No Icy Roads Here

I've lived in a town where we received snow.  Not 4" here or there, rather 4' in one storm.  I don't think salt was legal, and drivers were encouraged to use chains to prevent slipping and sliding on the roadways.  Chains with snow tires was preferred.  Anyone who has ever tried to put snow chains on a car in the snow knows exactly what I mean when I say it is not an easy (or speedy) task.  I must admit, our town never had ice like St. Joseph does.

I am impressed every winter when I take to Belt Hwy or other heavily traveled roads (Frederick, Lovers Lane, 22nd, Cook) to find that the city and MoDot have managed to keep a clear road for travelers.  Salt is liberally applied and major thoroughfares are continually plowed, making it somewhat easier for me to reach my destinations.  I know I won't have to worry about slipping near the shopping centers, only on residential roadways.

And so I send this big, warm thanks to those who oversee the roads.  Because of you, I am able to do my Christmas shopping, my grocery shopping, and pay my bills.  I am not afraid to drive in winter weather.  I'm relieved that I can relax just a bit on these frozen days.  Keep up the great work, fellas!  We drivers appreciate your hard work!

Saint Slow

In a recent discussion with a non-St Joe resident, a particular observer told me that he had always called St Joseph "St Slow".  My initial reaction was to be offended.  But after about... oh 1 minute or so... I laughed.  Out loud.  St Slow. How funny!  I can see how an "outsider" would see "St Joeians" as slow.

We have speed limits that are absurdly low (and nevermind that almost every resident obeys them); ahem, Woodbine, anyone?  Has anyone seriously tried to drive northbound on Woodbine without braking?  Next to impossible.  And our police force is consistently staking out this road to snag any who dare to pass the 35 limit by any speed.  Cook Rd - east of the Belt.  25 MPH?  You've got to be kidding me.  I could go on and on, but you catch my drift.

Nearly every retail store or restaurant is guaranteed to provide slow service.  Not good or bad service... just SLOW.  1 hour minimum visit at Chili's guarantees I won't be taking my lunch there, and 30 minutes in line at Wal-Mart makes me want to buy "quickie" items elsewhere.

The whole mindset of our town is slow.  A great example is an advertisement by The Comfort Center.  They are advertising a fiberglass pool as "the pool of the future".  People, these pools have been around for years.  They aren't anything new, yet somehow, St Joe is just now catching on.  Some homebuilders are still using copper pipes to build new houses for crying out loud!

Technology is slow.  Does any business provide stellar internet service?  No.  Does every citizen have internet access?  No.  Does every business have a website?  No.  In fact, most of these "technological" advances that most of the progressive world takes for granted is too far-fetched for St Joe residents.

What is the solution?  I dunno.  Maybe the roots here go too deep.  The old adage that "this is how it's always been done" will always remain in this town.  Stuck in it's history.  Continually looking backwards instead of forward.  It sure explains most of the current problems our town faces, including the inability to attract businesses in both the mall and the industrial park on Riverside.  Maybe other outsiders see us simply as "St Slow".  Maybe our workers are too "slow" for new business.  We need to kick the label.  Let's start with raising the speed limits!

Helmet Law

An article posted in the local paper about a 12-yr-old boy who was hit by a vehicle while skateboarding seemed to spur some discussion on the stjoenews.net blog boards. Some blamed the parents for lack of adult supervision, others blamed the City for not providing ample places for youth to skateboard, and one blogger even posted a link to the ordinance which stated that no person is allowed to use skateboards, inline skates or other similar device in any business district.

All "blame" and accessibility to parks aside, this does raise an issue of safety. Why is there no law in MO for helmets? One other state comes to mind : CA. They have a helmet law for minors riding anything with wheels. Youths are required to have a helmet on when riding their bicycle, skateboard, scooter, etc;. I cannot believe that the government has to be the one to protect your child, but apparently, I've been told that helmets can save lives! In CA, you don't have to be rich to have a helmet, either. There are countless opportunities for families to receive free helmets, courtesy of fire depts, public service agencies, etc;

It's time to demand a helmet law be enacted to protect our children.

Sonic

What is the obsession with Sonic fast food restaurants? In the city of St Joseph, there are 5 Sonic restaurants! Do we really need that many? The number of drive-thru restaurants in our small region is remarkable. Rather, it is appalling.

It is no surprise that fast food and obesity are directly linked. And it doesn't take a rocket scientist to look around our community to see that our citizens have a problem. In fact, our neighboring largely-populated cities (St Louis and Kansas City) have routinely made the "cities with the highest rating of obesity" list released by the American Obesity Assn. This rating is not an award. It is not something to be proud of.

Today I am met with a dilemma. How can I help change the notion that regular visits to Sonic are okay? It is like asking kids to give up their candy. Virtually impossible, one would say. However, there are solutions. And, like almost every other topic, it starts with education.

1. Offer cooking classes. Not at the college, but through a city/county/state-sponsored program that will offer free or at least reduced courses on how to make practical, real-life, un-gourmet snacks and meals.
2. Promote a healthy lifestyle. Uh... anyone hear the sound of change coming? It's time to suck it up and build and/or maintain sidewalks or bike lanes. Time to warmly embrace physical activities. A community center that offers racquetball, basketball, basically any indoor sport would THRIVE (year-round activity, folks).
3. Condone smoking and other poor health vices.
4. Start in school. Offer a health class. Not just sex ed here, folks. Actual discussion about the food pyramid, making healthy choices, the effects of those choices, physical education (not just running around the gym) to include the positive effects of exercising one's heart, lungs, muscles, etc; and also basic hygiene.

Obviously parents aren't stepping up to the plate to educate their children. And I believe it is extremely difficult to teach adults new tricks, but if we start now, we can change the predictions for obesity in our area.

Let's put pressure to halt or at least slow the addition of more fast food restaurants.

Let's put pressure on those who are overweight to make a lifestyle change. It is NOT okay to be overweight. It is NOT okay to eat out consistently.

Healthy is the new "in" thing.