The saying: “Mister can you spare a dime?” typified the poverty and despair during the depression years. My Grandmother told me that young, out of work, men would travel from place to place looking for jobs. Many times they would come to her back door to ask for a bite to eat. Those were difficult …
![[Congressional] Investigations are held just for photographers. BEVERLY HILLS, Cal., April 4, 1934](https://systemsofmerritt.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/wr49-200x300.jpg)
At all these fancy investigations, the action seems to be in the photographers’ pit. The noise from shutters clicking is almost deafening. Thousands of pictures are taken of every move made by whoever is testifying. The perfect shot is one that captures an absurd grimace or a finger brushing by the nose. This requires the most …
People in Alaska and across the country have been completely baffled by the outcome of the recent Senate election there. I was too, until I came across this Will Rogers quote. You see, the only thing worse than having this particular Senator in Washington, is having the Senator in Alaska. It all makes sense now. Alaskans …
The mules were hee-hawing the other day in the lower chamber – I mean lower stall. They were kicking and bucking something terrible. There was so much commotion and noise that there wasn’t even a need for microphones – you could hear ’em clear across town. They was all bunched up in groups, trading oats …
We’re going to hear a whole bunch of lame ducks quacking real soon! The congressional pond will be alive with flapping and splashing. Rogers’ definition of “lame duck Congress” is dead on! The bums that were thrown out for not doing their job get one last chance to do some damage. Let’s pray that they …
“I never met a man I didn’t like.” This was perhaps one of Will Rogers’ most famous quotes. He could call presidents, senators, congressmen and many famous people friends. Rogers was extremely generous in raising money for the Red Cross to aid families in distress from natural disasters. He even traveled to other countries to …
How could Rogers know the consequences of cutting back on our defense in 1933? He had lived through WWI, peace conferences, and disarmament talks, and he had an amazing insight into human nature. Today we have many of the same issues. We look to the UN for peace talks. We talk about nuclear disarmament. Some …
Have you ever listened to a political speech and wondered what in the world was that guy talking about? Perhaps you fell asleep during a speech and woke up to find out you didn’t miss anything. Will Rogers had heard his share of political speeches. He regularly attended the conventions of both parties and reported …
It’s interesting that Rogers noticed the growth of government back in 1934. By his humorously exaggerated estimate, half the people in the U.S. hold government jobs. Today, we also have a problem with growing government. Thousands of IRS agents are needed to handle the new healthcare legislation. When you hear about vast amounts of stimulus …
The image shows Will Rogers doing one his trademark rope tricks – the big crinoline. Rogers plays out the lasso into a huge loop, not only encircling his horse, but the entire baseball team as well. The quote: “Things in our country run in spite of government. Not by the aid of it.” still rings …
