Month: February 2021

Congress passed a bill for $1,900,000,000,000. The Senate will debate it this week. Republicans are complaining about the huge size, almost 2 TRILLION dollars. Their main argument is that a year ago they already passed a bill of similar size, and not all of it has been spent yet.

President Biden defended the total and asked a rhetorical question, “What would you cut?” Before anyone could answer, Speaker Pelosi almost fell out of her chair. She had crammed so much excess baggage onto a Covid relief bill all four tires are flat. “Don’t give them a chance to cut my California bailout!”

If you remember, Republicans suggested a bill of about $600,000,000,000. So, President Biden gave them free rein to point out $1,300,000,000,000 worth of pork to cut. (Fortunately, this is on a computer and not in an old-fashioned newspaper; the poor typesetter would have run out of zeros.)

Doubling the minimum wage to $15.00 is in there, but the Senate intends to cut it out. Since no one employed by Congress makes the minimum wage, it has no effect on them. Unfortunately, families across the country with teenagers will be affected. Instead of getting a “starter job,” at $7.50 an hour they will be at home with nothing to do, or worse, out on the street learning “skills” that may not lead to reputable adult employment. (See the third quote)

You may be wondering, aren’t those teenagers in school? The lucky ones are. But too many kids in grades K-12 live where the leaders are content with closed schools. One option for students in Chicago and other similar cities is to go to Mexico, sneak back across our border, then get arrested and put in the “luxury living quarters” (formerly known as cages). Those youth ARE being taught. In-person. In classrooms. In Spanish.

President Biden plans to punish Saudi Arabia for killing a journalist. Well deserved. However, the plan is to stop selling American military gear to them. That punishes us, not them. Instead, we should refuse to buy any of their oil.

Oh, wait. We reduced our supply from federal lands and from Canada so we can’t get along without their oil. This is why campaigning is so much easier than governing.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:

“Our government is the only people that just loves to spend without being compelled to, at all. But the government is the only people that don’t have to worry where it’s coming from.” Radio, April 21, 1935

“The budget is a mythical beanbag. Congress votes mythical beans into it and then tries to reach in and pull real beans out.” DT #2047, Feb. 23, 1933

“It’s not what you pay a man [or teenager] but what he costs you that counts.” WA #119, March 22, 1925

Tomorrow is George Washington’s birthday. February 22 was celebrated as a national holiday for many years. But rather than celebrate him, a lot of ignorant folks these days want to disown the Father of the Country.

Meanwhile in Washington (I don’t think they’ve changed the name yet), Congress and the President are talking about removing the wall. Democrats were elated, “Yes, tear down the wall.” Republicans were cheering, “Yes, remove the damn wall.” This sounds great. Unity!

However, on closer examination we learn the Republicans were referring to the wall around the Capitol, and Democrats want to tear down the wall on the border with Mexico. I guess the difference depends on who they want to protect.

President Biden spoke at a Zoom meeting of the G7. He proudly announced that our theme is no longer “America First.” It’s “America is Back.” The other six nations all cheered wildly. What they thought he said was “America is in the Back.” And whatever economic plans they come up with, we’ll pay for it.

Did you hear about the Dolly Parton statue? The Tennessee Legislature wants to have a statue of her at the Capitol in Nashville. She humbly declined, and I don’t blame her. Her statue needs to be in the U.S. Capitol! You may know that Oklahoma honored “me” with a statue. It’s next to the main entrance to the House. I said at the time, if you insist on giving me a statue, put it next to Congress so I can keep an eye on ‘em. Well, I would love to have Dolly right there beside me. While I’m watching ‘em, she can sing to them as they walk by.

