Author: Randall Reeder

April 10, 2011

COLUMBUS: If a man running a huge company with a board of directors treated their employees the same way the President and Congress treated theirs, they would be fired, or maybe hung. When you keep an entire workforce on pins and needles just because you can’t decide which 1% or 2% to let go, it’s no surprise if their productivity may have slipped a bit.

If the President and Harry Reid and Speaker Pelosi had proposed the same budget last September (when the argument should have been decided), do you suppose the Republicans would have voted for it? If I remember correctly, it was Mr. Reid who at the time said no budget bill could get passed in the Senate because the Republicans would be against it. Well, I always admitted: I’m not a member of any organized political party… I’m a Democrat.

The National Football League owners and players are going through the same kind of foolishness. Eventually they’ll agree on the same deal they could have signed in February.

I’m mighty glad those government employees will be back at work this week. Meanwhile Congress and the President will begin another battle, over raising the amount of money we can borrow from China. We’re $14,000,000,000,000 in the hole. That’s a huge hole and the President wants to dig it deeper. Then there’s the little issue of approving a budget for the new year, starting in October. For those of us who are dutifully submitting our income taxes this week, it’s kinda discouraging to see where some of it goes. But it sure beats having no income.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:(on income taxes)

“If your Income Taxes go to help out the less fortunate, there could be no legitimate kick against it in the world. This is becoming the richest, and the poorest Country in the world.”  WA #421, Jan. 18, 1931

“It’s increased taxes on incomes of over one hundred thousand net where the money should come from to supply work (to the unemployed).” DT #1449, March 16, 1931

“Our financial ills will never be settled till you fix it so every man will pay an income tax on what he earns, be it a farm, grocery store or municipal or government bonds.” DT #2068,  March 21, 1933

“It’s a great country but you can’t live in it for nothing.” DT #2343, Feb. 5, 1934

“Lord, the money we do spend on government.  And it’s not a bit better government that we got for one-third the money twenty years ago.” WA #483, March 27,1932

“There’s no income tax in Russia, but there’s no income. Hitler ain’t got no sales tax but he ain’t selling anything. (With) Mussolini you don’t have to pay a poll tax to vote in Italy, but nobody votes.” Radio, April 7, 1935

When Will knows more economics than Congress, the country is in deep trouble

COLUMBUS: I learned a new word this week. “Muffin top” is another word for fat. Another term we’re learning more about is macro-economics, which means “a whole lot of money”. See, our government is spending 3700 Billion dollars this year, and 1700 Billion of it is added to a credit card. That’s macro-economics.

President Obama says cutting this 3700 Billion dollar budget by 10 Billion is “reasonable”. Senator Schumer says any cut greater than 30 Billion is “extreme”. Congressman Ryan of Wisconsin wants to cut $400 Billion a year, and Lord knows what words Democrats will use to describe that cut. (Probably some of the same ones they use on the Wisconsin Governor.)

It’s hard to take some of these boys serious.  When 40 percent of the money you are spending is borrowed, and you call a 1 percent cut “extreme” it makes us wonder how you ever got past eighth grade. First, you need to cut the “muffin top” out of the budget.

Then move on to some of the lean. When the only booming housing and real estate market in the whole country is around Washington, DC, it is time to turn loose a bunch of federal folks. They are good people, smart people, and they can go back where they came from, start a business or get a job, and make a useful contribution to the country.

General Electric is criticized because they paid no taxes on a $14 Billion profit last year. They are following the tax laws, but GE employs a thousand people just to find the loopholes. I imagine that same bunch also spends a bit of time figuring out ways to reduce their personal taxes, too. You can’t blame them. But if the laws were changed to eliminate these corporate taxes, instead of accountants GE could hire a thousand engineers and produce something worthwhile. If you add up all the various taxes GE and their employees pay, you might not worry about the taxes they don’t pay.

On Saturday night, while some of you were in Detroit watching Charley Sheen, I was in Columbus for Jeanne Robertson’s Comedy with Class show. For Charley, the audience booed, walked out early and demanded their money back. For Jeanne, we were too busy laughing to even think about leaving early. You can see Charley in reruns of Two and a Half Men. You can see Jeanne on YouTube. She’s so tall you’ll think her show should be One and a Half Women.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:

“It costs ten times more to govern us than it used to, and we are not governed one-tenth as good.” DT #1770, March 27, 1932

“The crime of taxation is not in the taking it, it’s in the way that it’s spent.” DT #1764, March 20, 1932

March 27, 2011

COLUMBUS: College basketball has narrowed down the field. Next weekend, the best four teams in the country will be… at home. Meanwhile in Houston, four teams with 37 losses among them will be playing for the trophy. Butler and Virginia Commonwealth will be America’s favorites, but Vegas money will be on Kentucky and Connecticut.

