Author: Randall Reeder

COLUMBUS: Last week I offered ideas for President Obama and Mitt Romney that they could adopt to implement their economic plans for the country. Now I ain’t bragging, but I think Mr. Romney saw my column, liked what he read, and asked himself, ‘Who could I get for V-P who can convince Americans we must cut the budget, without losing their votes?’ He identified several prospects who know how to cut spending. But he decided there was only one who knew  economics and accounting well enough to clearly explain the cuts to wary voters: Paul Ryan.

Now, Congressman Ryan is from Wisconsin, home of brats, beer and LaFollette. But he got his education at Miami University. Not the one in Florida, the one in Ohio. It is located at a town called Oxford. Yes, in Ohio, not England. The school traces its roots all the way back to President George Washington. It is named for the Miami Indians. The government forced the Indians to move to Indian Territory (Oklahoma), but not the college. It got to stay. In 1825 they started teaching “political economy,” which explains how Paul Ryan got picked. Miami is known as the “Cradle of Coaches”, and that sounds way more prestigious than cradle of vice-presidents. Miami has produced a slew of vice-presidents, but never one for the whole country. (Although they did have a grad, Benjamin Harrison, who was President without having to serve an apprenticeship as V-P.)

Of course, for the Democrats you already know Joe Biden who was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania.  He went to the University of Delaware, which is in Delaware. The Delawares are also a proud Indian tribe that got shipped to Oklahoma. So one thing that Biden and Ryan can agree on, and maybe the only thing, is that Indians had a hand in their college education.

The campaign gives a clear cut choice. There’s no confusion where they stand.  It’s another Hoover vs. FDR in ‘32. One says, “We’re broke!”, and the other says, “Shhhh, not so loud.” One says, “Give us 4 more years to right the ship.” The other says, “Time’s up.”  What voters want to hear about are jobs, unemployment, Medicare, Medicaid, deficits, and defense budgets. Especially jobs.

Mr. Obama’s mother said little Barack was born in Hawaii, and she ought to know. Mitt Romney has made millions and paid more taxes than 99.9 percent of us ever will, including Harry Reid. Now that that’s settled, can we get Congress and the President to work on some serious business before the election? Nowhere in the Constitution does it say that all important financial decisions are to be made by Lame Ducks.

Historic quote by Will Rogers:
On the radio in 1930, Will offered up some of his qualifications in case a Presidential candidate wanted him to serve as his V-P: “I could go to all the dinners when the President couldn’t come; the (Toastmaster) would say, “We are very sorry the President couldn’t come. He got a better offer. But we have with us the Vice-President,” and he tries to think of the name. I am a fair eater. I don’t eat correctly, but I eat a lot. Then I could make a speech, not a good speech but good for a politician. Any audience that would gather to hear a politician speak wouldn’t know a good speech if they heard one.”   Radio, April 27, 1930

Did I miss the news? Did Iran drop bombs on some oil tankers? The price of gas shot up fifty cents a gallon, and I’ve heard no other reason for it. The price of ethanol from corn is up because of the drought, but that would only account for a nickel or two.  So if it’s not Iran, I would like an explanation from Exxon or BP or my old friends at Phillips 66.

There was a time when I joked that we should be glad we don’t get all the government we’re paying for. Well, in fact, we’re only paying for 60 percent of the government we’re getting; the rest is borrowed. For the part of the budget coming from income taxes, 20 percent are paying over 90 percent of it. That seems like a pretty good deal for the other 80 percent.

But President Obama insists the top folks need to pay more. Does he want them to cover 95 percent, or maybe 98 percent? I think he would go over better with this group if he set a dollar figure like a charity telethon. He would say, “Your goal this year is $2.5 Trillion.” Then, once this wealthy group reached the goal they would know they get to keep whatever they have left.  Of course, next year he would probably raise it to $3 Trillion.

On the Republican side, Mitt Romney promised to add 12 million jobs in 4 years. That’s 250,000 a month, double what we’ve seen recently.  Maybe we should elect him just to see if he comes any closer to his promise than Obama did when he said he would cut the deficit in half.

Mr. Romney wants to cut income tax rates and balance the budget by eliminating deductions and cutting expenses. What deductions does he propose to wipe out? The main ones for the big taxpayers are mortgages, state taxes and charitable contributions, so I suggest those. It will get a howl from those folks, but if you can’t afford the house you’re living in without a mortgage deduction you should have bought a cheaper house. If you can’t survive without deducting state taxes, then convince your state to lower its taxes. I hope you don’t decide to cut back on contributions to charities, but if you do, they’ll learn how to get by with less.

