Will finds a Congress with horse sense

COLUMBUS: As this Presidential election campaign winds down to November 4, the candidates have been knocked out of the spotlight by Joe the Plumber and Tina Fey. Those two are leading the news when we should be hearing wisdom from the candidates on the question, “How will you reduce spending by 20 percent to match revenues?” Or if they prefer, “How will you raise revenues during an economic downturn to match spending?”

Senator Obama raised $150 Million in September. He’s been raking in so much loot from millions of old and new supporters, I think that’s where he got the idea for his share the wealth plan. He plans to balance the budget by asking these same folks to keep sending in their monthly donations, payable to the U.S. Treasury. And Warren Buffett will match ’em dollar for dollar.

The American Quarter Horse Congress is going on at the Ohio state fairgrounds in Columbus. The main difference between this Congress and the one in Washington is horse sense.

Talk about raising revenue, in three weeks these horse folks kick in more to the local economy than college football and politics combined. It’s a thrill to walk around, looking over the thousand horses and the people. And the trucks. They’re selling trucks here that would be insulted if you called ’em pickups. It takes a big truck to pull a big horse trailer. You can buy a trailer with stalls for 4 horses in the back and living quarters for a family up front.

Now, one of these luxurious trailers may come in handy if this financial jam we’re in reaches all the way down to impact our expensive hobbies. If foreclosure takes the house and land, just live in the trailer with your horses. Sell the truck, and any time you feel the urge to move, get a fifth wheel and hitch ’em up.

Well, the campaign has narrowed down, after a long, grueling season, to Florida and Pennsylvania. Those two states are going to decide it. It is the World Series, and the Philadelphia Phillies play the Tampa Bay Rays. Of course, there’s plenty of folks, if you gave ’em a choice, would prefer to have the runners-up, the Dodgers against the Red Sox. Sometimes baseball is just like Presidential elections.

Historic quotes from Will Rogers:

“A man that don’t love a horse, there is something the matter with him. If he has no sympathy for the man that does love horses then there is something worse the matter with him.” (WA #88, August 17, 1924)

“The big writers are hollering now that Congress ‘soaked the rich’ by raising the rate after (income) passed $1,000,000 to 45 per cent. Why the holler?… You can’t legitimately kick on income tax, for it’s on what you have made.” DT #1798, April 28, 1932 [Actually by the time the bill passed Congress, the top rate was raised to 55%.]

“(Louisiana Senator) Huey Long had tough going last week, with his ‘Share the Wealth’ plan. Interior Secretary (Harold) Ickes and Relief Commissioner (Harry) Hopkins, who handles more money than any man in the world, they said, “No, Huey, you’re not goin’ to share any of our wealth.” Well, that’s the wealth Huey was kinda figurin’ on sharin’. You know, the national problem in this country today is not who shall be relieved and whose money shall relieve him, but who shall be the one that plays Santa Claus and actually hands out the presents. That’s the main problem today, it’s who hands out the presents.” Radio, April 21, 1935

“It looks like the financial giants of the world have bungled as much as the diplomats and politicians. This would be a great time in the world for some man to come along that knew something.” DT #1611, Sept. 21, 1931

“It looks to me like any man that wants to be President in times like these lacks something.” DT #1803, May 4, 1932

“If this depression stays with us, the loser Tuesday is going to be the winner.” DT #1951, Nov. 4, 1932

“Wall Street is being investigated, but they are not asleep while it’s being done. You see where the Senate took that tax off the sales of stocks, didn’t you? Saved ’em $48,000,000. Now, why don’t somebody investigate the Senate and see who got to them to get that tax removed? That would be a real investigation.” DT #1803, May 4, 1932

“We are known as the wealthiest Nation of all time. Well, in the first place we are not. The difference between our rich and poor grows greater every year. Our distribution of wealth is getting more uneven all the time.” WA #388, June 1, 1930

“Everybody knows that one of our great ills today is the unequal distribution of wealth. You are either at a banquet in this country, or you are at a hot dog stand. There was no doubt that the ones with the money were about the only ones that could pay anything, but after all, these rich ones are the ones the rest of us got to live off of. If the Government takes all their money in taxes it don’t leave any for the folks that work for ’em.” WA #486, April 17, 1932

“All you will hear (on the radio) from now until the 4th of November will be: ‘We must get our government out of the hands of predatory wealth.’ ‘The good people of this great country are burdened to death with taxes. Now what I intend to do is …’ What he intends to do is try and get elected. That’s all any of them intend to do. Another one that will hum over the old static every night will be: ‘This country has reached a crisis in its national existence.'” WA #86, August 3, 1924