Our American heritage

Monday night football. Not me. I love this country, our flag and our national anthem. It makes me happy to show respect for all that we stand for in short public vignettes when crowds gather. Why honor those who disrespect a tradition of honor and respect? Not me! Switch the channel.

I don’t know how they did it but the McCook Chamber did a fine job of holding off the promised rain for most of Heritage Day’s Saturday events. Actually, the weather conditions couldn’t have been more perfect for the parade. Pretty good show that lasted a little over an hour.

What a good time it is to stand back and watch small-town Americans celebrating together. The organizers and the volunteers put in untold hours of labor in planning, erecting barriers, laying out the parade route, lining up the participants, beckoning to announcers with sound systems, radios and newspapers to describe the participants. The list goes on and why do they do it? It seems to me the reward is a lot of people having a really good time, simply enjoying themselves and each other. The kids come for the candy and being outside, running, and just enjoying life. The American flag proudly led the procession down Norris Avenue and everyone, that I could see, lining the parade route stood with hand over heart as it passed by. It is all in all just a good fun good feel-good time. Viva small town America.

Grannie Annie and I enjoyed attending the annual George Norris prayer breakfast. As always this old Republican feels a bit intimidated being in a whole nest of those of Democrat persuasion as was their hero George Norris. Maggie Repass noted the crowd attending gets older and smaller each year. That is a shame especially this year because Andy Long, MCC Campus President delivered a thoughtful inspiring talk on the qualities of hometown icon George Norris.

I’ve always had somewhat a jaded outlook about George Norris most likely formed by disparaging comments of my father who was definitely not a fan of big spending liberal politicians. Andy Long put Norris’s accomplishments in a more favorable light. For one Norris’s Rural Electrification Authority vastly changed rural America in a good way. Economical electrical power greatly contributes to the comfortable lifestyle we lead today. I’ve never seen an accounting of the return on investment, the money that the government spent on completing the REA as measured in increased taxes collected since but I suspect that would show REA a good investment, a really good investment.

My father objected to the precedent that Norris’s projects set in the government spending vast sums of taxpayer money on many projects that did not produce a good return. It would be well if we applied such scrutiny on many pork barrel projects done today. There are exceptions of course and one being national defense. No strong defense and this country could not continue to exist so return on investment would not be an adequate gauge in that respect.

Andy Long also pointed out that Norris always stood on the principle that his vote in Congress was for what he thought best for the people who elected him. A refreshing thought in today’s political world. Obamacare forever except we make an exception for federal politicians and their staffs — they, of course, deserve better. Not the George Norris way. Wondering tonight if John McCain in the Senate can save Obamacare?

That is how I saw it.

Dick Trail