Category: Uncategorized

This recent war on statues is getting personal. It all started with one of General Robert E. Lee in Virginia and has spread across the country. A statue of General Stonewall Jackson at the West Virginia Capitol, and any other statues that protesters decide are Confederate, are being attacked. Even George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, who our history books show had nothing to do with the Civil War are being criticized. In Ohio, protesters want to take the Christopher Columbus statue out of Columbus.

There are over 700 statues in the South honoring the losing side, including a mountain in Georgia. Up to now I (Will Rogers) felt safe from “statue harassment” but that might end soon. See, my full name is William Penn Adair Rogers and I was named after a Colonel in the Confederate Army. The Cherokees in Indian Territory were split in their allegiance during the war (like a lot of families and neighbors in border states), and my Dad, Clem Rogers, fought for the South.

This statue of me on Soapsuds (first photo) is in Claremore, and there are three more like it in Texas. The one I’m most concerned about though is in the U.S. Capitol, overlooking the entrance to the House of Representatives. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who in thirty years probably never noticed my friendly gaze, declared that she is disgusted with sharing space in the Capitol with any statue connected to a Confederate. I may have to call on “my” Congressman, Markwayne Mullin, to stand in front of me and fend her off. (second photo)

President Trump has been on vacation. Or at least it was supposed to be a vacation. He should have done what Coolidge did in 1927; go to the Black Hills. “The President is going to the Black Hills of Dakota. Everybody in the West that wants to hide out until the thing blows over, goes into the Black Hills.” (May 25, 1927)

He made a mistake of vacationing in New Jersey where they have telephones, internet and TV. Some vacation! North Korea threatens to bomb Guam. Then Charlottesville, the home of Thomas Jefferson and his University of Virginia, votes to take down a statue of Robert E. Lee, a West Point graduate and a General every American was proud of, right up to 1861. This riled up the Ku Klux Klan, and that in turn riled up antifa, which neither the President nor I had heard of before last Saturday. He watched the battle on TV, with police nowhere in sight, and made a grave mistake by assuming that both sides were at fault. It took two days for his staff to tell him the difference between the good guys and bad guys. Next, in Barcelona, Spain, an Islamic group killed at least 13, including an American tourist. The President jumped on this one immediately, calling it an Islamic Radical Terrorist attack.

A lot of prominent folks got upset that Trump did not immediately come down hard on the KKK and resigned from various commissions and councils. Here’s Will: “it seems like a Presidential commission don’t get nothin’ done. They really don’t earn the breakfast that they give ‘em at the White House the day they appoint ‘em.” (Radio, Apr. 30, 1933)

Are you ready for the solar eclipse tomorrow? I was outside all afternoon today practicing not looking at the sun. I think I’ve got it down pat. Tomorrow afternoon for a few minutes should be a cinch.

Historic quote by Will Rogers:

(after Oklahoma Gov. Walton placed the state under martial law, Sept. 15, 1923, because of disturbances arising from the Ku Klux Klan) “I am not far enough away to express an opinion on that case as I don’t want any White Robed Gentlemen leading me forth in the middle of the night and massaging me with Tar, and sprinkling feathers on me for a chaser.” WA #45, Oct. 21, 1923

I’ve been gone awhile, but not long enough for Congress to agree on a Health Insurance plan. Oh, we’ve heard plenty of complaints from all sides. Republicans say that the Affordable Care Act, passed 7 years ago, is a total failure and going bankrupt. Democrats say that with the Republican plan 20 million people will die.

There is a clear divide in the country. Half the people get health care without paying for it; the other half pay for their own health care, plus for the other half. (Yes, I know that’s exaggerating.)

Here’s a suggestion. Do it like they decide salaries for some baseball players: Go to arbitration. In that case the player picks a salary he believes he is worth, say $5 million. And the team picks a salary they are willing to pay, say $4 million. Then the Arbitration Judge picks one or the other. No compromising.

So, Republican Senators need to agree on their best plan. Of course the reason we’re going to Arbitration is because they haven’t agreed.

