2010 vs 1935

As the health care bill approaches the vote, the NYTimes reported some of the warning voices against the bill.

Quote: Representative Paul D. Ryan, Republican of Wisconsin, denounced the bill as “a fiscal Frankenstein.” Representative Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Republican of Florida, called it “a decisive step in the weakening of the United States.” And Representative Virginia Foxx, Republican of North Carolina, said it was “one of the most offensive pieces of social engineering legislation in the history of the United States.”

Quote: Representative Marsha Blackburn, Republican of Tennessee, said, “Freedom dies a little bit today.”

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From 'The Coming of the New Deal', the second book in the three-book overview of the New Deal by Arthur M.Schlesinger, Jr. regarding the Social Security Act (signed into being in 1935 by President Roosevelt):

Quote: "Unemployment insurance cannot be placed on a sound financial basis," said the National Industrial Conference Board: it will facilitate "ultimate socialistic control of life and industry," said the National Association of Manufacturers. "Industry," observed Alfred Sloan of General Motors, "has every reason to be alarmed at the social, economic and financial implications…The dangers are manifest." It will undermine our national life "by destroying initiative, discouraging thrift, and stifling individual responsibility" (James L. Donnelly of the Illinois Manufacturers' Association): it begins a pattern which Wsoner or later will bring about the inevitable abandonment of private capitalism" (Charles Denby, Jr. of the American Bar Association).

It was said that with unemployment insurance no one would work: with old age and survivors insurance no one would save: the result would be moral decay, financial bankruptcy and the collapse of the republic.

Quote: "Never in the history of the world," said Congressman John Taber of New York, "has any measure brought in here so insidiously designed as to prevent business recovery, to enslave workers, and to prevent any possibility of the employers providing work for the people." "The lash of the dictator will be felt," cried Congressman Daniel Reed.

I'm still not to the horse races yet.

8 (9?!?) years ago when I moved to Wyoming, I remember feeling like I was really and truly in the Wild West when I was late to work after my lunch break because of slow traffic caused by a cattle drive.

Today, I got closer yet. I got to be /in/ a cattle drive. Can't you picture me, racing about after cows, chasing them hither and yon, whirling a lariat over my head, etc etc? If you did, you were wrong (but what a cool picture!) - what I did was walk and sometimes trot my horse after a placid bunch of black cattle. No racing or chasing, no ropes. I'm quite sure I was entirely unneeded. But I feel quite proud of myself because twice I encouraged a small bunch of lonely cows to go on and join the main bunch, and several other times, I chivvied lazy ones into moving again. Go me!

We are out at the Williams on the 4-3 Ranch. It was an absolutely gorgeous day today. Warm, probably in the 50s, cloudless blue sky, a bit breezy but not cold... And talk about beautiful country! This was the longest I've ridden for quite a while - about 4 hours, I think - and I admit to starting to get sore about the knees and ankles by the time we were done. Ok, ok, I admit to being sore a bit before we were done. ;) But I could almost have just kept on riding and riding and riding, just to look at the land. It's not mountainous here, but neither is it flat. There are lots of gullies heading down to the creek, and lots of low rises and hills. If you ride up to the top of one of these, and look off in front of you, you see fold after fold of land, golden in the afternoon sun, hazing into purple in the far distance, up against that incredibly blue sky. I saw (after the cows were safely in their new pasture, and not scaring everything off and raising a dust) a rabbit - practically under my horse's hooves; a meadowlark - heard him too; and some green grass, just starting.

As you can see, I'm finding it just a little hard to settle down and study for meeting tomorrow!

When I was four or five or thereabouts, I remember being at home with Dad - Mom was off somewhere - when a fire was called. We got in the car and went to the firestation and got into the firetruck and went off to the house that was on fire. And Dad LOCKED US IN THE TRUCK!! I remember very clearly the injustice of this. I wanted to get out and go around to the other side of the house and see what the fire looked like from there. I knew that it was important to stay far away and not get in the way of the firefighters, and I would have! I was big! I could be very good! Hmph.

