Harlingen, Texas, February 20, 2009: Like most writers with a lot of time on their hands, I was thinking about the next commentary I
was going to write. The article was going to be about the nose-dive our economy was taking and how the American people were reacting to everything falling apart around them. It was also just a few days before Christmas, 2008. The volunteer at the opposite Wal-Mart entrance walked over to talk with me. We were both ringing bells for the Salvation Army Christmas Bucket Drive. His bucket was overflowing with donations and mine was about to reach the same level. We decided to call the Army office and have them pick up our collections. Half way between our two buckets, the U.S. Marines were making a pitch on behalf of their Toys for Tots campaign. If they failed to receive enough donations, the 35,000 children in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas they were seeking to help would find no gifts under their Christmas trees. The people in this southmost corner of Texas know about hard times and poverty. It is one of the most under employed, under educated and economically depressed regions of the country. Where most of the country bemoans unemployment approaching 8%, such a figure would signify fairly good times in many counties of South Texas. It is not unusual to see unemployment figures at 12% to 14% along the Texas-Mexico border. But, even though much of America would wring its hands in despair and cry out to Nanny Washington to solve the problem, Texans seem to be of hardier stock. At Christmas last year, the Salvation Army raised enough money to provide for everyone who came to them for assistance. The Marines met their target to provide a bright Christmas morning for those thousands of children