Some folks here in Columbus want to invite Duke, Kansas and Pitt to join Ohio State in an impromptu battle of the original #1’s. That’s sort of the way it works in football, you know, with a committee picking the top two. But in basketball the suspense and excitement is greater as any of about 50 teams has a reasonable shot at the Final Four.

In Libya we’re helping the rebels go after Qaddafi. President Obama won’t admit on television that we want him dead, but he’s hoping for a quick end to the war. Well, here’s my plan. To speed up the demise of Qaddafi all we’ve got to do is drop a few more bombs on the Presidential Palace. His army will get the hint they ain’t about to receive any bonus, or get paid at all, and they or one of his female bodyguards will turn on him. If bin Laden is worth a twenty-five million dollar bounty, Qaddafi ought to be worth ten.

Meanwhile in Europe, Germans are rioting against nuclear power plants. Seems they want to shut them down and instead get their electricity from solar and wind. Last I heard Germany is paying 30 cents a kilowatt-hour for solar electric. When they see their electric bill triple, these same Germans will be clamoring for more nuclear plants. In England, the hooligans are bored with soccer so they are rioting against the government for cutting the budget. Seems the payments for staying unemployed are being cut, and these guys would rather riot than work.

In Portugal, where their debt is almost as bad as in Greece, the national leader proposed cuts to manage the massive deficit. The Parliament said “No, we’d rather go bankrupt and get bailed out.” So the leader resigned. In a couple of months we’ll see how our Congress votes on the same issue. I doubt anybody will resign, even if they should.

This week we lost two great women who were idolized for decades. Liz Taylor was a beautiful movie star that every eligible man in America wanted to marry, and seven actually did. Geraldine Ferraro was a Congresswoman who was selected by Mr. Mondale to run for Vice-President in 1984. Even though they lost to President Reagan, she led a remarkable life and was admired for her pioneering spirit and level-headed analysis of national issues.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:
(On wars) “Either make it official and go in a shooting or stay out!… “I tell you wars will never be a success… until they announce before they start just what it’s for.” WA #6, Jan. 21, 1923
“One of the greatest upsets in basketball was by a team from Kentucky. A few years back tiny Center College at Danville, with only a couple of little brick buildings, beat Harvard!” (paraphrased from WA #277, Apr. 15,1928)

March 20, 2011

COLUMBUS: Just returned from Oklahoma. I was down on the Texas border in Hugo, Choctaw County. This town is the winter home of circuses and is best known for its bluegrass festival and cemetery. All I know is what I read in the newspaper, and what struck me about the local daily, The Examiner, was everything in it was good news. Except for two obituaries.

The front page stories were about the local high school pageant with 11 lovely, poised, talented girls competing for a crown and $10,000 in scholarships, and an interview with the man who founded the Bluegrass Festival in 1969. There was not a single mention about any car wrecks, house fires, or political shenanigans. So, I’m following the same style in this column.

Back to Hugo. You may be wondering why the cemetery is famous. Well, it is because of the circuses. The only home a lot of circus performers know is the one where they spend each winter. So naturally this is where they choose to be buried. A whole section of the local cemetery is filled with elaborate circus-themed headstones, including stone clowns, elephants, and a trapeze. The circuses have already left town for a long touring season, but the cemetery stays put.

Also stopped at the Museum in Claremore. Last month’s snow has melted, the grass is turning green and flowers are blooming. The whole place is looking mighty spiffy.

Here’s more good news from Oklahoma. There’s enough oil stored at Cushing to get us through a short war in the Middle East. Tanks are overflowing because oil is coming in from Canada faster than the pipelines can carry it out.

Have you noticed how much oil we’re getting out of North Dakota? Add in all the reserves in Texas and Alaska and we could practically ignore Libya, Nigeria and Venezuela.