Democrat Senators have to agree on their best plan. Their plan seems to be keeping the ACA, only adding piles and piles of tax money to keep it afloat. And they can’t just tell us, “Pass it, then we’ll tell you how much.”

Since the goal of each is to come up with the most desirable plan, I’ll offer two ideas. One, take the trial lawyers out of the health business. If a doctor or hospital messes up, pay the victim a reasonable amount, not millions. That’ll reduce costs in multiple ways. Second, let insurance companies compete across state lines. The CEOs make millions in salary; let ‘em earn it by competing. Let Amazon into the insurance business. Facebook, too; have you noticed how much medical and health advice you see on Facebook without ever asking for it?

You may be wondering, who gets to be the Arbitrator? Well, that’s the secret to success for the Rogers Plan. We don’t announce it ahead. Keep each side in suspense; that way their plan might be reasonable enough to get accepted.

Historic quote by Will Rogers:

          “One day I was laying in the hospital [recovering from gall bladder surgery] and I just happened to have the only bright thought that had come to me in weeks. ‘Say, this thing I’m doubled up here with comes under the heading of sickness.’ … So I thought of those policies I had been paying on for years. This sickness is going to turn out all right at that…
So when my wife called I broke the good news to her. I says, ‘If we can get a bona-fide doctor to say that I have been sick and couldn’t spin a rope and talk about Coolidge, we are in for some disability.’  Well, I noticed the wife didn’t seem so boisterous about this idea….
Then the truth did slowly out; she told me the sad story of cutting down on the insurance. It read like a sentence to me. She said my physical condition had misled them….
So if you want to stay well, just bet a lot of rich companies that you will get sick; then if you can’t have any luck getting sick, have the policy cut down, and before six months you’ll be saying, ‘Doctor, the pain is right there.’”  Ether and Me,  1927

This was a bad week for America. Two men were shot and killed in Baton Rouge and Minneapolis. Instead of waiting for a trial, Black Lives Matter folks immediately organized protests, and not just in those two cities. One in Dallas ended with five dead cops and seven injured.

Of course it was not the peaceful protesters who fired the shots; it was a lone gunman who was determined to kill white police officers.

So, did the leaders of the Black Lives Matter groups decide to stop protesting because of the dead policemen? No, they were back in force, and in Minneapolis the result was 30 injured police. In that case, the police, who were there to protect these peaceful protesters, were hit by glass bottles, rocks and pieces of concrete which were thrown by the “peaceful” protesters.

I won’t pretend to know what it is like to be black. I’m just an old white guy. But I do know what it is like to have common sense. And the leaders of these protests do not have it. They are instigating their followers to be more like a vigilante mob than civic-minded protesters. They are protesting against the cops who are there to protect them and their communities 24 hours a day.

The gunman in Dallas was eventually killed by a robot with a bomb attached. First time ever. I suggest that police who are assigned to clear protesters off highways, like I-94 in Minnesota, be given these robots. Let the remote-controlled robots move toward the crowd and order them to disperse.

It was a bad week for the Democrat nominee for President. At the conclusion of the FBI criminal investigation of the former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton was deemed to be extremely careless and grossly negligent for having over one hundred top secret classified messages on her personal, unprotected email server. After siting a few cases of Clinton lying, the FBI Director then let her off the hook by saying she did not intend to be criminally negligent and therefore should not be indicted. That was good news for Clinton as she flew immediately flew on Air Force One to give a campaign speech with President Obama who introduced her glowingly as “The most qualified person to ever run for President.” We now know what qualifications Obama most admires in a President.

Hillary Clinton is an intelligent woman. The FBI Director essentially announced, “She is not guilty by reason of temporary stupidity.”

At the first Presidential debate in September, I hope the moderator asks this question: When will you stop lying to the American public? And how will we know? Ask that of both Trump and Clinton.

In 1924, the Democrat candidate for President ran on the slogan “Honesty.” Not likely for either candidate in 2016.