So tonight, I got half of my ancient desire granted. We were just done having pizza when Dawn got up and put the paper plates on the fire. A few minutes later, she glanced up and saw fire flickering up where the pipe went into the chimney. And as she said this, we heard it start to roar. So we shut all the dampers, called the fire dept, and went outside to gawk. It was a chimney fire, no question. Flames coming about 2 feet out the top, and black black smoke. So we stayed out and watched the firemen come, and climb up to the roof and dump stuff down. And squat and watch it for a while, and dump more stuff down. And wander around inside looking for hotspots. And watch it a while longer, and dump some more stuff down... Most excitement we've had since we went to the horse races! (that's another post - I should have made it before this one.) But all ended well. It was a ceramic-lined chimney, and they managed to keep it from getting too hot. All the Dumping Down of Stuff was to keep from using water so as not to crack it and make it unusable.

Ok, so I thought I should actually post something here. I do now and then, believe it or not.

Laurel and I both went to Oregon for special mtgs this year. They are about 10 days after ours end here in MT/WY. We stayed to see Tammy Carr off in Billings, and then went up to Kalispell, where I got on the train and rode out to Washington to surprise Mom and Dad for their 40th anniversary. (The actual date of the anniversary was a few weeks earlier, but it was still in the same month! It counts!) Scott picked me up so the 'rents wouldn't know I was coming, and I snuck into the house. We took all precautions, including only shutting one car door, and tiptoeing up the walkway. I didn't use the ramp, but crept along on the grass below. Dad was at the kitchen sink, but thankfully the curtain was closed so he couldn't see out! They were properly surprised.

I had a very fun week at home. Some of Dad's family was out for lunch on Christmas Day, which was a really nice unexpected pleasure for me! And I learned to play Cribbage! (Don't tell me this is an old person's game, ok?) Mark came down to spend a few days also, and we went rock hunting. I found a really nice rock - small enough to almost close my fist around, but a nice orangish-brown carnelion with both dendrites and something-else's inside. The something-else's look like tan seaweed fans. That's not a very good description either. Hmmm. Maybe better would be a very tiny tumbleweed, flattened out. Anyways, take my word for it that it is Cool.

Then off to Oregon. They only have 2 weeks of specials, which seemed oddly short to me (we have about 4 weeks out here), but after having 4 weeks here and then 2 weeks there, I was more than ready to come back to Wyoming! I had a very nice time, special in many more ways than can be easily stated. One thought that's been on my mind is w**** (Editing in to say - I have no idea what happened here. I'm sure I had some thought other than alphabets and symbols to say, but... well, it's lost and gone forever now, alas.)

Then I had a week with my kidz. :D Oh yeah, and their parents. ;) It was a great time; very relaxing. Not much sleep, precisely, but who needs sleep? (and it doesn't sound like I'll be getting any anytime soon, either!) Our field has expanded to include Casper, so we are looking into having mtgs Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. The exact places which will fit into each time frame are still up in the air a bit, and any meeting is liable to cancellation with no notice, depending on the roads and the weather, but we're going to try!

I feel a bit like a kid let loose in a candy store, here in Casper with their lovely library! Lovely LARGE library! Absolutely crammed full of Books!! I think I went a little overboard, but... I really tried to restrain myself. Honest, I did! And I can always renew them, right?

I think that brings things up to date. Laurel and I are here in Casper for the weekend, and then I think we're heading over to Torrington. After that, who knows?

"The more I practice, the luckier I get."

Quote attributed to Jack Nicklaus on being complimented on a lucky shot he made while golfing.

Well, I had a first last week... I led the singing AND spoke. You may pooh-pooh this, saying, "Oh that's nothing, Leilani, you wimp!" But wait! There's more!

This was at special meeting. With a wireless microphone. At Cheyenne. And lest this mean little or nothing to you, 'at Cheyenne' should bring to your mind an image of the stage from which you speak... which is at least 200 or more (I stink at mental measurement) feet long. So not only am I sitting in the front row, off the stage, in approximately the middle, singing my little lungs out; but I have to drop the mike, charge across the stage, remember what I had to say, then race back and snatch up the mike while John was patiently hovering waiting to announce the next hymn.

Pantpantpant.

special mtgs

Cheyenne - Nov 29

Pine Bluffs - Dec 2

Torrington - Dec 6

Lusk - Dec 9

Gillette - Dec 13

Buffalo - Dec 16

Sheridan - Dec 20

Then I go out to Oregon - Jan 1 - 17.