More bits and pieces on this and that

As might be expected, this is somewhat of a continuation of last month’s “bits and pieces” column. It is not my intent or desire to attempt to replace Ron Swift’s column.

• Concerning last month’s comment about having to be a citizen to vote, I had correspondence with a friend recently renewing his driver’s license in Indiana. The person in line in front of him could barely speak English and at the end was asked if he wanted to register to vote.

Knowing the person was not a native-born citizen, the registrar was asked why the person was asked if he wanted to vote. My friend was told that the registrar had orders that not only did everybody have to be asked if they wanted to vote, but that they could not be asked if they were a citizen.

• The Stanislaus County Web site says you need to be at least 18, a resident of Stanislaus County and a United States citizen to register to vote.

• Years ago, I had a worker who wanted me to loan him money. I suggested that he could have worked more hours two months ago, when the weather was better. He looked me square in the eye and asked, “Do you expect me to plan two months in advance?”

Another time we were talking about flying, and he said, “If God had wanted man to fly, he wouldn’t have given us Pontiacs.”

• The cash-for-clunkers car program is like the space program: welfare for the middle class. My tax dollars are being diverted to people with cheap cars so they can buy expensive ones.

Stimulus means you never have to admit you are wasting money.

• Rich people are continually being berated. Did you ever get a job from a poor person?

n We are told that the Afghanistan government is totally corrupt. Soon their legislature will be voting on 1,000-page bills before they’ve even had a chance to read them.

• Recently, U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer took a general to task for calling her ma’am instead of senator. As I have been called a “Right Wing Extremist Potential Terrorist Threat,” where do I complain?

• There is talk of a national identification card but concern about possible fraud. This problem was solved more than 50 years ago by the Germans; simply tattoo your number on the inside of your elbow.

• One hundred years ago, the state was run by Southern Pacific, and now it is run by the Public Employee Unions.

• In the past 46 years, the state budget has been on time only 23 years.

• As mentioned last month, Congress berated the auto big shots for flying to Washington in their private jets to beg for money because they were broke. Last month, the House of Representatives approved $197 million (although the government is broke) to buy three fancy jets to fly them around the world even though the Air Force had requested only one.

• In conclusion, I have been told that everybody’s friend, Lodi Harrison, has just passed birthday 98. I’m sure that we all wish him many more.

• Patterson resident Earl Hiatt is a semi-retired agri-businessman whose major interests are nutrition, economics and religion. His columns appear occasionally on the Irrigator Voice page. His e-mail is ehent@hughes.net.