HORACE MCQUEEN: Politics — a mind game!
Haters — and baiters! The right and the left in politics are ripping their opponents daily. And — I believe — the enemies of our great nation rejoice every time our leaders get into fuss fights. Building a great wall along the Mexico borders is a demand President Trump makes often. Now, he threatens to shut down our government unless the Congress does his bidding. We have to have some stringent controls at our borders—but a “great wall” is ludicrous. One sage said the wall will be 30-foot high—but illegal aliens will have 32-foot ladders. Surely bright minds can come up with border control solutions that will work better than a wall.
The folks on the left want open borders, more welfare for all and offer more “freebies” for those who won’t work. We are on a slick slope downhill and unless we get control of the mess we have made, it will be a disaster.
But that’s enough of criticizing the half-brainers on both sides of the political spectrum. We have more fish to fry. Soaking rains, more hay, better cattle and timber prices and less government regulation would be helpful. Farmers and ranchers don’t want government “bailouts”. Most of us want to raise livestock and crops our way—and market our products to willing buyers, whether in Chicago or China. That big deal of giving certain farmers a whopping twelve billion dollars to “compensate” their bank accounts for “lost markets” is pure vote buying.
Overlook the furor over dumb advice and decisions being made by folks who are leading our country. There are still millions of real Americans who stand to a challenge. In North Platte, Nebraska a recent event restores faith in our future. Over 700 members of the Arkansas National Guard were on deployment in the wilds of Wyoming. They were training, sleeping on the ground and subsisting on field rations. The commander of the unit–Lt. Col. Nick Jaskolski—a veteran of the Iraq war—handled the logistics of getting our soldiers back home in twenty one charter buses. From Wyoming to Arkansas is a long trip—and the bus caravan was due to stop in North Platte for the soldiers to stretch their legs and find snacks. The city visitors’ center was called days before about finding enough convenience stores. They were told “come on, we will be ready for you.” When the first buses arrived, their passengers were overwhelmed by the several hundred locals who waved flags, banners and welcomed each service man and woman to their town. Tables were filled with sandwiches, deviled eggs, salads, fruits and pies and cakes by the hundreds baked by those who wanted to help. Our uniformed service folks were offered the best our country has to offer. When the last bus left, Col. Jaskolski met with the town leadership and told them he had the funds to repay the city for their efforts. His offer was rejected! Thank God for real Americans—those in North Platte and those in uniform!
As a side note, the town is on the mainline of the Union Pacific Railroad. Immediately after Pearl Harbor in 1941, the railroad moved thousands of troops every day across the country. The trains always stopped for a break in North Platte, where citizens met every train, offered their hospitality in the form of meals to 3,000 to 5,000 troops daily. Now, who paid for those meals? Other than a $5 bill sent by President Roosevelt, the North Platte folks have never taken a dime from government for the hospitality they continue to dish out!