College basketball is hoarding all the TVs that aren’t tuned in to Japan or Libya. A slew of the big boys got knocked out by the likes of Richmond, Virginia Commonwealth and Butler. Some of our big conferences that felt mighty proud going in are barely hanging on. We always enjoy seeing a big team upset by one of the little fellows, as long as the big team ain’t ours.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:

“There was never such an overproduction of oil in the World, and yet Gasoline was never much higher. But there you have a business that’s in the hands of a few men, and they see that the price is kept up. It’s not regulated by supply and demand; it’s regulated by manipulation.” WA #421, Jan. 18, 1931

 “Ten men in our Country could buy the World, and ten million can’t buy enough to eat.” WA #451, Aug. 16, 1931

March 13, 2011

COLUMBUS: With the gigantic earthquake and tsunami in Japan, most of the world has stopped worrying over their own minor headaches to offer the Japanese prayers and help.

Here are two noteworthy comments from Will Rogers: “That Japanese earthquake, in addition to being the greatest calamity in the history of the world, according to newspapers and experts, has not reaped half of its destruction yet.” Sept. 1923 (the Shinsai quake killed 142,800; damages totaled $2.8 Billion)
“Well, here we are at Managua, Nicaragua. They tell you pictures don’t lie, but the ones you saw of this earthquake did, for they didn’t tell that eight days after it happened there is from one to three hundred bodies still under those ruins. Naturally what they need is money. The government or the people haven’t got a cent. The Red Cross combined with the relief organization here has done great work as usual and still is.” April 8, 1931

Just as years ago, send your donations to the Red Cross (or Salvation Army) to do the most good. Controlling the nuclear meltdown is the most crucial immediate problem, but millions of injured and homeless people need our assistance. Japan is just as broke as we are, so they will appreciate any aid, including from China and Korea.

The budget crisis in Washington continues to get worse. You can’t compare it to a 9.0 magnitude earthquake in Japan, but unless the President and Congress cut spending, we’re headed for a financial jolt that could be even worse. Senator Durbin admitted we have a serious problem, borrowing 40 percent of what we spend. But he added, “We cannot solve this problem in six months.” Well, that’s like a drunk admitting he has a problem, but refusing to give up whiskey until he empties every bottle in the house.

No one is expecting them to save $14 Trillion in six months, but Mr. Durbin says that even a $10 Billion reduction (one third of one percent) will harm the current budget.

The President acts like this “financial drunk” we’re on can last forever, or at least until after the 2012 election. Oil and gasoline price increases are crimping personal budgets, but more offshore drilling is out of the question.

And airline ticket prices have jumped. I think they estimate how much it would cost you for gas to drive the distance you’re flying, then tack on that amount.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:
“There is one rule that works in every calamity, be it pestilence, war or famine: the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. The poor even help arrange it.”   Oct. 31, 1929

“There’s as much money in the country as there ever was. Only fewer people have it.” Radio broadcast, Oct. 18, 1931

March 5, 2011

COLUMBUS: Washington claims they are getting serious about the budget deficit of $1.6 Trillion. Republicans scoured the budget appropriations and found $0.06 Trillion they can cut without destroying the country. President Obama and the Democrats searched through the same appropriations and could only find $0.01 Trillion that is unworthy of being added to the Visa card. Then the President proudly announced that his offer met the Republicans “half way”. Even a second grader knows that half of 6 is 3, not 1.

And today I read a newspaper column by Paul Krugman saying we should be spending even more, going deeper in debt. To think he received a prize for his knowledge of economics.

Fellows, suppose you told your wife that last week you made $600 and spent $1000, and next week you’ll make $600, and to make up for your previous overspending you will only spend $995 of it. An iron skillet to the noggin would be the likely result. It seems a bunch of folks in Washington need to be hit over the head, perhaps repeatedly, until they learn arithmetic.

Some state Governors are showing their math skills. Florida decided they did not want to accept a down payment from the US taxpayers for a train from Disney World to Tampa Bay. You will note it was only a down payment, and the state would have to finish paying for it and cover all future operating losses. Ohio turned down the same offer for a train from Cleveland to Cincinnati, and Wisconsin did the same for a Milwaukee-Madison Express. Now right there, the President had a perfect chance to reduce his budget by $0.036 Trillion. But instead, he sent the down payment money to other states for more trains that people don’t want to ride at full fare, and local taxpayers don’t want to subsidize.