In economic news, we added 287,000 new jobs in June, which kinda made up for very low number for April and May. But we still have near record high numbers of adults not working. Some are retired, but many young ones are on welfare. Meanwhile, farmers are desperate for workers to harvest fruit and vegetable crops this summer.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers (One-quarter Cherokee):

“There is a good deal in the papers about giving my native state of Oklahoma back to the Indians. Now I am Cherokee Indian and very proud of it, but I doubt if you can get them to accept it — not in its present state.” WA #59, Jan. 27, 1924

(In school) “It was all Indian kids that went, and I, being part Cherokee, had enough white in me to make my honesty questionable.” WA #353, Sept. 29, 1929

Republican Senators are wrasslin’ with a new health insurance bill, desperate to get 50 of the 52 to agree on… something. Meanwhile 48 Democrat Senators are enjoying their ringside seats for this Comedy. Mind you, it’s a Drama for Republicans, but Democrats sit there laughing at ‘em.

According to a national poll, 27 percent of Americans like the Senate healthcare bill. And the other 73 percent have absolutely no idea what’s in it.

You’ve read about the financial crisis in Illinois. The state owes Billions in unpaid bills, plus million dollar pensions to a whole bunch of state retirees. The Legislature and Governor can’t agree on a solution. So, one proposal by the Chicago Tribune is to simply divide up the state, giving portions to each of the surrounding states. Seems logical; the rich farmland will be quickly grabbed by Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, Indiana and Wisconsin. The big argument will be over Chicago. It was a good city until Al Capone took over and it’s gone downhill ever since.  Wisconsin and Indiana are trying to pawn it off on Michigan, but Michigan already has Detroit, and one financial “Black Hole” is all any state can manage. Canada might accept it, but they would have to throw in the whole of Lake Michigan.

Several months ago the New York Times reported that 17 intelligence agencies agreed that Russia interfered in our election. High level government officials repeated it over and over: 17, 17,   17…  Last week the paper finally acknowledged what the rest of us knew all along; we don’t have 17 government agencies intelligent enough to understand Russia. They admit that only 4, not 17, agencies claim they can read the mind of a Russian.

President Trump will meet with Putin next week. I hope Trump does not agree to any deal with him. Putin might agree to leave Crimea and Ukraine and even Syria if Trump would somehow shut down our big oil and gas wells immediately. I don’t think Trump would agree to that deal, but if he did he would lose most of the 30 percent who still like him.

On Saturday I’m headed to the annual convention of the National Speakers Association. After being bombarded by political speakers, I’m eager to listen to professional speakers who know how to keep their political opinions out of their presentations. Well, maybe not all opinions, but at least they are presented fairly and with humor.

Happy Birthday America. July 4 is a great day for a birthday celebration.

Historic quote by Will Rogers:

 “Did you [hear the Fourth of July speeches]?  Never was as much politics indulged in under the guise of ‘freedom and liberty.’ They was 5 percent what George Washington did, and 95 percent what the speaker intended to do.” July 5, 1935, DT #2782

That Special Counsel, Robert Mueller, who was appointed to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election, decided that was not enough of a challenge for him and the hundred top notch lawyers he is hiring. He will assign a couple of them to count the number of votes cast from Moscow, which may take a week or so.

The rest of them will investigate President Trump, the entire Trump family (which he suspects is equal to the Gambino crime family), and everyone who has done business with them in the last fifty years. According to an anonymous source, this investigation is scheduled to continue until late November 2020. The New York Times will provide updates on the investigation as warranted, likely each day on the front page.

In New York City, the Arts Council (or similar outfit) decided to put on a free Shakespeare play, Julius Caesar, daily in a park.  But the guy in charge figured out that no more than a dozen people would ever want to sit outside in the summer heat and humidity to watch a bunch of actors speaking Shakespearean English. You see, everybody in New York who understands Shakespearean English would insist on paying hundreds of dollars to sit in an air-conditioned theater.

So in desperation, they decided that instead of Julius Caesar, the low grade masses would much prefer watching Brutus attack President Trump while he yelled, “Not that I loved Trump less, but that I loved Washington more.” Then Antony, who looks remarkably like Senator Chuck Schumer, adds, “I come to bury Trump, not to praise him.”

