The following story was reported to the Hubbard City Cafe coffee drinkers by the Mayor of Whiskey Flatts, Booger Brown.
"A few months ago the sign entering Whiskey Flatts, which is a small town about 10 miles from Hubbard, read:
Welcome to Whiskey Flatts
Population 121
Today the sign just reads:
Whiskey Flatts
Closed
What happened? "About two months ago a slick talking salesman from Dallas set up a desk in downtown Whiskey Flatts to buy slightly used automobiles that he called "Clunkers". Paying top dollar (sometimes in the amount of $300-400) within a couple of days he had cleaned the town out of about 90 of these so called Clunkers. So our clunkers were on the way to Dallas for some type of scam for rich city people wanting trade ins to buy new cars. Meanwhile back in Whiskey Flatts within three weeks the following businesses closed their doors in our small city:
Pete's Auto Shop
Joe's Auto Shop
Pete and Joe's Repairs
Pete Jr's Fix It Shop
Lefty's Auto Supply
Joe Jr's Wrecking Yard"
Well, this really stirred up Billy Roy Mitcham who responded, "No wonder the Secy of Transportation is named LaHood! So that damn Clunker program shut the whole city down?"
Surprisingly Booger's answer was "No. This was a jolt to our economy but the real problem came from something your Aunt Martha calls 'unintended consequences' ." (Booger is an avid reader of the Hubbard City News)
"Well this term always excites the folks so they pulled their straight chairs up real close and ordered refills for their coffee."
The mayor continued, "like all major towns in Central Texas downtown Whiskey Flatts has been suffering from Global Warming with our temps this summer reaching 102-103 degrees on certain days that felt really hot. After the Clunkers were taken off our streets we had temperatures drop by 25-30 degrees immediately. In fact temps plunged at night to as low as 45-50 degrees. Well, our Math teacher, Mr. Mills immediately projected that this winter this attack on our environment would result in a Global Cooling of downtown Whiskey Ridge to reach tempertures with lows somewhere between 2 and 3 degrees. Hell, we might even dip below zero or something".
Well, when word got out our folks immediately boarded things up and most moved to Corsicana where there are plenty of Clunkers to protect the environment. So I just closed the town and am requesting some Washington 'stimulation'."
When asked what his alternatives were if the stimulation doesn't kick in quickly before the pipes rust and stuff like that, and of course he said, "we would have to go the 'bail out' route, but that would give us a lot more money than we really need bringing on a whole new set of problems. It seems a Mayor's job is never done."
Well no wonder Obama is not making public the Clunker data. Check out the press release below and don't forget to.....
Think about it,
Jim
Obama Won't Release Data on 'Clunkers' Program
Tuesday, August 4, 2009 12:55 PM
WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration is refusing to release government records on its "cash for clunkers" rebate program that would substantiate _ or undercut _ claims of its success.
President Barack Obama wants $2 billion more to boost car sales, days after the first $1 billion was made available. Obama has promised greater transparency, but Transportation Department officials say they don't have time to turn over sales data provided by car dealers.
The limited information shows most buyers are not picking Ford, Chrysler or General Motors vehicles, and six of the top 10 vehicles purchased are Honda, Toyota and Hyundai. The Associated Press has sought release of the data since last week. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Sunday the government would release it.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Jack Kemp is Turning Over in His Grave
Jack Kemp, former Bubbalo Bill's Quarterback, presidential candidate, leader of Conservative economic priniciples, and one of the most popular politicians at the Hubbard City Cafe was recently honored with a moment of silence at the folk's regular coffee meeting. Billy Roy Micham said that was the least they could do to try to offset the disrepect that was being shown Jack in Washington, D.C. Jack Kemp passed away only three short months ago in May of this year. The folks were giving their somewhat undivided attention to the popular QB because of the following press release that was intercepted by Butch Jackson, local historian and semi-local philosopher:
Obama Gives Presidential Award to Kemp, Harvey Milk
Thursday, July 30, 2009 8:40 PM
President Barack Obama is awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 16 people, including political ally Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, tennis legend Billie Jean King and retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa.
The White House announced the list of recipients Thursday.
The medals, representing the nation's highest honor for a civilian, are the first to be awarded by Obama. He will present them at a White House ceremony on Aug. 12.
