Merry Christmas

AND A MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ONE AND ALL FROM THE DITCH BANK.
As I sit here this morning, December 24, it is trying to storm and not succeeding very well. We do have a light sheen of moisture on the pavement out side and the temperature is in the high 30's to the low 40's and the wind is just barely stirring. However, at this writing, the bulk of the storm is still to the west of us in Arizona and is not supposed to be here for another two hours or so, so we can hope to yet see some moisture from all the clouds hovering over head. 
Speaking of stirring; I was watching the morning news and the reports were coming in of the several shoppers already out and about, making last minute purchases and I can only get my mornings exercise by rolling my eyes and shaking my head. After all these people have known that Christmas was coming for 364 days and to put off Christmas shopping to the last minute like that leaves one just having to wonder. With shelves getting empty, to some extant, the choices left would be minimal it seems to me. Some of the people interviewed said they were getting gift cards. Well, duh! if that is all you were getting any way, why not just do that weeks ago and save the last minute hassle.  And all those businesses staying open late and opening early to try to snag every shopper dollar they can, the frenzy has almost over shadowed the real purpose why we celebrate this time of year. 
I saw a post on face book this morning about people discussing just when Christ was born and one Christian lady commented that it doesn't matter when his birthday actually was, this is the time and tomorrow is the day that we celebrate His birth. So yes, amidst all the frenzy to find that perfect gift and the last minute rush to get every thing done, just pause and reflect on the real reason that has brought all this frenzy about and take a deep breath, and relax and reflect on who and what we are celebrating. Visit with family and check on friends and those who may be suffering or grieving at this time of year. As we go about our joyful way, remember that not every one is happy and joyful at this time of year. Offer them friendship and a balm if you are able to do so. A listening ear is often the best gift that some may actually want or need. A little of your time costs nothing or at the most very little, yet is so often over looked or neglected in the above mentioned frenzy to find the perfect gift.
When you reach the age that I have been fortunate to reach, you realize that the getting of material gifts are not always the best gifts. Your hope for family and friends to happy and above all healthy, and many are not, is often the best of gifts. I hope any one who may actually read this is happy and healthy and will have a great 2020.
AND THAT IS THE VIEW AND WISH FROM THE DITCH BANK
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR

Today's Thoughts for Thanksgiving

TODAY IS THANKSGIVING DAY 2019. HAPPY THANKSGIVING DAY TO ANYONE WHO MAY HAPPEN ON TO THIS BLOG AND ACTUALLY READY IT.
For today I am going to make just a couple of comments, AKA, thoughts of the day and then post and get off.
1. I am thankful for what I have. My house is not the best, and not what I would desire to have, but so far it is intact and warm and for that I am thankful. We have had rain for nearly 22 hours now, with a little snow during the past evening that didn't last long and the temperature is not unbearable. There are so many suffering on this day from illness, storms much worse that the one I just mentioned, earthquakes and fires and floods. So far, I and mine, mostly, have been spared from the bulk of these disasters.  Our family has been blessed with two new babies (great grandbabies for us) and there are three more to be born in the next few months. Always grateful and thankful for family, even though we may not get together very often, because of distance and work and school etc. So, on this Thanksgiving day, I am thankful most of all for my knowledge of the plan of Salvation that our Father in Heaven put in place before the earth was formed and the family of Man was placed here in the Garden of Eden and Adam and Eve began this family that we all belong to.  Have a great day.
2. With all that being said, I have to mention the New York City Macy day Parade.  We watched it as a family as our children were growing up and we acquired a TV set. We always enjoyed watching it, so today I turned on the TV and it was off the air. OK  No Problem. Later in the morning I turned it on and it was back on the air and the Parade was in progress. BUT, I couldn't see the parade for the TV station "Personalities" being in the way. I didn't turn to the parade just to watch Savana and Hoda and Al. So I turned to another channel. Yep, they had the parade on but you couldn't see the parade for the TV personalities talking about the great football game that was coming on later today and the players and how great they are  blah blah blah. So I turned to another channel to watch something else and hope the parade was good and that someone got to enjoy it. Maybe I'm just to old to be enamored with the various TV entities and what most people watch these days. 
AND THAT'S THE VIEW FROM THE DITCH BANK

TODAY'S THOUGHTS

I MAY HAVE TO JUST TITLE EACH OF MY POSTS WITH THAT TITLE; TODAY'S THOUGHTS. Even thought I will not be posting every day, when I do, that will be my thought for that day, even if I had the thought a week or so ago.  So, here is the thought for today.
I mentioned a while back that if the Democrats wanted a good candidate that I, a Republican, could consider voting for, look at the congresswoman from Hawaii. Namely, Tulsi Gabbard. However, she is so far back in the polls that she is not likely to qualify to even be on a debate stage. Then, out of the blue, she is mentioned by Hillary, of all people. And what did Hillary have to say?  Why she said that Gabbard was being groomed by the Russians for her run for President.  Now, why would Hillary even say that. In my sceptical mind, I really have to wonder why, since Tulsi was so far behind in the polls.  Does Hillary actually like her and was trying to bring her into the focus of the american public? Or was there something else going on that was getting to close to her, Hillary, and she was trying to divert attention away from her.  Hadn't heard any thing, but that doesn't mean there wasn't something there. The talking heads don't report every thing that is going on so I wonder.
I have one more thought for today.  Sometime back Matt Lauer was fired by NBC for sexual impropriety. Now, lets back up a few years. Ann Curry was promoted to be a co anchor with Matt Lauer in a time when co anchors were moving around. She didn't last long before she was no longer employed by NBC. Not a lot was said about why, but there was an indication that she didn't get along with Lauer. Now, just a couple of weeks go, Matt Lauer was mentioned in a news item on NBC and a list of improprieties was reported on by his friends that now hold the job he was fired from. Meredith Vieira who worked with Matt and seemingly got along with him, was told by the woman who reported Matt to the powers that be first told her story to Meredith, and was advised by her to report him. She did and he was gone. Now, in the recent story on the news, Apparently Ann Curry tried to report him back when she worked with him and that resulted in her termination from NBC.  while some didn't, I liked Ann and suspected that Matt was the reason for her termination. Now that that has come out for public consumption, I feel that NBC owes her at the least an apology. A public apology.
I guess that is enough for today  from THE VIEW FROM THE DITCH BANK

SOME THINGS POLITICAL

AND MAYBE A FEW OTHER THINGS. MAYBE
This is something I have been thinking about for a while. President Trump apparently called for Joe Biden's son to be investigated for something that was done while Joe was vice president. Something to do with the Ukraine. 
Then something he did with China.  So, a couple of comments from my little brain.
1. While Joe was vice president his son traveled with him to the Ukraine on Air Force two and somehow became a millionaire as a board members of some Ukraine business or something.
2. Hunter Biden then traveled with his dad, the vice president, to China and got to be a board member of a business there also and made a few more millions. Hunter has said, now that the news is out, that he will resign from the board in China. Not sure if that is imminent, or if his dad is elected President. 
3. Good Ol' Joe and the democratic house immediately called for President Trump to be impeached because of pressure he put on the Ukrainian president. Trying to get them to investigate the Bidens.
4. My final thoughts on this.  IF and I said IF the Bidens did nothing wrong, as they claim, I would think they would welcome this investigation. That would prove that they did nothing wrong and do a lot more toward Trump not getting re elected than what is actually going on. regardless of my or any one elses opinion, a lot of American's are getting tired of the constant onslaught against the President and the millions of tax dollars that are being used to do so and so far with minimum results. And nothing getting done except to cause a divide among the people. 
5. So investigate. If Trump did something wrong, that is impeachable, then impeach him. If bidens did something wrong, then do what ever the law allows in that regard. But don't just assume Trump is wrong and Biden is not. After all, the fact that his son traveled with him on a government plane to a foreign country, or country's, and then became a board member of a company in that country and is being paid millions to do so, is, in my eyes, very suspect.

