Month: November 2018

On Thanksgiving, as you sit down to enjoy a bountiful feast, take a moment to thank a farmer. That huge meal with turkey and all the trimmings cost about the same as it has the last couple of years. Yet, the farmer’s income this year is about seven-eighths as much as last year, and far below what they made a few years ago. You probably know that China stopped buying our soybeans and our cows are producing milk faster than we can drink it.

The lame-duck Congress is debating the so-called Farm Bill (which is 80 percent food stamps). They are not arguing over how much farmers ought to get. No, the debate is whether able-bodied young folks who choose not to work should receive food stamps. It’s a worthwhile debate, but there are plenty of jobs available.

Wrapping up the election, the Senate will stay Republican, while the House will switch back to Democratic control for the first time since 2010. The credit for the switch goes to suburban voters who voted for the Democrat for Congress.

I think I’ve figured out why it happened. Do you agree? Previously it was country folks (mainly conservative Republicans) who moved to the suburbs for a new job in the city. Recently, it’s the city folks (mainly liberal Democrats) who have moved out to the suburbs, often to get away from Democrat-ruled cities. But, out of habit, they still vote Democratic.

Ironically, the same effect is occurring for whole states. People leave California and New York, for example, because of high taxes and regulations, and land in Republican states, such as Arizona, Texas and Florida. But they vote for candidates favoring the same policies they left behind.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:

“Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. The more turkey you eat at dinner the less hash you will be bothered with the rest of the month.” DT #92, Nov. 24, 1926

“Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. [President] Coolidge asked us to thank the Lord, but to kinder hint to Him also that we are aware that a Republican Administration had assisted Him in providing this plentiful bounty.” DT #729, Nov. 27, 1928

“If I run for something, this would be my platform: No part of any turkey served later than Sunday night after Thanksgiving.” DT #1972, Nov. 29, 1932

“Wish all the Farmers would move to town one year; that’s the only way I know to clear the thing up.” WA #452, Aug. 23, 1931

Whoa. Florida is doing it to us again. After the results were announced late Tuesday night, the Election Boss in Broward County contacted Tallahassee saying, “Hold your horses. We have several hundred thousand ballots yet to count. And many of them haven’t been marked yet.” I think she sent the message by telegram.

Would you like to be in charge of putting on an election? You have one job, for one day, every two years. And you have about 720 days to prepare for it. (And you thought preachers had it easy, six days to prepare for one day a week.)

The good news is that 99.9 percent of these officials across the country do their job well. The bad news is that a couple of them forgot that Nov. 6 was Election Day and that vote counting was to be finished by midnight.

Was Will Rogers referring to Broward County 94 years ago? “If I was running for office I would rather have two friends in the counting room than a Republican Slush fund behind me. More candidates have been defeated after 6 o’clock in the evening than were ever defeated during Election Day.” WA #100, Nov. 9, 1924

Democrats elected enough Congressmen and women to regain control of the House. With a Republican Senate and Republican President most folks are saying in the next two years even less will be done (if that is possible). So it could be a repeat of 1924: “Washington, D. C. papers say: ‘Congress is deadlocked and can’t act.’ I think that is the greatest blessing that could befall this country.” WA #59, Jan. 27, 1924

One hundred years ago, Nov, 11, 1918, World War I ended with an Armistice. President Trump is in France honoring the sacrifice our American boys made to save Europe from the Germans. Over 4,000,000 served, and 110,000 died. Oddly, in comments today, President Macron of France did not seem to appreciate the patriotism of our boys in helping to save the hide of his countrymen. And this scorning by European leaders of our contribution is nothing new. Here’s Will Rogers in 1926, “There is only one way we could be in worse with Europeans, and that is to have helped them out in two wars instead of one.” Letters of a Self-Made Diplomat to his President, page 4.

Personal note: My great-uncle, Bill Lowther, served in WWI. He returned to the farm in Wildcat, WV, owned and ran a small general store, and lived to age 105.

Historic quote by Will Rogers:

“Today was Armistice Day, celebrated to commemorate the end of the slaughter.” DT #80, Nov. 11, 1926

With the election tomorrow, you’re in no mood to read any advice from me telling you who to vote for, and why.

Newspapers are saying women voters will decide the election. Now, I like newspapers, but this seems like an underhanded scheme to trick us men to skip voting. So, when she leaves the house tomorrow morning, tag along with her and if she pulls into a voting location, don’t let her go in there alone. We may be outnumbered, but we can perhaps keep it from being a landslide.

“Everybody is always asking if women voting has made any real change in our political system. It has. It has just doubled the amount of candidates.” DT #1274, Aug. 25, 1930

We’re all tired of the money spent on political ads, which totals about $3 Billion on this election. But do you know we spend 3 or 4 times that much on dog food? Of course, if dog food stunk up the place like some of those ads, the dogs would be eating in the back yard.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers (on politics):

“I’m not a member of any organized political party…. I’m a Democrat. But really, I don’t take sides with anybody politically.  I kid those folks, but I know that they all get in there and do the best they can. None of ‘em from any party are going to ruin the country, at least not on purpose.” (This is slightly paraphrased.)

“There is only one redeeming thing about this whole election. It will be over at sundown, and let everybody pray that it’s not a tie.”

“Well, this day after the election many a good man will find that he has been replaced because he failed to bring in enough government loot from Washington… The height of statesmanship is to come home with a dam, even if you got nowhere to put it.” DT #1336, Nov. 4, 1930

“If there is one thing the Republican Party has got to learn, it is that you can’t get votes by just denouncing. You got to offer some plan of your own.” DT #2576, Nov. 7, 1934

“A Republican moves slowly. They are what we call conservatives. A conservative is a man who has plenty of money and doesn’t see any reason why he shouldn’t always have plenty of money. A Democrat is a fellow who never had any, but doesn’t see any reason why he shouldn’t have some.”

“We all joke about Congress but we can’t improve on them. Have you noticed that no matter who we elect, he is just as bad as the one he replaces?”