Through An 'Old Timer's' Eyes
By Howard 'Mac' McDonald

All of the politicians are talking about taxes now. The poor old working stiff hears all the speeches and always ends up footing the bill.

Working people only think about the tax that is taken out of their pay. Most people don't realize that almost everything you buy has some kind of tax on it.

The last time I checked, the Feds were getting 18 cents on every gallon of gas that is sold. With millions and millions of cars on the road, just do the math.

Utility bills are high enough, but they're swelled even more by taxes. There is even a death tax. I guess no matter what you do, you can't escape from taxes.

If I were a poet or a songwriter, I would be busy composing some kind of tribute to the magnificent weather we have been having.

I would write about the cool mountain mornings and the bright sunny afternoons. The silver autumn moon would inspire some kind of love ballad.

As Old Father Time creeps up on us, it would have been a sin not to have taken a drive this past Sunday afternoon. After church, my wife and I loaded Sarge in the car and drove to Sprague's in Portville, N.Y., for dinner.

Goldenrod colored the fields and roadside ditches with a brilliant hue reflecting the sun's golden rays. Mixed in was a purple wildflower I couldn't identify.

It amazes me how Sprague's can turn out so much food and maintain such a high standard. The service and atmosphere are great. No one asks you to come back because they know you will.

The other day, one of the TV stations showed the movie, "Forrest Gump." The protest scene that was filmed by the Lincoln Memorial and the reflection pool brought back a lot of memories.

I was flying three or four flights a month into Vietnam.

We lived in base housing at Dover, Del., and some Vietnam protesters slashed just about everyone's tires. They should never have taken out their spite on the GIs' families. They did not start the war.

Tonight I heard on the news that the war in Iraq is costing $740 million a day. Too bad the government won't spend some of that money to bring America's manufacturing jobs home again.

They are spending all that loot and still haven't caught the guy who hit us the hardest.

Cameron County's Red Raiders are on a roll. It sure is nice to have a winning football team. It makes things easier on the parents.

It seems like the studentathlete's whole world is centered around winning. Whoever said, "It's not whether you win or lose, but how you played the game?" I don't think that is the way it is anymore.

Last night when I was taking Sarge for his nightly walk, I tried to find the constellations. Finding the Big Dipper was no problem, but that was the only thing I recognized.

Where was Orion the hunter with his trusty bow and arrow? He probably knows it's archery season so he must have had his camo on.