AND THAT'S THE VIEW FROM THE DITCH BANK

JUST A FEW THINGS I WONDER ABOUT

I SEE THINGS IN TOWN OR ON THE NEWS AND JUST HAVE TO SHAKE MY HEAD IN WONDER.  Sometimes I have to really wonder what is going to become of the world and the population thereof, and then I remember who is in charge and that we have been told how the end will be and I know that the younger generation is going to be OK. At least for the most part.  That being said, lets look at a couple of things.
1. I was raised eating what we called Spanish or Mexican food. I don't know, really, what they eat in Spain, but have learned enough about Mexican food to know that mostly what we eat is Southwest type Mexican food. I also have seen and heard enough on the news and on TV to know that people all over are eating what we call Mexican food. Well, kinda. They all know what a Taco or a Burrito is, even though I wouldn't eat some of what they call Tacos. But I never hear any one on the TV, hardly ever, mention Enchilada's or Tamales. Which is a good thing, in my opinion. They have messed up Taco's and Burritos enough already.
2. California's governor signed a bill that will allow college athletes to be paid to play.  While he and LeBron James thinks this will be a good thing, I can't help but see problems for the future of college athletics. And colleges that can't pay students or have a student athlete that is good enough to get an endorsement. Although you know it is going to happen, I would hope that other States didn't follow California's lead on this.
3. Tesla. Need I say more? Probably not, but I will. Saw on the news that Tesla is coming out with an upgrade to their self driving car. As if the self driving car is not bad enough, now they are adding a feature that lets you call it to you if you are within 200 feet of the car. Yep, people will be naming their cars Fido and calling it to come to them. Tests though, so far, have proven to less than successful and some close calls have happened during those tests. One car even did a right turn onto a grassy area. I shudder to think what will happen if they ever turn them loose on the streets. Probably will get into a standoff with a smart garbage can. Which brings me to number 
5. Also on the news this morning was a report about a smart garbage can. It is programmed to know when garbage day is and can take itself to the curb and ready itself for garbage pickup. Next I guess Tesla will come out with a self driving garbage truck to pick up these self motivating garbage cans and then we the people won't have to be involved with garbage in any way. Guess we just need to find a way for Alexa to take the garbage for us and put it in the can.
I have to feel that the younger generation is getting lazier and lazier and so I have to refer back to my opening statement and decide maybe not all of them, any way.
6. We have hummingbirds visit our house from early summer to early fall. Lots of hummingbirds at times. We often have as many as 5 or more feeders hanging somewhere in the front or back of the house. They eat all day from dawn to dusk. We have been filling the feeders in the evening after they quit for the day. Recently we noticed that one of the feeders in the back was empty every morning. So we started watching and it looked like Bats were feeding there. After some research, we discovered that there is a Bat that actually feeds on nectar like humming birds do and will eat from a humming bird feeder. We don't have a Belfry but if we did we would have Bats in our Belfry.
AND THAT'S THE VIEW FROM THE DITCH BANK

JUST SOME MORE THINGS I WONDER ABOUT

DO YOU EVER WONDER HOW THINGS APPEAR TO OTHER PEOPLE?  Or how different people see the same thing so differently? I guess I will explore that somewhat in this post. If you don't follow my line of reasoning, then you obviously see things differently than I do. And so we begin.
Some time back we purchased an enchilada plate from a group of young people. They were a little league baseball team. We didn't particularly need the enchiladas, but they were raising funds for their cause and we supported that. Then more recently we purchased an enchilada plate from a group of young people who were raising funds for their cheer leader squad. For those who read this and are in the know, this was the Cobre cheerleaders. Then just last week or so we purchased an enchilada plate from a high school band group. Silver High for any one who reads this and wants to know. So why do we do this? Well, cause we can and we feel that any young person that is interested in pursuing an activity that will keep them active and away from idleness, we will do what we can to support that. Many people don't feel that way, and I am ak with that. 
A few days ago my wife found a recipe somewhere for a 15 bean soup. Well, that sounded interesting, but frankly, I would like more beans in my soup that 15. If two people share the soup, that would give them 7 1/2 beans apiece. 
Now here is a topic that is sure to get someone steaming, or freezing or something.  Climate change. A young 16 year old girl is making passionate pleas for the governments of some 15 or 16 countries to do something about it, cause she says they have stolen her childhood and her dreams. I say bull.  I am 60 years + older than her and I can say that climate change has been going on for centuries. And no, I am not centuries old, I just know that  it has been going on and I also know that there is a much higher power in control of the climate than the governments of the earth. 
That being said, yes there is much that governments and residents of said governments can do to keep the environment, namely air and water, clean and healthy. However, much if this is about power and money and fear on the part of those in position to exert said power. 
So, lets explore a couple or three things that are fact. 
Fact 1. Environmentalists and governments are pushing for solar and wind to furnish our power for the future,  and closing down coal and other mines. They do support natural gas, though.
Fact 2. You have to mine material from the earth to produce the wind turbines and solar panels.
Fact 3. Solar panels don't last forever and have to be replaced. They can become damaged in a hail storm and if they are broken they release toxic substances into the ground at an alarming rate. 
Fact 4. Electric cars. They run on batteries that have to be charged by electric power. Power form wind farms or solar panel arrays that may not be working because the wind don't blow or the sun isn't shining. And the batteries will need to be replaced and put where?  In a land fill? Probably not, but they will need to be put somewhere.
And finally Fact 5. Microsoft is building a new facility in Fawn Lake, VA. It will run on a solar energy farm of 6350 acres holding 1.8 million panels containing an estimated 100,000 pounds of cadmium. These panels will last about 20 years, then what do they do with all that toxic waste when they have to replace them.
OH! guess I will have a Fact 6.  Wind turbines also last about 20 years, just long enough for the power savings to pay for them and the they also need to be replaced. More mining and more waste to dispose of.
And finally, yes there is much we as people can do, but cutting off our collectively noses to spite our face is just plumb idiotic. And to listen to those who cry the sky is falling will only lead to bad choices, usually.
AND THAT'S THE VIEW FROM THE DITCH BANK

A CHANGE IN DIRECTION

When I started this posts all those many years ago, about 10, I think, at the insistence of some of my children, My focus was on politics and things that are going on around me, from my uneducated point of view.  For the most part, I have stuck to that focus.  I don't really intend to depart from that, but have decided to change directions from time to time and post something else. So bear with me and we will see where this goes.  Probably not very far.
Due to some medical issues that I choose not to dwell on, I lost a lot of weight and all my muscle. Literally all my muscle. For a time I was very weak from being in the hospital 5 times for a total of 45 days over a three month period. 
I am now gaining some muscle back and have put back some of the weight. I am eating more healthy and walking a fair distance three days a week. My wife walks also, often on the days I don't she walks any way, and often regardless of the day takes a longer route. She walks faster than I do, she always has, but there was a time I could mostly keep up with her. Now, nope, not happening. So, being members of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, if we were in Nauvoo, Illinois and were ask to walk to Salt Lake City, we could do that. However, my wife would be in Salt Lake City and have a cabin built while I was still crossing the plains of Wyoming. But perseverance would come into play, and I would make it, eventually. And be there in time to help till and plant a spring garden. Such is the life of us oldsters.
We are now getting into the fall of the year. I love fall. I am not so much of a winter person any more, all though there was a time that I enjoyed winter. I like spring and summer, but I love fall. We are also at the end of what the weather people call our monsoon season. Here it has been more like a nonsoon season, but we can hope for some winter moisture in the form of snow.
My wife and I are in the process of going through a lot of our belongings and getting rid of the excess. This will prevent the children from needing to do that at some future date. We can see them now, rolling their eyes and saying to one another, why in the world did they keep that?  Well, in order not to put too much strain on their eyes, we will get rid of a few items any way.
OK   I will mention politics. I did not watch the democrat debate last night. I heard about it this morning, though, and it seems that the 10 of them are spending time trashing President Trump and trashing each other to the point that they can't put forth a comprehensive plan of what direction they want to take the country. Maybe they did, but the talking heads on the news didn't say so.
AND THAT'S THE VIEW FROM THE DITCH BANK

