I started school in 1950, one year early, because there were not enough babies born during the war to put together a class. Beth Varda and Brenda Pressley also started early to help make a class of about 12 students.
Weddington Elementary was only seven grades then with two grades per class, except the class taught by the principal, Mr. Houser, the seventh grade. Mary Katherine Kell, later to become Mrs. Simpson, taught the first and second grade. It was her first year on the job.
I can still name most of the students that were in that class. There was me, and the two girls above, plus Walter Monday, Avery Helms, Wayne Orr, Bobby Simpson, Ann Ezzell, and a few others that escape me now.
Wayne, my brother, was in the second grade. Donnie, my oldest brother was in the fourth grade. We lived on Weddington Matthews Road in a big house that was torn down long ago, less than a mile from the school.
Weddington school was a great place then. Mrs. Carpenter, the dietician, fixed good meals and you got to choose between white and chocolate milk in returnable glass bottles. We had two unsupervised recesses every day plus play time at lunch.
Our buses had to go to and come from Waxhaw, which gave up play time in the morning and the afternoon. We rode bus #23, which had a center seat and two side seats running the length of the bus, front to back. Mr. Jule Gordon, the school custodian drove the bus.
The first couple of years that I was in school, we had outdoor toilets just like at home. We had a well with a drink fountain attached, in the school yard. The fountain was a long pipe that had a hole about every foot. The favorite game was for everybody except one person to cover their hole and really squirt the one unsuspecting drinker.
Most of us who went to school there also went to church across the road at Weddington Methodist Church. In fact, the church and the school were interconnected in many ways in our lives. The preacher at the church was a regular at the chapels that we had at school. Mr. Tom Matthews, who played the piano for us in chapel, on occasion, was a highly respected member of the church.
Marbles and softball were big time ways that we entertained ourselves during recesses. We played a lot of pop the whip and red rover also. I remember Steve Harkey pitching softball and someone hitting the ball directly back to him and hitting him in the head. Later, Steve got a brain tumor and died. I thought that the pop on the head by the softball had given him the tumor.
Sonny Jones was the best athlete in the school while he was there. He could throw curve balls when he was in the third grade. When we were choosing sides for ball, Sonny always got chosen first.
I was in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania last week for the first day of school of my first grandson, Logan He is going into the first grade, reading better than I could read when I was in the fifth grade. He has been places already that I did not see until I was a middle aged man. He will know very little about recesses, playing marbles, and unorganized activities, however.
I just hope that when he is my age, that the first grade and the rest of grammar school will have been, as it was with me, an experience that so affects his life that he can remember as much as I can remember. I hope that it is filled with days of experiences that gives him the chance and the desire to excel at the things that he does in life.
Education is everything, and those first years set the tone for all that is to come. School was always the best part of my life because I learned early that it could be as nurturing as a mother's love, as exciting as a ride on a roller coaster, and as fulfilling as seeing your own grandchild read a book for the first time.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
The Thread--An Introduction
The Thread will weave through the blog and give it definition and purpose. It will consist of posts that develop a narrative that tells a story that I want to tell. Installments of The Thread will be numbered consecutively so that you may get some idea of the general direction that I want to take that narrative.
I will italicize the posts of The Thread so as to easily recognize them. There will be no posting schedule though I will try not to let two weeks pass without at least one post. My hope is to weigh in on present day situations by using things from my own experiences and in the process relate to the reader what I will call "the education of Aubrey."
I will italicize the posts of The Thread so as to easily recognize them. There will be no posting schedule though I will try not to let two weeks pass without at least one post. My hope is to weigh in on present day situations by using things from my own experiences and in the process relate to the reader what I will call "the education of Aubrey."
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Johnny Crowell, Colonel Springs, and Local History
This is an article that I first had printed in The Waxhaw Exchange about two years ago.
No single date in the history of western Union County, except for the birth of Andrew Jackson, is so talked about as the date that Johnny Crowell, ace pilot and barnstormer, flew his biplane under the old Buster Boyd Bridge across Lake Wyle. Johnny was a pioneer in aviation and he was one of our own, and we loved him.
When I was growing up, Johnny lived and built his planes in an old shack at the corner of Beulah Church Road and Matthews Weddington Road. He use the large field between Providence Road and Matthews Weddington Road as his airfield. Many a Sunday afternoon, locals got into the back seat of the biplane and got the bejeebies scared out of them as Johnny performed his antics high over that field.
