Month: September 2024

If I told you there are 28,000 convicted murderers and rapists roaming freely around the country, you would be alarmed and demand, “Who are the idiots who opened the prisons?”

Well, it’s not open prisons. It’s open borders. And we know who opened the borders. These 28,000 are among the 400,000 illegal immigrants who are convicted or charged with severe crimes according to a report from ICE (U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement).

So, where are these criminal immigrants? Most are in sanctuary cities and states where local authorities are forbidden to arrest and turn them over to ICE. You will recall that VP Kamala Harris, the Border Czar, has been prominent in her support for illegal immigrants, including comparing ICE to the hated KKK. She has opposed detaining and deporting any illegal immigrants.

However, on Friday, Kamala Harris walked along the border wall in Cochise County, Arizona. (The same wall she opposed as a Senator; built during the Trump Administration). This was the first time she had been to the actual border. (Yes, she visited El Paso in June 2021, but stayed 8 miles away from the border.)

There are two questions candidate Harris needs to answer: “Have you completely changed your position on illegal immigration from 5 years ago?” “And, if so, why didn’t you insist that President Biden adopt your plan in January 2021?”

The only remaining debate will be Tuesday night (Oct. 1). This will be between the VP candidates, JD Vance and Tim Walz. Do you think we’ll learn anything new about their views or the policies of Trump and Harris?

I hope the Moderators ask a series of questions, such as, “If you are the ‘last person in the room’ with the President, what would be your advice on solving or minimizing international conflicts involving… Iran financing terror against Israel? Putin’s war against Ukraine? China’s threat to Taiwan and the Philippines? Mexican cartels controlling our southern border?

Hurricane Helene struck the Gulf Coast of Florida with a storm surge that flooded or destroyed structures up to 10 feet above sea level. The devastation continued across much of the Southeast with record rainfall. Ashville, North Carolina and other areas in the Smoky Mountains on both sides of the Tennessee border are especially hurting. Almost a hundred have lost their lives. The Red Cross and other supporting groups can use our help.

Last week I mentioned our farmers who are being hurt by drought. Now, the farmers in our Southeast states are losing crops to flooding and wind. For example, peanuts and cotton were ready for harvest. Peach and pecan trees were uprooted. The financial pain for the farmers and their communities will be much worse than us perhaps missing out on peanut butter fudge or peach cobbler.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:

      “You know the more you read and observe about this Politics thing, you got to admit that each party is worse than the other.” WA #3, Dec. 31, 1922

     “People are marvelous in their generosity if they just know the cause is there.” DT #1523, June 10, 1931

Columbus: If you ever doubted the expertise and creativity of the engineers and scientists in Israel, they just removed all doubt.

The Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon were warned by their funders (bosses) in Iran that cell phones could be used to track individuals. So, they decided to communicate by old-fashioned pagers and walkie-talkies instead. On Tuesday, thousands of the pagers blew up simultaneously as the terrorists “answered” their pagers. Wow!

The Hezbollah murderers who survived, switched to walkie-talkies. On Wednesday, on cue, the walkie-talkies blew up.

Now Israel has the attention of Iran and all of their puppets in Gaza, Yemen, and especially in Qatar. The top Hamas leaders are living in luxury in Qatar. Do you suppose they might be afraid to answer or even be within ten yards of their phones? Or open an email on their laptop computer?

Pretty soon, the Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthi Islamists in Yemen, and Hamas in Gaza will be communicating with smoke signals.

Candidate Kamala Harris keeps letting us down. Ever since she became the choice of the Democrats to run for President, many folks (but definitely not all) have been asking her to clearly state her policies. For example, she has been asked, “What will you do to bring down prices which have gone up 20% since you and President Biden were elected?” Her answer, “So, I grew up in a middle-class home in a neighborhood where everyone was proud of their lawns.”

VP Harris refuses to explain why she changed her mind on “fracking.” Her response should be, “I’ve learned in the last few months that hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling are essential and safe technologies. Without them the price of natural gas and oil would likely triple. And oil and gas are essential fuel supplies for electricity and our trucks and automobiles, and manufacturing and farming. We like solar and wind, but it will be many decades before our country can thrive without depending on our abundant supply of natural gas and crude oil.”

Rather than speaking like a serious candidate for President, she sounds more like a failed motivational speaker. I won’t put quotes on this but you have heard her say things like: Americans are optimistic because our values are based on principles and the children of the community are the children of the community and will be future voters in the future.

Forget politics for a moment. Severe drought is hurting the southern half of Ohio and the whole state of West Virginia. We’re accustomed to hearing about drought in the Great Plains and Southwest. But for this area (and probably others I’m not familiar with) the lack of rainfall this summer is the worst in almost a hundred years. Corn and soybean crops are maturing early and yielding less. Farmers with cattle and sheep have hauled water and fed bales of hay since July because pastures, creeks, and ponds have dried up.