WHAT I BELIEVE

I'M GOING TO STATE RIGHT UPFRONT. I BELIEVE IN AND SUPPORT THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES.  And yes, that includes all 27 of the amendments to it. 
And that does include the 1st and 2nd amendments. Both of which are under attack by so many now, both in and out of politics. However, having stated that, I am going to focus at this time on the 2nd amendment and my view of what is going on.
Much has been said about gun control both pro and con. There is so much on the news and on social media that is just not correct. Again, both pro and con. Many that want gun control, often those  talking heads on the tv and print news, say things that is just not correct. I'll address that in a moment. On the other side of this coin, many that want guns also say things that are not correct. In most cases both sides present "Facts" that support their viewpoint and are misleading. So where to start. OK   on the side of gun control. This item comes to the forefront every time there is a mass shooting. And there have been far too many lf late. OK so even one is too many. I agree. But the talking heads will so often say the person used an AK-47 usually purchased legally. Well, no, AK-47 are not legal and have not been for a long time. So now they say they used an AR-15 with a clip that held X number of rounds. They always include this to mean that the AR designation means assault rifle. No, it does not. It means the material the rifle is made of and stand for armor lite. I probably spelled that wrong. But those rifles have been around since I was a teen ager and that was a LONG time ago. And clips that hold a lot of rounds have been outlawed in most states, also for several years. While the rifles can be purchased legally, the multi round clips were legal and so they are around but probably not purchased legally now. Many other restrictions have been imposed on gun owners over the years, and many of them are beneficial in this day and time. And this day and time is what I am going to focus on now.
When I was growing up, a majority of households had guns. And they used them to go hunting or sport shooting. People still do. Also when I was growing up, the flag of the United States was respected, people in uniform saluted when it went by ( they still do) men took off their hats and put them over their heart or their right hand if they didn't wear a hat or cap. A lot no longer do. People were mostly religious and went to what ever church they belonged to on Sunday. Prayer was allowed in school. Now, the percentage of people of religion is smaller, and prayer is banned in school, as well as any type of religious teaching. I know there are exceptions to this statement, but for the most part it is accurate. While drugs and alcohol have been around since Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden, I suppose, they are exceptionally prevalent today. Parents aren't allowed to discipline their children, police arrest law breakers and judges let them go. Family's call police to come because a family member (usually one with a police record already) is causing problems. The family members then threatens the police and winds up getting shot and then the family sues the police office and the department and the city, state, etc because they didn't need to do that. And if it happens to be a white cop and a black man, or woman, then they protest and wind up getting big bucks when the law suit is settled. Never mind that the dead person was breaking the law to start with. And as the morals of the country seem to get lower and lower with each passing day, crime rises and shootings become more prevalent. 
Am I immune to these shootings? No I am not. It breaks my heart when a shooting happens. Not limited to, but especially in a school and children lose their lives. I fear every day when I turn on the news and wonder what will happen today. 
So, should there be gun control? Well, there are laws already on the books that don't seem to be enforced. More laws probably won't solve the problem. Not to be trite, although it will come out that way, I will quote one thing that is circulating on social media.   It is not a gun problem, it is a people problem. One of lower or lack of a moral compass. One that has been predicted by the prophets in the scriptures. I am glad that I am an old man but I feel for my children and grandchildren and just hope that the millenium happens sooner than later.
AND THAT'S THE VIEW FROM THE DITCH BANK

SOME THINGS THAT BOTHER ME IN MY OLD AGE

IT SEEMS THE OLDER I GET THE MORE BOTHERED I AM BY THE THINGS THAT ARE GOING BY THE WAY SIDE. HOW MANY THINGS ARE THERE? LET ME COUNT SOME OF THEM.
1. Irrigation. I was raised in a small Mormon community in a high mountain valley in New Mexico. The people that settled in that valley in the 1880's went a few miles west and constructed a dam across a river that flowed through the valley. They donated money to pay for the dam and those donations amounted to water shares for irrigation. The valley was ditched so that every one in the valley had access to irrigation water. When I was growing up in the 40's and 50's, every one raised a garden and there were many acres of hay and grain and corn raised in the valley.  Now, I return to visit and the people that live there have moved away and then returned and live on a retirement pension or the government dole. They drive to a nearby town and buy what they want or need. There seems to be no incentive to plant a garden, much less a field and grow any thing to eat. And it bothers me.
2. On a note from the above post, people now days don't seem to want to work. The old ones retire and just want to travel or porch sit or something. But work. Nope, been there done that. The young ones seem to want to play video games or "hang out" or something. So this leaves the ones on the middle to do all the working. Have to wonder if this would change if the State and Federal governments would take away to dole from those who don't really need or deserve it.
3.My wife and I were raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We are used to going to Church each Sunday. We also know that in the area where we now reside, there are many Christian Churches. We also know that in years past, these churches had large congregations. Businesses were closed on Sunday. Yes, I know that not every one went to Church, but most people did. Now, as we go to our church on Sunday, we see businesses open and apparently thriving, people working in their yards or heading to the lake or the mountains to recreate,and the cars at the various churches have diminished to the point of almost non existence in some cases. And that lack of church attendance bothers me. 
4. Back to the posts 1 & 2. School supplies.  Every year there are drives to get supplies for kids to return to school. News reports say that it costs hundreds of dollars to out a child for school. This includes paper and pencils, or whatever the equivalent for those are these days, clothes and shoes. Uh! question. Did they toss all the paper and pencils left over from last year? And they out grew all their clothing just as school is starting? Seems to me that a lot of hype over this is unnecessary. Also have to ask, where do all the school tax dollars go. Apparently not to school supplies or teacher salaries either. Time for the tax paying parents to be checking into this. And the news talking heads are always reporting on various programs to assist those in need and "it's free". UH. No it is not free. It is tax payer funded. And the fact that they won't report it that way bothers me. 
5. We had a recycling program in this area. Now the powers that be have decided that it is too expensive to recycle so the program has been cancelled. The recycling bins are discontinued and now all trash goes into the land fill. I know that other places and other countries recycle. I know that we can also, if the local politicians would just get off their duff and make it work. But they won't and refuse to do so in spite of the outcry from the populace. And that bothers me.
6. And the last post for the edition. The second round of the Democratic debates begin tonight. I won't be available to watch, and probably wouldn't watch even if I was. Joe Biden seems to be the front runner at this time, I REALLY don't want Elizabeth Warren or Kamela Harris. If I was a Democrat and had a chance to vote in their Primary election, I would cast a vote for Tulsi Gabbard. But even though she will be in the line up for the debate, the news talking heads hardly ever even mention her name. And that bothers me.
AND THAT'S THE VIEW FROM THE DITCH BANK