Other names on the list are: Race for the Cure founder Nancy Brinker, physicist Stephen Hawking, civil rights activist Rev. Joseph Lowery, and entertainers Sidney Poitier and Chita Rivera.
Former Rep. Jack Kemp, who died in May, and gay rights activist Harvey Milk, who was assassinated in 1978, will receive posthumous awards.
Immediately Aunt Martha was asked to pen the following letter to Washington:
To: Obama (with a b)
From: The Hubbard City Cafe
What in the Hell are you doing now? To associate an all NFL Quarterback and good Conservative with people named Tutu, Chita, Teddy, and a man named Sidney is an insult to all real Americans.
What in the Hell is your idea of a Medal of Freedom? The only thing Teddy Kennedy ever freed was himself from that car in the ocean leaving that poor woman, Mary Joe, to drown. He then fled and freed himself from what should have been a life in prison.
What in the Hell did Harvey Milk do in setting an example for our children? We have a current movement in Hubbard to re-open the Movie Theatre just so we can ban that stupid Sean Penn movie about Milk and the all American City of San Francisco.
And lastly, who in the Hell is Joseph Lowery and what position did he play? Our googler says he was a supporter of "As an independent voice of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer people". What does this guy have in common with Jack Kemp?
No real American hero deserves this treatment.
The Folks
Obama Gives Presidential Award to Kemp, Harvey Milk
Thursday, July 30, 2009 8:40 PM
President Barack Obama is awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 16 people, including political ally Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, tennis legend Billie Jean King and retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa.
The White House announced the list of recipients Thursday.
The medals, representing the nation's highest honor for a civilian, are the first to be awarded by Obama. He will present them at a White House ceremony on Aug. 12.
Other names on the list are: Race for the Cure founder Nancy Brinker, physicist Stephen Hawking, civil rights activist Rev. Joseph Lowery, and entertainers Sidney Poitier and Chita Rivera.
Former Rep. Jack Kemp, who died in May, and gay rights activist Harvey Milk, who was assassinated in 1978, will receive posthumous awards.
Immediately Aunt Martha was asked to pen the following letter to Washington:
To: Obama (with a b)
From: The Hubbard City Cafe
What in the Hell are you doing now? To associate an all NFL Quarterback and good Conservative with people named Tutu, Chita, Teddy, and a man named Sidney is an insult to all real Americans.
What in the Hell is your idea of a Medal of Freedom? The only thing Teddy Kennedy ever freed was himself from that car in the ocean leaving that poor woman, Mary Joe, to drown. He then fled and freed himself from what should have been a life in prison.
What in the Hell did Harvey Milk do in setting an example for our children? We have a current movement in Hubbard to re-open the Movie Theatre just so we can ban that stupid Sean Penn movie about Milk and the all American City of San Francisco.
And lastly, who in the Hell is Joseph Lowery and what position did he play? Our googler says he was a supporter of "As an independent voice of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer people". What does this guy have in common with Jack Kemp?
No real American hero deserves this treatment.
The Folks
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Washington Style Capitalism in Madisonville, Texas
I recently visited the town of Madisonville, Texas to explore an opportunity to open a Bush's Chicken franchise on Interstate I45. A local resident told me the following story.
It was a slow rainy day, and the little town looks totally deserted. Times are tough everybody is in debt and everybody lives on credit. On this particular day a traveling salesman from Dallas is driving through town. He enters the only hotel in the sleepy town and lays a hundred dollar bill on the desk stating he wants to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one to spend the night.
As soon as the man walks up the stairs, the hotel proprietor takes the hundred dollar bill and runs next door to pay his debt to the butcher. The butcher takes the $100 and runs down the street to pay his debt to the pig farmer. The pig farmer then takes the $100 and heads off to pay his debt to the supplier of feed and fuel. The guy at the Farmer's Co-op takes the $100 and runs to pay his debt to the lady at the local massage parlor who has also been facing hard times and has lately had to offer her "services" on credit. The masseuse runs to the hotel and pays off her debt with the $100 to the hotel proprietor paying for the rooms that she had rented when she brought clients to that establishment.
The hotel proprietor then lays the $100 bill back on the counter so the salesman will not suspect anything. At that moment the traveler from Dallas walks back down the stairs after inspecting the rooms. He picks up the $100 bill and states that the rooms are not satisfactory. Pockets the money and walks out the door and leaves town heading for Houston.
No one earned anything. However the whole town is now out of debt, and looks to the future with a lot of optimism.
