Thoughts that come to mind on a gray winter day:
Why is that whenever television weather forecasters predict that "a big winter storm is coming our way," it arrives about half the time?
Why is that whenever their forecasts are wrong, the next day they excuse their mistaken forecasts by saying, "We said there was a chance that it would veer off."
Of course, they neglect to mention that they had predicted there was a 98 percent chance of snow.
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Have you ever wondered why tornadoes never seem to destroy any billboards but have no trouble locating and demolishing mobile homes?
That thought crossed my mind when I noticed three workman laboring away to repair a billboard on the south side of Route 140 near the landfill. They were removing some of the rotted supports and replacing them with fresh timber.
I have often wondered what keeps many of these billboards standing that are scattered along Carroll County's roadsides. Many of them are supported by poles that look as though they wouldn't provide a decent meal for ravenous termites. Despite their decrepit appearance, I have yet to see a billboard lying on its side after a severe storm, let alone a tornado. Why does it seem so easy to knock down historic buildings but so difficult to remove a billboard?
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Why is it acceptable for Carroll residents to leave the county every morning to work in other jurisdictions but not acceptable for people to come into Carroll?
This contradiction arises whenever anyone suggests building new roads or improving mass transit.
The most recent example happened in Sykesville. At the last town meeting there, Sykesville resident Terry Moore suggested the town explore the possibility of putting a commuter train to Baltimore on the Chessie tracks that run through the town. Several people left quite hostile messages on his home answering machine.
A number complained that a train might bring "those people" out to Carroll. Others seemed to object to easing the commute from the county to other parts of the metropolitan region.
It is fascinating that when new roads are suggested, such as extending Interstate 795 into Carroll, people rarely express fear of undesirable people coming into the county.
Regardless, it raises the question of why it is acceptable for the majority of Carroll residents to drive outside the county to work, but unacceptable for anyone else to drive into the county. What would happen if Howard, Baltimore or Montgomery counties and Baltimore City tried to exclude people from Carroll the same way some Carroll residents would like to exclude residents of these counties?
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Why do people who worry about intrusive government support State's Attorney Jerry F. Barnes' proposal to have dogs search school lockers for drugs? Curbing drug use is an important goal, but does the war on drugs have to result in trampling the Bill of Rights?
Having dogs in the schools raises complicated constitutional questions, as well as practical concerns. Will these searches take place during school hours and disrupt classes? Will the dogs search just student lockers or will they also check the desks of teachers and administrators? How often will these searches be held, weekly, monthly or once a school year?
Would the people who support having dogs combing the halls of county schools mind if those same dogs were stationed on street corners and sniffed all passers-by for drugs?
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Why is it that our state taxes are wasted when they finance construction in other jurisdictions but well-spent when they pay for buildings we favor? Building the Baltimore Convention Center and the Camden Yards ballpark was not popular with many Carroll residents, yet the same people expect the state to provide millions of dollars for the schools that Carroll desperately needs.
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Why do some residents of the Autumn Ridge subdivision feel that Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. is more to blame for the Jan. 19 natural gas explosion when it was Apollo Trenching Co.'s construction crew that carelessly cut the gas main?
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Why is it accepted that three county employees charged with stealing metal from the county landfill can get their county jobs back?
While the three were not convicted of theft, they received sentences of probation before judgment, which means they confessed to the charges but can have them removed from their records if they complete their probation.
They have agreed to repay the county restitution within a year and perform 50 hours of community service.
Not only did they steal the recyclable metal from the landfill, they did it on county time. They would leave their jobs early to deliver the metal to recyclers in Hanover and Gettysburg, Pa. Most employers would not take these workers back, but the county government did. What kind of message does that send to the rest of the county's work force?
Brian Sullam is The Baltimore Sun's editorial writer in Carroll County.