-
Alan Abelson, RIP
May 10, 2013 | 20 comments
-
South Carolina on My Mind
April 30, 2013 | 31 comments
-
Dream Sequences
April 26, 2013 | 62 comments
-
Just Like a Woman
April 25, 2013 | 35 comments
-
Missing So Many
April 19, 2013 | 41 comments
Ben Stein's Diary
Late July
Sandpoint, Idaho, was never more glorious than this past summer.
Friday
My wife, my pal Phil DeMuth, and I
flew up to Spokane from LAX today. Our travel agent couldn’t get us
on our usual Alaska Airlines seats so she put us on Southwest
instead. Frankly, I was looking forward to it because while the
Southwest planes are packed, the flight attendants are usually so
funny and cheery to be around that I leave the planes feeling
great.
Ooops. Not today. The flight attendants on the first leg, from LAX to Oakland, were fairly pleasant but the ones on the flight from Oakland to Spokane were way off the beam. One, a tall, thin, older woman, accused us of getting on the plane impermissibly (how would we, could we, even have done that?) and then wanted to know if we were too old and weak to be in an exit row. Not in a polite or humorous way at all. That same woman bumped into me hard in my aisle seat over and over again as she was passing out peanuts. Somehow, no one else did. She had it in for me. The flight attendant near the cockpit was just as surly in her own way. I don’t know why. Lots of mocking comments on my TV appearances by those two. I didn’t get on this plane for this kind of treatment.
I know it’s not the end of the world. Life goes on. It is just that Southwest has a big rep for ultra-good flight attendants and these might need some refresher courses. That’s all. I have higher expectations of Southwest than I should have had. I still love them, though.
The Hertz counter clerk at GEG (Spokane) was super polite, as always, and a snack bar at the Ramada Inn next to the airport was clean and friendly. The bartender served me Diet RC Cola, a truly rare soft drink. I mention this because these little things—a smile here, a chuckle there, a hearty thanks—make all the difference in daily life. They make an immense difference on a travel day.
My old econ prof, the late, truly great C. Lowell Harriss, used to point out that a smile cost nothing, literally zero, yet conferred immense value. Why can’t more people smile? I just don’t get it. That one little smile I never got from that rude woman on Southwest would have made all the difference. Smiles just make all the difference everywhere.
Well, maybe not all the difference…as we headed toward Sandpoint, Phil read on his iPhone about the terrorism in Norway. What a horrible, unbelievably awful story. Was it just one lone killer with mental illness? How did he get a fully automatic assault rifle in Norway? How did he get a police uniform? How did he know how to make a huge bomb?
I have read many articles explaining the connections between the Oklahoma City bombers and al Qaeda. No government agencies seem to have followed up on these connections forcefully. Why not?
This horror show in Norway sounds like a similar situation: outwardly a homegrown terrorist, but possibly a captive of a foreign terrorist group. Anyway, it is a horrible, horrible story.
Then, on my fabulous, mind-bogglingly wonderful Sirius XM, we heard a report from Ethiopia on the BBC World Service about child brides in Ethiopia. They have some scary traditions there, including having brides as young as FIVE! Apparently brides in their preteens are not even unusual. This is crazy. What do they think they’re doing?
Then, one story after another about the budget and debt crisis. This is a potential catastrophe in the making. Over the last decade, I blame the supply-siders for getting us into this mess with the false promises of lowered taxes increasing revenue. But for right now, I blame Mr. Obama, who is president and has still not submitted a detailed budget plan to get us out from under. Where is the leadership he promised? “Yes, we can.” Yes, we can what? Drive the country into the ditch? I guess that’s what he meant.
There is a memorable conversation in The Great Gatsby in which the notorious lady golfer and reputed golf course cheater, Jordan Baker, a friend of the ultra-rich Tom and Daisy Buchanan, says, “I hate careless people. It takes two to make an accident.” Something like that. Not a precise quote. But anyway, here we have two extremely careless entities—the supply-siders and Mr. Obama—and we are about to have a really bad accident. Where did the grown-ups all disappear to? When did we last have a government of grown-ups? It has been a long, long time.
