Good Evening, Mr. and Miss Anthropy

I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. (Actually, there is no right side of the bed for me.)

So here's a few nice, hot steaming cups of cynicism for you today, served up with a big dollop of sarcasm and nastiness ... just the way you like it!

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Homestead Borough Council is investigating possibilities for the construction of a new municipal building, report the P-G and the Valley Mirror. Currently, borough offices are housed in the Steel Valley Council of Governments Building --- formerly Homestead High School. (Everyone except the police, who are down in the old post office.)

Let me get this straight. Homestead Borough is an Act 47 financially distressed community, and has been since 1994. The property taxes are 10.5 mills, higher than any neighboring community: Munhall's taxes, for example, are 7.75 mills, West Mifflin's are 5.27, West Homestead's are 9.31, Whitaker's are 8.43. The borough also socks residents with a 1.1 percent wage tax instead of the usual 0.5 percent.

But Homestead Borough Council is thinking about taking on more debt by building or buying a new town hall. Does that make a lot of sense to you?

Me neither.

Since all of the municipalities that encompass The Waterfront gave the developers a big tax giveback to entice the shopping development to the Steel Valley, perhaps Homestead should also for office space there at a free or reduced rate.

Ah! But perhaps Homestead Council has a bit of an edifice complex these days, 'cause West Homestead just built a nice, new borough building.

Well, if they like West Homestead's borough building, why don't they just rent space there? It's literally a few blocks from the Homestead Borough line. Better yet, why don't they seek a merger with West Homestead?

Or ... maybe borough officials could build a monument to their own importance and send the bill to the few remaining taxpayers.

That's just me. I've been told before that I have an attitude problem.

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Speaking of Homestead: Because of two fatal accidents and a bunch of near-misses, the borough is closing the Amity Street railroad crossing for cars leaving The Waterfront. All traffic must now exit via the notoriously jammed-up "flyover bridge" at the Rankin end of the complex, or onto the Homestead High-Level Bridge near the Loews movie theater.

I've said it before, and I will say it again: There is a special place in hell reserved for the so-called "engineers" who designed the access roads to The Waterfront.

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Still plenty of free parking at Olympia Shopping Center in McKeesport, by the way, and easy access from Walnut Street and Route 48. I'm just sayin', is all.

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The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that presumptive Republican gubernatorial nominee Lynn Swann is "proud" of his voting record, despite skipping 20 of the last 36 elections, and "despite once criticizing people who do not exercise their right to vote."

According to the Allentown Morning Call, when reporters tried to question him about his voting record yesterday, he walked away from them.

A spokesman says Swann was "running late" for a fund-raising event. Nice to see his priorities are in order.

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Families of children in the Duquesne City School District are "not convinced" that closing the high school, and sending the children elsewhere, would be the best educational option, wrote Karen Roebuck recently in the Tribune-Review.

What would convince them? Duquesne has been under state control as a financially and academically distressed district since 2000. The board of control has already eliminated nearly every extracurricular activity in the district to save money.

Meanwhile, the state has to use sonar and post-hole diggers to measure the test scores for some of the kids, and the graduation rate is abysmal.

Instead of working for the best educational opportunities for the kids, however, the parents are attacking the messengers; mainly, state Sen. Sean Logan, who may introduce legislation to dissolve the school district.

Grow up, folks. Logan deserves a big "atta-boy" for speaking the unpopular truth.

On the other hand, nothing but scorn should be reserved for the officials of the surrounding school districts who are running and hiding rather than open their doors to Duquesne's students. They can make up whatever excuses they like, but to me, it stinks.

And anyone who lives in the Mon-Yough area can fill in the blanks as to the real reasons why the neighboring school districts are hiding.

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Finally, from the Tube City Almanac National Affairs Desk: The Kenedy County Sheriff's Department has concluded its inquiry into the accidental shooting of attorney Harry Whittington by Vice President Dick Cheney.

According to the Houston Chronicle, "'The report is out, and no charges will be filed against anybody, and that's it,' said Sheriff Ramon Salinas III, who left his office without answering further questions."

Afterward, he and Barney went over to Floyd's Barber Shop, where they got ready for their dates with Miss Crump and Thelma Lou.

Points to ponder: Kenedy County has a population of only 400 people. So I'm presuming --- perhaps unfairly --- that the Kenedy County Sheriff's Department doesn't exactly rival New Scotland Yard in its crime detection prowess. And the ranch where Cheney and Whittington were hunting is some 50,000 acres, and is owned by one of the area's most prominent (and wealthiest) families.

Now, I'm not suggesting that the Vice President of the United States should be handcuffed, slammed into the back of a squad car, and whisked away to the station to be interrogated under the hot lights. (At least not for this incident.)

But am I the only one who suspects that this inquiry by Sheriff Salinas might not have been ... erm, how do I say this? ... the most strenuous police investigation ever conducted?

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Don't I ever write anything nice? Sure. Right here:

To Do This Weekend: Carnegie Free Library of Braddock, 419 Library St., celebrates Black History Month and Presidents' Day this Saturday starting at 11 a.m. Events include stories for kids, crafts, and creation of a unity wreath. Call (412) 351-5357 ... The Kiger-Brannon Band brings their Southern-fried rock sound to Beemer's on West Fifth Avenue tonight at 9:30. Call (412) 678-7400.