I HAD SOMETHING DIFFERENT IN MIND

I HAD A DIFFERENT THEME IN MIND FOR TODAY'S POST, BUT DUE TO THE CURRENT NEWS EVENTS, I CHOSE THIS ONE INSTEAD.
In less than 24 hours as of this writing, Robert Mueller will testify before congress. What he will say or testify to I have no idea. This post is about my viewpoint on this and a couple of other items that are related but may seem disjointed. 
So lets start with this. Michael Bloomberg poured millions into Hillary Clintons presidential campaign and when Trump won he was livid and he vowed to get rid of Trump. He also hates guns, or at least he hates for common people to own guns. 
The Democrats, or the Democratic Party, also hated Trump winning and vowed to take him down and has spent the past two plus years trying to do just that. Many of the current crop of Presidential candidates also have expressed their dislike of guns. Or the common person having them. More on that in a bit, but for now this.
Because the opposition party wanted to take down Trump, they have spent two years and millions of tax payers dollars trying to do just that with Robert Muller and his Russia investigation. He has finished said investigation and he has released his report. Congress, in the form of Jerry Nadler, has decided that his report is not sufficient and so they have ordered him to testify before congress. What he will say other that what is in his report that they have seen, I don't know, but I doubt that it will be what they want to hear. Was there any conversation between Trump or his associates and Putin? Maybe so. Did the Russians influence the election? Maybe, but definitely not on my part. And here is why.
In a December interview with Dan Rather, President Bill Clinton said that one of the reasons Al Gore lost the Presidential election was his stance on gun control. Again in 2004 Bill Clinton stated that Gore's extreme gun control position "hurt him badly" in Tennessee and other States. In 2013 Clinton warned Democrats on gun control stating "Do not patronize the passionate supporters of your opponents by looking down your nose at them....A lot of these people live in a world very different from the world lived in by the people proposing these things." Ignoring the sage advise of her husband, Hillary Clinton campaigned on a raft of gun control policies and expressed her opposition to the U.S. Supreme Courts opinion in the District of Columbia v. Heller which held that the second amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms. Hillary lost and that is a large reason why, along with several others that would deprive the people of basic constitutional rights. Russia had nothing to do with it. Plain and Simple.
Now, to wrap this up. There are some 20 plus Democrat candidates running for President. Of the top ten in the polls, they are running on gun control policies. The policy they espouse varies, but they all want to take the guns away from the common people. These top ten are  Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Robert (Beto) O'Rourke, Cory Booker, Bill de Blasio, Amy Klobuchar, and Andrew Yang.  All ten of these individuals have expressed a variety of policy's they would enforce on gun control if elected. The other 13 or so that are running have expressed similar policy's. To repeat what Bill Clinton said, these people live in a different world than the bulk of the american people. And I said  "And they think they are above the law and that we the people will just agree with what ever they say and go along with it.
Nope, we won't.  We the people will have our say and you can just take it.
Two more quick observations. My wife and I have a lot of family that belong to the Democrat party. Past and Present. The current leadership of this party is NOT what it was in our parents day and on back from there. 
And, while I admit and always have, President Trump is not a very moral man, he has improved the economy for this country and has done many other good things that you rarely ever see reported on the national news. If the members of Congress would work with him and spend OUR dollars on things for the people instead of spending OUR dollars on trying to impeach Trump, this country would be in a much better position.
AND THAT'S THE VIEW FROM THE DITCH BANK

THINGS FROM THE NEWS, KINDA

I SAID KINDA CAUSE SOME OF THESE THINGS I KNOW FROM PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE.  SO HERE GOES.
1. Ice Cream Licker.  Yep, you read that correctly. The Albuquerque TV news channels are reporting that a young woman was caught by security camera opening the ice cream freezers at a local grocery store, removing the lid of ice cream gallons and licking the ice cream and then returning the lid to the carton and then returning the carton to the freezer, ready for some unsuspecting shopper to come along and purchase the ice cream.  Guess I will be sure not to purchase any thing that is not sealed tightly. Very tightly.

2. Student Debt. It seems that there is a cadre of college student graduates that are having a problem with student debt. The problem?  they have to pay it back, and they are protesting. Why? Cause they don't want to pay it back. So, when they get the notices or contracts of payment they just shred them and ignore it. Have to wonder when the other shoe will drop. The Police officer shoe to be exact as they come to arrest the students that are ignoring their lawfully  contracted debt to pay for their education. Guess they should have enrolled in law school. 

3. This is partly news and partly personnel knowledge. The Border Crisis. Yes, we have one. And we have had one for a while.  Even past Presidents have acknowledged that, including Clinton, Bush and Obama. Actually President Obama and his administration authorised the building of 700 miles of border wall. The situation at the border got so bad that President Trump and our State Governor at the time called out the National Guard to assist the Border Patrol control some of those crossing the border illegally. When our current governor took office in January, she went to the border and ( while standing in a check point with a section of Obama's wall) said there is not a problem with people crossing illegally. Well, no there wasn't there. So she said we don't have a border problem. President Trump manufactured that problem. So she sent the National Guard home.  After she did that, the problem escalated to the point that the Border Patrol closed the 5 border check points in the State and sent those officers to assist those n the border. Now, several months later, those check points are still closed. And there are stories of the cartels making hay while the sun shines, as the saying goes, since there has been an influx of drugs crossing into the area, according to those who are in the know. I am taking that much information from someone else, since I have no actual knowledge of it. However, even the talking heads on the news have acknowledged that we have a problem with people coming into the country illegally. And now two of our southern cities are sharing the brunt of this and are having to find funds to take care of the people that are coming in. And our governor, who thwarted President Trumps efforts to take care of this, ow has the audacity to sue him, (Trump, and the federal governor for not taking care of the problem. I have seen and knew people that didn't like past governors, but I have never seen a governor gain the dislike of the population of the State like this one has. But that is a post for another time. Meanwhile, back at the border.  A group of congressional people, all Democrats, made a stop at a border detention center in Texas. There has been a lot of controversy over their visit and just what they claimed they saw and what the border patrol people said they saw and what they did. Two ministers from a church ( I forgot the name of the church) went there after that report to see what they could do to alleviate the situation. They said that the conditions that were reported by the congresswoman from New York was false. This was not The Trump Administration saying it was false, but two ministers that are concerned for those here illegally and the children that said what she said was false. One more item to chew on. These "cages" are actually jail cells build by a past administration as a holding cell for those caught thring to enter the country "ILLEGALLY". This amounted to a few hundred a year. These detention centers were not and are not designed to hold hundreds and hundreds of people coming in every day. Especially not families with young children.  And the country does not have enough federal judges to accommodate this amount of people, so they are given a short hearing and a court date some years out and told to return for that hearing when they will then be heard on their plea for asylum. They are then put on a bus or a plane and sent to a sponsor that is supposed to watch for them until the aforementioned court date. The true picture is that the people are here. Courts are inundated with them. Border Patrol needs, and has ask for, funds and more people. We don't need law suits. We need congress to forget photo ops and the TV talking heads to report the facts and congress to work with the administration to actually fix the problem. It can be taken care of in a humane manner for all concerned, if they will Mean while, the small cities and towns and churches and people of the southern border will take care of the people as best they can. They are doing it and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. 
AND THAT'S THE VIEW FROM THE DITCH BANK

ARE WE MISSING THE POINT

THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW THINGS GOING AROUND IN MY MIND THE PAST FEW MONTHS THAT I FEEL I WILL GIVE WORDS TO IN THIS POST. AT LEAST A FEW OF THEM. 
1. I will start with a current one.  A news article this morning said that a retired marine saved two young people who were caught in a strong current, but he drowned in the process. That is sad, in and of itself, but the sad part is that one of the teenagers had walked across a dam in the San Antonio, Texas area, illegally and she and her companion were caught up in the rushing water at the dam. The Marine that jumped in to save them did so, but then couldn't survive the fast water and was swept under and drown. What he did was heroic, but the focus should be on the illegal act of the teenager. Will she be charged? The article didn't say, but she should be.