But, on that storied date, on a bet with a fellow pilot and WWI ace, Colonel Springs, the two of them flew their planes to the lake where, on the first dive, Johnny took his under the bridge. Colonel Springs made a few dives but pulled out of each without finishing the task. My source for this information is the Colonel's daughter, Ann Springs Close. Some popular variations on the legend have the Colonel going under the bridge and Johnny not doing so.
The history of Union County, especially the western part of the county, is closely tied to Fort Mill, South Carolina and Springs Mills. Many of our citizens worked there. Many a local man or woman found their life mate across the state line. My father was one of them.
About eighteen years ago, I was lucky enough to be a part of the restoration of a large and very historical house there, The White Homestead. Many of you will recognize it as the house with the historical marker that says that the last Confederate cabinet meeting was held there. It is 18,000 square feet of the history of a couple of intermarried families, the Whites and the Springs, their times, and their enterprises.
The history of our area is ill-preserved. But, in this house you will find references to Johnny Crowell, the rich history of the textile history in this area, and the history of the most colorful character of the twentieth century in these parts, Colonel Springs.
First, here is a short history of the development of this region as the center of the domestic textile industry.
Early in the twentieth century, local citizens in the towns here in the Piedmont would form groups with enough capital to start their own mill. The textile industry was home grown and popularly supported. Mill owners were most often well respected local citizens who saw themselves as responsible members of their communities.
Springs mills was started around the turn of the century , and because it was the venture of very well-to-do families, was able to expand rapidly. Leroy Springs headed the company for years from his home in Lancaster, South Carolina. When he died in the early 30's, his son, a good timing young man took over the company and moved the offices to Fort Mill.
Colonel Springs, as he was known, was a colorful man who loved the people of Fort Mill. He had earlier set up residence in the old White Homestead and added significantly to its square footage, including a nataborium, so exclusive that spell check does not recognize it. It is a combination green house and swimming pool.
The history of the White family on display in the house dates to Civil War times. Hanging in a stairwell is one of the original copies of South Carolina's Articles of Secession. On a downstairs wall are pardons for family members who fought with the Confederacy. The library has records of family business dealings dating back to that era.
Those drawn to furniture will have a field day with the various pieces that were bought for the new house around 1830 from Europe through New Orleans. People who are interested in written history will find a library with many signed copies of work by the Colonel's contemporaries. The early years of aviation are displayed in artifacts and pictures.
Colonel Springs was a close friend of James Montgomery Flagg, the American illustrator whose famous poster, "Uncle Sam Wants You" beckoned young men to join the Army during WWI. Some Flagg orignials hang in the house and his bawdy work is recognizable in the advertising campaigns that Colonel Springs commissioned.
Burlesque queen, Gypsy Rose Lee, made trips to Fort Mill to serve as the model for the bawdy advertising. Pictures and stories of her visits are on display. There are also pictures and stories of the Rolls Royce that Colonel Springs converted to a truck. He was sued by Rolls Royce, but he won. There is a picture of the first Corvette off the assembly line, a car that came straight to Fort Mill.
Tours of the house and grounds can be arranged by calling Ann Evans at 803-547-2200. There are no charges.
No single date in the history of western Union County, except for the birth of Andrew Jackson, is so talked about as the date that Johnny Crowell, ace pilot and barnstormer, flew his biplane under the old Buster Boyd Bridge across Lake Wyle. Johnny was a pioneer in aviation and he was one of our own, and we loved him.
When I was growing up, Johnny lived and built his planes in an old shack at the corner of Beulah Church Road and Matthews Weddington Road. He use the large field between Providence Road and Matthews Weddington Road as his airfield. Many a Sunday afternoon, locals got into the back seat of the biplane and got the bejeebies scared out of them as Johnny performed his antics high over that field.
But, on that storied date, on a bet with a fellow pilot and WWI ace, Colonel Springs, the two of them flew their planes to the lake where, on the first dive, Johnny took his under the bridge. Colonel Springs made a few dives but pulled out of each without finishing the task. My source for this information is the Colonel's daughter, Ann Springs Close. Some popular variations on the legend have the Colonel going under the bridge and Johnny not doing so.
The history of Union County, especially the western part of the county, is closely tied to Fort Mill, South Carolina and Springs Mills. Many of our citizens worked there. Many a local man or woman found their life mate across the state line. My father was one of them.
About eighteen years ago, I was lucky enough to be a part of the restoration of a large and very historical house there, The White Homestead. Many of you will recognize it as the house with the historical marker that says that the last Confederate cabinet meeting was held there. It is 18,000 square feet of the history of a couple of intermarried families, the Whites and the Springs, their times, and their enterprises.