Republicans want to reduce the so-called entitlements. The easy way is to raise the age to receive Social Security and Medicare. Clamp down on fraud in food stamps. Anyone with cable, a couple of flat screen TVs, cars and cell phones can afford to pay for food. We have the safest work environments in the world, yet twice as many workers claim they are disabled. People in long lines to enter the unemployment office amble past businesses with “Help Wanted” signs. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m all for the truly needy. They deserve our help to get back on their feet.

Suppose we convince Congress and the President to cut federal spending, how will we know when it has been cut enough?  Here is a good indicator: if the value of houses around Washington DC drops by a third, like it did in Florida, California and Las Vegas, then we’ll know we’re on the right track. I don’t wish any hardship on those folks, but if the government had been operating on a balanced budget, most would never have been hired in the first place. Even some lobbyists might move back to their native states and go to work, if there’s any job they can earn a living at.

Historic quote by Will Rogers:
“We’ll hold the distinction of being the only nation in the history of the world that went to the poor house in an automobile.” Radio, Oct. 18, 1931

COLUMBUS: Did you see this news from California? The State Parks Director, Ruth Coleman, was fired because she managed to save and squirrel away $50 million over the past few years. Meanwhile, the legislature and various governors over the last few years have run California into a $55 Billion hole. I think the state got it wrong. Gov. Brown and the legislators are the ones who should be fired. And put Ruth Coleman in as Governor.
A reader asked me how many days President George W. Bush spent at his ranch in Texas compared to the number President Obama has spent at his home in Chicago. Well, it seems Bush was back home on his ranch about 450 days in 8 years. Some folks refer to those as “vacation” days, but I never met a rancher who considered being home a vacation.
I don’t know how many days President Obama has spent at his home, but I’m guessing less than 20. And who can blame him? Have you seen the murder rate in Chicago? And who it is getting shot? So the President is only looking out for personal safety when he takes, or sends, his family to Hawaii or Martha’s Vineyard or Vail or Spain or Botswana.
Mitt Romney flew to London in time for the Olympics. He made a mistake of reading the local papers which have been criticizing the government for lack of preparation for the Games. For example, they had to call in thousands of their military at the last minute to protect the athletes. Well, when a reporter asked him about the Olympics he simply reported what he had read. Now the Brits are mad at Romney instead of those in charge of the Olympics.
Then he went on to Israel and met with his old friend, Prime Minister Netanyahu. He made sure he didn’t read any local newspapers. While there he is holding a fund raiser in Jerusalem, expecting to clear over a million dollars. When President Obama heard the news, he said, ‘Why didn’t I think of that.’
Congress, which has been deadlocked all year, says they will work one more week, then go on vacation for a month. If they accomplish as much this week as in the previous 30, exactly what are they vacationing from? Can’t be from overwork.
For that killer in Colorado, when he’s found guilty, I suggest a firing squad. He killed 12, injured more than 50 and fully intended to kill or maim everyone in his apartment building. For all my friends who own guns and support the NRA, I have a question. Has anyone found it necessary to fire a hundred rounds in a minute? Any hunter who needs 100 shots to bring down a deer, or a bear or even a bull moose, should be spending less on ammunition and more on shooting lessons.

Historic quote by Will Rogers:

“Today Congress went to work. What are you laughing at? Honest, they went to work. Well, they did come in and sat down.”
“Any program that has to pass by that Senate is just like a Rat having to pass a Cat Convention; it’s sure to get pounced on. And the more meritorious the scheme is, the less chance it has of passing.”  WA #385, May 11, 1930

The drought and heat are spreading across the country, affecting almost two-thirds of it. I just returned from trips to Indiana and Kansas and the corn looks pitiful. Now Kansas is known for its wheat, not corn, and they harvested a good crop last month. But what little bit of corn I saw growing around Wichita and Salina has turned brown like it was October. And the ears, what there was of them, were puny. Indiana corn does not look much better. Soybeans and sorghum are still green, and those crops could be salvaged by a good rain.

I’m flying to Fort Worth, Texas for a meeting with hundreds of folks that work with farmers to conserve our soil and water. Fort Worth, the home of “my” old friend Amon Carter who owned the great newspaper, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. And like a lot of daily papers lately, it has gone through some tough times.