But you may say, Tennessee already has their allotment of two statues. Now I hope “my” Cherokee blood is not making me prejudiced, but I’ve got a great solution: Dolly can replace Andrew Jackson. (see quotes)

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:

          “There wasn’t any Republicans in Washington’s day. No Republicans, no Boll Weevil, no income tax, no cover charge, no disarmament conference, no luncheon clubs, no stop lights, no (radio), no head winds, no ticket speculators, no golf pants… My Lord, living in those days, who wouldn’t be great?” DT #803, Feb. 21, 1929

“Our foreign dealings are an Open Book, generally a Check Book.” WA #45, Nov. 18, 1923

“Well, to tell you the truth, I am not so sweet on old Andy (Jackson). He is the one that run us Cherokees out of Georgia and North Carolina… Old Andy, every time he couldn’t find any one to jump on, would come back and pounce onto us Indians. Course he licked the English down in New Orleans, but he didn’t do it till the war had been over two weeks, so he really just fought them as an encore. Then he would go to Florida and shoot up the Seminoles… Then he would have a row with the Government, and they would take his command and his liquor away from him, and he would come back and sic himself onto us Cherokees again.” WA #267, Feb. 5, 1928

“Spent the day in the mountains with my eastern Cherokee brothers, the ones that old Andrew Jackson wasn’t able to run out of this country.” DT #503, March 7, 1928

The Impeachment trial in the Senate ended Saturday with acquittal for Donald Trump. (Don’t be surprised if he’s already proud of being the only President to be acquitted TWICE.)

The 7 lawyers presenting the House side fell 10 votes short in the Senate. Everyone agrees, including the 43 Senators who voted against Impeachment, that the attack on our Capitol was deplorable, destructive and deadly. One police officer was apparently killed by rioters, and about a hundred were injured. Even Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who voted against impeachment, blasted Trump for his actions (and inaction) on January 6.

It was interesting that a couple of weeks ago in a precursor vote, 44 Republican Senators supported Trump. So, all that was accomplished since then, with millions of dollars spent by lawyers on both sides, was one Senator out of 100 changed his mind. Maybe the House Democrats consider that a success. After all, in a lot of elections if you can get one percent of the voters to change their mind and support your candidate that’s enough to win. Besides, their real goal is to discourage 74 million Trump supporters from voting in 2022 and 2024.

The Democrats paid millions of dollars to gather thirty minutes of incriminating video from around and inside the Capitol. The videos showed the hateful, disgusting behavior and yelling by the well-organized rioters as Representatives and Senators narrowly escaped. (Trump’s lawyers countered by showing video of the destructive riots last summer in Seattle, Minneapolis and near the White House.)

Does Speaker Pelosi share some blame with Trump? Before Trump finished his speech, rioters had broken through the insufficient barriers, barged past the out-manned police, and into the Capitol. The Democrat lawyers gave proof that the FBI and the Capitol Police Chief knew about the planning for the attack days before Jan. 6. The Chief reports to Speaker Pelosi. Why didn’t she order a few thousand reinforcements, including armed National Guard troops, ahead of Jan. 6? Who would ever imagine that 3-foot high “bike rack” barriers, hastily positioned, would hold back a few hundred organized protesters?

Another fair question: suppose the FBI had informed President Trump. What would have been the reaction if he had ordered 5000 military to surround the Capitol Jan. 6? Would Speaker Pelosi have called them storm-troopers? The Democrats and most of the media would have howled, but not one rioter would have gotten past them.

Abraham Lincoln’s birthday was Feb. 12. He’s been dead since 1865, but I bet he’s embarrassed and disgusted at the fraudulent use of his name for a multi million-dollar project aimed at defeating Republicans in 2020. Honest Abe put Republicans in power in 1860, just six years after the Party was founded. But now we learn the men in charge of the Lincoln Project were crooks. They raised almost a hundred million dollars yet only spent a fraction of it on political ads. Several million wound up in the bank accounts of a few men who organized the group. They were frequent guests on television where they spread lies before the election. For years, one was known as a sexual predator.

President Biden announced that he wants half our schools to be open one day a week by May. That was a surprise to the two-thirds of schools which are already open two to five days a week. But teachers’ unions in Chicago and San Francisco still insist they are more likely to get Covid from students than from grocery shopping or hanging out at Home Depot.