Meanwhile MSNBC broadcast a 2-hour show about President Nixon being forced to resign after the break-in at the Watergate. Maybe it was just me, but it seemed that once in a while when Nixon was talking, subtly and for a faction of a second, Nixon’s image was replaced by Trump.

The worst news this week was the attempted assassination of about twenty Republican Congressmen during practice for a charity baseball game. The mass killing was prevented by two Capitol Police who were there to protect Congressman Steve Scalise. Oddly, Scalise was the only Congressman seriously injured among the five people who were shot.

Another Islamic terrorist attack in London tonight. It appears the attackers wanted to kill other Muslims leaving a mosque because those worshipers were too moderate. Frustrating. It seems the only solution for these radical Islamists is the same as it is for wild hogs: kill ‘em all.

Historic quote by Will Rogers:

“Russia don’t do as much harm to the rest of the world as she just worries ‘em. She just loves to put a thumb in the soup and let the guests see it’s in there. The whole world’s nerves are jumpy anyhow.” DT #1504, May 19, 1931

Did you watch the Comey Show on Thursday? If so, you probably got a fair idea of the main issues. Whether you’re a Democrat or Republican, Jim Comey’s comments gave you something to feel good about, and probably some serious concerns. Watching commentators discuss the Comey testimony on multiple news channels after that hearing reminds me of the descriptions by two blind men who approached an elephant from opposite ends. As the former FBI Director replied to a question about news stories based on anonymous sources, “The people talking about it don’t know what’s going on. And the ones who know what’s going on aren’t talking.” Surprisingly, Comey revealed that President Trump was not being investigated, and that former Attorney General Loretta Lynch ought to be. Next up, Attorney General Jeff Sessions will be testifying. Then Robert Mueller, named as a Special Counsel, is supposed to investigate interference by Russia in the 2016 election and ways to eliminate it in the future. Let’s hope he sticks with that assignment and not spend months and millions of dollars going on wild goose chases. These various investigations are dominating Washington and the news media. But the rest of the country has a different idea of what’s important: a solution to the health insurance mess; changes to regulations and tax policy to (hopefully) improve the economy for working folks; and commitments to speed up construction and maintenance of highways, bridges, pipelines, and locks and dams on the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. A perfect example of regulatory delay is a highway to connect central West Virginia with northern Virginia. Corridor H, also known as US 48, is 150 miles, under construction since 1970, and still only 90% done. That’s less than 3 miles per year. The cost is obscene because of environmental delays and demands. If the same nutty environmentalists had been around a hundred or two hundred years ago, that part of the state would have never got beyond the horse and buggy. Log cabins would have been outlawed because cutting a tree might endanger a flying squirrel. Catching a trout would deprive a bear of its next lunch. Air travel also needs improvement because our air traffic control system is outdated. We need a system based on satellites for communication. Our technology today is a little better than in the early days of aviation when Will Rogers suggested that towns paint their name on the largest roof available to help pilots navigate. (Will even agreed to pay for the paint, but got so many requests he had to end the offer.) New satellite technology would improve efficiency and allow global tracking of airplanes over the vast ocean areas where no tracking systems currently exist. Historic quotes by Will Rogers:           “All we got to do in this country to find out something is wrong is just to investigate it.”  DT #1577, Aug. 12, 1931 “There is two places where what a person says should not be held against ‘em in a court of law. One is at a dinner, and the other is on the witness stand of a Washington investigation.” DT #2405, Apr. 18, 1934 “From the record of all our previous investigations it just looks like nobody can emerge with their nose entirely clean. I don’t care who you are, you just can’t reach middle life without having done and said a whole lot of foolish things.” DT #2620, Dec. 28, 1934

President Trump submitted his first budget to Congress, then left the country. He knows that no matter who the President is, their proposed budget is only for arguing over and to allow politicians to show their ignorance of 4^th grade arithmetic.

The budget of $4.1 Trillion would be the biggest in history, bigger than any submitted by President Obama. Yet it was derided as a “cut” that would kill babies and cause poor people to starve.

