• About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Pickem Terms and Conditions
Friday, August 22, 2025
The Platte County Landmark Newspaper
  • Home
  • Local News
  • Opinion
  • Landmark Pickem!
    • Weekly Pickem Updates
    • Results by Week
    • The Leaderboard
    • Pickem Rules and Help
  • Landmark Live!
  • Looking Backward
  • es_MXSpanish
  • Home
  • Local News
  • Opinion
  • Landmark Pickem!
    • Weekly Pickem Updates
    • Results by Week
    • The Leaderboard
    • Pickem Rules and Help
  • Landmark Live!
  • Looking Backward
  • es_MXSpanish
No Result
View All Result
The Platte County Landmark Newspaper
No Result
View All Result

AI columns, bad opinions

Guy Speckman by Guy Speckman
August 21, 2025
in Ponder the Thought
random thoughts
3
SHARES
80
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare via Email

I just asked an artificial intelligence app to write a column for me, and it generated a 1,000-word column in less than a minute. That’s a bit concerning. I can’t buy the baby new shoes if the computer is going to replace me. If you see Foley having beers with his laptop, you’ll know my time has come to an end.


I’m writing this column two weeks before it is going to run, so expect some calendar bias, don’t tell The Landmark DEI office.

RelatedNews

Property assessment, committees and getting along

Fitness test, columnist test

COVID, sober Trump and whatnot


It seems like a decent time to float out some unpopular opinions.

I do not understand the public pandering for dollars from schoolteachers for “classroom costs.” Schools continue to heap tons of money on administration salary costs, days of ludicrous costs for warm up to school openings and they can’t provide the classroom supplies necessary? I just don’t understand school finance I suppose. I’m probably wrong on this opinion, donate away, it’s not my money. My money is apparently assigned to hire more administrators and host back to school bashes at the largest venues in the area.

Speaking of expenses. I have seen that “back to school” photo sessions are a thing for elementary school aged children now. My “old man” sense tells me this might be a bit much, but you do you.

I also saw some “signing ceremonies” for young, pre-high school type kids playing on travel teams this fall. I might just step away from society at this point, seems like the best opinion I could have.

Just a reminder that China let COVID out and didn’t tell us. That seems bad.


President Trump hit my soul recently. He was talking about meeting with the Chinese president, and he said he might meet with him and might not and then added, “it’s a really long plane ride” and that hit my soul. I’ve said similar about places much, much closer for trips a lot less important.

This guy flies on the nicest plane on earth and he’s complaining about the flight to China. There has never been a politician alive that can hit the soul of old, tired men with these types of trivial takes than Trump.


I’m thinking of badgering Foley to call for back to work photo sessions for The Landmark columnists this fall. Me, Foley, and Kamler can stand in farm fields and courthouse rotundas and have a fancy photographer take our pictures. Probably wouldn’t work out. Foley probably takes lots of time in makeup and Kamler and I are not allowed in most courthouses.


Let’s put a final “old man” lid on this column. Can you guys remember a year with this much rain? My Lord! I read that this is the wettest spring and summer since 2001, and I believe it. For good or bad, my yard size has grown since 2001, and I’ve been mowing every three days all spring and summer and quite honestly, I’m tired of it. My mower dealer reads this column and even he sounded tired when I last spoke to him. If the mower dealer is tired of slinging steal, then we know it’s been a busy year.

Every old guy has a mower dealer, right? Don’t judge me, we all have our burdens to bear and I have an affliction for Hustler Mowers, it’s probably more normal than you think.

(Guy Speckman can be reached preparing for a Landmark photo shoot in a cornfield near you)

Tags: chris kamlerGuy Speckman
Guy Speckman

Guy Speckman

Guy Speckman is a Landmark contributing columnist with his Ponder the Thought column. Speckman is the former owner of the Savannah Reporter, where the column appeared for nearly two decades. Speckman is a former city government manager, serving as city administrator in Maysville, Plattsburg and Savannah before entering business. He is a graduate of Northwest Missouri State University (1989). He is originally from Plattsburg, Missouri. He and his wife own and operate a real estate valuation firm and a daily legal newspaper and are the parents of two grown children.

Related Posts

Baseball field

Balls and Strikes

by Chris Kamler
August 14, 2025
0

It was the winter of 1991 when my dad and I loaded my suitcase in a van and drove from Kansas City, down Highway 66, to Chandler, Arizona - home of the Jim Evans Academy for Professional Umpires. The trip...

Dueling reassessment letters

Property assessment, committees and getting along

by Guy Speckman
August 14, 2025
0

Assessor ranks among the most difficult of publicly elected jobs you can have, in my opinion. Kudos to Platte County Assessor David Cox for pushing back to criticism over the state order to raise values. The entire system is simply...

Fitness Test

Fitness test, columnist test

by Guy Speckman
August 6, 2025
0

I guess the Trump Administration is bringing back the Presidential Fitness Test and now I'm pretty upset that I didn't vote for that Harris lady. I'm going to be honest; I can't climb a rope up to the top of...

Parkville mural in alley

Parkville tax, summer travels and football

by Ivan Foley
August 6, 2025
0

If you’re picking up this copy of The Landmark to look for the result of Parkville’s special election, you won’t find it in print. Go to our Facebook page--you know how to find it, and if you don’t now is...

Next Post
CARES handouts

Buying a vehicle in Missouri will look different down the road

Popular News

  • Parkville Days

    Annual Parkville Days festival ready to roll

    14 shares
    Share 6 Tweet 4
  • Bethel Ave. bridge over I-29 to be closed Monday

    12 shares
    Share 5 Tweet 3
  • Taxable value of homes will rise by 6.8 percent

    8 shares
    Share 3 Tweet 2
  • Landmark Lager on tap in Parkville

    7 shares
    Share 3 Tweet 2
  • A walk back through time at the Platte County Courthouse

    7 shares
    Share 3 Tweet 2
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Pickem Terms and Conditions
Call us at 816-858-0363

Copyright © 2019-2020 The Platte County Landmark Newspaper - All Rights Reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Subscribe Online
  • Home
  • Local News
  • Opinion
  • Landmark Pickem
    • Results by Week
    • The Leaderboard
    • Pickem Rules and Help
  • Landmark Live!
  • Looking Backward
  • es_MXSpanish

Copyright © 2019-2020 The Platte County Landmark Newspaper - All Rights Reserved