At least the years of hatred toward Trump calmed down a little just in time for a day of Love. Yes, today is Valentine’s Day.

And Mardi Gras is Tuesday. In Louisiana they know how to lighten up. A popular saying in the French Quarter is “Laissez les bons temps rouler,” which means “Let the good times roll.” That might be a good idea for all of us.

Historic quote by Will Rogers:

“You know, there ought to be some kind of a star given to any woman that can live with a comedian.  Now, that little compliment ought to repay for the flowers that I forgot to get today.” Radio, May 11, 1930

You can relax; no dreams this week.

New York Governor Cuomo is digging a deeper hole for himself. Early last year the reports of COVID-19 deaths in New York nursing homes shocked the nation. Somehow, on his daily news broadcasts, he explained his actions so well he received an Emmy award. (Maybe it’s in a new category.)

Recent data shows the COVID deaths in NY nursing homes, including sick clients who were sent to hospitals and died there, were at least 50 percent higher than reported during the Emmy-winning broadcasts. (See quote below)

President Biden visited the State Department and gave a motivational speech to our diplomats. He challenged them, “To the country you serve, you are America. We want you to be nice to them.”

Biden announced plans to reverse the tough stance of the Trump Administration. The only countries we won’t be nice to are Russia and North Korea (and Canada??). Putin and Kim Jong Un will get no love letters from Biden. (see quote #2 below)

Vice-President Kamala Harris has several “Firsts.” But being the first VP person of color is not one of them. Yes, she is the first female VP, the first to have a mother from India and father from Jamaica, and the first VP (or President) whose parents both have PhDs (from Cal-Berkeley) and were university professors (Stanford and McGill).

So, who was the first “VP of color?” Charles Curtis, a member of the Kaw Nation. He was VP under President Herbert Hoover, 1929 to 1933. Curtis supported women’s voting rights, child labor laws and the 1924 Act that granted citizenship to Indians. (see quote #3 below)

Since President Biden is determined to create jobs by eliminating gasoline and diesel (minus 11,000 jobs so far), here is a suggestion for an Executive Order which would add MILLIONS of jobs in agriculture.  Eliminate all tractors, combines, cotton pickers, planters and hay balers. Farm work can be done only with the aid of horses, mules and oxen, or solar-powered electricity, plus a tremendous amount of work by human hands.

This Executive Action will also eliminate farm surpluses. Since it takes about a fourth of all cropland to feed the horses, there won’t be any exports of corn, soybeans, cotton, or any other crop. This would eliminate welfare and unemployment; folks would be clamoring for farm jobs because they would not starve; by law, they could eat generously of the food they help grow and harvest.

Unfortunately, jobs in the fertilizer industry will disappear. With all that horse manure, who needs fertilizer? No business for Scotts; even in the suburbs, every square foot of lawn will be fenced to contain sheep, goats, pigs and chickens.

Relax. President Biden would never propose eliminating a hundred years of progress. (Four years, yes; but not 100.) You’ll still have plenty of food without having to dig potatoes, shuck corn or milk a goat.

Speaking of goats… Tom Brady took another giant leap toward Greatest Of All Time, with his SEVENTH Super Bowl win. Tampa Bay 31-9 over Kansas City.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:

“Today they are voting in New York on whether to keep a Governor two years or four… I think a good, honest Governor should get four years, and the others life.” DT #405, Nov. 8, 1927

“There is one thing no nation can ever accuse us of and that is Secret Diplomacy. Our foreign dealings are an Open Book, generally a Check Book.”  WA #45, Nov. 18, 1923

“You know I am an Indian.  My folks are Cherokees and I am very proud of the fact and us Injuns are mighty proud of Charlie Curtis… Charlie had the usual life of a child born in Kansas.  He grew strong from shoveling the grasshoppers off the sidewalk, so they could go to town… It is hard to get a man to take the Vice-Presidency.   It is a job that doesn’t have a nice future… So good luck to you, Charlie, old Injun, and I hope you are elected President some day and we will run the White House out of this country.” Radio, Apr. 27, 1930