2. Several months, in the pacific northwest, a group of teenagers were on a bridge, illegally. It was apparently a common practice for teens to gather on this bridge and jump into the river some 60 feet below. It was illegal to do so but they did it any way. One young girl was out on the ledge and then got scared and did not want to jump, so one of her friends pushed her off, resulting in serious injury. The girl who did the pushing has been charged and convicted. Why was nothing said or done to the girl that was pushed. She was there illegally. As were the rest of the group. All should have been charged with criminal trespass, at the least.

3. There are other incidents like this that I will not mention or this post would go on and on and on. So I will leave this idea here and hope that any one who reads my mutterings will think of this when you see news articles on something happening and realize what they did was illegal to start with.

4. Well, you know I can't end a blog with out some type of political view. I didn't watch the Democratic Presidential debate last night and I won't watch part two tonight. However, NBC has been profiling one candidate each evening in the evening news broadcast and giving them a chance to say what their big idea would be if they were elected. Each one of them has some big idea that would not benefit most of the people and each one would cost millions or billions and when ask how to pay for their idea they all said they would raise taxes. Of Course. Well, except one. A candidate from Hawaii. Her name is Tulsi Gabbard. I don't know how things will play out over the next many months, but if I were to be in a position to vote for a democrat, she would be my choice. Her big idea was peace with foreign country's and to pay for the things she wants to do she had ideas that did not entail a large tax increase on the populace. She has served in the military and has been deployed twice and is currently in the reserves. She is a representative to congress from Hawaii.

AND THAT'S THE VIEW FROM THE DITCH BANK

AFTER MUCH THOUGHT

I HAVE GIVEN THIS POST A LOT OF THOUGHT. THE REASONING FOR THAT IS TWO FOLD. ONE, TO BE ABLE TO WORD IT IN A MANNER TO BE UNDERSTOOD, AND TWO, FOR ANY WHO MAY ACTUALLY READ THIS TO THINK ABOUT IT A BIT. SO HERE GOES.
First, I will repeat my opinion of President Trump. I did not vote for him initially. I think he is a proud, egotistical person. I don't think he has a high moral standard. I do think he has higher morals than a lot of those in politics these days, but that is not the focus of this post. The Democratic Party, and some in the Republican Party, stated the morning after Trump was elected that they would do whatever they could to bring him down. And they have spent the last two years doing just that. Some of the things they have done. They have spent two years and millions of tax payer dollars trying to tie him to a Russia obstruction of justice scheme. Although in that two years, they found something, it was apparently not enough to bring charges. Although the Democratic party is trying to do so any way, in spite of Pelosi saying no. Not at this time, any way. They said that who ever he nominated for the supreme court they would not sustain them. They tried not to the first time and went all out the second time. Even though Kavanaugh may be squeaky clean ( and I didn't say he was) he will have a cloud over his head for the rest of his term in the supreme court. 
They tried many things to bring down Trump. They even came up with a law suit filed by a porn star from several years before Trump even ran for office, much less after he was elected, like Clinton.  While I have an idea myself about Trump's affiliation with the porn star, that is what she is, she sells her self to men for money. If she sold her self to Trump and he paid the price, that sure doesn't make him an uplifting person, but please people, lets not elevate her to something that she is not.  
The Press. I have the utmost respect for the first amendment. I had a lot of respect for Walter Cronkite and Huntley and Brinkley. I actually met Huntley and Brinkley one time, back in the 60's. I watch NBC news. I have tried to watch other channels but found them all lacking. Including NBC. However, the first words out of Savanna's mouth the morning after the election was Donald Trump won the election. What did we do wrong. HMMM that seemed to me to place her opinion. And that is fine. She is a human and she is entitled to an opinion. However, she and many others have spent the last two years trashing President Trump for whatever he may have done. And I will admit he has given them plenty of fodder. 
Now, I am going to mention a few things that Trumps has done and wants to do.  He has brought up the economy and down the unemployment. He wants to, and has done some of it, change the environmental regulations. He wants to bring back the businesses that have moved over seas. Where does the fault lie with that?  In several past administrations. Starting probably, in the 1970's. The environmental groups bring up a rule they like and the tics pass a law and the next thing you know, businesses shut down and move out of the country. Lets look and good environment regulations and then open the steel mills and the textile mills back up. Bring those company's back to the U.S. The government, under the auspices of saving the environment, wants to get rid of all coal fired power plants and go wind and solar. That is an admirable thought. But it is not sustainable.  It takes huge amounts of land to put in solar or wind farms. It takes huge amounts of money to build and support them. And it takes a huge amount of electricity to keep this country running and when the wind don't blow and the sun don't shine, the battery backup is not large enough to store the electricity needed to power us. And the environmental groups want to shut down the mining industry. They don't realize that the solar panel and the grid items that go with them and the wind chargers and the grid items that go with them come from items mined from the earth. 
So, to wrap this up, I would like to see our Senators and Representatives spend the next two years working with the administration for the good of the country. They have spent the last two years fighting him and accomplished relatively nothing. If they don't like Trump, so be it. If he comes up with a radical idea that is not good for the country, vote against it and say why. If he has a good idea, one that will help the economy and the country, then support it. And if they want someone else to be president in a couple of years, campaign for who they want. BUT, do what ever they do for the good of the country, not the git rid of Trump focus that they have been on for the past two years. 
AND THAT'S THE VIEW FROM THE DITCH BANK
POSSIBLY PART ONE

A POTPOURRI

I HAVE TWO OR THREE THINGS TO MENTION, ( MAYBE 4) AND THEY AREN'T ALL NECESSARILY RELATED, SO I CALLED THIS A POTPOURRI. GUESS WE WILL SEE IF IT REALLY IS.  I WILL EVEN GO BY NUMBER.
1.  Are we losing our history? I have a couple of things to comment on this. Last year a lot of statues were taken down because they offended someone. So even though someone found them offensive, they were a part of history and should have been treated as such. It seems that people in the modern times are being blamed for something someone did over 100 years ago. So, lets destroy history.
2. I guess this is kinda related. Church's, mostly in the south, but in various places across the country are being burned down. fires set by arsonists. If you don't like a church, don't go there, but don't burn down someones church just because you don't like them or what they are teaching. Even if that church is a Mosque and being run by Muslims, you don't burn it down. If they are doing something illegal, then handle it through the law.
3. Driverless cars. Need I say more. Probably not, but I will. tesla has announced that they will have driverless cars on the road soon. If fact their cars will not have any pedals or a steering wheel by 2022. If that is not something that scares the whatever out of a person, I have to wonder just what you are thinking. Makes me want more and more to just hole up somewhere far away from the populace of the country and let them self destruct.
4. A border fence?  Well, this post is not exactly what you may think. Not Exactly. It seems that there have been a half a dozen sightings of a Jaguar Cat in New Mexico over the last 20 years or so, but they are more common in Mexico. So, Mexico has agreed to take the lead on a conservation program to save these large cats. BUT, it has been decided that there will be a few openings left in the border fence so these cats can move back and forth between Mexico and Arizona and New Mexico.  UH! two things. First, there is not currently a border fence between Mexico and these two States. And if a fence or wall is even built, you can bet that any opening left for these cats will be used on a regular basis by illegals coming into the country, probably with back packs filled with illegal drugs. Who knows, the Jaguar cats may even use them from time to time.
5. And last. We are losing our rights. Do the young people even realize how much of their rights they are losing? Read the amendments to the Constitution. They list rights that the people have. And they state, These rights shall not be infringed.  I will mention the 2nd amendment here, just for the heck of it. It states.......The right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.  It does not say the right to keep a pistol, or a rifle or a shotgun. Just the right to keep and bear arms.
So, when congress, Republican or Democrat, wants to pass a law to change something, pay attention. Are they infringing on a right given to the PEOPLE by the constitution? If so, fight it with every thing you have. The more rights you lose, the less freedom you will have. Stay alert and pay attention.
AND THAT'S THE VIEW FROM THE DITCH BANK