The history of our area is ill-preserved. But, in this house you will find references to Johnny Crowell, the rich history of the textile history in this area, and the history of the most colorful character of the twentieth century in these parts, Colonel Springs.
First, here is a short history of the development of this region as the center of the domestic textile industry.
Early in the twentieth century, local citizens in the towns here in the Piedmont would form groups with enough capital to start their own mill. The textile industry was home grown and popularly supported. Mill owners were most often well respected local citizens who saw themselves as responsible members of their communities.
Springs mills was started around the turn of the century , and because it was the venture of very well-to-do families, was able to expand rapidly. Leroy Springs headed the company for years from his home in Lancaster, South Carolina. When he died in the early 30's, his son, a good timing young man took over the company and moved the offices to Fort Mill.
Colonel Springs, as he was known, was a colorful man who loved the people of Fort Mill. He had earlier set up residence in the old White Homestead and added significantly to its square footage, including a nataborium, so exclusive that spell check does not recognize it. It is a combination green house and swimming pool.
The history of the White family on display in the house dates to Civil War times. Hanging in a stairwell is one of the original copies of South Carolina's Articles of Secession. On a downstairs wall are pardons for family members who fought with the Confederacy. The library has records of family business dealings dating back to that era.
Those drawn to furniture will have a field day with the various pieces that were bought for the new house around 1830 from Europe through New Orleans. People who are interested in written history will find a library with many signed copies of work by the Colonel's contemporaries. The early years of aviation are displayed in artifacts and pictures.
Colonel Springs was a close friend of James Montgomery Flagg, the American illustrator whose famous poster, "Uncle Sam Wants You" beckoned young men to join the Army during WWI. Some Flagg orignials hang in the house and his bawdy work is recognizable in the advertising campaigns that Colonel Springs commissioned.
Burlesque queen, Gypsy Rose Lee, made trips to Fort Mill to serve as the model for the bawdy advertising. Pictures and stories of her visits are on display. There are also pictures and stories of the Rolls Royce that Colonel Springs converted to a truck. He was sued by Rolls Royce, but he won. There is a picture of the first Corvette off the assembly line, a car that came straight to Fort Mill.
Tours of the house and grounds can be arranged by calling Ann Evans at 803-547-2200. There are no charges.
When America Just Has To Pee
Ran upon this one just east of Lewistown, Montana, dead center of the state.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
A Culture Hootenanny
We returned home Tuesday night to find the parking lot at Weddington High School full. It was not until the next morning that I realized what I had missed, thank God. I do not like mob mentality and I pretty much refuse to take part in it on anyone's or anything's behalf.
Here is my problem. The Bush Administration spent us to the level of debt that we have today. It lied to us about the cost of the drug bill and then admitted that they had lied when it no longer mattered. They never made a concession to pay for it in any way. They put the war off budget to hide the cost of it and to make claims of being fiscally responsible. They listened into personal telephone calls including phone sex calls between soldiers and their spouses. They reconstructed the Imperial Presidency concept that had been trashed with Nixon. They played with color coded days to scare people into voting for them and otherwise staying in line. They allowed the victims of Katrina to languish in the mess created there for days when the only person able to cut all the red tape and activate help was the President and he refused to do so.
It is no stretch to say that we just got rid of the most anti-American administration ever to defile our principles and spend us to the edge of obscurity, and all these masses could have cared less. Where was the outrage? Why, all of a sudden, are we on the cusp of destruction?
If there had been a hint of outrage from the masses now gathering during all the eight years of the Bush Administration, then maybe today we could take them seriously. But there was none and we are left to reason, why now?
This is a culture war because if it had anything to do with debt and spending then it would have erupted long ago. Those of European heritage in this country are in the battle of their lives. Like the Sunni of Iraq, we are no longer the majority and our ability to influence government through the standard mechanisms that our forefathers established through the Constitution no longer assure us of the ability to dominate, and dominate we must or become extinct at the hands of those who we may have not treated so well in the past.
It all seemed so unimposing so long as one of our own was defiling the Constitution and spending our grandchildren's money. Now, the symbol in the White House, The Leader of the Free World, is not of European decent, partially, and the storm clouds of impending catastrophe seem to totally blanket the horizon.
There is not an ounce of my being that has the least feeling for those who spent the night pretending to be fiscal hawks. They are imposters. That was a good old culture hootenanny led by the queen of culture hootenannies, Sue Myrick.
