Planes, politics and posteriors in Paris
We promised you a potpourri of items as often as we can squeeze them in, right?
Therefore, being a columnist of my word, we’re tossing another one at you this week.
The hard part about this sort of thing is that so many tales need more space, and yet we have to turn them into mini-bits.
Ah, well ...
ITEM: Don’t be so quick to gripe about lack of destinations, or much else about having to book most of your flights out of Spokane.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, the nation’s 23 largest airlines reported a profit of $15.5 billion in 2017 — of which $4.6 billion came in baggage fees.
The good news in Spokane is that there are plenty of flights to popular cities on Southwest Airlines, which does not charge for bags.
See, we don’t have much reason to complain, after all.
ITEM: Perhaps you’re thinking that Republican hold on Idaho might be slipping just a teeny bit.
After all, President Trump won the state by 23 points, and yet a recent survey pegged his favorability rating here at just +9, which could be construed as a fairly scary loss for the local GOP.
Before you go too far, however, consider this ...
“Idaho ranked second highest in the nation for its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in the 4th Quarter of 2017, according to new numbers released a week ago by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis.
“Idaho’s 2017 4th Quarter GDP growth was 4.8 percent, second only to Texas’ 5.2 percent.
“For year-to-year GDP growth from 2016 to 2017, Idaho ranked seventh highest in the nation with an annual 2.7 percent growth rate.”
Sounds like great stuff, yes?
What you just read was most of a press release from the Idaho Republican Party, which obviously is taking complete credit for the good news.
ITEM: I really wonder if the Museum of North Idaho would pick up extra business if customers had to visit while ...
Naked.
That may sound totally bonkers, but the esteemed Palais de Tokyo museum (which is in Paris, not Japan) hosted an event last Saturday called “Visite Naturiste,” which had to be attended in the buff — and drew nearly 4,000 unclad customers.
Museum of North Idaho director Dorothy Dahlgren and program and marketing director Robert Singletary needn’t gasp at the thought, however.
Staff at the Palais de Tokyo remained clothed while herding nude visitors through various exhibits.
ITEM: U.S. Rep. Raul Labrador has shown plenty of fight in his bid to become Idaho’s next governor, but we’re hoping Labrador would draw the line at actual fisticuffs.
That hasn’t been entirely true among all current national lawmakers.
One senator apparently took a whuppin’ over ...
Gardening.
It turns out that the fairly serious injuries – five broken ribs and a bruised lung — suffered by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, in a fight with next-door neighbor Rene Boucher had nothing at all to do with politics.
Despite the fact that Paul is an outspoken Libertarian and Boucher a liberal Democrat, they weren’t arguing about the Republican tax plan or anything or the sort.
Apparently the two longtime residents of an upscale community in Bowling Green — they’ve lived side by side for 17 years and both are retired doctors — have had a longstanding dispute over “stray yard clippings, newly planted saplings and unraked leaves,” according to an Associated Press report.
So there ...
It’s spring, so learn proper garden etiquette.
Or else.
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Steve Cameron is a columnist for The Press. A Brand New Day appears Wednesday through Saturday each week.
Email: scameron@cdapress.com.
Twitter: @BrandNewDayCDA