Clearing the way for a new year

READY -- by SJI’ve decided I’m going to write a weekly column come 2006.

There are probably several reasons. The first thing that comes to mind is that I’ve hired a very good general manager here at the Pilot to run things for me and I don’t want my own people to forget me.

My own assistant came by my office the other night and said, “You’re still here?”

I wasn’t sure if she was referring to the fact that it was late that evening and I was still working, or the fact that I still had an office at all.

The second thing is that there are people in this community that sometimes go the opposite way of some of my thinking and I might want to chime in with my own two cents. Mensa Marty comes to mind, for example.

Or it can be the other way: people doing good things and we just need to tell others about them or maybe the cause they’re working for.

Maybe it’s just something good happening in the community: a centennial, a celebration, an annual event.

But, before we go there, I’ve decided today to clear the closet up front with some of my gripes so that I can approach the new year with clear, fresh thinking.

So here goes.

I’m tired of news anchors on TV. The other night I watched the start of the 10 o’clock news. Breaking news out at LAX, let’s go live to so-and-so.

Forty minutes later they’re still talking about the catastrophe -- no one dead and no one injured. It’s just a plane that landed with a flat tire. Sure, I’m glad I wasn’t on the flight. But enough is enough.

And we don’t need the hooks to take us into the late news.

“Good evening, I’m Paul Moyer. Was it Al Qaeda terrorists responsible for the problems out at LAX tonight? News at 11!”

No, just a flat tire. Let’s get to the ball scores.

And as long as I am on my little soapbox, how about slow drivers in the carpool lane? I had this argument with my sister-in-law. Her point was that if you have two or more people in the car you are entitled to use the carpool lane.

Wrong.

If you have two or more people in the car and you want to go faster than the other traffic in the other lanes, welcome to the carpool lane. If you like to yap with your passenger, or if your Buick doesn’t like to go more than 60 mph, fine, but stay to the right.

I don’t know what I like more, to get up off my couch in middle of the evening to answer the telephone and have a recording from some politician about himself or herself or some issue. I don’t know what their message is because I’ve never listened to a complete message; or to arrive home in the evening, fill my arms with my briefcase, maybe the cleaning, a bag from the store, whatever, walk up to the front door, insert the key and see all these business cards and fliers fall to the ground.

People, what are you thinking?

When I pick up your garbage, it goes to the garbage.

And finally, I’m still bugged by the fact that our Costa Mesa mayor has “canceled [his] subscription to the Daily Pilot.” It’s not so much that I really care whether he’s reading us or not.

What I’m bothered about is who he canceled his Daily Pilot subscription to and who he was paying for it.

By the way mayor, City Hall has another bundle of Pilots ready for your pick-up now that you don’t subscribe anymore. Wink, wink.

Gosh, I’m feeling better already. I know there’s more, but this has been a good start. Maybe I can cut down on the Paxil moving forward.

But as you can see, it doesn’t take much to set me off or get me going. My mom and dad have fought against this for years.

Darn, roadrunner. Oh, that’s a story for another day.

If you have something going on in town that might be of interest, let me know. If there’s someone doing good for others, a cause that needs to be heard, or something on your mind, please feel free to contact me.

Just don’t be dilly-dallying in the fast lane.

* TOM JOHNSON is the publisher. Readers may leave a message for him on the Daily Pilot hotline at (714) 966-4664 or send story ideas to dailypilot@latimes.com.

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