Folks, those of you who read this by email or on my website know this is Weekly Comments #660. Well, Will Rogers wrote Weekly Articles, and his last one was #666. For the next 7 weeks, to honor his memory, I plan to include quotes from his WA of the same number as my WC.

Weekly Comments: President Obama trades shovels for golf clubs

COLUMBUS: That young Irishman Rory McIlroy showed everybody how to play golf this weekend at the U.S. Open.  Of course he wasn’t the only one golfing around Washington; President Obama invited Speaker Boehner and Ohio Governor Kasich to join him and the Vice-President in a round. “About all there is to prominent men nowadays is their golf. Just imagine if Lincoln had had golf to add to his other accomplishments. There is a boy you would have been proud of.” (1923)

President Obama announced the reason his stimulus program did not work was because a lot of so-called shovel-ready projects were not actually shovel-ready. Most of us knew that two years ago, but he just now learned it.

I’m no economist, but I think to put people to work he needs to build more shovels. Park all the bulldozers, backhoes and earth movers; give a shovel to all these thousands of new college and high school graduates without a job and let them do the digging. Of course one reason they are unemployed is because they did not do enough digging through the want ads four years ago. You would be surprised how many students had no clue that jobs were kinda scarce for young professionals in art, or European history, or flute, or interdisciplinary studies.

The President is concerned than technology is hurting the economy. He’s got it backwards. Technology grows the economy, even with fewer jobs. No contractor is going to replace a D9 Caterpillar with a hundred men with shovels. Look at farming. Nobody wants to hoe corn, pick cotton, shock wheat, pitch hay or milk cows. If a farmer can’t do it with a tractor and equipment, why it’s hard to find a man to do the work, unless maybe he’s from Mexico or China.

The Republicans held a debate on CNN. Newspapers criticized the 7 candidates because they only yelled at the President, not at each other. Remember, these are Republican candidates; it’s the Democrats that try to knock each other out. “Naturally the Republicans want to put their best side forward. They are just trying to figure out which side is their best.” (1932)

The Missouri River is at record levels because of too much rain. In Arizona, fires have burned over 800 square miles because of no rain. We can’t seem to get the weather we want where we need it.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers: (from Weekly Article #660)
 “A week or so back I went out to the flying field in Los Angeles to catch the plane for Seattle. Bill, that’s the first born, and his Mother were with me, and I was off on a little sightseeing trip with Wiley Post. When my wife knew it was with Wiley, it dident matter where it was we was going and she was mighty fine about it. Well, she is about everything. You can’t live with a comedian long without being mighty forgiving.
Seattle? That’s a whole story in itself. The Gateway to Alaska, to the Orient, to Canada. Have to tell you about that and seeing the big bombing plane they was just finishing for the Army. Biggest in the World [Boeing B-17, Flying Fortress].
Yes, sir, a plane is a great place to see anything, only the wings are right under where you want to look and you can’t see anything. Did really see Mount Shasta. They couldent hide it under the wings.” WA #660, written August 6 or 7, 1935