You didn't build that.

If you don't follow political news any better than I do you may have wondered what all this "You didn't build that" stuff involving the President is about. Comments, advertisements, speeches, Facebook postings, everywhere you see references to it

 

In a speech in Roanoke, Virginia last week Mr. Obama said “If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business -- you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen."

 Depending on how you approach that statement I can agree or disagree. If he had said "you didn't build that all by yourself" or you didn't build that without others" and skipped the last sentence, I don't think it would have become a political statement.  In fact, I'd be the first to agree with it.

None of us do it alone.  We have support, we have employees and contractors, we use roads and bridges, we were taught by someone else. It is never one person all by their self.  If nothing else, they have customers

The argument can be made the president was saying that public investment in education, infrastructure and research fosters private business. In return, so the argument goes, successful business leaders have an interest in supporting government programs.

But the way it came out, it fit exactly  into what the Romney campaign has been saying, that the president fails to understand how business and private enterprise work. Most of the time, Obama carefully balances his arguments about tax fairness and the role of government with other references to the importance of individualism. His stump speeches are typically peppered with lines like “we’re not a country that believes in handouts, we believe in working for what we get,” and “we believe in individual initiative and self-reliance.” 

But with the “you didn’t build that” line, Obama made people set back and wonder if his real faith lies in the power of government, not private enterprise.

That's what it is all about.

Struggling with a decision

I'm struggling with a choice we made this evening. I think it was right ...

Some of us were standing around talking after evening services when the preacher same looking for advice. Ken's been here less than a month and still not up on all our ways of doing things.

A guy called wanting assistance. He's in Chicago, car broke down, needs a room for the night, wants us to pay for it by credit card over the phone. Gave a pone number for a Motel 6, which checked out legit. Tells preacher he lives here, been here a few times with his girlfriend.  He gave a name, said he was a big red headed guy. Preacher said "Can I call you back?"

6 of us are talking, 2 elders and a life long member and our wives. None of us recognize the name. I call him back on my cell phone on speaker. Nobody recognizes his voice or the name of his girlfriend he said he came with. He said he was always told if you needed help call the church and he needed help. Told him I'd call back.

Maybe he called the wrong church.  I call the Baptist Church.  Nope, name didn't sound familiar.

Nice thing about a small town is someone knows everyone. We call 3 people. Two never heard of him. Third does. She tells me where he lives, and enough about him to give him some validity, then says "He's bull____________ you"  (Yes, Mom.  I called _____.)  She suggested giving him the Sheriff's number.

So here's my struggle: The guy is somewhat legit. He is living in York, he is registered at the Motel 6 in Chicago area (Come to think of it, how did he do that with no money to pay for the room?), He might really have a need.

But his story didn't add up, he didn't give me anything to validate himself, none of the 6 of us recognized him.

The $46 for the room isn't the issue. Paying the motel isn't the issue (I'd have just charged it to a personal credit card and then called and cancelled it after that transaction.) The issue is how do we decided when the line has been crossed between doing good and being a good steward of God's money?

That tree seems shorter than it was.

M a y b e there's a reason for that.  Pup and I moved an LP tank I bought home Monday afternoon, but I didn't have all the blocks I needed to set it.  So I got some blocks and Monday evening went around back to place them.  That tree seems ... oh.

Maybe that will just wait until it is cooler.

Wonder if Jim wants some more firewood?

And as you can tell by the sky, they were getting a shower north of us a ways.

Neal brought his folks home for the weekend

OK, so Dad had a class reunion, too.  It's just all in your point of view.  Wanda's going to tell me I have to have pictures, so here's a few:

This is my cousin Neal.  He's a baby.

OK, so why are you guys making weird faces?

Since Becky and Jim have become adults they do talk.  Someday they'll speak face to face!

But all good things must come to an end.  Perhaps the hardest sentence to hear was the one walking out the door:  "We'll see you in August."

HEY! WAIT A MINUTE ...

HEY! WAIT A MINUTE!  That's not Mikey's truck.  Mikey has a red 4 door 4 wheel drive Dodge Dakota with 196,000 miles on it!

Well, yes I do.  But I recently purchased a red extended cab 4 wheel drive Dodge Dakota with 78,000 miles on it.

It isn't as fancy as the old one. No electric windows, no interior lighting package. Probably not built as heavy.  It had 15" tires on 5 bolt wheels, where the old one had 16" tires on 6 bolt wheels.  But the price was right and it should do what I need.  And if not I can afford to replace it.  If I spent $30,000 on a truck I'd HAVE to be satisfied with it.

Oh, and if you hear someone wanting a good little truck I am probably going to sell the old one

Hello, Rural King, May I help you?

 (yes, it is an old photograph)

First thing Wednesday morning I was going to start the north irrigator. The seed corn is still pretty small and it isn't dry.  But with the weather forecast it might be by the time I get a circle made. So I jump on the Mule and go to the field.

I'm driving back to the pivot when I notice one wheel rim has gear lube on it.  Of course, and I don't have any.

Ring. Ring "Hey, could you bring me some gear lube?"

Aman brings me exactly what I asked for.  But I didn't specify the 2 1/2 gallon jug stuff.  He brought the John Deere GL-5 synthetic gear lube the corn head uses.  It comes in quart bottles ... for a reason. I think the last 2 bottles I bought were like $32 EACH.  So we go back and get the less outrageous stuff.

We fill the gear box up and flag it so we watch it closely.

