Of course this is an exaggeration, but every person running for office, promoting new legislation or defending their record, uses this reason:
? . . . for the hard-working people who deserve it!?
I’d like to see their definition of ‘hard-working people.?
It ain’t me! It’s not the people in my diminishing circle. Nor is it the hangers-on I see at the saloon, those filling stadiums, filling congested roads and filing for unemployment.
Hard-working people, by my description, hardly have time for family, let alone have time for games, throwing lures, listening to politicians or going to the polls.
Hard-working people work, eat and sleep. Oh, they may take a few days off now and then, but they don’t listen to, or read about what a candidate is spewing. Hard-working people are busy people.
Hard-working people don’t trust politicians as proven by the electeds approval rating in polls . . . it’s in the teens.
And, these politicians cannot be in any way included in a ‘Hard-working? description.
Their workweek is minimal at best.
So, the next time you hear or read about Hard-working people think about how many you know who fit your description of that adjective.
Probably, only you will qualify.
– – – 0 – – –
Now, about golf. Perhaps you know it as a game played in fields of overgrown grasses, bogs, mini-beaches and standing water.
Listening and watching the British Open recently . . . oh, yeah, the British Open is a golf tournament played when winds blow hardest, rain is pelting everyone and announcers make it sound even worst.
During these sessions I began to realize how similar the narrators are to those who deliver economic reports every day.
The worser the better.
Golf spokesman: ‘He has an impossible lie. He can’t even see the ball and he’s behind a grove of pines.?
Economics guy: ‘The unemployment figures will be out after closing, but they are expected to be much higher.?
(The golfer hits the ball on the green, an inch from the hole. The unemployment figures show a decline.)
Golf spokesman: ‘This is a very difficult green, with no way to read this putt.?
Economics guy: ‘There’s been a surge in bank closings, and more are expected when the feds meet.?
(The golfer drops the 40-ft putt. One bank, of note, folds.)
Again, the worser a golf shot or financial matter can be made to sound, the better. Yes, bad news sells and people continue to repeat it. We are a bunch of pessimistic talkers, but we believe, usually silently, that we have the greatest country and life.
Fewer people are watching golf on tv these days, and not just because Tiger Woods isn’t playing. It’s because people have better things to do, like napping, or shaping a shrub.
– – – 0 – – –
One more note on golf, then I’ll never write about it again. Trust me.
Never have I wore sun glasses while playing golf. I concluded long ago that sun glasses would not let me see the flight of the ball. And, they would not give true readings to greens.
No matter the directness of the sun light or the strength of the glare, sun glasses would ruin my game.
Perhaps the main thing golfers worry about is their handicap. Pro golfers have a zero handicap number, while regular golfers aim for a 12.
It is (was) my belief sun glasses would cause higher scores.
It took about 40 years, but going bare faced hasn’t helped my scoring. My handicaps in the 20s now, thus my belief has been exploded.
Adding to that finding is now my eyes have cataracts, which I’m starting to believe would have been avoided if I wore sun glasses.
I have never let facts interfere with my beliefs.