Congress decided to postpone their budget vote for two weeks, perhaps giving them time to dig up an old copy of Ray’s Arithmetic. The National Football League put off a week their deadline for a union decision. For some folks, the prospect of losing a whole season of  football is more worrisome than the country going another Trillion dollars in debt. These NFL owners can estimate their income for next season, and there’s no way they will agree to pay 140% of that amount to the players.

With all the news today from Libya, Wisconsin, and the budget in Washington, the TV news shows always find time to squeeze in the latest tidbit from Charlie Sheen. You would think from their reports that Hollywood had never before seen such a train wreck masquerading as an actor. But debauchery is no stranger to Hollywood. Will Hays was hired in 1922 to clean up Hollywood, and he did. But nothing lasts long out there, especially good behavior. Look at Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Natalie Portman, even Miley Cyrus. The only cure is to ignore them. And their ability to avoid being ignored is what makes them Hollywood stars.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:

“Actors are like politicians, they never grow up.” DT #1892, Aug. 28, 1932

Feb. 27, 2011

COLUMBUS: The protests keep on going. Libya, Oman, Tunisia, Egypt… I saw a picture in the newspaper today of a poor little 6-year old girl holding up a big sign saying (in English), It’s About Freedom!

On television there was another sign comparing the leader to Hitler. Qaddafi must really be hated. Of course he’s been a dictator for 35 years, he bombed a Pan American airplane killing all aboard, and he has stolen billions from his countrymen.

Meanwhile, the debate here on government unions is hot on both sides. Paul Krugman, The New York Times, compared Madison to Baghdad in 2003. “It’s an attempt (by Governor Walker) to destroy the last major counterweight to the political power of corporations and the wealthy.” Meanwhile, Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post, compares private company unions to government unions, “The capitalist knows that when he negotiates with the union, if he gives away the store, he loses his shirt. In the public sector, the politicians who approve any deal have none of their own money at stake. On the contrary, the more favorably they dispose of union demands, the more likely they are to be the beneficiary of union largesse in the next election.”

Here’s a quiz for you… If you had ten guesses as to what company or organization has these four words as their tag line could you get it? We Make America Happen.  Is it perhaps Exxon, or the steel workers union, or ABC News, or Facebook, or BNSF Railway, or Goldman-Sachs, or Farm Bureau? No doubt it is something we absolutely could never do without.

Meanwhile in Washington, a government shutdown is staring us in the face. Can’t blame that on the unions. Republicans say they want to cut the federal budget. Democrats say they want to cut the budget, too, just not as much. They all say that no essential government services will be shut down, even temporarily. Employees who are needed to write Social Security checks, the military, air traffic controllers, for example, will be at work next week. On the other hand, if you are in Commerce or Labor or EPA or in many other departments, you could be deemed non-essential. Taxpayers might see that as a hint on where to cut permanently.

Here’s one suggestion I received today: everybody receiving a government check takes a 10 percent cut for 2011. Everybody. Start with the President and Congress. Include the armed forces, firemen, teachers, professors, governors, city councils, contractors, and everything sold to governments. It wouldn’t be enough to eliminate the federal deficit, but it would sure help some states, counties and municipalities balance their budgets. Of course that’s a fantasy. No one in power would ever suggest such a common sense idea.

Speaking of fantasies, The King’s Speech won the Oscar. The way things are going in the world, by next week the King may be overthrown.

Oh, those two signs mentioned at the top… one was in Ohio, the other in Wisconsin.

Historic quote by Will Rogers:

“Being Governor is sort of a thankless job, after the applause is over.” WA #599, June 17, 1934

Feb. 20, 2011

MINNEAPOLIS: Protests in Wisconsin have knocked the protests in Egypt off the front page. In Egypt, they protested against a dictator because they want freedom to find a job paying more than $2 a day. In Madison, they are protesting against a governor because they don’t want to pay $2 toward their retirement. As for freedom, the Governor says these teachers and government employees are always free to look for another job.

Snow has shut down Minneapolis today (Sunday). Not completely, of course, but it closed the airport long enough to give me an extra day or two here. But I ain’t complaining. We had a fine crowd up in Staples last night and I’d a lot rather have my flight canceled after a show than before it. Minnesota poked fun at Oklahoma with their 20 to 30 inches a couple of weeks ago; now it’s Minnesota’s turn to show us how to deal with half as much. They’ll be plowing snow for awhile.

