How many of you actually expected the Mower County commissioners to make a tough decision like the one the petition-signers were seeking?

I don’t see any hands raised.

How many of you expected the county commissioners to return their pay increases?

Still no hands.

On this issue, I applaud the commissioners for trying to give back pay increases, but they didn’t go far enough. Returning a 3 percent of $24,000 pay raise is not the same as asking the highest-paid elected officials to give back their 3 percent pay hikes.

I didn’t see any hands raised volunteering to do that at the courthouse Monday.

What a week, and it ain’t over yet.

The antics in Austin caught Don Stillwell’s attention in Arizona, and he wanted to know what is going on. So do I, Don, and so do others.

Phone calls, e-mails and face-to-fact confrontations.

My guess is the petitions contained more signatures from people who want smart, frugal government decisions, during a depressed economy, than those who want a new jail and justice center.

Gotta be careful here. My conscience is alive. Reporters have to ride the fence on these issues. Stay the course of unbiased reporting. Keep opinions on the — I still-prefer — “Op/Ed” page over “Insight.” What is this: An Oprah-esque Live Your Best Life discussion?

I think not.

These are serious issues.

The depressed economy ain’t a movie we’re watching. It’s real.

Even the jokes sound serious today.

A nephew offered these suggestions for the “New Wall Street” dictionary:

CEO — Chief Embezzlement Officer

CFO — Corporate Fraud Officer

Bull Market — A random market movement causing an investor to mistake himself for a financial genius

Bear Market — a six- to 18-month period when the kids get no allowance, the wife gets no jewelry, and the husband gets no sex.

Value Investing — The art of buying low and selling lower.

Broker — What my financial planner has made me.

Standard & Poor — Your life in a nutshell.

Oh, well … it’s not the end of the world. It’s already tomorrow in Australia.

At least in Austin we can enjoy getting away from it all at downtown restaurant choices.

It was brutal enduring the time Steve’s Pizza was closed, but, praise the Lord and Steve and Angie and Alex, that’s over.

Life can return to normal now that Steve’s Pizza is open at its new location along North Main Street.

George’s Pizza is a great-looking restaurant a block south, and Steve’s Pizza is as well.

I had a great time and a great meal there on opening night, Monday. It helped me forget for awhile petitions, salaries and other foolish wisdom.

Instead of extra cheese on my pizza, there was more to grumble about. I just don’t understand how government can make good things go bad. It’s obvious: They’re picking on pizza parlors.

George’s Pizza was jerked from its location by Mower County.

Then, the city of Austin jerked all those businesses from a two-block area, too.

That’s bad enough, but for Steve’s Pizza, it didn’t end after making the move.

After 50 — the owner’s guess — visits by the city to ensure they were creating a safe place along North Main Street, only last Friday (March 13) did the city send someone back to the restaurant due to open 48 hours later.

And what did he find after all those other visits to the place: The restaurant needed another exit door after all the renovations it had made and all the inspections that had been done.

Mama Mia — and I don’t mean my favorite pizza — why does government do things like that?

Oh, yeah. Another thing: That North Main Street fire sculpture has got to go. According to Main Street businesses, it’s attracting rodents. Petunias, yes. Rodents, no, on Main Street in Spamtown USA.

Come on city of Austin — act.