That ladies and gentlemen is how the United States Government is conducting business today.
I decided it was a little to early for us to enter the Madisonville market.
Think about it,
Jim
It was a slow rainy day, and the little town looks totally deserted. Times are tough everybody is in debt and everybody lives on credit. On this particular day a traveling salesman from Dallas is driving through town. He enters the only hotel in the sleepy town and lays a hundred dollar bill on the desk stating he wants to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to pick one to spend the night.
As soon as the man walks up the stairs, the hotel proprietor takes the hundred dollar bill and runs next door to pay his debt to the butcher. The butcher takes the $100 and runs down the street to pay his debt to the pig farmer. The pig farmer then takes the $100 and heads off to pay his debt to the supplier of feed and fuel. The guy at the Farmer's Co-op takes the $100 and runs to pay his debt to the lady at the local massage parlor who has also been facing hard times and has lately had to offer her "services" on credit. The masseuse runs to the hotel and pays off her debt with the $100 to the hotel proprietor paying for the rooms that she had rented when she brought clients to that establishment.
The hotel proprietor then lays the $100 bill back on the counter so the salesman will not suspect anything. At that moment the traveler from Dallas walks back down the stairs after inspecting the rooms. He picks up the $100 bill and states that the rooms are not satisfactory. Pockets the money and walks out the door and leaves town heading for Houston.
No one earned anything. However the whole town is now out of debt, and looks to the future with a lot of optimism.
That ladies and gentlemen is how the United States Government is conducting business today.
I decided it was a little to early for us to enter the Madisonville market.
Think about it,
Jim
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Aging and Health Tips from Hubbard
Mom says the talk in Washington about health care has the folks at the Cafe sharing health and aging experiences. She says once this conversation starts that it goes on and on.
Joe Frank Bell kicked the discussion off. Every morning Joe Frank has been walking by a new neighbor's house. He says an older and very wrinkled lady with a great smile was always sitting on her front step smoking a cigar, so he walked up to her and said, "I couldn't help but notice how happy you look! What's your secret?"
"I smoke ten cigars a day," she said. "Before I go to bed, I smoke a nice big joint. I drink a whole bottle of Jack Daniels every week and eat only junk food. On weekends, I pop pills, get laid, and don't exercise at all." Joe Frank thought he had found the secret of youth, "That is absolutely amazing! How old are you?"
"Thirty-four," she answered.
Speaking of age and looks, Borger Lee Heard says his wife told him, "you don't look anything like the long haired, skinny kid I married 35 years ago, so I want a DNA test to make sure it is still you."
Sometimes the kids have the best health advice. Gerald Pursley has been going to the beer joint in Malone to shoot pool every Saturday night for years. He usually wore his genuine Willie Nelson autographed Armadillo baseball cap. One night as he was leaving his young grandson said,"Papa I wouldn't wear that hat anymore." "Why?" Gerald asked.
"You know that it always gives you a headache the next morning."
Billy Mack Waller told the group that he thought he had the perfect health plan. He called the one local Hubbard physician, and golfing buddy, Dr. Sammons and asked him for a favor. Sure enough, when BM's wife went in for a regular visit, Dr. Sammons told her that BM's tests were back from the lab and didn't look good. He informed her that Bill was suffering from a rare and serious stress disorder that required immediate action. In fact if he did not minimize his work schedule, get plenty of fresh air and exercise, eat home cooked meals three times a day, and have sex regularly that he wasn't long for this world.
When BM's wife returned home he asked about his tests results. " The doctor said you're going to die," was her quick response.
Scottie Andersen thinks his wife is going through menopause in which case Smokey Brown, who always talks about sex, told Scottie that menopause was mentioned in the Bible. Under severe questioning, Smokey said it is right there in Mathew 14:92, "And Mary rode Joseph's ass all the way to Egypt".
I am not sure Obama wants to get involved in all this?
Think about it,
Jim
Joe Frank Bell kicked the discussion off. Every morning Joe Frank has been walking by a new neighbor's house. He says an older and very wrinkled lady with a great smile was always sitting on her front step smoking a cigar, so he walked up to her and said, "I couldn't help but notice how happy you look! What's your secret?"
