Blog #454                                November 20, 2025

 

A nickel for your thoughts!  You know what I’m talking about.  The government has stopped making pennies.  I guess, from now on, it will rain nickels from Heaven.  And cheap-skates will be called nickel-pinchers.

 

I’m telling you, Ladies and Gents

That we’ve stopped making pennies, and hence

Just between me and you

You know that it’s true

That our government doesn’t make cents.

 

And here’s a song-lyric quiz:  You don’t need a penny just to hang around, but if you’ve got a nickel, won’t you lay your money down.  What song does that come from?  You’ve heard it; I know you have.  Answer later. 

 

Hi there and welcome back.  I hope you’re feeling well.  I’m feeling angry.  Sorry, but once in a while I just have to rant.  Here it is:  Last season, the St. Louis Cardinals paid a pitcher $25 million for one year.  The average salary for a police officer in St. Louis is about $65,000.  We can either have one pitcher or 384 police officers.  What is wrong with us?  Where have we lost our way?  Sure, the Cardinals bring in lots of tourists who spend money at hotels and restaurants.  And who protects these tourists from being shot, robbed, raped or car-jacked in the parking lot?  Police officers!  And why are all the police officers outside protecting us?  Because they can’t afford to be inside where it costs $300 for the officer, spouse and two kids to go to the game.  But look at all the tax dollars that these tourists bring in.  Great, and what does the city do with all the tax dollars?  They sure don’t pay their police officers.  They just investigate their police officers and reprimand their police officers and prosecute their police officers.  But we have a pitcher.

 

We have become a society where singers, actors and athletes make exorbitant millions, but where teachers, police officers and firefighters make a pitifully low wage.  P. Diddy is worth $400 million dollars.  He’s in prison, he’s a scumbag and he’s a woman beater, but he’s worth more than the yearly salary of six thousand police officers.  Shame on us!

 

I’ll calm down next week because we’re going to North Carolina for the holiday.  The last time I was there, I borrowed my daughter’s van to go to McDonald’s.  It was cold that morning and when I started up, the seat warmer activated.  I didn’t even know the van had a seat warmer.  After two minutes, however, I knew.  After three minutes I was frantically searching for an on-off switch.  After four minutes I was standing up.  Have you ever tried to drive while standing up?  It ought to be a new Olympic event -- Brake Dancing.

 

Every Sunday, my phone pings to report how much time I averaged on my phone during the past week.  Last Sunday, it alerted me that I averaged 41 minutes a day on my phone.  I believe that’s a record low for an able, sentient being.  My grandchildren spend that much time on their phones every hour.  My cat probably spends more time than that.  Plus, I don’t watch television.  I’m happy to spend my time with my books and my blog   Sentient, our Weekly Word, means showing perception and awareness and knowledge.

 

Message from Shakespeare, the three-legged cat:  Sleep that knits up the raveled sleeve of care, the death of each day's life (Macbeth).  I don’t have a phone.  I don’t know what I’d do with it.  I don’t have any friends to call and I only have one paw.  I spend my time mostly sleeping. Purr.

 

The lyrics about pennies and nickels that I quoted earlier come from a song called

Down on the Corner by Creedence Clearwater Revival.  I know you’ve heard it.  Go on YouTube and play it.  What, you can’t do YouTube?  Check out our Weekly Word, sentient.  Wake up.

 

I need to talk about names nowadays.  My granddaughter’s name is Charley.  At her last birthday party, I noticed the place-settings: Charley, Sam, Madison, Dylan, Jordan and Morgan.  All girls.  Girls’ names have expanded to include many traditionally male names, but it doesn’t seem to work the other way.  You don’t see many boys named Shirley or Betsy or Alice. 

 

I remember when Charley told me some new neighbors had moved in.  I asked if they had any kids.  Yes, she said, Alice and David.  They must be Chinese, I said.  She was stunned!  I was right!  I’m sure you have noticed that young American children are all Kaneesha and Fulton and Morgan and Meghan and Bryce and Beckett and Odin and Ahmad?  If you find an Alice or a David, I guarantee you they’re Chinese.

 

I remember, some years ago, watching a show with my grandchildren.  It was called Baby Daddy.  I was horrified.  Here were children watching an innocent-looking sit-com with young men and women and canned laughter.  Sounds like Friends, doesn’t it?  Nope!  In this episode, all the young women thought they were pregnant because their boyfriends had discovered holes in their condoms.   Can you imagine such a thing?  I don’t know how old you are, but in my day no such thing would have been permissible on TV.  Can you just imagine Wally Cleaver telling Ward that he got a girl pregnant?  The TV would have exploded in our living room and my parents would have washed my brain out with Lava Soap.  That’s right, Kiddies, tune in tomorrow when:

 

Father Knows Best has an affair with his secretary; 

Hoss Cartwright gets caught with a sheep;

Carol Brady raises money for the PTA by selling nude photos of Marcia;

Howdy Doody has a woody and  

We find out that “Kemosabe” really means “Steaming Stud Muffin.”

And don’t miss the Saturday Night Special when Dr. Cliff Huxtable drugs and assaults 29 women.

 

And don’t tell your parents.

 

I guess you can tell I’m a little angry this week.  Angry about how little we pay our police officers, angry about the decline of manners and culture.  Angry that Superman can no longer help us because there’s no place for him to change clothes any more.  But I’m not angry with you.  Next week it will be Thanksgiving, so be sure to tune in, Kiddies.  Stay well, count your blessings -- and don’t tell your parents.

 

Kemosabe                                Send comments to mfox1746@gmail.com