We are going through an economic slump that reminds us of the Great Depression of the 1930s. And with this drought, if it wasn’t for the changes farmers have adopted to protect their soil, we might be looking at a repeat of the Dust Bowl of the same era.

In the Presidential campaign, Mr. Obama told us last week that anyone who has a small business didn’t do it on their own, that somebody else made it happen.  That’s what he said. Well, one common way for a person to have a small business in 2012 was, about 3 or 4 years ago, to have had a big one. In that case, the President is right; it wasn’t the owner who made it happen.

Mrs. Romney has a horse, and some Democrats don’t like it. She has a couple of Cadillacs, and they don’t like that either. But here’s an oddity: if you offered a fine horse and a new Cadillac to those same critics, 99 percent of them would accept it.

Here’s my suggestion: instead of asking Mrs. Romney to give up her horse, President Obama ought to get one. Actually he should get four horses, so the whole family can ride. The grass around the White House would make a beautiful pasture. He could assign an employee from the EPA to follow the horses with a scoop shovel and wheel barrow. The little vegetable garden on the White House lawn looks a bit undernourished, and could use some fresh…uh… nutrients. You know, it’s possible that if the President spent less time sitting in a golf cart, and more time in the saddle, he would get a better perspective of where the country ought to be headed.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:

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

 “Flew through these dust storms last night with the pilot flying entirely by instruments. It’s a terrible thing, and it’s going to bring up some (peculiar) cases in law. If Colorado blows over and lights on top of Kansas, it looks kinder like Kansas ought to pay for the extra top soil. But Kansas can sue ‘em for covering up their crops.” DT #2697, March 28, ‘35

Washington has learned a new sport. It’s called “Hollywood fights.” You remember, in the movies, a fellow swings a powerful uppercut, you hear a loud thud, and the other fellow falls back like he’s dead. Then he recovers and swings at the first guy… loud thud… and he falls down. This goes on for a while, back and forth.  But, really, nobody lands a punch.  It’s all for show. And after a while the audience gets tired of watching and goes home.
Well, these fake Hollywood fights have moved east. The President came out for increasing taxes on the top 2% and is going around the country saying it’s only fair; increase taxes for folks like Mitt Romney and George Clooney, but leave the rest of us alone.
On the other side, the Republican House voted to repeal the new health care law.
Now, the President and the Republicans know that neither plan is going anywhere. But they spend their time and energy (and our dollars) trying to convince us they won the fight by throwing better punches. Voters are already tired of watching these shenanigans and are ready to walk out the door, go home, and stop paying to watch these fake battles. They might be persuaded to tune in after the election in case one of them did get knocked out cold.
There’s a question I have been hoping a reporter would ask the President and Mr. Romney, and I guarantee it would draw attention. See, businesses are holding on to vast amounts of cash, maybe a trillion, rather than buy new equipment or hire workers. They seem to be waiting until after the election before making any moves. Here’s my question: “Mr. President, if you are re-elected on Nov. 6, what do you predict these companies will do with all that money?”
Then ask Gov. Romney the same question. The answers, if they are honest, would tell you a lot about where the economy will be headed in 2013. But odds are they would not be honest, and I’ll be just as confused after they answer as I was before.
A week or so ago President Obama reminisced about earlier vacation trips when the family rode a Greyhound bus then hung around the Howard Johnson motel all day. I don’t think he got many votes with that story. A lot of people can’t even afford a bus ticket, and for those who can afford it, who wants to ride all day on a bus. All day on an airplane is tough enough, in those tight seats, but at least you get somewhere on a plane. Young folks today aren’t satisfied with staying for days at a Howard Johnson’s, even if they get ice cream. They want vacation trips like the ones the President’s wife and daughters have taken the last 3 years. Or at least a trip to Disneyland, Cedar Point, the beach, or the Grand Canyon.
The so-called Humane Society (HSUS) is up to a new trick. They claim their goal is to protect farm animals from “slave holders” and make ‘em turn loose their hogs and chickens to roam free. But the HSUS lawyers are now suing these farms for generating too much odor. Really? If you want something that stinks, let 1000 hogs and 1000 chickens run free on the range; you’ll get more odor complaints than ever, and especially from those whose backyard the hogs adopt as part of their free range.
The real goal of the HSUS is to get all of us to stop eating meat. Not a chance. Just like the Republicans have no chance Obama will dismantle his health care law. And no chance the President can get Republicans to enthusiastically increase taxes on their wealthy contributors.

