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Opinion
Politics as usual
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
It has been an interesting experience watching the rise and fall of presidential candidate Herman Cain. Herman the man who talked good sense in promoting business, both large and small, as the economic engine of this country. Herman who encouraged moving away from an ever expanding federal government and back to the successful model envisioned by our founding fathers. Yes the same Herman that views our tax code as overly complicated, rigged to provide favor to all too many special interests and presented his 9-9-9 plan as a cure. I'll admit that I'm more than a little confused by that one but I could see the advantage of all people having to pay some federal tax rather than the approaching 50 percent that currently are allowed to opt out and still continue voting today.
Herman Cain, who rose from poverty, in large part caused by being born black in the segregated South, to a lifetime of great personal success in the world of business. Herman Cain whose campaign faltered from lack of money and a staff that could have done much better in handling controversy from unproven alleged sexual escapades has become an "also ran." Although his campaign is now "suspended" Herman is effectively gone as a viable candidate to the world's highest political office. It is a shame, because Herman Cain is a good man.
It makes me wonder who and why such a vendetta arose to keep Herman Cain from being able to continue running for president. One important factor comes to mind and that is the fact that Herman was born black.
He has the bonifides: slavery in his family tree, experienced and then rose above the prejudice of segregation and actually held real jobs that got him promoted in the world of business. All that record of accomplishment is in contrast to our first "black" president who is half white and half Kenyan and never held a "real" job in his life.
More than 90 percent of the black voters in the last presidential election voted for President Obama and his campaign obviously wants to safely keep that voting block intact for the next go around. Herman had to go.
It can't be that liberals and Democrats in general are against Herman Cain's alleged sexual peccadilloes. After all, they hold Teddy Kennedy up as one of their liberal icons and he managed, while newly married, to let one of his girlfriends die after leaving together from a drunken party. I'm not sure that Teddy's brother John was much of a straight arrow in the cheating on his wife business, either, but the press of that time chose to ignore his escapades. Then there is the well-documented record of the antics of their latest hero President Bill Clinton. Enough said! It can't be the mostly trumped-up sexual accusations of Candidate Cain that brings him to such titillating disfavor in the liberal press.
It is obvious that whoever was afraid of Herman Cain has done their dirty work and Cain is gone. Now which of the remaining Republican candidates will "they" turn against next? I think that we have a president who isn't able to run against his record and therefore all we will see until the November election is a Chicago-brand of sordid politics of personal attack and blackmail. It promises to be painful but interesting to watch.
Kudos to the city crews who did a superb job of cleaning the many miles of McCook Streets following last Saturday's unforecasted heavy wet snow. The designated snow routes are clear--well done. With the streets acceptably cleared the tired crew tackled the airport and again an excellent job of clearing the snow that had stopped all air traffic into and out of McCook. Well done and greatly appreciated.
My old (or is that "more mature") Air Force friends that gather each fall to set up "deer camp" chose the height of Saturday's storm to travel to this area. John from Abilene, Texas described leaving Oberlin, Kansas, headed north and managing to stay on the road by judging the distance between grass and weeds sticking up alongside the roadway. That was until he hit the Nebraska line where he found the dark pavement of a well cleared road. The others drove I-80, which they described as in terrible condition until they turned off to find Highway 6-34 well-cleared and easy to drive. We indeed are privileged to live in an area where we are well-served by state and municipal workers who care.
Tomorrow marks the anniversary of the diabolical Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. That attack launched the United States into World War II, and changed this country forever. Millions of young men that had never traveled beyond the county seat signed up, became skilled fighting men and were sent to parts of the world that they'd only read of in school books. Then they came home and became educated thanks to the "GI Bill" and prospered more than they ever dreamed was possible.
The role of women changed forever as they stepped up to "man" the production lines, drove busses, operated the trains and a few even managed to break the glass barrier in the world of military aviation. The changed and reinvigorated United States of America then entered into an era of prosperity that we are still enjoying today. The survivors of that attack on Pearl Harbor are now few in number due to the ravages of time but their heroism should never be forgotten.
That is how I saw it.