JUST CAUSE IT'S BEEN A WHILE

THIS WILL PROBABLY BE A SHORT POST. I JUST FEEL LIKE MAKING A COMMENT OR TWO CAUSE I HAVEN'T FOR A WHILE. SO, THE FIRST ONE WILL BE POLITICAL.
1. I want to make a statement about President Trump. My opinion... He is not a moral or particularly virtuous person. I know that. I voted for him for reasons stated in past posts and so far will vote for him again. WHY? you may ask. Well, I'll tell you why.
2. He has spent the past two years fighting the establishment. Many in congress and in the country were in shock when he won the election. And they don't like him cause he is not one of them and so far can't be bought. At least not by any one in congress.
He has lowered corporate taxes and regulations so company's are bringing back jobs and industry to the country, thus unemployment is down. He realizes the importance of coal and oil and gas and mining and drilling in general. Things which keep our country running and the jobs that are in those industry's. He recognizes that there is a crisis on the border and is trying to do something about it, all the while telling congress to do their job and fix the crisis. Members of congress hate him and there was talk of impeachment almost before he had taken the oath of office. Now, some of the more level headed of members in congress (like Pelosi, I can't believe I said that) have said impeachment is not on the table. The members of the democratic party vowed to take down who ever he nominated to the supreme court. Even before he nominated them. And they almost accomplished it on his last pick. 
3. If they had spent the past two years working with him,and him with them, just think what could have been accomplished. Will he win again in 2020. I really don't know, but I do know that many of those running for president still don't realize the mood of the populace and that was the downfall of Hillary and may be the downfall again in 2020. Time will tell.
4. There is a move in the country to eliminate coal fired power plants and go to wind and solar. Wind and Solar are great and they work, but the technology is just not there yet to sustain the power needs of this country with wind and solar. I am sure it is coming, and may be here some time in my younger children's time, but it is not here yet. The sun has to shine and the wind has to blow to sustain these energy sources. And even the experts have said that the battery power is not available to accurately distribute power when the sun don't shine and the wind don't blow. A couple of things with regard to that. Many who are against mining don't seem to realize that the materials to make wind and solar viable have to be mined from the earth and manufactured in plants or factories somewhere. These items don't just appear form thin or thick air.
5. OK so this is a longer post than I intended. But just two more comments. Why is it that the people who want people to have clean air live in the areas with the dirtiest air but it always affects those that already have clean air. 
6. There must be a lot of hog farms somewhere. Have you noticed? It is just not bacon and eggs for breakfast, but it is bacon and whatever you want. Bacon in your hamburger, bacon wrapped hot dogs, bacon wrapped meat loaf, double bacon on your sonic burger, bacon in your burrito, chocolate covered bacon for a snack. Man, that is a lot of committed pigs.
AND THAT'S THE VIEW FROM THE DITCH BANK

OH! What a tangled web

I ASSUME YOU HAVE ALL HEARD THE EXPRESSION; OH! WHAT A TANGLED WEB WE WEAVE, WHEN FIRST WE PRACTICE TO DECEIVE.   SEEMS TO ME THAT IS WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW.
I have a lot to get to today so bear with me. Or not. I may even get tired and turn this into two posts. We will see. This will be a post of things on the news; political and just because I am old and have observed life for a long time and formed an opinion on things. Rightly or wrongly as it may be. We will see on that also.  So, by the number and in no particular order.
1. The girl on the bridge. You know the one. She was 16 years old at the time and she, along with some of her friends were on a bridge 60 feet above a river and apparently it was the practice for teenagers for some time to go there and jump off the bridge into the river below. This girl was perched on the ledge and then got scared and didn't want to jump, so a friend pushed her into the river and she broke several ribs and punctured a lung. She spent some time in the hospital. Now the friend has pleaded guilty in court and given a punishment. No jail time. The girl that was hurt wants revenge, as it were. She wants the friend who pushed her to spend as much time in jail as she had to spend in the hospital. My thought.  If I remember correctly, ( this has not been mentioned lately) there was a law or ordinance that prohibited them from even being on the bridge to start with. So, shouldn't the girl that was pushed be punished also for even being there and contemplating jumping? So, she was hurt by someone else's choice, but still it was her choice to be there and contemplating to do that. She should bear some responsibility for those actions. 
2. For over two years Robert Muller has been investigating President Trump and a Russia connection or collusion. What will he come up with. I don't have a clue, and it will be interesting to see. One thing that has been mentioned was the possibility that Trump, prior to the election, was discussing with Putin or Russia about building a Trump tower in Moscow. Trump even mentioned that pre election day and said that the talks fell through. Seems to me he was up front about that. What else will there be????  Don't know, but I have seen two separate news reports that said this came out of the Muller investigation. One was that Greg Craig, I think that is his name, a white house advisor to President Obama is now under investigation for something doing with Russia. Also coming out is that the Ukraine did some collusion of some kind against Trump in favor of Hillary Clinton pre election and that is also being investigated. Seems like a lot of collusion was done and not all of it on Trumps side.  Is Trump innocent? Probably not, but then neither are a lot of those in politics. Did I vote for Trump? Yes. Did I vote for him because of Russia Collusion? Nope. Never heard of Russia collusion until after the election. I voted for him for the same reason most others did who voted for him. I was tired of the Clintons and there shenanigans. 
3. Now, the next election cycle is starting to heat up and there is much being said on social media and in the news about who is running for President and speculation by Democrats and the TV talking heads about who can beat Trump.So all these many months before the election here is my opinion. For what it may be worth.  Of all the Democrats currently running for President or rumored to be considering a run for the Presidency, only two have a possible chance of beating Trump. One is Bernie Sanders. While I admit he has a chance, I think it may be slim at best. For what it may be worth, there are some negative things that are coming out in social media about Bernie that are not good. I said, For what it may be worth. I take most posts on social media with tongue in cheek for the most part any way.  The other one is Biden, if he chooses to run. He may not run, and he may not beat Trump, but I think he has the best chance of doing so if any one does. 
4. One more observation then I will stop for now. There is one issue that will possibly sink Trump's bid for reelection. And that is his ongoing feud with the late John McCain. John McCain is considered by many to be a war hero. I am not disputing that by any means. I feel that he did a lot of good for the country and I feel that he loved his country. I have friends that live in Arizona and I know that he was falling out of favor by many in the later years of his term in office. Many felt that he was getting a little off track. All that aside, many in the country feel that McCain was a good Senator and was well liked and this continuing feud will turn off many Trump voters if he continues it on the bird site, AKA Twitter.  Trump did admit a couple of days ago that he didn't like John McCain and he never had. He also admitted that he (McCain) was liked by many and was considered a hero. And Trump said, that is fine. They can like him, I don't but that is alright. Now, if he will leave it at that, he may be alright. If he won't, he may be sunk. Again, time will tell. 
5. I had more I was going to post, but will end it for now with this one more post.  My wife and I don't watch most of the popular TV shows but chose to watch the DIY and Food channels. Watching the people cook on the food network, we have noticed that they waste a LOT of food. When fixing a dish for three judges and FILLING  three plates for them to take just a taste, we have to wonder, what happens to the rest of the rest of the food on that plate. Surely someone does not eat after them to clean it up. And a lot of it is scattered around the kitchen while they are cooking. I bet they don't have to clean up behind themselves. My wife and I could eat mostly for free on just what they waste. Well, except we wouldn't eat most of the dishes they cook up any way. Gosh, we haven't even heard of half of the things they use to cook with. Guess the old fashioned food is the best for us any way. It do get entertaining at times, at least for us.
AND THAT'S THE VIEW FROM THE DITCH BANK