You want to cut spending? Then let's put aside the culture obsession and get down to business. We have a president with a learning curve. He has a spending tendency, but he learns and he can learn to love balanced budgets. His greatest need is to be seen as a reconciler. We can get the budgets under control under his leadership, something that was impossible under George Bush.
Here is my problem. The Bush Administration spent us to the level of debt that we have today. It lied to us about the cost of the drug bill and then admitted that they had lied when it no longer mattered. They never made a concession to pay for it in any way. They put the war off budget to hide the cost of it and to make claims of being fiscally responsible. They listened into personal telephone calls including phone sex calls between soldiers and their spouses. They reconstructed the Imperial Presidency concept that had been trashed with Nixon. They played with color coded days to scare people into voting for them and otherwise staying in line. They allowed the victims of Katrina to languish in the mess created there for days when the only person able to cut all the red tape and activate help was the President and he refused to do so.
It is no stretch to say that we just got rid of the most anti-American administration ever to defile our principles and spend us to the edge of obscurity, and all these masses could have cared less. Where was the outrage? Why, all of a sudden, are we on the cusp of destruction?
If there had been a hint of outrage from the masses now gathering during all the eight years of the Bush Administration, then maybe today we could take them seriously. But there was none and we are left to reason, why now?
This is a culture war because if it had anything to do with debt and spending then it would have erupted long ago. Those of European heritage in this country are in the battle of their lives. Like the Sunni of Iraq, we are no longer the majority and our ability to influence government through the standard mechanisms that our forefathers established through the Constitution no longer assure us of the ability to dominate, and dominate we must or become extinct at the hands of those who we may have not treated so well in the past.
It all seemed so unimposing so long as one of our own was defiling the Constitution and spending our grandchildren's money. Now, the symbol in the White House, The Leader of the Free World, is not of European decent, partially, and the storm clouds of impending catastrophe seem to totally blanket the horizon.
There is not an ounce of my being that has the least feeling for those who spent the night pretending to be fiscal hawks. They are imposters. That was a good old culture hootenanny led by the queen of culture hootenannies, Sue Myrick.
You want to cut spending? Then let's put aside the culture obsession and get down to business. We have a president with a learning curve. He has a spending tendency, but he learns and he can learn to love balanced budgets. His greatest need is to be seen as a reconciler. We can get the budgets under control under his leadership, something that was impossible under George Bush.
Mary Jo's Revenge Isn't All That Sweet
Senator Edward Kennedy, like the late Senator Jesse Helms, represented an extreme where I seldom resided. Both took stands based more upon philosophical extremes than on the real problems where government had a valid role to play. Each was the others greatest fundraiser.
Yet, Senator Kennedy left the Senate much more admired by his fellow senators on both sides of the aisle. He was seen by the right as someone they could make a deal with when all of the grandstanding was left behind. Senator Helms earned his label as Senator No even with his fellow senators.
You may notice in my writing that I am much harder on people who are closer to me. I generally give distant figures a break. Jesse was from the same county that I was from. I had reason to expect a lot more of him than I expected of Teddy. Teddy was not of my world and I pretty much ignored him.
I will not give Senator Kennedy credibility based on the family. He had to earn his own and the country seems pretty well divided on how well he did that. I am not going to change anyone's mind, either way, so why try.
We can construct a health care system that costs less, gives good care to all, and still has enough profit motivation to keep innovation going. Senator Kennedy was as much a foe of such a system as was Jesse Helms. Senator Kennedy completely denied the ability of the market to play a role and Senator Helms callously and inhumanly gave marketplace total say in all health care.
Yes, the death of Senator Kennedy allows the natural liberal tendencies of the media to have a field day playing up the life of the man and visiting the whole family's public lives. Some things are a given. I may have to either watch Fox or turn off the TV for a few days.
You guessed it, the TV goes until Monday.
Yet, Senator Kennedy left the Senate much more admired by his fellow senators on both sides of the aisle. He was seen by the right as someone they could make a deal with when all of the grandstanding was left behind. Senator Helms earned his label as Senator No even with his fellow senators.
You may notice in my writing that I am much harder on people who are closer to me. I generally give distant figures a break. Jesse was from the same county that I was from. I had reason to expect a lot more of him than I expected of Teddy. Teddy was not of my world and I pretty much ignored him.
I will not give Senator Kennedy credibility based on the family. He had to earn his own and the country seems pretty well divided on how well he did that. I am not going to change anyone's mind, either way, so why try.
We can construct a health care system that costs less, gives good care to all, and still has enough profit motivation to keep innovation going. Senator Kennedy was as much a foe of such a system as was Jesse Helms. Senator Kennedy completely denied the ability of the market to play a role and Senator Helms callously and inhumanly gave marketplace total say in all health care.