Historic quote by Will Rogers:
“You must always remember that in politics,  there is some crookedness going on on both sides.” DT #2090, April 16, 1933

Most folks have the electric power back on, but the heat and dry weather are still scorching much of the country. Of course, a hundred degrees and no rain is kinda normal for Oklahoma and Texas. But around here, it’s enough to send people scurrying inside if they can find a cool place.

It’s even worse for the crops, especially corn. This year is shaping up to be drier than 1988 for the Corn Belt states. It might be the hottest summer around here since the 1930s. Some folks are blaming it on global warming, but really it fits a pattern. My friend, Elwynn Taylor, at Iowa State University, says that the Midwest has had a severe drought about every 19 or 20 years going back over 500 years. Now, neither one of us is that old, but he uses geological records based partly on the width of tree rings. We’ve been overdue for a bad one, and if this is it, why, the prospects for the next several years will be rosier.

Another contributor to the heat is the campaign. Both sides are spouting out more heat than reason.

In 1923 I said, “If you ever injected truth into politics, you would have no politics.”
The new health care law is exhibit #1 for 2012. The Supreme Court approved it only after scratching out “penalty” and writing in “tax”.  But President Obama says it’s not a tax, it’s a penalty because Mitt Romney said one time it’s a penalty. Now I blame Chief Justice John Roberts for this confusion. Instead of rewriting the law himself, he should have called up the President and Congress, and told ‘em, “If you want us to say this law is constitutional, first you have to go back and present it as a tax and vote for it as a tax. If it’s still a penalty, it’s unconstitutional.”  Of course, there’s about 20 other or additional taxes in that law, and anyone fortunate to be employed with an income will be paying ‘em. Probably.

Then along comes the idea for “single payer” health care, which sounds terrific, like a children’s bedtime story. Does it mean that all 300 million of us could get sick, and there would be a “single payer” for all the bills? Who is this generous wealthy benefactor? Santa Claus? Well, no, it’s the government, which already overspends by 40 percent. This generous debtor-benefactor will have to collect more income taxes from those already paying income taxes, meaning that 10% would pay about 70% of the total health care costs.

The health care law will create a need for way more doctors. Did you notice the provision in the law to recruit, train and hire thousands of new… IRS agents? No mention about where the thousands of doctors might come from.

Regardless of who gets elected Nov. 6, he is in for a terrible jolt. Expiring tax cuts, automatic cuts in federal spending, economic slowdowns in Europe, China and India.  I heard John Stockman on a TV show say, “When the winner sees the problems facing the country, he’ll probably ask for a recount.”

Historic quote by Will Rogers:
“We shouldn’t elect a President; we should elect a magician.”  DT #1196, May 26, 1930

WESTON, West Va: No electricity, no phone, no newspapers, no radio or TV stations, no mail, no gas stations, no stop lights, no Wal-Mart or Kroger, no air-conditioning, no running water. That’s life this weekend for a third of West Virginians and millions more from Illinois to Virginia and Maryland, the result of high winds that cut a wide swath across the region Friday.
Chain saws, generators (with extra fuel), and charcoal grills are in high demand. Neighbors are looking out for neighbors and anyone else who needs help.
Shade trees (the ones still standing) provide relief from sweltering heat. Without radio, TV, or internet, folks can sit around and actually talk with each other.
Thousands of workers are not relaxing. Power company crews, electricians, roofers, and tree removers will get no holiday break this week.
Power outages create a peculiar irony. While living conditions may remind us of the “dark ages” of 50 to 75 years ago, we eat like kings.  The best cuts of meat from the freezer are cooked on the grill: prime rib, pork tenderloin, venison steaks. And for dessert, gorge on ice cream before it melts.
Churches were open Sunday, worshiping in the cool of the morning, with light from stained-glass windows.
Of course, this “no electric” situation is mild compared to the folks with “no house” because of wildfires in Colorado and New Mexico.

The Supreme Court made history June 28. Chief Justice John Roberts handed down a decision that was unlike others from the highest court. He decided the Affordable Care Act was based on additional taxes rather than a mandate. Now President Obama and the Democrats had sworn it was not a tax and never would be a tax. They did this swearing with one hand on the Bible and the other on the heads of the voters. But when the Supreme Court says it’s a tax, it’s a tax. Everyone knows Congress loves to levy taxes so Mr. Roberts, with four other justices, said it is constitutional. But did you notice he kind of deferred the final decision to a “court” he considers higher than the Supreme Court: the American voters. At the same time, though, he sorta chastised the same voters for what they did in 2008 when he said, “It’s not our job to protect the people from the consequences of their political choices.”

