March 18, 2008 - Tuesday

Todays Gazette is brought to you by,... the eventual welcome coming of
spring.
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The current temperature is 34
Yesterdays H/L temperature was 36/28
Normal H/L temp for this date is 35/18
It was 83 degrees on this day in 1910.
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"Profanity makes ignorance audible,"
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L O C A L news & stuff,.. mostly stuff.
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If, in fact, the white pickup with large green strips on the side is
any indication. It certainly appears possible that we now have a member
of the US Border Patrol living in town.
There doesn't seem to be any connection between the profession of our
newest community resident and ramifications of the message from the
pulpit of Sen Barrack Obama's mentor, Reverend Wright.
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I mentioned Bill Meier the other day and that gave Diann Bratlie reason
to share the following thoughts. She wrote: >>>>
Hi, Gary.
You mentioned Bill Meier in a recent Gazette. I never knew Bill, but
when I first came to Grafton to work, the Social Service gang often ate
at the old Legion and they served a Meier's Special. My understanding
was that it was a healthy lunch for him as he had some medical condition
and he needed to eat properly. It consisted of a small steak, a scoop of
cottage cheese and a vegetable all for the outrageous price of ninety
cents. That was in 1965. I also remember how we all were upset when it
went to $1.25. <<<<
Thanks a million for caring and sharing Diann. Whenever someone
mentions the "old" Legion. When it was south of the Post office on
Griggs Avenue. I am reminded of the Saint and Sinner special. That
consisted of a full (although small) lobster and a steak, choice of
potato, vegetable and salad all for $4.95. AND, almost always, I hasten
to add, served by Gladys Watkins, Sarah Wosick or Dorothy Shereck. All
three ladies, everyone would agree, were exceptionally proficient in
there profession.
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Kathee shared a website so everyone could listen to the state tourney.
Although I understand a few did have some problem hooking up with it,
Joanne evidently didn't have any trouble.
She wrote; >>>>>
Hi, Gary,
Special thanks to Kathee Carlson for her "heads-up" on the broadcast
of the Class B Basketball Championship on the Internet. I was able to
listen to the play-by-play here in Wisconsin. Having attended the
championship game in 1964, I was thrilled with the Spoiler victory. It
brought back so many memories! Congratulations to the Spoilers!!
Joanne <<<< Thanks a million Joanne, It's always great to hear some of
the "stuff" we share has value.
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Speaking of value. I'm sure almost everyone as heard somewhere about
the fantastic costs involved with "the war". It seems especially easy
for some politicians to say that the War is costing us billions, even
trillions of dollars.
Bert takes a somewhat different view of those costs. He wrote. >>>>
Subject: The cost of the war---deceiving the people.
Obama, Clinton and others use the cost of the Iraq war falsely when
they say how much it is costing the taxpayer. They want us to believe
that when we lose a $22,000,000.00 armed Apache helicopter $22M was
lost and that could not be further from the truth. All we really gave
up was what you could get for the junk left over from a scrap metal
dealer and that, if estimated high, would be maybe $1000.00.
So where is the other $21,999,999.00? It was all spent right here
in the US for everyone and everything it took to build the chopper.
The people that designed and built the electronics, designed the
chopper, mined and processed the metals and trucked all the parts to
be assembled. and those who put it all together.
These people then spent the money for homes, food, cars, health,
schools and those that benefited from their spending passed it on again
to the farmers, teachers, car manufacturers and their laborers etc. and
on again from there. Blow off a $15,000,000.00 cruise missal and the
actual loss to the taxpayer would be maybe $100.00 for the junk. The
Chopper and the missile had a combined actual loss of $1100.00--NOT
$37M as they would have you to believe.
As for the troops, they are paid if they are home or in Iraq. I
talked yesterday to a Marine who finished his 3rd tour in Iraq and he
said the only money he spent there was on base, enough to get in some
personal items and enough for an occasional card game. All the rest was
deposited in the US for his house, car payment and family expenses.
He never spent 2 cents into the Iraq economy.
I will be the first to say War is pure hell if you are personally
caught up in it in any way. But like it or not it is a boom for the
economy with it's one ended spending. Before WWII, Korea, Vietnam our
economy was in trouble--- But not afterwards. We have economy problems
now caused by the stupid decision not to use our own oil. But like it or
not the mideast problems have kept the economy going as well as it
has with all the finance it keeps turning over and lets it work it's
way through the various levels.
What a blessing it would be to have honest straight talking
politicians. Or maybe they are to ignorant to truly understand how the
economy works. This was brought to my attention during the Vietnam war
when I was attending the General Motors Institute of technology
classes in Flint Michigan doing studies on the economy for GM
executives in 1969.
Bert A. Overland <<<<
Thanks a million for caring and sharing Bert. I do agree that much of
the money for the material costs of the war actually do end up here.
Unfortunately our dead and maimed soldiers return home too. In fact they
have given much more than mere money. Or so it seems to me.
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GOTTA GO WORK ON MY DASH
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"If it isn't said, it isn't heard."
Or so it seems to me.


Write if you can, call if you can't, and, tell your loved ones they
are,..... before it's too late.