It is St. Patrick’s Day. Ohio has a Dublin (only a few miles away from Columbus) and West Virginia has an Ireland. Both celebrated their Irish heritage this week, although neither one has near as many “Irish” as New York City (see quote below).

I know more about the Irish Spring Festival in West Virginia because I have a lot of family and friends there. It is a family affair with as many events for the kids as for the old folks. The parade on Saturday shut down the main road, but for less than an hour. Unlike Chicago, they don’t try to color the creek green, but they do have a race on it with rubber ducks.  The only green drink is Kool-Aid. And forget about any so-called Green New Deal. They have a Blarney Stone on top of the hill, and they climb up there to kiss it the exact hour and minute Spring arrives.

Democrats announced they will hold their 2020 National Convention in Milwaukee. Wisconsin was quite relieved because if they were hosting the Republicans they would have the expense of building a fence around the convention center. With the Democrats they will save a half-million dollars. No fence. No barrier. No police. Democrats say they will use Alternate Delegates to guard the main entrances against intruders.

California has volunteered to stand guard the day of the voting for President. Yeah, right. If that happens, we’ll probably hear at roll call, “California casts all of our 977 votes… for Senora Kamala Harris.”

Former Congressman Robert Francis (Beto) O’Rouke of El Paso  announced in Vanity Fair magazine that he will run. In his first interview he said, like most other candidates, that he is for the Green New Deal. Does he really think Texas, with its cattle ranches and oil wells, will vote to abandon all that in ten years? Where a trip to town can be 200 miles, Texans might prefer diesel for the pickup truck instead of solar electric.

President Trump is in trouble. First, he said he would build a Wall, and Mexico would pay for it. So far, Mexico has offered not even a peso, and Trump wants to spend about $5 Billion of our money on it. He announced a National Emergency to justify spending on the Wall and Congress passed a resolution against it. He vetoed the resolution, vowing to stop illegal immigrants, illegal drugs, MS-13 gangs and murderers. According to news media and Congress, this appears to be the first time in fifty years a President has tried to use emergency powers, and if he goes through with it they will impeach him. They don’t want to wait for the Mueller Report, which likely will be released any time between next week and November 2020.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:

“Well, today was St. Patrick’s Day. But do you think they would parade on Sunday? No, sir. There wouldn’t be any traffic to block if you used Fifth Avenue on Sunday [in New York City]. You know there is nothing as overestimated as a parade of any kind. It don’t draw crowds; the people that are lined along the sidewalk are just trying to get to the other side. That’s all. Every city should have one street away out where it won’t interfere with business or traffic, call it Parade Street, then let any organization go there and march till they dropped. Do that and see how big an audience they can draw.” DT #823, March 17, 1929

“Wisconsin is never doubtful. You can always depend on it doing just exactly what the other forty-seven don’t.”  DT #577, June 1, 1928