Yes, the death of Senator Kennedy allows the natural liberal tendencies of the media to have a field day playing up the life of the man and visiting the whole family's public lives. Some things are a given. I may have to either watch Fox or turn off the TV for a few days.
You guessed it, the TV goes until Monday.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Joe vrs. The Mills Brothers, No Contest
A funny thing happened on the way to see Penn State's campus. I had always wanted to go to State College and see the hallowed ground on which Joe Paterno has spent 60 years turning out some of the beat college football of our time. I had good intentions, but it was lunch time and so we took a detour into the town just up the road, Bellefonte.
The Victorian architecture is beyond belief in the buildings and houses here. I could spend weeks in the town just visiting every house and building, but, in a cafe I was introduced to an even more astounding fact.
That historical marker says that the grandfather of the Mills Brothers ran a barber shop here, and that their dad, who was the bass singer in the group, grew up here before moving to Ohio where the three brothers were raised.
The little cafe, just off the square, that advertises a buffet breakfast, and has a great BLT, I can attest to that, has all its walls full of Mills Brothers stuff. I was in Heaven.
For those of you not familiar with the Mills Brothers, who finally quit singing after 50 years, in 1981. Go to You Tube and get some of their stuff. "Opus 1" and "Glow Worm" are two of my favorites.
We spent the afternoon in Bellefonte, but I saw the stadium at Penn State from the highway. It is big. Joe lost this encounter. Maybe if he learned to sing a really smooth "Cab Driver."
One Heck of a Bridge
Sarah and I spent part of the afternoon in and around the New River Gorge. This is the famous span on Highway 19 over the gorge in south-central West Virginia.That is a four lane highway on top of that sucker and it is 3,300 feet long with a 890 foot distance from base of arch to opposite base, and about the same distance above the water.
From just north of the visitor center, you can take a road down into the gorge, including directly under the bridge on at least three occasions. They will tell you how to do this in the visitors center. I am standing in the middle of the bridge on which you cross over the river.
I think that this is the largest single span bridge in the world. It definitely made a north-south trip through West Virginia much easier.
The area is dotted with interesting places and if I had turned around and shot a picture in the opposite direction, you would have seen several rafts full of people headed down the river.
This is about a four hour drive from Charlotte, all interstate quality, but unfortunately a stretch of toll I-77 that will cost you $2.40 headed south. I guess that it would be the same headed north. We came in from the north toward Charlotte, so I am not sure of that.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
The Battle for the Soul of Weddington
It seems that we have a real battle shaping up in Weddington this Fall. Will the forces of moderate commercial development prevail, or will the forces for the absolute denial of any more commercial development prevail?
This one is worth watching because Weddington has not really had this kind of tension in an election in a long time. It marks what I consider a sign that the town is finally maturing and accepting what it is rather than pretending that it is something that it never was and could never be.
I never understood the rational of so many who claimed that they are good free market driven supporters of business and yet denied business to flourish in their own midst. It is not like Weddington is not big enough for quiet, secluded neighborhoods and a reasonable business district.
I was born and raised in what is now Weddington and even though I am a Wesley Chapel reisdent of 31 years, I can not get the Weddington of my earlier days out of my head and my soul. It is and always will be home.
I am glad to see that forces for reasonable business development are in the fight this election. Weddington needs for these people to be more vocal.
This one is worth watching because Weddington has not really had this kind of tension in an election in a long time. It marks what I consider a sign that the town is finally maturing and accepting what it is rather than pretending that it is something that it never was and could never be.
I never understood the rational of so many who claimed that they are good free market driven supporters of business and yet denied business to flourish in their own midst. It is not like Weddington is not big enough for quiet, secluded neighborhoods and a reasonable business district.
I was born and raised in what is now Weddington and even though I am a Wesley Chapel reisdent of 31 years, I can not get the Weddington of my earlier days out of my head and my soul. It is and always will be home.
I am glad to see that forces for reasonable business development are in the fight this election. Weddington needs for these people to be more vocal.
Take a Trip to Ennis, Montana
If you are planning a trip next summer and you are looking for something really special, let me make a suggestion. Head to western Montana if you are the kind who likes mountains, rivers, small towns, fishing, viewing wildlife, riding horses across endless valleys, or sightseeing. Stay away from western Montana if you are the urban kind, there is little or nothing there for you.