Similarly, the new health insurance bill that passed the House (but faces major changes in the Senate) apparently would eliminate coverage for 26 million people out of the 12 to 15 million who have coverage under Obamacare. Yes, it makes you scratch your head. Or hit it against a wall. But not too hard because your injuries may not be covered.

The main memory from President Trump’s  9-day trip should be a line from his speech to the leaders of 50 Sunni Arab nations when he implored them to get rid of radical Islamic terrorists in their nations, “Drive them out!” It reminded me of President Reagan’s demand to Gorbachev, “Tear down this wall!” Of course the line Europeans will remember (but likely ignore) is, “Pay your fair share for NATO defense.”

Television seemed more interested in showing frivolous items and photos during the trip. News folks were fascinated with the various outfits the First Lady wore. Why did she wear a headdress for one event but not for another? Did her skirt really need to be that short? Who designed the stunning outfits that made her look so beautiful? Well, I’m no fashion expert but I think she would have looked just as beautiful in outfits from Sears or J.C. Penny.  I’ll admit I wondered if the reason they took two 747’s was because all of her shoes and clothes could not fit on Air Force One.  Meanwhile President Trump must have worn the same suit and shirt the whole trip. No one on TV pointed out any differences.

For President Trump, the media folks wondered why the Pope looked so glum in one photo with him and why his wife did not hold hands with him more often. In the official NATO photo they wondered why the president of the country that provides two-thirds of the total military support should be in the front row.

You may know that I take a lot of photos. Quite a few are of family (including the high school graduation of our oldest granddaughter yesterday). A bunch are of farming practices. Probably half are of people, including professional speakers and other prominent folks.

A secret for taking good photos is to delete all the bad ones. That’s easy today, but in the old days with film, you kinda hated to shoot a roll of 36 and toss out all but one or two. Once I was hired to take photos of Tony Robbins during a 2-day seminar. I got several good ones, but I shot one close-up with his face oddly contorted. I tossed it. Believe me; he would not want it on a poster promoting his programs.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:

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

“Europe don’t like us and they think we’re arrogant, and have bad manners, and a million faults, but every one of them, well, they give us credit for being (generous).” Radio, Oct. 18, 1931

The core of President Trump’s policy to expand oil production (keeping oil prices low) is a stake through the heart of Putin’s goals. This policy, more than any single factor, more than sanctions, is the limit on Putin’s power. Low oil prices, which will stay low because of fracking, will do more to limit Russian power than all the diplomatic notes you can write.

This paragraph above may sound familiar. Previously I have written that Putin would favor a President Hillary Clinton over a President Trump. But millions were convinced, with no evidence but plenty of political rhetoric, that Putin aimed to help Trump “Make America Great Again.” No one appeared to consider the opposite, other than me and a couple of friends in the fracking business.

Well, the top paragraph is from Walter Russell Mead, not me. He’s with The Hudson Institute and is a respected expert in foreign affairs. Maybe you ought to read that paragraph again. Maybe send it to your Congressman.

Several months ago a lot of prominent folks in Washington wanted President Obama to fire FBI Director James Comey. But Mr. Comey was not fired after his speech on July 5, and he was not fired after another speech in late October. When Clinton lost the November election, she blamed Comey. Still, President Obama took no action.

So when President Trump fired Director Comey a few days ago, he probably expected to be widely applauded. But no, the same Democrats that despised Comey earlier are now hollerin’ the loudest against the firing.

You would be shocked how many are saying this firing is as bad as President Nixon firing the Attorney General and a couple of others over the investigation of the criminal break-in at the Watergate. They seem to be hoping that Trump will see the same end as Nixon. I’m surprised no one has compared it to the Teapot Dome scandal in the 1920s. That one was about oil and bribery, so it should fit right in with criticism of Putin.

Meanwhile North Korea fired another missile and it landed in the ocean about 50 miles from Russia. That gave Putin something to worry about other than Democrats in Congress.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:

“Many a public man wishes there was a law to burn old records.” [and videos??] DT #627, July 30, 1927

“Politics is a great character builder. You have to take a referendum to see what your convictions are for that day.” DT #1199, May 29, 1930

“Remember, write to your Congressman. Even if he can’t read, write to him.” WA #534, March 19, 1933

President Trump finished his first 100 days in office, and everyone wants to give him a grade. Depending on who you ask, he has received grades from A- to F. One California Congresswoman wants to impeach him, which is pretty much a zero grade. The most accurate grade is “Incomplete.”