"I smoke ten cigars a day," she said. "Before I go to bed, I smoke a nice big joint. I drink a whole bottle of Jack Daniels every week and eat only junk food. On weekends, I pop pills, get laid, and don't exercise at all." Joe Frank thought he had found the secret of youth, "That is absolutely amazing! How old are you?"
"Thirty-four," she answered.
Speaking of age and looks, Borger Lee Heard says his wife told him, "you don't look anything like the long haired, skinny kid I married 35 years ago, so I want a DNA test to make sure it is still you."
Sometimes the kids have the best health advice. Gerald Pursley has been going to the beer joint in Malone to shoot pool every Saturday night for years. He usually wore his genuine Willie Nelson autographed Armadillo baseball cap. One night as he was leaving his young grandson said,"Papa I wouldn't wear that hat anymore." "Why?" Gerald asked.
"You know that it always gives you a headache the next morning."
Billy Mack Waller told the group that he thought he had the perfect health plan. He called the one local Hubbard physician, and golfing buddy, Dr. Sammons and asked him for a favor. Sure enough, when BM's wife went in for a regular visit, Dr. Sammons told her that BM's tests were back from the lab and didn't look good. He informed her that Bill was suffering from a rare and serious stress disorder that required immediate action. In fact if he did not minimize his work schedule, get plenty of fresh air and exercise, eat home cooked meals three times a day, and have sex regularly that he wasn't long for this world.
When BM's wife returned home he asked about his tests results. " The doctor said you're going to die," was her quick response.
Scottie Andersen thinks his wife is going through menopause in which case Smokey Brown, who always talks about sex, told Scottie that menopause was mentioned in the Bible. Under severe questioning, Smokey said it is right there in Mathew 14:92, "And Mary rode Joseph's ass all the way to Egypt".
I am not sure Obama wants to get involved in all this?
Think about it,
Jim
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Heroes, Heroines, and Sack Lunches
My nephew's wife who is a high school teacher, and therefore a real heroine of mine, sent me this email. It speaks for itself:
My friend Donna sent me this great story. Her son was killed in Iraq 2 years ago. I was eating lunch with her a few months ago and I saw her do the same thing. She saw a soldier walk in the door, went to the cashier and gave them some money to pay for his lunch whenever he ordered his food. When he ordered and got ready to pay, the cashier pointed Donna out and told him what she had done. He came over to our table and thanked her. With tears in her eyes (and tears from everyone else at our table) she thanked him! Very moving. I hope I get the chance to do the same one day.
Judi
The Sack Lunches
I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. 'I'm glad I have a good book to read and perhaps I will get a short nap,' I thought. Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation. 'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me. 'Petawawa. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Afghanistan .'
After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached the east, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time. As I reached for my wallet, I overheard soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. 'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to base ' His friend agreed. I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch.
I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a soldier in Iraq ; it's almost like you are doing it for him.' Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated.
She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like best - beef or chicken?' 'Chicken,' I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class. 'This is yours with thanks.' After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars. Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Aircraft Pilot coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, and said, 'I want to shake your hand.' Quickly unfastening my seat belt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, 'I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.' I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers.
Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm. When we landed I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars! Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You.'
Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers. As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little. A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to his country for an amount of 'up to and including his life.' That is Honor, and there are way too many people who no longer understand it.
May God give you the strength and courage to pass this along to everyone on your email , twitter, facebook, myspace, or other buddy lists.
In GOD We Trust.
Jim
My friend Donna sent me this great story. Her son was killed in Iraq 2 years ago. I was eating lunch with her a few months ago and I saw her do the same thing. She saw a soldier walk in the door, went to the cashier and gave them some money to pay for his lunch whenever he ordered his food. When he ordered and got ready to pay, the cashier pointed Donna out and told him what she had done. He came over to our table and thanked her. With tears in her eyes (and tears from everyone else at our table) she thanked him! Very moving. I hope I get the chance to do the same one day.
Judi
The Sack Lunches
I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. 'I'm glad I have a good book to read and perhaps I will get a short nap,' I thought. Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation. 'Where are you headed?' I asked the soldier seated nearest to me. 'Petawawa. We'll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we're being deployed to Afghanistan .'
After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached the east, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time. As I reached for my wallet, I overheard soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch. 'No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn't be worth five bucks. I'll wait till we get to base ' His friend agreed. I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch.
I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. 'Take a lunch to all those soldiers.' She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. 'My son was a soldier in Iraq ; it's almost like you are doing it for him.' Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated.