Flowing out of the northwestern side of Yellowstone Park is the Madison River. It flows north and, with a couple of other rivers, forms the great Missouri River. Its trek takes it through one of those big valleys that makes western Montana so beautiful. About half way up that valley is a small town named Ennis.
The best place to stay in Ennis is the El Western Resort. It is run by the cousins of a Union County resident, Brad Guerin. Its URL is www.elwestern.com and you can visit their website, get all the information you need, and book a stay there.
Just across the ridge from Ennis is the home of most of the stories of the Old West, Virginia City. It has been somewhat preserved from its goldrush days, and is a great place to learn about the West of those years.
You will fall in love with Ennis, however. It is the ideal small town. If you want to fish, then the Madison River may be the best trout stream in the country. If you get there on July 4th, you will be treated to one of the great 4th of July parades in the nation. Ennis Lake, just north of town is a relatively shallow lake that is a great place for camping, boating, fishing or swimming.
If you want to take day trips from Ennis, then Yellowstone Park is a couple of hours away as is Helena, the capital of Montana. A visit to the Montana Capital Building is a must. It is one of the more beautiful in the country.
My own favorite day trip is the one that takes me through Yellowstone, out the northeast entrance and across the Beartooth Highway. Traveling the Beartooth is an experience of a lifetime.
I can promise you that your time in and around Ennis will be some of the best memories of your life. It is so beautiful that there are no words to describe the experience. Put on your jeans and head west.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Follow The Money
Looking at the numbers that the healthcare lobbies have put into the coffers of our representatives in congress, one suddenly realizes that they are not "our representatives", they are owned by people who can give them enough money to help them fool enough of us into voting for them.
I am sure that Richard Burr will mount a great campaign next year for re-election using the 1.6 million that the healthcare industry gave to him. Little Kay Hagan has already accumulated over 200 thousand and she has not been there but a few months. Sue Myrick can surely trounce any challenger with the 600+ thousands that she has received.
I love their statements of non-committal to those who give such sums. All I have to say is; "You ungrateful slobs!! Someone cares enough about you to invest hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars, in you and you pretend that they do not really exist?"
A politician is generally an ego maniac at the start. That is what sends them down that road most of the time. But, even ego-maniacs have a price and the amounts of those gifts means that some really smart people in the healthcare lobbies found the price of what we intended to be our representatives. But, what the hey, us voters will get a chance to sell our votes in a year or so for a few promises not yet broken.
The cycle of life goes unbroken.
I am sure that Richard Burr will mount a great campaign next year for re-election using the 1.6 million that the healthcare industry gave to him. Little Kay Hagan has already accumulated over 200 thousand and she has not been there but a few months. Sue Myrick can surely trounce any challenger with the 600+ thousands that she has received.
I love their statements of non-committal to those who give such sums. All I have to say is; "You ungrateful slobs!! Someone cares enough about you to invest hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars, in you and you pretend that they do not really exist?"
A politician is generally an ego maniac at the start. That is what sends them down that road most of the time. But, even ego-maniacs have a price and the amounts of those gifts means that some really smart people in the healthcare lobbies found the price of what we intended to be our representatives. But, what the hey, us voters will get a chance to sell our votes in a year or so for a few promises not yet broken.
The cycle of life goes unbroken.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
He Needs To Go
The Union County Planning Board has a problem, Mark DiBiasio. In a profoundly anti-business post in his blog VSO, he said that Democrat business owners were the enemy. He said that if you do business with them then you are giving your money to the enemy.
I have no problem with this being written on a blog except that Mark has sway over businesses of this county as a member of that planning board. I generally support the efforts of Mark in his blog endeavors and his other work in local government. This is not about all his other work or his writing.
Mark is a local liberal, supporting things like control of growth and business, and our storied attempt to institute government control over all phases of our lives through Hughie Sexton's adequate facilities ordinance. He has no problem with demonizing local businesses that do not conform to his standards.
But in politics beyond Union County, Mark is about as right wing as one can get. His posts are straight out of John Birch Society thought.
But, Mark has displayed his antagonism for business, and he needs to go, off the Planning Board. It would strike fear in my heart to have to present a petition to that board as a Democrat business person. How would I know that I was getting a fair hearing?
I have no problem with this being written on a blog except that Mark has sway over businesses of this county as a member of that planning board. I generally support the efforts of Mark in his blog endeavors and his other work in local government. This is not about all his other work or his writing.
Mark is a local liberal, supporting things like control of growth and business, and our storied attempt to institute government control over all phases of our lives through Hughie Sexton's adequate facilities ordinance. He has no problem with demonizing local businesses that do not conform to his standards.