THE FROG HAS AWOKE

I ASSUME YOU HAVE ALL HEARD THE STORY OF THE FROG. You know the one where a frog put in a pot of boiling water will just jump out but if put in a pot of cold water and then when the heat is turned on and the water gradually heated up, the frog is boiled alive without realizing what is happening.  I would liken the people of this State and this Country to the frog. Most of us are like the frog in the pot of cold water. We are just going along enjoying the sensation, as it were, and then we wake up and realize we are being boiled alive and by then it is too late to jump out. 
Fortunately, I believe, many of us have came to the realization of what is happening and are jumping out of the pot. We can just hope that a majority of those who were there with us jump out in time to be saved, as it were. Confused yet?  Some of you are and probably some aren't.  So just what am I getting at. Well, it political, of course. And the politicians in Washington and in the State house of this State are passing laws that are infringing on our rights and freedoms. They didn't just start this with the current administration either nationally or in the State, but this has been going on for decades, slowly. Like a pot of water being gradually heated up, our freedoms have been gradually eroded without our noticing it. And so often laws are passed that sound good on paper and as it is reported by the talking heads on TV or the reporters in print, but in actuality it is just an eroding of what we call freedom. 
And then along comes an election year and all of a sudden the frog, er the people, realize, hey, the water is getting hot and I need to get out. And so we have. This past election a governor of this State was elected that has caused an uproar like I have never seen in all my nearly 80 years of life. The people of this State has turned against her en mass. Even those that belong to the same political party that she does. There is a lot of talk about removing her from office and how it can be done. There is a lot of talk about politicians in the three most populated areas of the State trying to pass laws that don't concern them but concern the populace of the rural areas, which is most of the State. And those are the frogs, er people, that are rising up and jumping out of the pot and taking notice what is being done in the State house and rebelling against it.
Many, maybe even most, of the politicians in Washington have not yet realized that the people of the country are in that same position. They are like frogs realizing that the water is getting hot and are jumping out. They started jumping out 2 years ago and are still jumping. They, the politicians, along with some of the self important "movie stars" and "sports figures" think that they can tell the people what to do and they will just blindly follow them. Nope, not happening. 
So, what will happen in two years during the next election? I don't know. I am not a prophet. BUT, if the current steam of things keeps up, Trump will be re elected and many of those in office in Washington will not be and our current Governor and many of those now serving in the legislature will be out and a new crop will be in.  And if that happens, will things improve? Why, yes they will, until a new pot of cold water is provided and the frogs, er people, calm down and then the water will begin to heat up once more.  And the cycle will continue until the Lord says it is enough and makes His triumphant return. And that will happen, of that I testify.
AND THAT IS THE VIEW FROM THE DITCH BANK

THE OLD GREY MARE

IT'S AN OLD SAYING. THE OLD GREY MARE SHE AIN'T WHAT SHE USED TO BE. 
I feel the same about politics in general and the Democratic party in particular. Now, before you get your back up about this, read on and see what I have to say. Then any one reading this, if anyone actually does, you have my permission to get your back up. As if you needed my permission.

When I was a youngster and hardly knew any thing about politics or political parties, there were two of them. Political parties, that is. The Republicans and the Democrats. My father was a Republican and my Mother was a Democrat. Some of my fathers family were Democrats and some of my mothers family were Republicans. Many of the people who my future wife belonged to were also members of these two parties. The parties were distinctive in what they espoused. Democrats were traditionally more liberal and Republicans were traditionally more conservative. 
However, they, for the most part, were not radical about their liberalism or conservatism. They were mostly just different in their approach to resolving a problem or a situation. And for the most part they were for the people who elected them and whom they served and they were staunch Americans proud of the Flag and the Constitution.  Somewhere along the line that has changed.

Now, you have people elected to office and they make a career of it. Or want to. And they seem to think that they are the boss of the people, not the other way around. They seem to have forgotten that this is a government of the people, for the people, by the people. You often hear the expression that some program is government funded. UH! no it is not. It is people funded through taxes on the people.  

Eight years ago the State of New Mexico, which has more Democrats than Republicans, elected a Republican Governor. She said that she would not raise taxes and she vetoed most every bill that crossed her desk that would do that and made it stick, in spite of the legislature being mostly Democrats. When she left office at the end of 2018, due to an increase on the price of oil and gas, on which the State is dependent, the State had a 2 billion dollar surplus. Governor Grisham, a Democrat elected as governor salivated at the thought of that surplus. Also, the Republicans lost several seats in the State house and senate and now the legislature is highly democrats, and many of them were also salivating over that surplus. In the first two months of her (Governor Grisham) reign as governor of the State, she and the legislature has managed to spend half of that 2 billion dollar surplus and in order to keep up their spending spree, they just last night, March 1/2, passed the largest tax increase in the history of the State. One legislature (a democrat) stated that they needed to do this to keep up revenue in case the price of oil and gas went down. One legislature ( a republican) said the only reason for passing this tax increase was because the State didn't want to live within its means. There has been a great awakening among the people of the State, of both parties. There are things going around to impeach the Governor since there is not a recall method in this State. She may be Governor for 4 years, but I don't think she will be reelected. Nor will many of those currently serving in the legislature, including the Lieutenant Governor. Those in the legislature are trying to pass California style gun legislation. There is a great uprising among the people, again of both parties, against these bills. County Sheriffs, many of them Democrats, went to Santa Fe' protesting against the bills on gun legislation. Many of the representatives in the out lying counties, who have few representatives, also are against these bills. They are being controlled by the populated areas of Santa Fe' Albuquerque and Las Cruces, where the highest population is and they have higher numbers of representatives in the Legislature. Governor Grisham states that she will sign these bills and ignore the "pity party" that the sheriffs and the people are having. Nuff said for now.

On the national scene, the same thing is being played out in the form of Nancy Pelosi. In a news article I read this morning, she is chastising some Democrats for breaking ranks and voting with some republicans on some things.  She is upset because they are not voting like she tells them to. Representative Ocasio Cortez, in that same news article, delivered a veiled threat to any Democrat who broke ranks and voted against the party line and went with Republicans.

Me thinks that the members of the Democrat party of old would be ashamed of some of the antics and policy's of many of the current group of Democrats. I'm a Republican and will stay that way, but I can't say I'm a staunch Republican and will vote my conscience regardless of party. Right now, being an Independent is looking more and more attractive, as neither party is acting like they are for the people, but are looking out for themselves first and the party second and Oh Yes, maybe we need to remember the people, cause they vote and an election year is coming up.

