The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Greetings to ever one in Western Illinois and all readers of the Quill. I'm hope'n all enjoyed Father's day celebration last weekend. Even the weather cooperated by not dumping rain on us and be'n a bright sunshiny day.
Prevented Planting
The unusually wet weather caused prevented planted acres. If'n you've got any unplanted acres, it remains a set back. I know of some farmers up north with about 50% of their intented corn acres remaining unplanted at this time. Ouch! Weeds grow in place of crops.
If'n the ground lays bare all year, micro organisms diminish and the yields on the following years crops are hindered.
Some folks are explore'n plant'n sorghum where they intended corn. The plan to take their prevented plant'n insurance money, wait the required time, and plant sorghum fer additional income.
It id always amaize'n how the average farmer won't give up. More power to him!
A Dying Citizen Tells It Like It Is
I recently shared an e-mail with the boys from Bill Schoonover, 3096 Angela Lane, Oak Harbor, Wa 98277. He sent this letter to his two senators in Washington State.
The boys thought it well worth share'n with Quill readers. You can be Republican, Democrat, Liberal, Conservative, Independent, or libertarian and it is thought this will hit a nerve. Here it is fer your individual discernment:
April 3, 2013
Senator Patty Murray
Senator Maria Cantwell
Washington, DC, 20510
Dear Senator:
I have tried to live by the rules my entire life. My father was a Command Sergeant Major, U.S. Army, who died of combat related stresses shortly stresses shortly after his retirement . It was he whole instilled in me those virtues he felt important - honesty, duty, patriotism and obeying the laws of God and of our various governments. I have served my country, paid my taxes, worked hard, volunteered and donated my fair share of money, time, and artifacts.
Today as i approach my 79th birthday, I am heartbroken when I look at my country and my government. I shall only point out a very few things abysmally wrong which you can multiply by a thousand fold. I have calculated that all the money I have paid in income taxes my entire life cannot even keep the Senate barbershop open for one year! Only Heaven and a few tightlipped actuarial types know what the Senate dining rooms cost the taxpayers. So please, enjoy your haircut and meals on us.
Last year, the president spent an estimated $ 1.4 billion on himself and his family. The vice president spends millions on hotels. They have had 8 vacations so far this year! And our House of Representatives and Senate have become America's answer to the Saudi royal family. You have become the "perfumed prince's and princesses" of our country.
In the middle of the night, you voted in the Affordable Health Care Act, a.k.a. "Obama Care," a bill which no more than a handful of senators or representatives read more than several paragraphs, crammed it down our throats, and then promptly exempted yourselves from it substituting you own taxpayer- subsidized golden health care insurance.
You live exceedingly well, eat and drink as well as the "one percenters", consistently vote yourselves perks and pay raises while making 3.5 times the average U.S. individual income, and give up nothing while you (as well as the president and veep) as is to sacrifice due to sequestration ( for which, of course, you plan to blame the Republicans, anyway).
You understand very well the only two rules you need to know - (1) How to get elected, and (2) How to get re-elected. And you do this with aid of an eagerly willing and partisan press, speeches permeated with a certain economy of truth, an by buying the votes of the greedy, ill-informed and undereducated citizens (and non-citizens too, many of whom do vote) who are looking for a handout rather than a job. Your so-called "safety net" has become a hammock for the lazy. And, what is it now, about 49 or 50 million on food stamps- pretty much all Democrat voters- and the program is absolutely rife with fraud with absolutely no congressional oversight?
I would offer that you are not entirely to blame. What changed you is the seductive environment of power in which you have immersed yourselves. It is the nature of both houses of Congress which requires you to subordinate your virtue in order to get anything done until you have achieved a leadership role. To paraphrase President Reagan, it appears that the second oldest profession (politics), bears a remarkably strong resemblance of the oldest.
As the hirsute first Baron John Emerich Edward Dalberg Action (1834-1902), English historian and moralist, so aptly and accurately stated, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." I'm only guessing that this applies to the female sex as well. Tell me, is there a more corrupt entity in this country than Congress?
While we middle class people continue to struggle, our government becomes less and less transparent, more and more bureaucratic, and ever so much dictatorial, using Czars and Secretaries to tell is ( just to mention a very few) what kind of light bulbs we must purchase, how much soda and hamburgers we can eat, what cars we can drive, gasoline to use, and what health care we must buy. Countless thousands of pages of regulations strangle our businesses costing the consumer more and more every day.
As I face my final year, or so, with cancer, my president and my government tell me, "You'll just have to take a pill", while you, Senator, your colleagues, the president, and other exulted government officials and their families will get the best possible health care on our tax dollars until you are called home by your Creator while also enjoying a retirement beyond my wildest dreams, which of course, you voted for yourselves and we pay for.
The chances of you reading this letter are practically zero as your staff will not pass it on, but with a little luck, a form letter response might be generated by them with an auto signature applied, hoping we will believe that you, our senator or representative, has heard us and actually cares. The letter will, however, go on line where many others will have the chance to read one person's opinion, rightly or wrongly, about this government, its administration, and its senators and representatives.
I only hope that occasionally you might quietly thank the taxpayer for all the generous entitlements which you have voted yourselves, for which, by law, we must pay, unless, of course, it just goes on the $17 trillion national debt for which your children, and ours and your grandchildren and ours, ad infinitum, must eventually try to pick up the tab.
My final thoughts are that it must take a person who has either lost his or her soul, or conscience, or both, to seek reelections and continue to destroy this country I deeply love and put it so far debt that we will never pay it off while your lot improves by the minute, because of your power. For you, Senator, will never stand up to the rascals in your House who constantly deceive the American people. And that, my dear Senator, is how power has corrupted you and the entire Congress. The only answer to clean up this cesspool is term limits. This, of course, will kill the goose that lays your golden eggs. And woe be to him ( or her) who would dare to bring it up.
Sincerely,
Bill Schoonover
3096 Angela Lane
Oak Harbor, WA 98277
There ya has it then, just as I received it. It certainly i thought provoke'n and me and the boys is a gonna dwell on them thoughts fer a spell.
Isn' t Life Strange
As a matter of fact, the boys pointed out, they have never met on United States veteran who enlisted to fight fer socialism. The statement in and of itself provides a great deal of food fer thought!
Have a good week and enjoy the first day of summer next Friday, June 21. Hope'n ta see youn's in church this weekend.
Where ya is, what ever ya be a do'n, BE A GOOD ONE!
Keep on Smilen
Catch ya Later
In neighborly love
Barnyard Bruke