She stopped at my seat and asked, 'Which do you like best - beef or chicken?' 'Chicken,' I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class. 'This is yours with thanks.' After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me. 'I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.' He handed me twenty-five dollars. Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Aircraft Pilot coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, and said, 'I want to shake your hand.' Quickly unfastening my seat belt I stood and took the Captain's hand. With a booming voice he said, 'I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.' I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers.
Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm. When we landed I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars! Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. 'It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You.'
Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers. As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals. It seemed so little. A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to his country for an amount of 'up to and including his life.' That is Honor, and there are way too many people who no longer understand it.
May God give you the strength and courage to pass this along to everyone on your email , twitter, facebook, myspace, or other buddy lists.
In GOD We Trust.
Jim
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
An Old But Timely Prayer
With the passing of Walter Cronkite the folks at the cafe reminisced about important figures that they really liked and respected, names like Paul Harvey, Harry Truman, Tom Landry, Ronald Regan, and Billy Graham came up. This prompted one of the coffee drinkers to send me the following prayer which is very, very timely today.
Billy Graham's Prayer For Our Nation:
'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done.
We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!'
Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, 'The Rest of the Story,' and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired.
With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called 'One nation under God'.
Jim
Billy Graham's Prayer For Our Nation:
'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done.
We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values. We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. We have killed our unborn and called it choice. We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable. We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self esteem. We have abused power and called it politics. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
Search us, Oh God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!'
Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, 'The Rest of the Story,' and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired.
With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called 'One nation under God'.
Jim
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
The Unintended Consequences of Damned Fools
Last Saturday Mom and I were having lunch with Scottie Anderson, insurer of most of the things in Hubbard, and wife, Donna. Scottie looked at his watch and pushed back quickly. "I have an appointment at my office in one minute. I can make it if I don't catch that damned light."
The light he was talking about is a controversial three way traffic light (red, green, and yellow) in the center of downtown Hubbard, Texas. I say three way because for years it was a blinking red light (one way) which was great for creating revenue when travelers would "roll through" the light enabling the local Constable to "give them a ticket".
A few years back a local politician sold the tax payers and county officials on a proposition that a three way traffic light would actually attract more traffic to Hubbard while improving the safety of local residents. Today, we might call this a stimulus plan. At great expense to all, the three way was installed.
You guessed it. Ticketing is down, revenue is down, and the traffic didn't come. Meanwhile people take the "side streets" now to avoid the three way and this creates more potholes on streets maintained by the City. Aunt Martha, local news reporter/column writer/librarian, calls this "unintended consequences of well meaning political servants". Most Hubbard Conservatives just call it "the stupid acts of damned fools".
The Moderates at the Dairy Queen might seek a compromise in terms and call this the "unintended consequences of damned fools".
Thank goodness our political servants in Washington anticipate all consequences and don't make mistakes like this on issues like Tarp, stimulus, medicare, social security, welfare, education, health care, cap and trade, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mack, immigration, and taking over the American auto industry. I guess that's why we are looking for more aspects of our lives where we can put them in charge.
Think about it,
Jim
The light he was talking about is a controversial three way traffic light (red, green, and yellow) in the center of downtown Hubbard, Texas. I say three way because for years it was a blinking red light (one way) which was great for creating revenue when travelers would "roll through" the light enabling the local Constable to "give them a ticket".
A few years back a local politician sold the tax payers and county officials on a proposition that a three way traffic light would actually attract more traffic to Hubbard while improving the safety of local residents. Today, we might call this a stimulus plan. At great expense to all, the three way was installed.
You guessed it. Ticketing is down, revenue is down, and the traffic didn't come. Meanwhile people take the "side streets" now to avoid the three way and this creates more potholes on streets maintained by the City. Aunt Martha, local news reporter/column writer/librarian, calls this "unintended consequences of well meaning political servants". Most Hubbard Conservatives just call it "the stupid acts of damned fools".
The Moderates at the Dairy Queen might seek a compromise in terms and call this the "unintended consequences of damned fools".
Thank goodness our political servants in Washington anticipate all consequences and don't make mistakes like this on issues like Tarp, stimulus, medicare, social security, welfare, education, health care, cap and trade, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mack, immigration, and taking over the American auto industry. I guess that's why we are looking for more aspects of our lives where we can put them in charge.
Think about it,
Jim
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
