When I Met a Legion: Lorretta Lynn

Posted on October 5, 2022 by John Schmitt

This is a story of Lorretta Lynn’s kindness and willingness to spend a few minutes with a couple of draftees back in 1968.

We were nearing the end of boot camp at Fort Campbell, KY when a couple of busloads of civilization starved, soon to be solders, were driven into Nashville, TN for a Sunday afternoon adventure. I think the Army wanted to see if we still remembered how to behave in a city full of civilians.

Anyway, we toured the replica of the Parthenon somewhere in Nashville, which is pretty impressive. Pretty sure we toured the capital building, too. Then, we were taken to the Country Music Hall of Fame.

It was there that a buddy and I were taking in the memorabilia in the exhibits when a gentle lady approached us. I had no idea who she was, but she seemed to know a lot about the exhibits. She walked with us for several minutes, chatting, asking us where we were from, pointing out certain display items. Mostly it was just small talk. I don’t remember the conversations. She made us at feel, not important, but somehow special.

Shortly after she moved on to other GI’s, we were told to assemble near a small stage. This lady’s 16-year-old sister was going to sing a few songs for us. We all thought, OK, that’s cool.

Well, of course, that sister was Crystal Gayle.

Meeting Lorretta Lynn didn’t turn me into a country music fan, but she did make an impression on a very young, Midwesterner. I’ve always respected her for way she made us feel welcomed.

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We Know What To Do … Why Can’t We Do It?

Posted on September 7, 2011 by John Schmitt

My roommate and I were both taking the same Macro Economics class at the Univ. of Illinois Chicago Circle Campus. We were both basically sophomores and it was spring quarter, 1970.

The Sunday before the final exam we were sitting in the sunshine on campus studying. The professor had told us the final would consist of one essay question. One question that we would use what we’d learned that quarter to answer in essay form in one of those blue essay booklets. You know, those damn killer essay exams!

One question: What could that question be?

Well, in 1970 Richard Nixon was president and the economy was in bad shape (high unemployment, “stagflation”, etc.). But Tom and I had just spent 10 weeks studying the macro econ tools that governments can use to stimulate economic growth, control inflation, etc. and felt good about knowing this complex subject.

But, what the hell one question would he ask?

In a flash of intellectual brilliance I said “What if the question is: ‘You’ve just been appointed to President Nixon’s Board of Economic Advisers. What recommendations would you make to improve the economy?’”

So, the two of us talked through the 4-5 things that Nixon could do to lower both unemployment and inflation. We went back to our notes and the textbook to be sure we had the concepts right. We came up with several actions Nixon could take.

Well, the next day we went to the final and were absolutely stunned to see that was the exact question! Needless to say we both got A’s for the course.

But that’s not the moral of the story.

Here we are today in the fourth year of the worst recession since the 1930’s and there doesn’t seem to be anyone in power whose actions indicate they know a way out. The incredibly tragic fact is that right now there are thousands of sophomores taking Econ 102 classes and learning about the tools that, if applied, would get us out of this recession. We just need to look at history.

We need public works projects! People need jobs and our country needs its bridges repaired, schools rebuilt, roads re-paved, rivers dredged, power plants updated, etc. The list is so easy to compile it’s ridiculous!

Our nation’s problem is not that we don’t know how to improve the economy and relieve the sufferings of millions of idled workers and their families. Our problem is we don’t have the political will or, in the case of the current GOP controlled House of Representatives, there’s no political benefit to their party in actually ending this recession before January 2013.

So, at what point does the GOP’s obstructing the recovery of our nation’s economic health cross the line from being just politics as usual and become unpatriotic actions bordering on treason?

I truly hope every ex-Econ 102 student remembers the stimulus lessons they learned and holds our public servants accountable for their in-actions that have caused this recession to go on way too long.

(Check this source for details on Nixon’s economic police)

Posted in 1970, Economics, GOP, Nixon, Obama, Politics, Public Works | 1 Comment

Why Obama Punted on Third Down

Posted on December 13, 2010 by John Schmitt

Sports analogies are great. Their simplicity often allows you to re-examine situations to reveal alternate possibilities.

After President Obama announced the back room deal with Senator Mitch McConnell to extend the Bush Tax cuts I was ready to peel the Obama sticker off my car. I was outraged. How could any Democrat president compromise with the slimy, self-centered GOP? With three weeks to go before the December 31st tax expiration his deal was referred by one congressman as “punting on third down.” The subsequent uproar across the country has been aimed at the president. Why did he betray us?

Well, McConnell had been very clear all along what game the GOP is playing – nothing gets past until the Bush tax cuts are extended. If the game clock was to run out and the tax cuts expired the GOP would’ve nailed the Dems in 2012 for raising taxes during a recession. With the senate’s 60 vote filibuster rule nothing was going to happen and the clock running out favored the GOP.

So, using the football analogy let’s cast the president as the head coach, the house as the defensive team and the senate is the offensive squad and maybe we will see plausible logic for what the president did.

There are two good reasons to punt on third down. One is to surprise the other team and with hopes to recover a fumble in their territory. The other reason is when the coach has no confidence in the quarterback’s ability to gain yardage on the upcoming 3rd down. So, to save yardage, he decides it’s better to punt on 3rd down.

At the Saturday session (12/4) Harry Reid was only able to raise 53 votes toward getting the tax cuts extended for those making under $250,000. The ball was not being moved and the game clock is running out. BTW, 53 votes is the same number that Judge Clarence Thomas was confirmed back when it only took a simple majority to make something happen.

