Recent articles by Editor Michael Swisher in the Kingfi sher Times and Free Press indicate Kingfisher is moving forward.

One story told about efforts to extend the Kingfisher Airport to allow larger planes usage.

The other reported citizens’ approval of the half-cent sales tax extension to finance building a new fire department to replace the 50-year-old structure the department has outgrown.

The architect’s rendering of the planned new facility, which will be built at 1501 South Main Street, will provide an impressive first impression to visitors entering the city, indicating that Kingfisher, which has a rich history, is also a community on the move.

City Manager Jim Thomas says the goal is to seek bids for the new station on May 1 with construction to start in August.

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I have had quite a few “duh” moments in my life. One came during the county commission’s weekly meeting Tuesday. One agenda item regarded adding a new Opiod Abatement account to the county’s list with Angie Meyer serving as receiving officer.

Supposing it was a medical deal, I opened my mouth and asked if Meyer was with the county health department.

“No,” County Clerk Emily Lee said, and motioned to the commissioners’ outer office.

That’s where Angie Meyer, the secretary in the commissioners’ office works. I’ve known her at least two years, probably longer.

As I left the meeting Angie introduced herself to me with a big smile.

The old saying hit me, “it’s better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.”

There could be two Angie Meyers in Kingfisher County. That’s my excuse and I’m sticking with it.

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I’ll have to admit I sometimes have to call roll to get the right name for one of my kids.

My late mother-in-law, Hildred Galipeau, used to end such forgetful moments by looking directly at the child she was trying to address and saying, “ hey, you, with the face.”

Biden dementia leaves the Oval Office

Speaking of forgetfulness, former President Joe Biden won’t have to expose his dementia so much now that he is out of office.

New President Donald J. Trump is in the hot seat now and seems to have a new agenda well thought out.

He started immediately by signing executive orders undoing some of the harm to the nation created by Biden.

Fred Lucas, news correspondent and manager of the Investigative Reporting Project for the Daily Signal, related the action this way: Fresh off his inaugural speech at the Capitol, President Donald Trump signed a slew of executive orders, which included establishing the Department of Government Effi ciency, or DOGE, preventing censorship, and unleashing American energy production.

At Capital One Arena in Washington, Trump signed the orders from a seemingly small wooden desk, with the presidential seal, and a microphone.

“Could you imagine [former President Joe] Biden doing this, I don’t think so,” Trump said at the arena to a cheering crowd after signing one.

Trump later tossed his pens out into the crowd, where supporters jumped for them as if at a Major League baseball game.

While still at the Capitol, he signed four orders. After signing several more orders at Capital One Arena, the president was set to sign still more at the White House.

Three other executive orders that the 45th and 47th president signed at the Capitol established control over his own administration by appointing acting Cabinet officials and acting subcabinet appointees and appointments as acting heads of boards and commissions. (During his first term, his agenda was routinely undermined by federal employees. He came into office with many acting agency heads having worked in the Obama administration.)

From there, he went to Capital One Arena in Washington where after the parade, Trump signed a series of executive orders in front of thousands in attendance.

At the arena, Trump signed an order to end the weaponization of the federal government against political adversaries. He also signed an order rescinding most of Biden’s executive actions considered harmful. This included what the president said created an “open border” and “climate extremism.”

Trump signed a federal hiring freeze, and an order to have the federal work force return to the office. The House Oversight and Accountability Committee recently issued a report on how nearly empty federal buildings have become costly to the taxpayers.

“Within 90 days of the date of this memorandum, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), in consultation with the Director of OPM and the Administrator of the United States DOGE Service (USDS), shall submit a plan to reduce the size of the Federal Government’s workforce through efficiency improvements and attrition,” the hiring freeze order says.

The president signed an executive order to stop federal censorship. The release of the Twitter files showed the federal officials exerted power to suppress damaging news stories about Democrats. Meta owner Mark Zuckerberg said the FBI applied similar pressure.

Trump spoke about several of the orders in his second inaugural address.

“After years and years of illegal and unconstitutional federal efforts to restrict free expression, I will sign an executive order to immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America,” Trump said during his inaugural address.

Trump also signed an order to provide price relief amid inflation, and an order to freeze all federal regulations pending review.

Trump later returned to his first day of moving back into the White House, where he signed several more executive orders during an Oval Office press conference.

This included an order creating the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. When asked if Elon Musk, who is heading up the initiative, would get a White House office, Trump said no.

“But he is getting an office of 20 people we are hiring to make sure things get implemented,” Trump said from the Oval Office.

Trump issued pardons and commutations for certain individuals who committed offenses in the Jan. 6, 2021 illegal breach of the Capitol. Trump called them the “J6 hostages.”

“They have been treated very unfairly. No one has ever been treated like that,” Trump said. He added, “They’ve been in jail for a long time already. … It’s almost 100% of the people convicted.”

A reporter in the Oval Offi ce asked Trump if so many executive orders meant he was being a “dictator from Day One,” as he joked about in his campaign.

“No, I can’t imagine even being called that. I believe in the sanctity of the vote,” Trump said. “The Democrats don’t because they cheated. This one was too big to rig.”

Trump wrapped up by signing an executive order to “protect women from radical gender ideology.” During the inaugural address earlier in the day, Trump announced that the government would only recognize two sexes, male and female.

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What a relief to have an executive who is concerned about citizens’ welfare in the office.

Obviously, the war has just begun. Many of the old mossy-backs in the bureaucracy have already indicated they will attempt to sabotage Trump’s presidency, following similar tactics they initiated during his first presidency.

Obviously, it’s time for a thorough housecleaning in Washington, D.C.