Concessions at public events get pricier, n'est-ce pas?

Fancy potatoes can be had at 4-H foodstand

I have told a couple of friends recently that "one of these years we're going to be asked to pay $10 for a hamburger at the county fair. It's coming."
At the risk of sounding like a skinflint, I must assert that prices are inching upward. I don't mean to sound unreasonable. It's just that I feel this is a valid issue. Would people pay $10 for a burger at the fair? We can always expect a little gouging at these events. People might pay a little extra at the 4-H foodstand knowing that the profits there will probably go toward helping the organization. Why did the foodstand discontinue its "plate special?" Back when the three of us went to the fair - Mom, Dad and yours truly - we'd automatically order those. They were satisfying and had a reasonable price. I asked about this through the proper channels, and was told the kid waiters often got confused by the order. Oh, my goodness.
Well, 4-H ought to know that the kiddie crew still stumbles - it was worse than ever, and I discussed this through proper channels as well. And I was told by the woman whose initials are V.D. that when patrons have trouble with the pint-sized waiters/waitresses, just go and talk to the adults. Maybe the indictment here is of our public schools. What kind of arithmetic is being taught to our kids? Apparently they are not taught cursive handwriting anymore. Curses! I feel penmanship is one of the most important skills a kid can acquire. I feel it's important to memorize multiplication tables. Is that now a dinosaur also in our educational system? It's terrific to have the simple mental discipline to know these things and to be able to apply them.
I have told friends I am done going to the 4-H foodstand. Perhaps the hockey foodstand would be worthy of my business. Remember, that's the beloved old "VFW foodstand." Kudos to the hockey people for still promoting that place as the "VFW foodstand." I used to have breakfast there when I was with the Morris newspaper. It was when the wonderful VFW people were still running it. I'd order eggs over easy and Darlene Olen would retort "over hard!" I guess that's how she liked preparing them. Bless Darlene, RIP. RIP also to my mother and father who have gone to the same place.
My father who grew up in the Great Depression no longer has to worry about inflated prices of things. He had all the generational traits from the 1930s: don't throw anything away etc. Does my personal concern about prices owe itself to that? I really don't think so. I think a real sense of trepidation is called for, when looking at the specter of $10 hamburgers and other such abominations. I ask again: would people pay it? I think a lot of senior citizens, the kind of people you see at church suppers and lutefisk suppers and other overpriced events, would mostly be willing. We should be thankful that our seniors have ended up in such solid financial shape in our society. Because, the opposite used to be true.
Chris Matthews of MSNBC reminds that in the days before Social Security, elderly people lived their lives "in fear." It is the Democrats who enact properly generous social welfare programs. The Republicans never do. It is always up to the Democrats and then with time, Republicans talk like they have no problem with them. We are at a juncture now where we simply must have government more involved with helping people with health care. Republicans act offended when you suggest they're just sitting on their hands with health care. But that is exactly what they're doing. Alan Grayson was right in how he characterized the Republicans' message to the public re. health care: "Don't get sick, and if you do get sick, die quickly." If Republicans are offended by that quote, they must actually start showing us they're willing to do more. I assure you they will not.
Heaven help this nation if Democrats do not make gains in the mid-terms. Heaven help us if we can't get Donald Trump ushered out of the presidency sometime, to be replaced by a normal, thoughtful and courteous person that will show the U.S. in its proper classy image. Oh, but the jobs report released on Friday showed hourly earnings for American workers going up 2.7 percent from July to July. Hey you fools, the increase lags behind the increase in prices, which went up by 2.9 percent from June to June. We have less money in our pockets than a year ago, knaves.
The Trump trade war about which I blogged recently, assures us that prices will, if anything, go up. Oh, those "tax cuts for the rich." Six months have gone by. Who did you think Republicans were going to help? Benefits from the tax cut bill have enriched shareholders in the form of stock buybacks. Friday's jobs report shows job growth at its slowest rate in five years. The tax cuts for the rich will be largely responsible for the Federal deficit hitting $1 trillion next year. You know who is concerned about the deficit? The Koch brothers.
Conservatives are not bereft of basic intelligence, for the most part, but they will never coalesce around ideas that truly benefit the broad public, like a proper health care system that mirrors the other developed countries. I pray we are starting to come to our senses. There is no guarantee.
In the meantime, I am not planning on going out to our Stevens County Fair. I have never adjusted since the community supper was changed to Tuesday night. Why was that change necessary? Was it to accommodate Superior so their people can attend both that and their own event the next day? Superior is muscling in on Prairie Pioneer Days to the extent that Luther's Eatery is suffering. Informed people tell me that. Superior is truly the 800-pound gorilla in our community. I think they should leave community events alone. If they have a desire to fold in with the community, they can do that by sponsoring and facilitating various things. I will bet you that the leaders of that company vote Trump and would do so again.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com