But in politics beyond Union County, Mark is about as right wing as one can get. His posts are straight out of John Birch Society thought.
But, Mark has displayed his antagonism for business, and he needs to go, off the Planning Board. It would strike fear in my heart to have to present a petition to that board as a Democrat business person. How would I know that I was getting a fair hearing?
August Fogs
I awoke this morning to the most August of all events locally, a heavy fog. The hot days coupled with the longer nights and the prevailing August weather pattern of southern winds creates this yearly ritual that only the cooler days of September will bring to an end.
Some people say that you can count the snows of the coming winter by counting the fogs of August. I have tried this and it has not worked for me yet. But, I am but man and in my brief span the law of averages may simply have not revealed this truth.
The fogs of August have been given new meaning this year as the country tries to decide what to do about its healthcare problem. Make no mistake, it is a problem that we will deal with within the next ten years or we will become a second rate nation.
But, do not look forward , look backward only ten short years and remember when your health insurance paid for a lot more care but cost less than half as much as it cost you now. Remember when insurance companies did not block coverage and cancel policies of sick people.
But, each morning, as surely as the fog settles in, the fog of false claims resound in every form of media. The vested interests in the healthcare related industries are so distorting the discussion that the fog becomes even more thick, cutting off the best efforts of some to bring this discussion to some resolution.
My position on this issue is simple, we must, for the sake of our children and all posterity, find ways to bring down the cost of healthcare and make it more available to all who have need of it. Whether that is done within the present framework, or some new framework is built, is of no consequence to me.
But, here is a fact. If you have insurance, you are paying for 130% of the cost of your healthcare plus a 20% addon for the insurance companies. As a businessman, how I would love to create a system where people bought draperies through some system where I was paid 130% of my normal charges. I would fight tooth and nail to keep that system in place if I felt it threatened.
If I owned a hospital, able to create this big of a corruption in the system rather than restructure my business to accommodate reality, I would demonize, marginalize, socialize, nazi-ize, and generally pulverize anyone who attempted to bring a halt to my unholy conduct.
That approximate 140% payment for the cost of healthcare by the companies of this country that pay for the healthcare of their employees is a big part of the reason that we ship jobs all over the world. Companies search for the lowest costs in everything they do but are saddled with this budget buster beyond their control. The result is that everything that you buy in many stores is make somewhere else in the world.
I compliment the Obama Administration for being willing to stand in the middle of this firestorm and tackle this question. Whomever did it was going to be pummeled from every side as President Bush found out when he tried to attack the Social Security problems.
Mother Nature crates the fogs of August to tell us that the summer is coming to a close. The healthcare industries and political antagonists create their version of the fogs of August to protect their pieces of turf, their interests. One will lift later in the morning and find us going about our routines. The artificial fog will not be so kind, for it will leave us lesser people.
Some people say that you can count the snows of the coming winter by counting the fogs of August. I have tried this and it has not worked for me yet. But, I am but man and in my brief span the law of averages may simply have not revealed this truth.
The fogs of August have been given new meaning this year as the country tries to decide what to do about its healthcare problem. Make no mistake, it is a problem that we will deal with within the next ten years or we will become a second rate nation.
But, do not look forward , look backward only ten short years and remember when your health insurance paid for a lot more care but cost less than half as much as it cost you now. Remember when insurance companies did not block coverage and cancel policies of sick people.
But, each morning, as surely as the fog settles in, the fog of false claims resound in every form of media. The vested interests in the healthcare related industries are so distorting the discussion that the fog becomes even more thick, cutting off the best efforts of some to bring this discussion to some resolution.
My position on this issue is simple, we must, for the sake of our children and all posterity, find ways to bring down the cost of healthcare and make it more available to all who have need of it. Whether that is done within the present framework, or some new framework is built, is of no consequence to me.
But, here is a fact. If you have insurance, you are paying for 130% of the cost of your healthcare plus a 20% addon for the insurance companies. As a businessman, how I would love to create a system where people bought draperies through some system where I was paid 130% of my normal charges. I would fight tooth and nail to keep that system in place if I felt it threatened.
If I owned a hospital, able to create this big of a corruption in the system rather than restructure my business to accommodate reality, I would demonize, marginalize, socialize, nazi-ize, and generally pulverize anyone who attempted to bring a halt to my unholy conduct.
That approximate 140% payment for the cost of healthcare by the companies of this country that pay for the healthcare of their employees is a big part of the reason that we ship jobs all over the world. Companies search for the lowest costs in everything they do but are saddled with this budget buster beyond their control. The result is that everything that you buy in many stores is make somewhere else in the world.