On the way to Staples I got to stop at the boyhood home of Charles Lindbergh. It’s at Little Falls, on the west bank of the Mississippi River. They have a museum, and even if you know a lot about this aviation hero you’re guaranteed to learn something new. For instance, he attended eleven different schools, and at the University of Wisconsin he quit after three semesters before they could kick him out for poor grades. But then he went to Flight School, and he did ok.

Wisconsin and Minnesota are more than neighbors. In 1928 I said, “A child born in Wisconsin is taught two things. One is to love LaFollette, and the other is to hate Minnesota. Wisconsin is never doubtful. You can always count on it doing just exactly what the other forty-seven states don’t.”

Governor Walker is never doubtful, and he’s got governors across the country, both Republican and Democrat, watching because many states need to do exactly what Wisconsin is doing. And if you asked these governors, I bet they are all irked by the President’s meddling in Wisconsin affairs. While Mr. Obama admits he’ll spend 40 percent more than he takes in, these governors are forced to balance a checkbook.

Mr. Obama is an intelligent man. No argument on that. And I bet that if you go back into his childhood, all through school, and on up to recent years you’ll find that he was in a lot of clubs and organizations. He was probably president of a few. But I bet out of all of them, he never once served as Treasurer. If he did, and he managed that account the same as he’s managing the one he’s in charge of today, the club would be defunct.

Minnesota’s Governor Dayton is using the old fashioned approach to balance a budget: raise tax rates. Dayton is counting on folks not leaving just because of higher taxes. But if General Mills, Target and the billionaire Pohlad family, for example, pulled up stakes and moved to Florida, he’ll face a deficit worse than Wisconsin. Illinois already raised their tax rates. The Illinois governor announced, “I haven’t heard of any rich men leaving, and I know for a fact we’ve added fourteen Democratic Senators from Wisconsin.”  Well, it’s a good thing he raised taxes; it can take a lot to feed and house a wayward Democrat.

Historic quote by Will Rogers:
“Somebody with a sense of humor built St. Paul and Minneapolis close together. They were born the “Twin Cities”, but since birth they have grown together. Now they are locked. One can’t do anything without interfering with the other… The Mississippi River is between them, but Lord, that don’t stop ‘em from cussing each other. What should separate them is the Pacific Ocean.” WA #152, Nov. 8, 1925Feb. 20, 2011

MINNEAPOLIS: Protests in Wisconsin have knocked the protests in Egypt off the front page. In Egypt, they protested against a dictator because they want freedom to find a job paying more than $2 a day. In Madison, they are protesting against a governor because they don’t want to pay $2 toward their retirement. As for freedom, the Governor says these teachers and government employees are always free to look for another job.

Snow has shut down Minneapolis today (Sunday). Not completely, of course, but it closed the airport long enough to give me an extra day or two here. But I ain’t complaining. We had a fine crowd up in Staples last night and I’d a lot rather have my flight canceled after a show than before it. Minnesota poked fun at Oklahoma with their 20 to 30 inches a couple of weeks ago; now it’s Minnesota’s turn to show us how to deal with half as much. They’ll be plowing snow for awhile.

On the way to Staples I got to stop at the boyhood home of Charles Lindbergh. It’s at Little Falls, on the west bank of the Mississippi River. They have a museum, and even if you know a lot about this aviation hero you’re guaranteed to learn something new. For instance, he attended eleven different schools, and at the University of Wisconsin he quit after three semesters before they could kick him out for poor grades. But then he went to Flight School, and he did ok.

Wisconsin and Minnesota are more than neighbors. In 1928 I said, “A child born in Wisconsin is taught two things. One is to love LaFollette, and the other is to hate Minnesota. Wisconsin is never doubtful. You can always count on it doing just exactly what the other forty-seven states don’t.”

Governor Walker is never doubtful, and he’s got governors across the country, both Republican and Democrat, watching because many states need to do exactly what Wisconsin is doing. And if you asked these governors, I bet they are all irked by the President’s meddling in Wisconsin affairs. While Mr. Obama admits he’ll spend 40 percent more than he takes in, these governors are forced to balance a checkbook.

Mr. Obama is an intelligent man. No argument on that. And I bet that if you go back into his childhood, all through school, and on up to recent years you’ll find that he was in a lot of clubs and organizations. He was probably president of a few. But I bet out of all of them, he never once served as Treasurer. If he did, and he managed that account the same as he’s managing the one he’s in charge of today, the club would be defunct.