Justice Roberts’ decision to rewrite the law before ruling on it goes along with a statement by  President Franklin Roosevelt, “The United States Constitution has proved itself the most marvelously elastic compilation of rules of government ever written.”  FDR and President Obama like that word “elastic”.
The main concern of the big majority that have health insurance is that they will lose access to their favorite doctors and hospital staff. On top of that loss, they will have to pay more taxes to cover the uninsured. No one seems to know whether there’s 50 million of ‘em or 10 million. Thanks to Justice Roberts, we’ve got something to argue over for the next 5 months.

Historic quote by Will Rogers:
“Congress ought to really get into the main show next week… They will get settled down to ‘steady taxing’.” DT #2633, Jan. 13, 1935

Supreme Court on hot seat

COLUMBUS: The Supreme Court is reaching a deadline on the health care law. They have been pondering on it for weeks. I got ‘em figured out on the announcement. They will have their limos waiting with the engines running so they can make a quick getaway as soon as the verdict is read. Meanwhile, President Obama’s representatives and the Republicans will have their responses ready no matter which way it goes. Each side is rehearsing their reactions, whether it’ll be sad, giddy, disappointed, elated, disgusted or simply confused.
Before they get to the health care law, the Supreme Court will decide if Arizona can arrest people who are not in the U.S. legally. Attorney General Holder says it’s ok for Arizona to ticket a driver for rolling through a stop sign, but they can’t arrest him if he looks foreign, even if he has no license. The governor says illegal immigrants are costing the state billions for education, health care and law enforcement and she wants to send them home.
President Obama announced a way for young illegal immigrants to become legal and stay here, at least as long as he is president. All they have to do to is turn in their parents. In fact the parents kinda have to hand themselves over to the Border Patrol. They must write a letter that essentially says, “We sneaked across your border with our (son/daughter)  _____________ when he/she was only ___ years old.  Come and pick us up and deport us back home where we belong. Our kid is now your responsibility.”
The Senate passed a Farm Bill. Mind you, 80 percent of the budget goes to food stamps, but farmers will get the blame for recklessly profiting off the other 20%.  Before it’s official it has to get passed in the House, and Frank Lucas of Oklahoma will make sure no shenanigans get stuffed into the final version. They are trying to reduce the cost, and the best way would be to get our unemployed back to work so they don’t need food stamps.

In the Midwest, farmers were delighted with the early, dry spring. Corn and soybeans got planted early, and wheat harvest is way ahead of schedule. But the dry spring turned into a dry summer and farmers aren’t so thrilled. The No. 1 prayer request at church on Sunday is for rain.
Gasoline prices are coming down. Some folks are only putting in a half tank because they expect it to be a nickel cheaper when they run low again.  When President Obama took office in 2009 it was less that $2.00 because of the recession.  If it gets back that low by election day, do you suppose Republican voters will give him credit for lowering prices to 2009 levels?
Last week officials measured the ocean level along our Atlantic coast and discovered it is 5 inches higher than 20 years ago. Well, that just shows you how fat we have become. When our summer swimmers cause the ocean to rise 5 inches… maybe Mayor Bloomberg is right. If someone insists on drinking a half gallon of Coke, don’t let ‘em near the water.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:
“It rained in the Middle West. Farmers are learning that the relief they get from the sky beats what they get from Washington.” DT #2445, June 4, 1934
“If a farmer could harvest the political promises made him, he would be sitting pretty.” WA #403, Sept. 14, 1930

Folks, can you believe it? We arranged a second Presidential debate between Mr. Coolidge and Mr. Roosevelt.

Will: Many folks think January 1, 2013, will bring financial calamity, with vast tax increases, funding cuts for our military and social programs, and raising the debt ceiling again. What would you do if elected?
CC: “The people cannot look to legislation generally for success. Industry, thrift, character, are not conferred by act or resolve. Government cannot relieve from toil. It can, of course, care for the defective and recognize distinguished merit. The normal must care for themselves. Self-government means self-support.”
FDR: “There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still. Take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly, and try another. But by all means, try something… The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today… The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
CC: “We cannot do everything at once, but we can do something at once… They criticize me for harping on the obvious; if all the folks in the United States would do the few simple things they know they ought to do, most of our big problems would take care of themselves.”