Engine starts up, runs fine, and as I'm walking to the control panel on the pivot starts running rough.  OH ___.  I run back and turn the fuel valve on and it starts running better.  I go back to the pivot, push the go button .. and the voltage drops from 480 to 300 and the engine kind of pulls down. Shut everything down. Look ... look ... call Reinbold.  "Please leave a message.  ... This subscriber cannot accept messages at this time"  Try again, same thing.

Call Carlisle.  No answer at office.  Call Kyler's cell.  He's someplace on the east side of Indiana, but says try this and this.

Go home, get Ohm meter (remember, I was driving the Mule), come back, climb tower, check, climb next tower, check, climb next tower ... continuity to ground.  Not good.  Call Kyler again.  Yep, bad stator on motor.  (translation: the coil part is bad.  Don't replace whole motor, just case and coil) He'll see if someone can go to the shop and set one out.  I tell him to set out two.

Drive to Carlisle, get two boxes that probably cost twice what they should.  Put it on, it tests good. Start irrigator up, it walks, but safety shuts down.  Restart, back up so in line, restart, it works.   Go check out other irrigator, move it to make sure IT works, shut down, drain oil, check on north one again.  Working just like it should. Go to shop, do some stuff for an hour or so, come back past on way to meeting in Effingham.

It is shut down, has been long enough all the water drained out.  Probably quit about the time I crossed the creek going to the shop.

Start engine, run up to speed ... and fire starts coming out of cable from generator to pivot, a couple feet from the generator.

Yes, I did a quick shut down.  I look it over.  Cable is original.  I peel back the cover to see if I can shorten it up and get by.  Inner conductor insulation is cracked and whenever I flex it cracks worse.

I call Rural King.  "Hello, Rural King,This is ______.  May I help you?"  I get transferred to electrical. 2 1/2 minutes later (my phone has a timer) I hang up and redial.

"Hello, Rural King,This is ______.  May I help you?"

"Yes, I was waiting on someone from electrical and we were disconnected." (I didn't say HOW we were disconnected) I get put on hold for about a minute. Someone picks up the phone.

"I need some electrical cable to go from my generator to my irrigator pivot.  It has 4 10 gauge wires in a rubber cover."

"I don't have any 10 gauge.  I have 8 gauge."

"OK, I'll make it work.  When do you close?"

"6:00"

"I'm headed your way"

That is 50 minutes and it takes about 25 to get there. 6:00.  The only farm store in 50 miles and they close at 6:00 in farming season.

I get there, grab a cart, and go to electrical.  "I don't know who you talked to, but the only 4 conductor anything we have is this."  "This" is indoor 3 conductor 10 with what looks like a 14 gauge bare ground.

He does have some very good looking 3-10 heavy cover outdoor cord.  So I buy 30 ft of it and a 50 ft 10 gauge extension cord and a new plug.

Yes, I did.  And Yes, it does look odd.  And Yes, I do intend to fix it right.  But it is working.

I start it up, Everything looks good.  I install some end gun stops while it runs a bit.  I head down the drive about 15 minutes before sunset.

Wait a minute.  That tire looks low.  It is. And that tower has a flag on it to check the gearbox closely. On that wheel.

So I go back, shut it down, and decide to let the ground firm up overnight before messing with that.

And my wife says I am grouchy when I get home.

Went for a walk in the woods Saturday

Perhaps a walk in the woods is a poor description.  Here's the set up:

Authorities are looking for a missing hunter in northwestern Crawford County. Sheriff Todd Liston says 55-year-old Steven Moyes went hunting Friday morning and never came back. They found his vehicle, but no signs of Moyes.

Saturday the search went full scale. They called for manpower from area fire departments, search teams, etc.   The are we were searching was one of the largest wooded areas I know of in a couple counties that is not a park or reserve of some kind.  Here is the initial search area

Where the truck was found is probably a mile and half of the main road east of there, which is not even on this map! That is a lot of woods, hills, underbrush, creeks, etc. It included old home sites, an abandoned open well or two, oil wells, hills and hollers, a couple almost swamp areas.  It was an adventure.

We knew it could be difficult because of the terrain.  It would be compounded by the fact he was a turkey hunter.  Most likely he was in full camo and if setting might be in a very hard to see spot.

The group I was in was 12 people.  We swept an area, then went to another.  We met up with two other similar sized groups in a fairly clear spot out in the middle of the woods.  Here we are waiting for further instructions on where to go

That was one of the clear areas.  Especially on the southeast side there were spots so rank and overgrown they nearly impassable.   Areas were searched, then later searched again.

Turnout was amazing.  When they recalled us I took a couple photos on the way in

These photos don't nearly do justice to the people handling logistics.  Command center, food tent, porta-potties, trash,fuel, cooling tent, fans, communications, transportation, air search, tracking dogs..

 Just amazing.

Yes, there were some glitches.  Some things could be improved, there always are.  You learn every time you do something like this.  The out pouring from the community was amazing as well.  I had the blue mule there to assist in transporting.  Most vehicles were parked a the road and people were transported a mile or so to the staging area, then another half mile or more to the search areas. I took someone to the parking area and as I was turning around a Deputy asked if I could haul some supplies back/  Turns out someone has bought 3 cases of bottled water and a cooler.  She said her name and number were on the cooler (a very nice one, too) and if she got it back fine, and if not no problem.  It was only a cooler.   I am confident in saying there were 20-30 cases of water setting in the food tent that were donated.

Crawford Rescue has said there were 150 searchers at one point, but that doesn't include support people or others who had helped but left.


If anyone wants to have a reason to choose to live in southeast Illinois, times like this are one of them.


WTHI News story
Crawford County Rescue
Rescue 300
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