Random Thoughts, Observations, And Questions….

First…on the national scene…OK, what about Donald Trump? Is he a criminal? Or was he set up AGAIN by the DOJ and deep state? I guess we’ll find out…eventually. To be honest, I never liked Trump, but I voted for him in 2016. There was no way I could have voted for Hillary, one of the most conniving and corrupt politicians is U.S. history, in my opinion. And yes, I would definitely vote for a woman for President. Women have more common sense than most men. Condoleezza Rice, Tulsi Gabbard, and Kristi Noem come to mind. Now what about poor Bill Clinton? How would you like to wake up every morning and see Hillary’s mug? No wonder he had hundreds of affairs. Reminds me of JFK. Both intelligent and capable Presidents. Just couldn’t keep their pants zipped up. But JFK had a beautiful wife. Still can’t figure that one out.

Well, Trump is business smart and cares about the future of our country. He did a lot of good things, but he is also arrogant and doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut. At times he was his own worst enemy, but at least he tried to drain the DC swamp. And then there is Barack Hussein Obama, who almost single-handedly destroyed Black/White relations in our country, and certainly gave impetus to the creation of Black Lives Matter and Defund the Police movements. He made it possible for George Floyd, a drugged-up, eight-time convicted felon who resisted arrest, to become a hero because of the actions of a stressed-out police officer…while one of our greatest Supreme Court justices, Clarence Thomas, also Black and a self-made man, is often considered a traitor by many of his race and looked down upon. Go figure. Barry, I know you are sitting in your new $15 million home on Martha’s Vineyard, counting your money and smiling right now…and likely planning your next instructions for ol’ Joe. Thanks a lot.

Other observations….Some men are now identifying as females even though they are biological males, and yes, there are females identifying as males…and they prefer to use a restroom that reflects their “gender identity.” But hold on. Now there are children who are identifying as animals. They call themselves “furries.” I am aware of one local boy who identifies as a dog. No kidding. Will the school accommodate him and put in a litter box or pee pad?

One of my grandsons plans to attend Butler or Purdue after he graduates this year. The cost at Purdue per year for tuition, fees, and books is $11,880. When I started at Purdue as a freshman in 1966, my tuition, fees, and books cost $410. That’s right…$410, which if you factor in inflation, comes to $3,749 in today’s dollars. Purdue is ranked as one of the “best buys” of all colleges, but why have the costs increased so much? And what about Butler? The yearly cost of tuition, fees, and books at Butler is…hold on to your hat…$44,460! Add in meals, housing, and miscellaneous costs and it goes up to over $64,000. No wonder the Butler mascot bulldog looks well fed!

Each afternoon I hear radio commercials for local banks. The bank representative says, “We are part of the community…your neighbors and friends.” OK…fine…great. So here is my question…if they are my “friend,” why are they charging me 7% for a loan, and only paying me 1/2% on my savings account? That doesn’t sound too friendly to me. Sounds more like they are trying to stick it to me.

And speaking of money, after eating at a restaurant in Lafayette last Sunday, I had to drive through a car lot on Sagamore Parkway to turn around. In the lot was a new full-sized SUV “on sale” for $87,500. For God’s sakes, a person could buy a fairly decent house for that price! There were used trucks in the $40-$60,000 price range…many with high mileage. How is this even possible?

Other random questions…Why do actors and actresses give me their views on politics? Why do I care what Whoopi Goldberg or Bette Midler think? No one cares what I think, but at least I know that. Another thing…I am tired of hearing about North Korea and Iran developing nuclear bombs. Why don’t we just bomb their leaders off the face of the earth and get it over with? With regards to the hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants crossing our border, how many are bringing killer drugs into our communities? How many are terrorists? If an Islamic Jihad member or Al-Quaeda nutcase brings in a small nuclear bomb inside a suitcase, who is Dementia Joe going to blame?

And my last questions….Why can’t this country elect one good, decent, intelligent, capable, and respected person as our President? Someone like Ronald Reagan or Franklin Roosevelt?…Why did Priscilla leave Elvis and break his heart?…and last, but not least…Who shot J.R. Ewing? (Sorry, I was working two jobs at that time. I can’t remember.)

John “Butch” Dale is a retired teacher and County Sheriff. He has also been the librarian at Darlington the past 32 years, and is a well-known artist and author of local history.