EDITORIAL: An open letter to Santa Claus

Taking inspiration from the letters to Santa printed on Wednesday in our “Season’s Greetings” section, we have penned our own letter to the jolly fat man, in hopes he can grant some of our own wishes this holiday season.

Dear Santa,

How are Christmas preparations coming? The sheer logistics of what you have to pull off each year seem extremely daunting, so planning must be important.

With that in mind, we’ll try to keep it brief.

• We would like some better roads.

Despite the best efforts of highway officials, our roads seem to be perpetually chuck-holed, patched, chipped and sealed and everything else except smooth.

Don’t get us wrong — local leaders seem to be doing the best they can, but somewhere along the way, the funding formula from the state has grown so arcane that it takes an advanced mathematics degree to understand it. And somehow it seems to shortchange everybody.

• Can we have good emergency medical service without uncertainty?

For the last year, we’ve watched a coming showdown unfold regarding EMS service in Putnam County. Late last month, the commissioners seemed to settle that by choosing to stay with long-time local provider Operation Life over STAR Ambulance.

Many in the county weren’t happy with their decision, and that’s valid. But for now, the contract is in place. As long as we know someone is there to respond when we need them most, we’ll be pleased.

• Please help us make Waterworks Hill safer.

In October, we watched in horror as our worst fears on U.S. 231 north of Greencastle were confirmed. With the road wet from rain, a semi driver lost control on the treacherous hill, crossing over and hitting a vehicle, killing a local woman behind the wheel of the other vehicle.

In the time since, leaders at the city, county and state level have worked together to enact a new speed limit in the area and new warning signs.

Was it enough? Time will tell, but many fear it was not. Would better signage, lights, rumble strips and maybe even a re-engineered incline help the situation? We think it might.

So please help state officials find it within their hearts to set numbers aside and think of local lives in making their decision.

• And finally, on a more national level, could you please send us some politicians who actually listen to their constituencies, don’t blindly follow party policies even when harmful and maybe represent the folks back home with some level of dignity?

Failing that, can we at least get rid of all the sexual predators who are already in Washington or are trying to get there? We don’t care about party label — all these jokers are an embarrassment.

That would be great.

Thanks, Santa. We’ll let you get back to planning.

Your friends at the Banner Graphic.