Friday.....America.....Hot Buttons

Joey:           Hey Gramps.
Gramps:     Hi Joey. And for what reason do I have this pleasure?
Joey:          I was wondering if you would do me a favor and help with a school project?
Gramps:     Sure. What is it?
Joey:          Well, it's for my Civics class. Mr. Horton's assignment is to ask three people their opinions 
                  on who was America's best president and who was the worst.
                  They have to be from three different age groups, for instance I can have one young, one
                  middle age and one elderly.
Gramps:     I'm in, Who are you getting for the young person and the elderly one?
Joey:          Uh....Well I asked Uncle Tim....and I asked Jimmy Jones who graduated a few years ago..
Grampa:    Hmmmm. So that makes me...the....uh....elderly?
Joey:          Well, yeah...elderly or senior citizen I guess.
Granpa:     Joey. I'm 59 and 3/4 years old. Did you know that Gordie Howe played 
                  professional hockey until he was 51 years old?
Joey:         Gordie who?
Gramps:    Not "who"..."Howe."
Joey:         How what?
Granpa:     Never mind.
Joey:         Wow, you knew a lot about sports when you were young!
Gramps:    So, do you just want me to name the presidents?
Joey:         Well, you're supposed to give your thoughts on why you chose them.
Gramps:    That's a cinch...... What do you mean "when I was young?"  Did you know that Tom
                 Watson, he's five months older than me by the way, led most of the way in last year's
                 U. S. Open?
Joey:         Was that the "Senior" league?
Gramps:    No that wasn't the Senior league!  Well, hey anyway. If there's three things I got to
                  give...it's opinions, opinions and opinions.
Joey:         Great. I've got a recorder here, so you can just talk and I'll write down your answers
                  later.
Grampa:    Ok, here we go. By the way. Did you know that Grandma Moses didn't start painting
                  until she was in her 70s? That 7...zero...70s!
Joey:         Was she my great-grandma?
Grampa:    No.  Never mind. You know, I was thinking. the name "Gramps" makes one sound old....
                  now you can't really call me Wilbur?
Joey:          Did you have a nickname when you were....uh....real, real young?
Gramps:    Well, yeah. They called me "bolthead" because I liked to fix cars so much.
Jeay:         Bolt....head?
Gramps:    Not, bolt........head, bolthead, the girls loved it.
Joey:          So you want me to call you Grampa bolthead?
Gramps:     Lets just forget it, back to this assignment...take a seat and fasten
                  your seat belt for you hit on two hot buttons today.
Joey:         Hey, you got a lot a "hot buttons", how bout if I call you "hot
                 buttons?"
Gramps     Hot buttons huh? Yeah that'll work.
Joey:         Did my dad have a nickname when he was young?
Hot Buttons: Yes he did but I think that he should be the one who tells you...if he wants to.
                     Ok. here we go.....cough cough
                     ah...hem!   
                     I've actually thought about this before.My vote for our greatest president was the
                     Gipper.
Joey:             The What?
Hot Buttons:  The Gipper. You mean you that you didn't know that Ronald Reagan's nick-
                      was the "Gipper." Well, let me tell you something else that you might not have known. 
                      Reagan was a couple of weeks short of 70 years old, that's 7...zero...70 when he was 
                      inaugurated our 40th president. Anyway, I look at three areas when trying to make a
                      choice like this. How did the economy do during the presidency, how about our foreign
                      policy and national defense....and was the American public changed in any way while
                     he was in office? On the economy, America prospered, primarily due to tax cuts for
                     the American people, after the malaise of the Carter Administration. Do you know what
                     "Malaise" means?
Joey:             No!
Hot buttons:  Neither do I but put it in anyway...it sounds good. Anyway, Reagan strengthened our
                      military, that and our growth was a death knell for the Soviet Union. As for the spirit
                      of Americans...his words, always beautiful and profound, inspired, they motivated,
                      they instilled a confidence in the people, they melted even his stronger detractors.
                      He was the quintessential example of leadership. Do you know what "quintessential" 
                      means?
Joey:             Yeah.
Hot Buttons:  Good. Tell me later.  So that's my choice for our greatest president.  As for the worst. 
                       Joey, this is sad in talking about for it's our current president. I knew from the 
                       beginning that I disagreed with his policies but I wasn't prepared for what transpired,
                       and it continues almost every day. The bailouts, admittedly started by his predecessor, 
                       and the stimulus packages that put us so deeply in debt that we will never overcome
                       this burden, the attack on "business" in general that appears to come from deep 
                       inward hostility towards America's worldwide economic prowess, and the taxation 
                       that will make "all" Americans totally dependent on what their government allows,
                       these things, and others, make him America's worst president on our economy. The 
                       national defense and foreign policy is even worse, if possible. Our  longstanding
                       advantage in military capabilities is being eroded. Aircraft and navies of governments
                       who are not friends of ours, are catching up and may surpass us. Our allies are on 
                       "pins and needles" as they try to determine what we will do in an emergency. Lastly, the
                       American public has become two peoples in one nation, one still resembling America's 
                       heritage and the other being cast in the European mold, and even the worst of that
                       mold. This president plays to our weaknesses instead of challenging us to think. He
                       encourages us to memorize and discourages us to analyze. He's undoing all that Martin
                       Luther King accomplished. He lumps honest dissenters in with terrorists and lumps
                       terrorists in with honest Muslims. And we are only 18 months into his term!  Well,
                       that's about it.
Joey:              Thanks a lot Hot Buttons. I'll tell my dad how much you helped me. He's the one
                       that recommended you for the el...der..ly person.
Hot Buttons:   Squiggy!
Joey:              Squiggy?
Hot Buttons:   Yeah...Squiggy. That was your dad's nick-name. Tell Squiggy that Hot Buttons says,
                      "you're welcome!?