Thanksgiving kinda sneaked up on us. We’re still recovering from the election and most of the country stayed warm until a few days ago.
Driving to Grandma’s house will be a bargain with gas around $2 a gallon. And so will the fancy Thanksgiving dinner. The Dept. of Agriculture says the cost of feeding a family of 10 will be only $50. Thanks to scientific advances, improved efficiency and productivity, this meal is an amazing bargain, costing less than it did 30 years ago, adjusted for inflation.
Of course it could cost you three times as much if you insist on serving a fresh free-range turkey, organic mashed potatoes, gluten-free hot rolls and green beans grown without weed control chemicals.
If you decide to serve beef or pork you’ll find that’s a bargain also. Beef is so low “these old cattlemen are eating their own beef.” (1931)
A lot of farmers across the country are suffering from low prices. Dairy farmers have Got Milk alright; too much milk. Eggs are less than a dollar a dozen (unless you want free-range brown eggs for $5). Wheat, corn, soybeans and cotton are all at a low price because farmers around the world have benefited from good weather. Not all of ‘em, but enough to keep prices low. As I said back in 1931, “Wish all the farmers would move to town one year. That’s the only way I know to clear this thing up.”
Donald Trump is organizing his team. Folks on television are wondering how he will get his businesses in a “blind trust.” There’s never been a President who owned businesses in several countries as Trump does. You have to go back almost a hundred years to find anybody comparable. Henry Ford thought about running for President and was promoted by a lot of folks, including Will Rogers. At the time, half of all the automobiles on the road were Model T Fords. If you can figure out how the biggest car company in the world could be run as a blind trust, maybe Trump’s hotels, golf courses and office buildings would be a piece of cake.
Historic quotes by Will Rogers:
“Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. The more turkey you eat at dinner the less hash you will be bothered with the rest of the month.” DT#92, Nov. 24, 1926
“(Thanksgiving) was started by the Pilgrims, who would give thanks every time they killed an Indian and took more of his land. As years went by and they had all his land, they changed it into a day to give thanks for the bountiful harvest when the boll-weevil and the protective tariff didn’t remove all cause for thanks.” DT #417, Nov. 23, 1927
“Thanksgiving Day. In the days of its founders they were willing to give thanks for mighty little, for mighty little was all they expected. Those old boys in the fall of the year, if they could gather in a few pumpkins, potatoes and some corn for the winter, they was in a thanking mood.” DT #2594, Nov. 28, 1934