Welcome to Buster's Blog

Irregular commentary on whatever's on my mind -- politics, sports, current events, and life in general. After twenty years of writing business and community newsletters, fifteen years of fantasy baseball newsletters, and two years of email "columns", this is, I suppose, the inevitable result: the awful conceit that someone might actually care to read what I have to say. Posts may be added often, rarely, or never again. As always, my mood and motivation are unpredictable.

Buster Gammons















Monday, April 4, 2016

Thanks, Obama


(Inspired by a NY Times article by Jackie Calmes, 4/3/16.)
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Obama and Neufeldt in 2009
Elkhart, Indiana calls itself the "recreational vehicle manufacturing capital of the world."  In 2009, at the peak of the Great Recession, with the town's unemployment rate at 20%, President Obama came to Elkhart to give a speech highlighting the government's rescue of the auto and financial industries and the federal stimulus program, which included a big grant specific to Elkhart.  A 62 year-old supporter, Ed Neufeldt, an unemployed RV worker, was chosen to introduce the president prior to his speech.

Elkhart received a lot of government help back then, and it sure seems like it worked.  Today in 2016, Elkhart's unemployment rate stands at a low 3.8%, the RV business is booming again, and real estate values are up.  Neufeldt is now 69 and works part-time.  He's proud that his daughter and three sons-in-law have good full-time jobs in the RV industry.

So who's Ed Neufeldt supporting for president in 2016?  You guessed it.  Donald Trump.  Says Ed, "I like the way he just won't take nothin' off of nobody."  (Ooh!  Triple negative!)

So what's Ed's problem with Obama?  It's . . . wait for it . . . abortion.  Seriously.  WTF?!!  And of course, there's Obama's lingering blackness.

Poor Ed!  He illustrates a problem in politics and in life often cited in these pages:

Ignorance can be fixed, but stupid is forever.






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