I'm sure the producers of "Saturday Night Live" are most happy with John McCain's choice for veep. The numbers for "SNL" have skyrocketed thanks to Tina Fey as Sarah and then both of them appearing on the show last week.

And then along comes Joe the Plumber; the darling of the Republican Party. Joe was worried that a President Obama was going to tax him if he made over $250,000. Come to find out, Joe doesn't even pay the taxes he owes now; and not only that, he's not even a plumber. But the Republicans are still parading his name and fake story out to the masses.

Here's a side note to President Obama. If I'm making a quarter million bucks a year, you will have the happiest taxpayer in the entire nation. Tax away. I'll even send an extra 10 bucks for a six-pack to whoever has to open up the envelope; even if his name isn't Joe.

The Joes are getting a lot of attention this election. That should make my uncle happy in Olathe.

The best thing about Joe the Plumber was the joke I heard the next day during "The Breakfast Club" on KAYS radio. Here goes. A doctor hired a plumber to do some repairs to his stools and sinks. After the plumber completed his jobs, he handed the doc a bill. The doctor says, "This is outrageous! This is more than what I charge!" The plumber looked at him and replied, "That's why I'm not a doctor anymore."

I guess the doctor could have replied, "Doggone it."

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One of my favorite programs in our fair city is the annual alley cleanup. I applaud city commissioners for funding it and I applaud the city staff that does yeomen like work on the project. This year, I had some stuff in the alley that I was going to ask a contractor to pick up, because I assumed it was too heavy. There it was. Gone.

Also, this year, I planted some buffalo grass. I saw a friend of mine that works in the water department and he said someone in billing noticed my water usage was above normal and sent him out to check the meter. When he arrived, he noticed the newly planted buffalo grass.

A few weeks ago, we got a heads-up from city staff that our water usage was higher than usual at our Democrat headquarters. We discovered a leaky toilet and lower water bills are to follow.

That's just a few of the cool things about living in Hays.

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One of my favorite fundraisers in Kiwanis is our annual poinsettia sale. You can get an 8-inch poinsettia for $27 or a 10-inch for $33. They are nice-sized plants and quite beautiful. Trust me on this. They make fantastic gifts for friends, family members, customers and business associates. Some folks order them delivered to their church. And the Kiwanis members deliver them free of charge to orders in Hays city limits.

And the money we raise goes to help the youth of Hays. If you'd like a brochure, e-mail joleenf_ads@dailynews.net or call her at (785) 628-1081, Ext. 122.

Don't forget to order one for yourself.

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A few weeks ago, we lost one of our great cheerleaders for our community, Bill Aubel, to cancer. It would take two or three columns to list his accomplishments, but I want to touch on two things. His good friend, Bob Schmidt eulogized Bill and painted a picture with his eloquent words. He said, "Some people are lucky to have one or two or maybe even three best friends; Bill had dozens." And Bill's son, Jim, added, "My father wasn't a native of Hays, but he loved Hays. He would do anything for Hays." He would. He did. And he will be missed.

Cancer also took another one of our community's best this past week. Esther McMurtrie was just an all-around great person; a great wife, mother, friend and I'm sure a great grandmother in the short time she was afforded with her grandson whom she called, "my little Jack."

She didn't like me calling her "one of my heroes." But she was and always will be. Cancer might have taken some years of her life away, but it never took away her goodness, spirit and sense of humor. There were no empty seats in the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church where we mourned her death and celebrated her life.