American Elephants

Almost like everyone is talking past everyone else. California is apparently considering paying reparations to anyone who was ever a slave or related to a slave, to the tune of around $360, which is a little weird, as California never had any slavery, nor allowed it in any way. I guess you just read that as trying to buy votes because people don’t know anything, but would sell their vote for around $360?

Apparently we have major problems with our schools, and people are not only not learning how to read but they are not learning any history either. If I remember correctly we had a Civil War that ended slavery back in the middle of the last century, which was quite a long time ago.

I can remember when I started school in our closest town. The town was very small, 9 miles away for us, The population today is about 800. There are the usual necessities. Two grocery stores, a hardware store, a couple of gas station/garages, a drug store, a barber, a grade school, a high school, a movie theater (though that may be gone) and a County Court House. There is a hotel, and I think a small motor court. It is a small town. Used to be a lumber mill that provided jobs, but I think the surrounding forests have been all logged out. I think there are probably all sorts of little tiny towns all over America that are struggling along in that fashion, but the cost of living is very low indeed. and a lot of people like small town life where you know everybody, and they all know you. Or you inherited a small business from your parents, which provides an adequate living in a small town. If you go anywhere, you probably pass through lots of small towns something like that.

I haven’t run into any books or articles for that matter, that are interested in small town America, but it is out there. Whenever you take a trip anywhere, you probably drive through several very small towns, may even stop for gas. But probably get no sense at all of what it would be like — living there.