Minnesota’s Governor Dayton is using the old fashioned approach to balance a budget: raise tax rates. Dayton is counting on folks not leaving just because of higher taxes. But if General Mills, Target and the billionaire Pohlad family, for example, pulled up stakes and moved to Florida, he’ll face a deficit worse than Wisconsin. Illinois already raised their tax rates. The Illinois governor announced, “I haven’t heard of any rich men leaving, and I know for a fact we’ve added fourteen Democratic Senators from Wisconsin.”  Well, it’s a good thing he raised taxes; it can take a lot to feed and house a wayward Democrat.

Historic quote by Will Rogers:
“Somebody with a sense of humor built St. Paul and Minneapolis close together. They were born the “Twin Cities”, but since birth they have grown together. Now they are locked. One can’t do anything without interfering with the other… The Mississippi River is between them, but Lord, that don’t stop ‘em from cussing each other. What should separate them is the Pacific Ocean.” WA #152, Nov. 8, 1925

Feb. 13, 2011

COLUMBUS: Except for Egypt, all the attention lately has been on Valentine’s Day. Chocolates, cards, roses, diamonds… that’s all we heard. Not a single mention that Saturday was President Lincoln’s birthday.

We could use a President Lincoln to tackle the budget. A President who saw  600,000 Americans die in the Civil War would not call a 4 percent spending cut a catastrophe. But that’s what they are facing in Congress. When a man can trim $0.15 Trillion from a $3.5 Trillion allocation he ought to be applauded, not crucified.

Mubarak finally stepped down on 02-11-2011, forced out by peaceful protests. Most news stories say the protests started after the protests in Tunisia.
But here’s another explanation, from my friend in Egypt: Last summer, a young man named Khaled Said was arrested at an Internet café in Alexandria by two plain-clothed policemen. He demanded proof of their identity and they beat him to death. The policemen attempted to cover up the murder, were tried, and received a light sentence. The public outcry never stopped.
Recently, a 31-year old Google executive, Wael Ghonem, created a site on Facebook seeking justice for the murder of Khaled Said. The government put Wael on a list of troublemakers. He and three other young Egyptians called for a demonstration in Tahrir Square on January 25. Hundreds of thousands showed up.

The army has taken temporary control of Egypt. Under Mubarak, the national police force numbered about 2 million, including 1.25 million for controlling riots, whereas all branches of the army totaled 400,000.  The police were intended to protect Mubarak and his regime, not the security of the citizens. These police will need to be retrained to focus on citizen safety, including patrolling highways. Being an optimist, I think Egyptians have a chance to transform to a constitutional government with individual rights.

These protests have spread to Algeria and Yemen, even to Italy. Italy? Yes, 100,000 Italian women protested against their President’s, uh, sexual habits. If they want to get rid of him, just pass a law that he can only have sex with a woman his own age. He’ll be out by nightfall.

The conservative wing of the Republican Party held a straw poll, and Ron Paul got 30 percent of the votes. If he ends up with the nomination for 2012, that’s about the percent he’ll get against President Obama. The Republican Party without Ronald Reagan is kinda like the Cleveland Cavaliers without LeBron James. Well, not that bad. They do have a dozen or so good prospects, but no one that stands head and shoulders above the crowd.

A lawyer plans to file a $5,000,000 suit against the National Football League on behalf of Super Bowl fans who were not allowed into the stadium because 400 temporary seats were deemed unsafe. So far this lawyer has signed up 2500 of those 400 ticket holders.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:

“Papers today say, “What would Lincoln do today?” Well, in the first place, he wouldn’t chop any wood. He would trade his axe in on a Ford… Being in sympathy for the underdog he would be classed as a radical progressive. Having a sense of humor he would be called eccentric.” DT #2349, Feb. 12, 1934

“The budget is a mythical bean bag. Congress votes mythical beans into it, and then tries to reach in and pull real beans out.” DT #2047, Feb. 24, 1933

 “This relief thing is a hard thing to balance into your budget. You can’t sit down a year ahead and figure out who all is going to be hungry and how many of them there will be. It’s like sickness. It can upset the best family budget.” WA #656, July 21, 1935

Feb. 6, 2011

COLUMBUS: With twenty inches of snow at Claremore and Oologah, a lot of the Oklahoma home folks wish they still had a horse. Ford cars and ATVs got stuck in the drifts, but an old horse had no trouble at all. More snow coming.

