COLUMBUS: California is on fire. At least parts of it, and other states, too. I’m wondering if the fires are partly to blame for the intense heat out west. Of course, others may feel the heat wave is contributing to the fires, and they’re probably right.
We feel sorry for the thousands who have lost homes. It makes you wonder why they build in the middle of dry woods where the government won’t allow old or dying trees to be cut and removed for timber.
Europe is dealing with record heat, and they can’t blame forest fires. The heat wave is blowing north off the Sahara Desert.
It’s hot in central Ohio and we know what to blame it on. There’s a special election for Congress on Tuesday (Aug. 7) and there’s more hot air spinning over Columbus than above those California fires. Millions of dollars are being spent on both sides and it is only for a short term Congressman. Television shows are interrupted by a commercial for one candidate, followed by one for the other guy, followed by one against the first guy, followed by another against the second candidate. The program no sooner starts up again than the telephone rings with a recorded message begging you to vote for one or the other. Text messages and ads on Facebook constantly annoy, and you almost hate to open the mail box. Did you ever complain that polls never contact you for your opinion? Well, everyone in this District has been polled at least sixteen times. The polls are so annoying I’m ready on the next call to hit ‘em with a 10-foot pole.
As I say, this is a short term Congressman because the same two square off November 6. If the man who wins Tuesday loses in November he may set a record as the only Congressman to be in Washington more days as a Lame Duck than before he was defeated. See, Congress is off the month of August, then back to work a couple of weeks in September, and off campaigning the entire month of October. For the half-dozen nights he is there, the poor fellow should pitch a tent beside the Capitol. I mentioned Lame Duck, but honestly I don’t know whether the one elected in November takes over immediately or has to wait until January. The ways things are going, Congress may pass more laws in a Lame Duck session than in the previous 22 months.
Historic quotes by Will Rogers:
“So much money is being spent on the campaign that I doubt if either man, as good as they are, are worth what it will cost to elect them.” DT #687, Oct. 8, 1928
“(This lame-duck Congress) knows exactly how the people voted on every question that they will be asked to decide on. So when any question comes up all they have to do is read the election returns. Course if they want to still be on the minority side of all these things we will know exactly why they was defeated.” DT #1976, Dec. 4, 1932
“(A lame-duck Congress) is like where some fellows worked for you and their work wasn’t satisfactory and you let ‘em out, but after you fired ‘em, you let ‘em stay long enough so they could burn your house down.” DT #1980, Dec. 8, 1932