Facts, opinions, observations

If you bag your own groceries, you should get one item free.

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Cities should get rid of at least one commission or committee. If they feel the need to replace it, do so with a citizens advisory committee made up of randomly selected residents who are replaced every year. Let them make recommendations to the council.

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City ordinances that are a “statement of values” are a waste of time.

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The seasons don’t make sense. I know they are aligned with the equinox and solstice, but we need to adjust them. Spring should begin March 1, summer June 1, fall Sept. 1 and winter Dec. 1.

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Speaking of Dec. 1, that is the absolute earliest you can decorate for Christmas. And all decorations must be down by Jan. 7.

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Those who say gas stovetops are bad for your health should fund public service announcements to turn on the exhaust fan while cooking if they truly care about people’s health.

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Bike lanes should also go in affluent neighborhoods. Same with higher densities.

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Three- or four-story buildings are totally fine. Especially apartments or condominiums.

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Parking should always be free after 6 p.m., on Sundays and all holidays, even the new ones.

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People who park in front of people’s homes should do so for no more than a day. However, no one should ever leave a note complaining about anyone who parks in front of their homes for more than a day.

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Express lanes should be free for intracounty travel, and if you have an issue with that, intracity. After all, they took away our auxiliary lanes.

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County parks should be free.

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If you have an animal in your company’s name or if it is CamelCase and/or a misspelled variation of a word or phrase, you should have to pay an extra tax to help pay for the free express lanes and county parks.

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Elected officials should treat social media as if it were a very large public meeting and conduct themselves accordingly.

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People looking at their phones while walking look just like zombies.

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Working at a tech company does not mean you are smart.

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Fully funding our county hospitals would do wonders for public health.

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Sidewalk stains are usually a more menacing version of cloud shapes.

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Tesla drivers never have their windows down.

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Cheesecake is more of a pie, isn’t it?

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It’s better to repair something than get a new something, even if it’s more efficient, because you will be saving the old something from going to the landfill. People forget the reduce and reuse part of environmental kindness.

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Step aside, or open a door for someone now and then.

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There should be more public restrooms.

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Vacant storefronts should be used as temporary art galleries for local emerging artists.

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Cities should have a tool library.

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Everyone should read at least one news story to completion a day.

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Reading social media is not the same as reading the news.

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Being active on social media is not the same as being an activist.

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News pay walls exist to ensure there is news.

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If you think half the country is racist or that half the country is socialist, you have been manipulated.

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Everyone should try to talk to someone with whom they disagree and listen to their point of view.

Jon Mays is the editor in chief of the Daily Journal. He can be reached at jon@smdailyjournal.com. Follow Jon on Twitter @jonmays.