AND THAT'S THE VIEW FROM THE DITCH BANK

Just a few more useless things

JUST A FEW THINGS THAT I HAVE OBSERVED OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS:
And most of them are useless. I feel that I don't just want to document my life. Not only is it boring, but most of it is NOYB, if I may say so myself. And I just did.  So, that leaves me with not a lot to post about, other than the funny things I observe and politics. i have been trying to stay away from the political arena in my posts, but finding that nearly impossible, I will post a little here along with a few other things that have tickled my fancy lately. So here goes. 
1. The Border Wall. Just need to mention it and get it out of my system. At least for now.  The wall or fence that is shown on the national TV news shows consists of around 700 miles of wall that was approved, financed and built by the previous administration. The rest of the wall is currently being built, about 200 miles or so, and it is being done under the afore mentioned financing. So, I don't understand all the hoopla about the wall. President Trump just needs to shut up. It is being built. The fuss is because Schumer and Pelosi don't like him and never will. accept that and move on to better things. 
2. New York politicals just approved a late term abortion. This can take place up to the minute the baby is being born. They showed how it was to be done. They actually insert a needle into the baby's head or body and inject it with something to kill it and then remove it from the mothers womb. I don't understand their thinking. If the mother don't want it, then just adopt the baby out. If there is a life threatening situation, then do an emergency C section and let the baby live. .......Those extra dots are to say period. 
3. The recent partial government shutdown. The media reported that the majority of people blamed Trump. And maybe they did and maybe their poll was skewed. Not for me to say. However, the members of congress blamed Trump for the shutdown also. HMMMM   I just have to wonder why they blamed him and said they didn't want a shutdown and don't want another one.  Easy solution. There are 100 Senators and 435 Representatives that can simply pass legislation and over ride what ever the President wants. if they really want to, that is. Me thinks sometimes it is easier to just let things go along and blame Trump rather than doing the job they were elected to do. 
4. Colin Kapernick is still in the news.  I have to wonder why. I will say right here that I support his decision to protest against racial profiling and social injustice. I agree with that 100 %. However, kneeling and showing disrespect of the American Flag and the National Anthem is not the way to do that. PROTEST ALL YOU WANT. But DO NOT  show disrespect for the flag. A flag that allows him to be paid millions to play a game and a flag that allows him to protest against what ever he wants to protest.  Showing disrespect for the flag is what gained the people against him.
5. OK one more political item before moving on to other things. I was not able to watch the Presidents State of the Union speech. So, I watched the news Wednesday morning to see what the talking heads had to say. I will insert here I support the 1st amendment and the right of freedom of the press. I do know that some of the national news feeds are very anti Trump. So when I turned on the news Wednesday morning and didn't see a lot of anti Trump bashing, I said to myself HMMM he must have given a good speech. Relatively so, any way. And when I went to Dialysis and sat in the waiting room and listened to some of the people there that also hate Trump talk about his speech and how they liked a lot of what he had to say. Sure surprised me. There has been a lot of comments on social media about the women in White and the disrespect they showed for a lot of things. The things they clapped for and the things they did not. Many are upset that they sat stone faced ( their comments, I didn't see the speech ) while President Trump said that babies should not be aborted late term. Well, we will see what happens in the next two years. A lot of turmoil a I am sure.
6. When I was growing up post world war 2 and into the 1950's when I would go watch a western movie, the wheels of a stage coach would appear to be turning backward when the coach was moving forward.  Now, in 2019, even with all the updated technology available, the tires of forward moving cars still appear to turn backward. Sometimes it seems progress isn't catching up with every thing.
Speaking, (or writing) of when I was young, we had I pads even then. We called them Big Chiefs. And our stylus was a #2 lead pencil, sharpened with a hand crank pencil sharpener. And we used paper grocery bags to cover our text books. Yep, we even had text back then, it was just in a book, not in an electronical devise. And a few days ago we received an order from someone and it had some packing paper in it. My wife smoothed out the paper and remarked, This sure would be good paper to cover text books with. if the kids actually used books instead of computers or I Pads or I phones or what ever they use now a days. 
7. And finally. Watching TV the other day I saw an advertisement for French Fries. Actually it said Crispy Fires grown in Idaho.  WOW. Just WOW. I knew they grew Potatoes in Idaho, but this is the first time I knew that they grew fries also. Not only do they grow fries, but they grow Crispy Fries. Will wonders never cease.
AND THAT'S THE OPINION AND VIEW FROM THE DITCH BANK

SOMETIMES YOUR HEART JUST BREAKS

YEAH! HOW'S THAT FOR A BLOG TITLE TO START THINGS OFF.  GUESS I'LL JUST HAVE TO EXPLAIN, IF I CAN.
A couple of years ago the news broke the story about a 10 year old gild in Albuquerque who was found murdered. While that is horrific enough, it turns out that she was murdered by her mother, a cousin and a boy friend of the mother or the cousin. I've never been too clear on that. She was apparently raped, tortured, given drugs or alcohol before hand. After she was murdered she was being dismembered when the police arrived. The news showed pictures of the girl and she was a pretty girl. She did not deserve what happened to her. Now, two years later, trials for those involved are looming. Or I should say were looming. A few weeks back her mother took a plea deal and got a very reduced sentence. She now claims that she was not even there when this happened.  The boy friend has a trial date coming up. The cousin, a female, was to go on trial this week. Unexpectedly she took a plea deal yesterday claiming that the boy friend did and she will "cooperate" with law enforcement to testify against the friend when he goes to trial soon. For this deal she gets 50 years in prison with a chance to get out in 20 years with good behavior.  She has  a long prison record already and she has not been one to behave in prison, so we will see. Now they "law enforcement" are saying that there is no DNA linking the boy friend to the killing and the mother said she and her were not even there, but a 4th individual that so far has not been identified actually did the killing, so it seems that the boy friend will get off scot free.  Mean while no one seems to know who this 4th individual is, although someone had to be there when this took place.  You just have to wonder why no one is talking.
Along similar lines, kinda, two children have died along the southern border.  One El Paso and One In New Mexico. By some strange twist of fate, the one that died in El Paso entered the United States in New Mexico, and the one that died in New Mexico entered the United States in Texas. Both children got/were sick and died within days of arriving here. Both were from Central America and had been brought a couple of thousand miles by a father, who then entered the United States illegally, in a remote area where there is no physical facilities to take care of them. While the news decries there deaths, and politicians have rushed to the border to see who they can blame and what needs done to "improve" the situation, they seem to forget that if the father hadn't drug these children across thousands of miles through who knows what kind of circumstances, then to enter the United States in remote areas illegally, much, if not all, of the blame needs to be put on the parent. If the dad's are seeking a better life here for their families, then come here and try to do that, but don't drag your children along with you on that kind of a journey.
Now that last bit is a good enough lead in for the last topic for this post. That is the DACA program. President Obama instituted this program this program when Congress failed to do their job. A job he was trying to get them to do and finally just did it with an executive order. This order was scheduled to end in 2018, but President Trump ended it a little sooner than planned and he too told Congress, "now do your job". They didn't and they haven't. They can and they should. At the time President Trump ended this program, he said if Congress would pass legislation to take care of those under DACA he would sign it. How that would play out now, I wouldn't venture to guess. I think that something should be done, but with one caveat. There needs to be a way to prove that a person filing for citizenship under this program needs to prove they were brought here as a child when they had no control over the actions of their parents. The problem is this; If a person were to enter the country illegally, in one of those remote areas already mentioned, and then applies for citizenship under DACA, there is no way to prove that haven't been here for 10 years or 10 minutes.  One has to wonder if that is the reason some of these parents are bringing their children with them like the two who have passed away, and how may have entered and didn't get caught or sick.  
AND THAT'S THE VIEW FROM THE DITCH BANK