A Few Observations From Middle America

We've been to the banks of the Mississippi and back this past week and the trip was an eye opener.

First though, about the photo from my last post. Tropigal gets the gold star. The half body of the drinking fountain, the legs, standing in front of the Body Shop. Maybe you had to be there! The thing is I hadn't noticed the irony until I had the picture developed.

Okay. Middle America. Observation number one. This probably has to do with the time of year one travels but I had no idea how many sunflowers are grown in the Dakotas. Field after field of drooping heads all along the Interstate. It must have been spectacular a month ago.

More middle America.

If one is to go by the campaign signs McCain is going to win in a landslide. We did not see one single Obama sign from Idaho to Iowa. Even in the university towns of Ames and Iowa City the signs posted were all McCain/Palin. University towns, other than in Idaho, are usually bastions of liberalism.

There cannot possibly be one skunk left living between Idaho and Iowa; the highways at times seemed to be paved with them.

Ranchers and farmers do not like Obama's "spreading the wealth" idea one bit. It's easy to understand why. For them it's feast or famine depending on their harvest. If they are heavily taxed in a good year they'll have nothing to carry them through a bad one.

Our first night out we were having dinner in Miles City, MT. The debate was on the TV in the bar. While fully visible from our table we tried to ignore it and enjoy our meal but the cowboy at the next table was exercised. Finally he had to get it out of his system and spent the remainder of our time there extolling everything wrong with Obama's thinking. It was an interesting lesson in the economics of ranching.

That first evening turned out to be the norm. No matter where we were or where we ate, the dinner table conversations surrounding us were all about Obama and his economic plan. None of those conversations were applauding it.

I found out just how many people drive gray or silver cars when I watched who passed us in fog so thick we couldn't see the fog line.

Once again I was reminded again of how beautiful western Montana is this time of year. It is the peak season for the Tamarack warriors resplendent in their gold armor advancing up the mountain sides.

We're home safe and sound. Bacchus was a real trooper. The laundry is in progress.

Oh, yes, one last thought and apologies to Al Franken. Rush Limbaugh is still a big fat idiot. He should be hung and quartered for the hatchet job he did on Colin Powell yesterday.