, killing three and injuring at least 22.

The map is from the BBC. CNN now has a map on a separate page linked to their fire update, but they don’t provide the names of the towns that are actually involved, just Oklahoma City and Dallas with three tags.

This is all related to a powerful cold front moving through the area that is generating the winds and tornadoes.  The winds are calming down, so the aircraft can begin flying to combat the fires.

Next Generation

No one here.

[Editor: This young kitty was in the pump house. A few minutes before s/he was helping me replace the cover on the pump switch, but the camera apparently looked dangerous. From the eye color and size, a February birthday, which is way too early.]

Friday Ark

In Memoriam

NTodd has reported the passing of Sam Wednesday night. He was a particular favorite of Ringo and all too young.