The Federal Reserve Board met and lowered interest rates by half a percent. This was the first reduction in four years. The reduction was somewhat of a surprise. The Board usually avoids changing interest rates a few weeks before an election. Wall Street liked the reduction. Mortgage rates may decrease.

Economists don’t agree on which candidate or political party will benefit. Some economists say the Federal Reserve Board should be dissolved. And Will Rogers agrees, “There is two things that can disrupt business in this country. One is war and the other is a meeting of the Federal Reserve (Board).” (DT #837, April 2, 1929)

Historic quote by Will Rogers:

     “Of all the dumb issues that candidates bring up to try and influence people how to vote, I think ‘prosperity’ takes the cake. How a speaker can convince a man that he is prosperous when he is broke or that he is not prosperous when he is doing well is beyond me.” DT #704, Oct. 29, 1928

Oh my. For the second time, a man has attempted to kill President Trump. The critical difference between the July 13 attempt and today is that today the Secret Service shot first! They didn’t wait until the shooter fired at Trump.

Thanks to a quick-thinking citizen taking a photo, the assassin and his vehicle were quickly located as he tried to escape on I-95. I won’t name him, but the would-be assassin is in custody.

Did you watch the debate Tuesday night? Supporters of Democrat Harris bragged that she won. Republican Trump announced that he won. The loser appears to be ABC. You may disagree, but most viewers noticed that David Muir and Lindsey Davis were quick to question statements by Trump, but not once did they attempt to correct Harris. They often let Harris ignore the question and respond with a well-rehearsed 2-minute “answer.”

The most glaring omission from the debate was clear statements by Harris about her policies related to illegal immigration, hydraulic fracturing of gas and oil wells, late term abortion, biological males in female sports, and crime in cities. She did not clearly say where she disagreed with policies and actions by the Biden-Harris administration or whether she regrets any tie-breaking votes as VP.

Trump rambled and was often distracted by baiting by Harris. Most people know where Trump stands because he was President and has been interviewed frequently during the campaign.

Harris asked for another debate, obviously forgetting that she earlier turned down a plan for three debates. If no more debates, she needs to accept more interviews with a variety of journalists. We know she has style; but to make an informed vote, we need more substance.

Unfortunately, as a result of a Trump comment, Springfield, Ohio has received a lot of negative publicity. This small city of about 50,000 in a rural county is only 40 miles west of me. Several years ago, Springfield welcomed a few hundred immigrants from Haiti, perhaps the poorest country in the world. They were treated so well, their Haitian friends and family decided to move to Springfield. Over a few years, that added up to several thousand.

You may say, Florida has welcomed over 500,000 Haitians (mostly in Miami), so why can’t Springfield, Ohio welcome 15,000 to 20,000? Good question. Miami-Dade County has over a million residents of Cuban heritage. Adding thousands of Spanish-speaking Haitians is not a problem for them.

So, the next time you see a meme or cartoon about dogs and cats being eaten in Springfield, just laugh. Most of us in Ohio, including Haitians, prefer beef, chicken and pork.

Have you seen the Reagan movie? You may be surprised it was filmed mostly in Oklahoma in 2020. I had not gone to a movie theater for several years. I learned you should not go in hungry; popcorn and a drink cost more than the ticket. Almost everyone (98%) who have watched the movie liked it.

Oddly, only 20% of movie critics like it. That reminded me of a comment by Will Rogers about critics in 1923, “Their contribution to the success of most theaters is in about the same ratio that a fire would be.” (WA #8, Feb. 4, 1923)

Historic quote by Will Rogers:

“Now the rules of the Debate are as follows: the first half of the debate is to settle on what the Issues are that we are to debate on, and the last half of the Debate is just to Debate on ‘em. In case there is No Issues, like it would be if you was debating with some Democrat, why then of course there would be no use holding the last half.” Life magazine, Aug. 9, 1928

Randall Reeder
614-477-0439

Columbus: The big political event this week is the second Presidential Debate. Yes, it’s the first for Kamala Harris, but the second for Donald Trump in 2024.

For Democrat Harris this is a “coming out party.” This debate will be her first opportunity to answer random questions without notes or a teleprompter on live TV. If you’re a member of a Toastmasters Club you know this is something we do every meeting, without the TV. And the more you do it, the better you get at impromptu speaking.

For Republican Trump, one challenge will be to rein in his tendency to ramble in answering questions. Unlike VP Harris, he has done several presidential debates. He has an opportunity, like a football player, to review the videotapes and see where he had a good response and where he failed.

You probably know that this election boils down to a half dozen states, led by Pennsylvania. Even in those states where the race is tight, about 90% of voters have already decided how they intend to vote. Oddly, while millions will tune in Tuesday night, the two candidates will aim their comments at a few thousand undecided voters in each of those states. For example, with Pennsylvania in mind, I hope the Moderators ask VP Harris, “What is fracking, and are you for it or against it?” A great follow-up question would be, “What is your policy on horizontal drilling?”

