The Baker County Commission would be wise to fine-tune the rules on what happens to SHIP housing in the event the owners of record no longer occupy them due to death or other circumstances.

Two weeks ago in The Press, managing editor Joel Addington revealed that the son of a deceased owner of a SHIP house in Glen St. Mary was renting it out for $850 a month. That’s illegal under revised rules adopted by the county in 2008.

The SHIP (State Housing Initiative Partnership) program, for those unfamiliar with it, has been around for decades and funnels public funds through the county to construct modest housing or make repairs to existing houses of low income elderly and disabled.

The money, naturally, come with strings attached. If the owner is around for 20 years, the state forgives 5 percent of the “loan” annually and thus forgives the debt. If the owner no longer occupies the house, the outstanding balance must be paid off by heirs and successors.

Under the rules before 2008, if the owner died the debt was forgiven.

I’m a man of many vices — bad sci-fi and horror movies, pizza, beer, shoes, the list goes on. But one vice I kicked to the curb some five years ago was smoking.

I was never a heavy smoker. Even after 10 years I couldn’t puff away a whole pack in 24 hours without some help. I was nearing 30 years old and needed to get healthier, lest I end up six feet under before my time. That and the love of a good woman was enough motivation for me.

I’m not going to get all preachy on you about the dangers of smoking and other tobacco use. Suffice it say, tobacco use will shorten your lifespan. It’s a scientific certainty.

It’s also a certainty that while smoking rates in Baker County have fallen in the last decade or so, many folks still smoke. According to 2010 survey data, about 20 percent of adults, or one in five, reported smoking.

Appalled doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt after reading the article about Coach Sulkowski using the school district credit card for dinner at Whitey’s Fish Camp. The use of a school district vehicle for him to go to a weightlifting meet in addition to the school bus carrying the team isn’t as bad, but still annoys me. The alcohol purchase is more or less icing on the proverbial cake of wasted tax payer dollars.

I’m not picking on Coach Sulkowski as I can’t believe it’s a problem restricted to just the football coach. I’m sure coaches in other sports have the same freedoms, at least the ones that bring in the most money. The poor tennis, swim and track coaches are second tier. No free dinners at Whitey’s for you guys.

The discussion from the administration on down about lack of funds for the classrooms is a constant hum these days. I’ve been to Whitey’s and besides the fact it’s a heck of a drive from anywhere, it’s not cheap. So once you factor in dinner for three, drinks and a district vehicle you could easily be looking at over $150.