He did get a Supreme Court justice confirmed, got the oil flowing through Keystone, the stock market is up, and our friends around the world are pleased the U.S. is leading again, from the front. But Obamacare is still the law of the land and the wall on the southern border is on hold.

How do the first 100 days of Trump compare to the first 100 of FDR?

Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated as President March 4, 1933. This was a little over 3 years after the stock market crash that started the Great Depression. Democrats controlled Congress with 63% of the House and over 70% of the Senate. Even with that overwhelming majority, FDR, like Trump today, had battles with Congress. Programs or laws enacted included the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC), Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Glass-Stegall Act, National Recovery Administration (NRA), Federal Emergency Relief Act, and the Agricultural Adjustment Act.

Here are a few selected comments from Will Rogers’ syndicated daily newspaper columns during those 100 days.

“The whole country is with [Roosevelt]. Even if what he does is wrong they are with him.” March 5, 1933

“Say this Roosevelt is a fast worker. Even on Sunday… he closed all the banks [for 5 days] and called Congress into extra session.” March 6

“And Congress! I want to go on record as giving those rascals a world of credit. They have reformed and they look like they are sorry for what they have done for years.” March 17

“When he sends a message to Congress it ‘stays sent.’ Well, beer will be here Friday with the politician replacing the bootlegger.” Apr. 4

“I have always claimed that America didn’t want a drink as bad as they wanted the right to take a drink if they did happen to want one.” Apr. 7

“They say we are off the gold [standard].” April 20

“Say, this man Roosevelt not only makes Congress roll over and play dead, but by golly he made this tough guy Hitler promise to bring [warships] out of the water. Is there no end to this man’s cleverness? Course there is one thing about Europe. You can never believe ‘em the first time. They will agree to anything till it comes time to sign up.” May 17

“The phenomenal popularity of the Roosevelt administration now meets its severest test. They are starting to decide where all this money they have appropriated will come from.” May 22

“Things been just going along fine and it looked like we was going to have some real recovery with Mr. Roosevelt piloting. But I guess it’s about over. I see where Congress is starting taking themselves serious again.” June 5

“They talked about how fast Roosevelt got things done. Congress is going to make a snail out of him. They are going to undo in ten days what it took him ten weeks to do.” June 8

“Well there is bad news for the country this morning… Congress didn’t adjourn.” June 11

The “Easter Giraffe” gave birth with over a million people watching. The Easter Bunny was miffed, “On the same day, over a million bunnies were born and nobody was watching.”

Of course you can ask, how did a rabbit and a bunch of hen eggs replace the Risen Savior as our reason for Easter Sunday?

If you grew up in a country church, you may have had an Easter Egg Hunt after Sunday School. Everybody colored a dozen hard-boiled eggs, took ‘em to church and a couple of men would hide the eggs on church property or in a nearby field. Then the kids were turned loose to hunt eggs. Yes, hunt. Maybe 15 minutes later, all the eggs were found. The one with the most eggs got a small prize. Every Mom hoped her kids had found enough that she could make deviled eggs for dinner. Now, that may sound odd, Easter eggs converted to Deviled eggs, but they’re good eatin’, nothing sacrilegious.

But today, if you’re in town they scatter 10,000 plastic egg shells out on a manicured lawn, line up 1000 youngsters and blow a whistle. In less time than it takes to win the Kentucky Derby, the “eggs” have all been “found” and the so-called “hunt” is over. No matter how many you take home, Mom can’t devil ‘em.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:

“I bet any Sunday could be made as popular at church as Easter is if you made ‘em fashion shows, too.” DT #2718, Apr. 22, 1935

“I believe I discovered a way to aid preachers in getting people to church. Publish their pictures in the newspapers every Monday, instead of just on the day after Easter.” DT #836, Apr. 1, 1929