With North Carolina and Georgia in mind, the Moderators should ask Mr. Trump, “What is your policy on abortion? Please be specific.”

I hope both candidates are asked about the causes of inflation and what their economic policies would be to maintain it at about 2% per year.

On foreign policy, each candidate should explain their views on Ukraine, Hamas, Iran, and how to keep China from attacking Taiwan.

President Biden has kept pretty quiet lately. But his son Hunter finally decided that not paying over a million dollars in income taxes is a crime, so he pleaded guilty. I’ve heard that a friend recently paid the back taxes for Hunter. I wonder if President Biden feels that Hunter has paid his “fair share.”

On a different topic, as a retired faculty member of a prestigious university, it pains me to share the following information. The Brookings Institution surveyed “chief academic officers” and “business leaders,” asking a simple question: Are current college graduates ready for the workforce? In the opinion of the university administrators, 90% believe their graduates are ready to work.

Do business leaders agree? No way! Only 11% think new college grads are prepared to enter the workforce. (I’m guessing one of those “11%” is president of McDonald’s.)

That is a shocking discrepancy. Perhaps universities need to replace their current Deans with people with business experience. Hiring a CEO as a university president might help, too.

Enrollment at colleges and universities of all sizes is dropping. This survey helps explain why more high school graduates are bypassing college and going to a trade school.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:

          “You can’t beat an Administration by attacking it. You have to show some plan of improving on it.” WA #101, Nov. 16, 1924

“The only salvation I can see for the young is to increase the college term to an additional four years…  You’ll say, ‘Well, what could they learn in another four years?’ Well, there must be some little something about making a living that they haven’t learned yet, and they could kind of work on that for the next four years.” Radio, June 2, 1935

As promised, I will summarize a wonderful month, including two conferences with professional speakers and three events for farmers.

A highlight was having Will Rogers honored as a Legend in Professional Speaking on Aug. 24. This was recognition for the real Will Rogers, although I had some fun pretending it was me. It was a “posthumous” award; I mis-read it as “post humorous.” The Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore, Oklahoma, prepared a 6-minute video of Will for the occasion. His great-granddaughter, Jennifer Rogers Etcheverry, accepted the award, by video, on behalf of the family.

Will Rogers was honored as a Legend by the Veteran Speakers Network, along with four top professional speakers (who are very much alive) at their annual retreat at Herndon, Virginia. It’s a fun group who are mainly, shall we say, mature professional speakers. Eight former presidents of the National Speakers Association attended, plus several who have received the top honors from NSA.

The month began with the annual conference (called Influence) of the National Speakers Association, in Denver, Colorado. Plenty of educational sessions to help us become better presenters for the meetings business. Topics included storytelling to add impact, audience involvement, and of course, AI.

For me, a highlight was taking an official photograph of the “Tall Women Speakers.” I was asked to take their photo in 1996, and I’ve only missed 4 or 5 years since. The only requirement is to be at least 6-ft tall, but most have outstanding speaking careers. We have had as many as 20 in the photo, with “no back row.” (In school, these gals were usually taller than their classmates and were stuck in the back row of group photos. They didn’t like it. So now they line up in one wide row.)

Shifting to my other life, in agriculture, I helped with three educational events focused on how to build soil health for improved production of corn and soybeans. These were spaced across Ohio and included hands-on experiences out in the field. Farmers learn about the value of adding organic matter to the soil (carbon from the air) and how to do it by skipping tillage and adding cover crops in the down time between cash crops. In addition, I attended a big event at the Ohio State Fair that named four outstanding individuals to the Ohio Ag Hall of Fame. One honoree was a colleague for many years, a pioneering no-till farmer, David Brandt, who died last year. Yes, I knew it was a posthumous recognition. In addition, I wrote two monthly columns, one for National No-till Farmer magazine and the other for Ohio’s Country Journal.

While in Colorado, I got to drive the winding road up the side of Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado Springs to see the “Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun.” It was constructed by Spencer Penrose, who earlier built the famous Broadmoor Hotel. It is a granite tower, 114 feet tall, overlooking the city. I climbed to the top. Oh, and I ate lunch with my oldest granddaughter. (She works remotely as a nutrition specialist for a hospital. Her husband is in the new U.S. Space Force.)

I’m not telling you all of this to brag. Rather to point out that an old retired agricultural engineer and a slowed down “Will Rogers” impersonator can still find plenty of useful pursuits. And I have a few more of those in September.

Historic quote by Will Rogers:

       “Tomorrow is Labor Day. I suppose set by act of Congress. Everything we do nowadays is either by or against acts of Congress. How Congress knew anything about labor is beyond us, but any how tomorrow is Labor Day.” DT #967, Sept. 1, 1929

Randall Reeder
614-477-0439