It’s clear to me now that Obama had lost confidence that Harry Read would ever get a first down and so he “punted” while there was till time on the clock. If he hadn’t acted and agreed to a “framework” the senate wouldn’t run out the clock and unemployment insurance would stop for millions. Why would the GOP flinch? They had the Dems in a bind of their own making. Harry Reid and the Democratic majority could’ve changed the 60 vote rule in 2009 but he didn’t. It was a huge fumble.

Having to get 60 votes to get a bill passed is like agreeing to start your offense on the 10 yard line while the other team gets to start on your 40. The absurdity of Reid counting on Joe Lieberman as his 60th vote has proven time and time again that the senate needs a new quarterback.

Once the “deal with the devils” was announced Obama was criticized for chastising the Dems and not the GOP who have been holding the unemployed hostage. When his team is not scoring points the coach yells at his team not the opposition. The congressmen in the house and Dems across the country ought to be screaming at Harry Reid and the Democrat Party not the president.

Obama probably made the most difficult decision of his presidency but I believe he did it to save the unemployed from deeper economic distress and give them hope for a better future.

So, while it is terrible economic policy to give the rich tax breaks it’s even worse not to provide unemployment benefits to those unfortunate to have lost their livelihood. The economic stimulus and social justice benefits may outweigh the short-term costs.

Let’s hope so. And let’s hope the senate gets a new quarterback or at least a new play book.

Posted in HArry Reid, Obama, Politics | Leave a comment

Introduction to Jack Johnson

Posted on June 14, 2010 by John Schmitt
Eight or nine years ago Mary and I were parent chaperones for a high school water polo tournament in San Diego. It meant I got to drive a packed full 15 passenger Ford van around to multiple pools in the maze that is San Diego. Good times, actually.

We were between games and on our way to yet-another-pool when Francie, one of Emily’s teammates, asked if we’d play a CD of some music she’d burned.  She passed the CD to their coach, Aukai Ferguson, who was riding shotgun.

Aukai reluctantly put the CD in the rental van’s CD player. We braced ourselves for some loud, crude rap or other offense to an adult’s ears.

The first song had not been playing for more than 10-15 seconds and Aukai excitedly turned to ask where she’d gotten that CD. To my pleasant surprise, it was actually musical so I was not sure what he was excited about.

Well, Aukai is from Hawaii and Jack Johnson had been the best man at his wedding. They’d grown up together and how in the world did this 17 year old from Beaverton, Oregon  even know about Jack, yet alone have a CD of his music?

Of course, she’d downloaded it from the internet. Jack Johnson’s music had become viral to the internet-aware high schoolers.

And the rest, as they say, is history.
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Charlie Batchelor – a fine man, saved my ass

Posted on May 31, 2010 by John Schmitt

On the forty-third anniversary of the murder of Dr. King I am again reminded of a great act of kindness and bravery that I’d like to acknowledge.

I was stationed at Ft. Dix, NJ the day Martin Luther King was killed. Two days later during the height of the riots I went on leave and took a bus from NJ through Baltimore, which was on fire, to Washington, DC. I was going to spend a few days with my uncle Jerry and his wife Carol in Silver Springs and then fly to St. Paul before going to Atlanta GA for my duty as a computer operator.

Going through DC you could smell the smoke from the buildings on fire. The bus dropped me at the terminal downtown DC at about 3:30 or so. There was no way to get to Silver Springs by public transportation and a curfew was going to start soon. I was in trouble. There I was, in uniform, skin headed and in the middle of a city on fire. The only other soldiers there had guns and were guarding public buildings and intersections.

Before I was drafted I worked for Control Data as a computer technician at the Navy Research Lab and the VA Hospital on north Capitol Ave. The VA was using a CDC 3200 for EKG research. They were looking for a way to predict cardiac diagnosis based on the mathematical syne waves of the EKG. One of the programmers I got to know was a black mathematician named Charlie Batchelor. Charlie and I went to lunch one day and we’re standing in line at the cafeteria and he suddenly tells me to feel his pulse. Well, as a CDC engineer we wore white coats at the VA so I felt like a doctor anyway. His pulse would pause and skip a whole beat. Not all the time but enough that he was a favorite test subject. Somewhere deep in the VA’s vault is my EKG when I was 23 or 24 as Charlie talked my into giving a sample.

So there I am outside the bus terminal at a pay phone looking up the VA Hospital main phone number. I asked for Charlie and for some reason he was still at work. I knew he lived in Silver Springs and it wouldn’t be out of his way to Jerry’s house if there wasn’t a riot going on. It was not a good place or time to be a white guy.  

For some reason Charlie came to my aid. He drove down side streets as we passed the Howard University area because the fires were on N Capital. I was crouched down in the passenger side trying not to be noticed. It was really scary.

When we got to my uncle’s house I thanked Charlie, closed the car door and never saw him again.

Charlie, I’d love to know what made you, two days after the terrible news of King’s assassination, come to the aid of a young white kid you had no obligation to help?

I think I know the answer. You are a great human being. Thank you again for being there when I needed a friend.

For background on early EKG research and a mention of Charlie’s contribution see: http://bit.ly/dptML2

Posted in Charlie Batchelor, Control Data Corporation, Martin Luther King | 1 Comment

Hello world!

Posted on May 25, 2010 by John Schmitt

First blog post – feeling the pressure to write something earth shattering. Not today.

Hoping to use this blog to record some interesting moments in my journey to here.

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