Oh, the shame of it! Three times the man said it.

No, come to think of it he only said it once, but it was repeated on television three times.

Probably more, but I never listen to Fox news so I only heard it three times.

Oh, you know what I’m talking about!

The man said the Democrats had no plans, no ideas, no leadership, just the ability to criticize their betters.

I tell you I was downright depressed.

But then I happened to run into Keith Miller and his beautiful wife, Micki.

Keith pointed out that beautiful women tend to marry homely men.

Fishing for compliments he was and he needn’t.

He’s a very good looking man and moreover has a twinkle in his eye that sort of reconciled me to belonging to a party that has no ideas nor leadership.

Maybe we can muddle through without them. During the Clinton administration we balanced the budget, achieved full employment and had a superb foreign relationship.

President Clinton, when his term ended, even left the country with a surplus.

That, of course, didn’t last long when ideas run toward making sure that the wealthy among us have no difficulty in obtaining a second yacht.

Oh, I know. If we keep the wealthy even wealthier it will all trickle down and everybody will be happy. Too bad so much of it is trickling down in third world countries where workers can be paid 11 cents an hour and employers don’t have to pay taxes.

Certainly no one can deny that there’s plenty of leadership.

We’ve been led into a war that makes Vietnam look like a summer picnic. We’ve established democracy in Iraq.

Every time I hear about our establishing democracy in Iraq I think about that Boy Scout reporting his good deed for the day to his Scout Master.

“I helped a little old lady across the street, sir.&uot;

“You did? Well that’s fine. But how did your tie get all twisted? How did you get that rip in your shirt? Why is your face all scratched?”

“Well, to tell you the truth, sir, the little old lady didn’t want to go across the street.”

Ah well, I understand that what with the tax situation and the new plans for Social Security that the middle class is on its way out.

So, as we go steadily backward to the “good old days,” I try to adjust by rehearsing that old time prayer.

“God bless the squire and his relations and keep us in our proper stations.”

(Love Cruikshank is an Albert Lea resident. Her column runs Thursday.)