Will: No matter who is elected, you will have to deal with Senators and Congressmen of the other party. How would you approach that situation?
CC: “There is only one form of political strategy in which I have any confidence, and that is to try to do the right thing and sometimes be able to succeed… I have found it advisable not to give too much heed to what people say when I am trying to accomplish something of consequence. Invariably they proclaim it can’t be done. I deem that the very best time to make the effort.”
FDR: “There is nothing I love as much as a good fight. In our seeking for economic and political progress, we all go up, or else we all go down… I am neither bitter nor cynical but I do wish there was less immaturity in political thinking… A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned how to walk forward.  (On the other hand) a reactionary is a somnambulist walking backwards.”

Will: Somnambulist? I’ll have to look that one up later. Congress is debating the new Farm Bill. Mr. Roosevelt, I believe the very first Farm Bill was passed under your watch.
FDR: “Yes, prosperous farmers mean more employment, more prosperity for the workers and the business men of every industrial area in the whole country… A nation that destroys its soil destroys itself.”
CC: “Agriculture in America has been raised to the rank of a profession. It does not draw any artificial support from industry or from the Government. It rests squarely on a foundation of its own. It is independent…  Although it is gratifying to know that farm conditions as a whole are encouraging, we ought not to cease our efforts for their constant improvement.”

Will: What’s your stand on labor unions?
FDR: “If I went to work in a factory the first thing I’d do is join a union.”
CC: “There is no right to strike against the public safety by anybody, anywhere, any time… This country would not be a land of opportunity if the people were shackled with government monopolies.”

Will: Closing comments?
FDR: “We are trying to construct a more inclusive society. We are going to make a country in which no one is left out.”
CC: “You can’t know too much, but you can say too much.”

The 2012 election: Coolidge vs. FDR

Calvin Coolidge and Franklin D. Roosevelt were both President (separated by Herbert Hoover). They never ran against each other.  Until now. Yes, this is their first ever debate. I will ask the questions.

Will: Mr. Coolidge, you are known as Silent Cal. Is that because you are frugal with words?
CC: “I have noticed that nothing I have never said ever did me any harm… Don’t you know that four-fifths of all our troubles would disappear if we would just sit down and keep still?”
FDR: I agree. My motto as a speaker is: “Be sincere; be brief; be seated.”

Will: Sounds like good advice for any candidate. Mr. Roosevelt, what is your opinion of the 2010 Health Care law?
FDR: “Are you laboring under the impression that I read these? I can’t even lift them.”
CC: “It is much more important to kill bad bills than to pass good ones.”

Will: Our economy is not so great today. How would you improve it?
CC: “I favor the policy of economy, not because I wish to save money, but because I wish to save people… Civilization and profits go hand in hand…. The business of America is business.”
FDR: “I pledge you, I pledge myself, to a New Deal for the American people. While they (talk) of economic laws, men and women are starving. Economic laws are not made by nature. They are made by human beings. Competition has been shown to be useful up to a certain point and no further, but cooperation, which is the thing we must strive for today, begins where competition leaves off.”

Will: What about the national debt?  To reduce trillion dollar deficits, do you favor more taxes on the wealthy?
CC: “Don’t expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong… Wealth comes from industry and from the hard experience of human toil. To dissipate it in waste and extravagance is disloyalty to humanity… There is no dignity quite so impressive, and no independence quite so important, as living within your means.”
FDR: “Taxes shall be levied according to ability to pay… Over ninety percent of all national deficits from 1921 to 1939 were caused by payments for past, present, and future wars…The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have little.”

Will: What is the proper role of religion in America? In our government?
FDR: “I am a Christian and a Democrat, that’s all. Whoever seeks to set one religion against another seeks to destroy all religion… Physical strength can never permanently withstand the impact of spiritual force. ”
CC: “Our government rests upon religion. It is from that source that we derive our reverence for truth and justice, for equality and liberality, and for the rights of mankind. Unless the people believe in these principles they cannot believe in our government… It is hard to see how a great man can be an atheist. Without the sustaining influence of faith in a divine power we could have little faith in ourselves.  ”

Will: Closing comments?
FDR: “When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.”
CC: “I want the people of America to be able to work less for the government and more for themselves.”
(Note: the “quotes” are authentic.)