That snow was from the same winter storm that froze Dallas during Super Bowl week, making Green Bay and Pittsburgh fans feel right at home. At least they played the game inside. The Packers beat the Steelers 31 to 25, and Aaron Rodgers escaped Brett Favre’s shadow.

My friend in Egypt sent me a first-rate report and analysis on the protest, including a couple of details you haven’t heard on the networks: “The present violence is the result of the damned dictatorship. The regime is so corrupt. Mubarak’s party netted all except 6 of the 498 Parliament seats in the elections last October!

“Many TV stations put the wealth of the president, his wife and his two sons at $52 Billion. The UN says 40% of all 85 million Egyptians live below the poverty line on $1 a day. The  government claims only 20%, or17 million Egyptians, are in poverty. [Folks, can you imagine the uproar if one of our Presidents amassed even $1 Billion while in office?]

“Party officials use the secret police and hired thugs to make us feel unsafe and force the protestors to return to their homes to defend them. They want us to choose between safety (and no democracy) under the present regime, or party-sponsored terrorism under any other regime. It is the classical birth pains of a new order in Egypt, painful but necessary!

“The protest focuses on the Tahreer (Liberation) Square in front of the Egyptian Museum, the Nile Hilton and the massive government office building. Protestors overflow into the square between the Museum and the Ramses Hilton, near the entrance and exit ramps of the October Bridge in the TV coverage. There are also many major demonstrations in other parts of Cairo and in other cities and towns around Egypt.

“Egyptians are safe as long as the army does not take the side of the government. This might have changed, however, after the army failed to protect the unarmed protestors from being massacred in the Tahreer Square (Feb 2) by government thugs and secret police.

“Our city, about 20 miles from Cairo,  has been relatively quiet during the current uprising. There were scattered serious incidents, however, in several other towns. When the national police vanished on Friday night, January 28, the country was terrorized by lawless bands that ran wild and unchecked, stealing, terrorizing and killing. It was no accident. The regime that withdrew the police most probably planned and organized the bands, consisting of undercover police, government-paid thugs, thousands of convicts who broke out (or were forced to break out), and criminals who simply took advantage of the situation.

“On January 29, our village owners association put in place an emergency protection plan using armed security groups during the curfew hours, 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. No serious incidents occurred to the village, except perhaps a couple. The armed guards were let go 4 days later.”

“The guards were placed inside and along the 3-mile long village fence about 100 yards apart. Each could see the groups on either side. They consisted of volunteer male residents and the village security, cleaning and landscape employees. Volunteer female residents stood watch high in their homes. The association also hired additional security guards, 10 with handguns and shotguns and 4 with automatic weapons; they started the following day and were posted outside the fence (not trusted inside the village!). A command center coordinated the groups by walkie-talkies, cell phones and the village land phones. I volunteered to patrol in my car inside the fence at least once a night around 3 a.m. I stopped often to talk to various fence groups. The tour took me some 90 minutes.

“The army appears now in force around the city. American-made tanks are stationed at the corners of the village and at nearby squares. Armored troop carriers are also present. We appreciate the army presence, stop often to visit with the troops and offer them refreshments. And the police started to appear gradually and reluctantly on the streets. Things are quieting down security-wise, maybe getting back to normal. We already let the hired armed guards go since Tuesday. I no longer have to patrol at night!”

President Obama is limited in what he can suggest or do with Egypt. We want democracy and elections, but not if the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood is likely to win. If we had supported the Iranian protesters last year, maybe the current situation would be more predictable.

In Egypt, half of all income for the average family is spent on food. By comparison, in the U.S. we only spend 10% for food, and half of that is in restaurants. If Mubarak’s $52 Billion were returned from Swiss banks and spread around, Egyptians could be well fed for a while.

Today was Ronald Reagan’s 100th birthday celebration. He seems to have picked up a few more friends since he died, which offers eternal hope for the rest of us.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:
“Hurry up planes and start leaving here. I can’t walk in these snowshoes. Been run over by two sleighs today. Taxicabs are being pulled by dog teams and the weather man says there will be a blizzard tonight.” DT #2361, Feb. 26, 1934
“There’ll never be a time when the old horse is not superior to any auto ever made.” WA# 507, Sept. 11, 1932
 “Just passed thru Chicago. It’s not a boast, it’s an achievement. The snow was so deep today the crooks could only hit a tall man.” DT #1079, Jan. 9, 1930