I compliment the Obama Administration for being willing to stand in the middle of this firestorm and tackle this question. Whomever did it was going to be pummeled from every side as President Bush found out when he tried to attack the Social Security problems.
Mother Nature crates the fogs of August to tell us that the summer is coming to a close. The healthcare industries and political antagonists create their version of the fogs of August to protect their pieces of turf, their interests. One will lift later in the morning and find us going about our routines. The artificial fog will not be so kind, for it will leave us lesser people.
Friday, August 14, 2009
The Name, The Picture
The Persimmon and Union County have a long and storied mutual history. I would like to hear some of that history from those of you who have persimmon stories. The persimmon tree grows wild here and its fruit is very bitter until it is completely ripe. I have one in my back yard, a volunteer, and it has a good crop of persimmons every year.
Some people would say, back long ago, that you always knew when you had reached Union County because there was a persimmon tree in every yard. That was not far from the truth.
The picture is my two oldest sons and the son of a fellow teacher and neighbor on Wilson Drive in Dallas, North Carolina. The picture was taken by a student, Mike Snider, who took pictures for the Gaston Gazette as a high school senior. Sooner or later, I will write Mike's story because it is very interesting.
I received the picture through the mail a few years back from an old friend who had kept it all these years. It ran on the front page of the Gaston Gazette about 1976. I unfortunately have not heard from Mike in many years. He was a very special young man.
Some people would say, back long ago, that you always knew when you had reached Union County because there was a persimmon tree in every yard. That was not far from the truth.
The picture is my two oldest sons and the son of a fellow teacher and neighbor on Wilson Drive in Dallas, North Carolina. The picture was taken by a student, Mike Snider, who took pictures for the Gaston Gazette as a high school senior. Sooner or later, I will write Mike's story because it is very interesting.
I received the picture through the mail a few years back from an old friend who had kept it all these years. It ran on the front page of the Gaston Gazette about 1976. I unfortunately have not heard from Mike in many years. He was a very special young man.
I Quit
Until a couple of weeks ago, I wrote a weekly column in local papers. I had written the column for about two years and had become frustrated at several of the limitations on my writing in those columns.
But, at the same time, I appreciate the opportunity to begin what I hope will turn into several years of using my writing to do my bit for my community of Union County, North Carolina while I relate stories that I have accumulated in my 65 years of life.
I had unfortunately become Union County's most vocal Democrat, though I am not really a Democrat or Republican. I pick and choose. But in the political climate of Union County, to be a contrarian, one must be a Democrat. This is the most Republican County in North Carolina and one more Republican would probably cause such an inflation of the mass idiocy that the whole of the county would explode. I do my part to take a little hot air out of the balloon.
I welcome those who have read my columns and are willing to continue doing so. I try to make them like a ladies skirt should be; long enough to cover the subject and short enough to be interesting.
I will probably write things here that I could never say in a newspaper feature column, but I will stop short of vulgarities.
If you reply, please be creative, truthful, and straight forward in your comments. Refrain from curse words and vulgarities and personal attacks. You may attack the heck out of another person's words and actions, however.
I will, on occasion, post some of my old articles that were printed in the papers.
Please tell others about my blog if you find it interesting. We will be heavy on human interest stuff and lighter on politics. I look forward to seeing if we can get this ship off the ground.
Aubrey Moore
But, at the same time, I appreciate the opportunity to begin what I hope will turn into several years of using my writing to do my bit for my community of Union County, North Carolina while I relate stories that I have accumulated in my 65 years of life.
I had unfortunately become Union County's most vocal Democrat, though I am not really a Democrat or Republican. I pick and choose. But in the political climate of Union County, to be a contrarian, one must be a Democrat. This is the most Republican County in North Carolina and one more Republican would probably cause such an inflation of the mass idiocy that the whole of the county would explode. I do my part to take a little hot air out of the balloon.
I welcome those who have read my columns and are willing to continue doing so. I try to make them like a ladies skirt should be; long enough to cover the subject and short enough to be interesting.
I will probably write things here that I could never say in a newspaper feature column, but I will stop short of vulgarities.
If you reply, please be creative, truthful, and straight forward in your comments. Refrain from curse words and vulgarities and personal attacks. You may attack the heck out of another person's words and actions, however.
I will, on occasion, post some of my old articles that were printed in the papers.
Please tell others about my blog if you find it interesting. We will be heavy on human interest stuff and lighter on politics. I look forward to seeing if we can get this ship off the ground.
Aubrey Moore
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