My researcher, Liz Heyman, recently went to the Nixon Library for me to gather material on RN’s behavior during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Now, this was some fine research and some fine data. RN stroking the Arabs so carefully, showing such firmness and yet lack of provocation to the Soviets, keeping Israel alive without starting a world war and meanwhile using the war as a chance to get closer to Egypt (which worked fantastically well and someone at the CIA should get a medal for what they accomplished in that arena). There were a pair of men, RN and Henry A. Kissinger, with brilliant, adult ideas on running a country and building a peace that would—and did—last for a generation.
Why doesn’t RN ever get the credit he deserves for giving mankind that greatest of all gifts—the gift of peace? Kissinger is still alive. He should get a lot more praise than he gets. Nixon and Kissinger. The peacemakers.
Anyway, we drove through the night to glorious Sandpoint, moved into our home up here, and I watched a funny Will Ferrell movie called Semi-Pro for an hour. I cannot always be serious.
Late at night I heard Mr. Buffett’s trains shaking my windows and rattling my walls, for the times they are a-changing. How I love Sandpoint. I love it, love it, love it. My haven.
About the Author
Ben Stein is a writer, actor, economist, and lawyer living in Beverly Hills and Malibu. He writes “Ben Stein’s Diary” for every issue of The American Spectator.
Douglas Fletcher | 10.3.11 @ 7:06AM
Ben, burying his head in the sandpoint.
Herb| 10.3.11 @ 8:51AM
At first I was appalled at Ben's lack of umbrage at his rotten treatment by the two flight attendants. Asking them their names and informing them that a formal complaint will follow would seem the logical response.
But then, post 9-11 passengers have become prisoners of the flight crews' every whim. A cross word from Ben might have triggered "Unruly passenger! Turn the plane around! Nobody leaves their seat! Call the Feds!"
Farfetched?
Denver Todd| 10.3.11 @ 10:40AM
Sometimes redemption or forgiveness is a better choice. Everyone has a bad day. Nobody should fear for their jobs when they have one.
Occam's Tool| 10.3.11 @ 11:48AM
The stewardesses may be TAS readers, pissed off at his raise taxes mantra.
I despise flying.
Occam's Tool| 10.3.11 @ 11:49AM
By the way, Ben---loweing taxes did raise revenue. Spending went up even faster.
Dr. Harrington| 10.3.11 @ 8:51AM
Ben's petty ramblings are sounding more and more like dementia. Time for TAS to "retire" him.
Anthony| 10.3.11 @ 9:08AM
I quite agree Dr. If only we can get RET to give Stein the same treatment as the flight attendants did.
Gee Ben, it's an unsavory world out there, perhaps private air travel is more your cup of elitist tea. No need to deal with the hoi polli and nasty flight attendants who don't appreciate you as much as we do here at TAS.
No doubt you got the best of these nasty beasts by refusing to give them autographs. Serves them right!!
Dan Hirsch| 10.3.11 @ 10:54AM
So nice to hear from an economist who cannot conceive of a condition wherein a sale, i.e. reduced price, does not result in a net increase in total revenue because the percentage increase in the number of sales is bigger than the percentage decrease in unit price.
Too hard for you, ol' Bennyboy? Try it like this, if I give a 10% price discount and my sales go up 100% (they double), will my revenue be bigger or smaller? My revenue will go up by 90%.
What does this have to do with supply-side you ask? Well if I give everybody a 10% income tax cut, and twice as many people start earning, the tax revenue WILL go up by 90%. Get it yet, ol Ben?
Ben always works hard to sound so normal. He's finally convinced me that he is normal, which in this country means oblivious to the fundamental laws of economics, mathematics, and reason.
Couldn't we get somebody else to report on their occasional traipse amongst us little people experiencing Americana with too much wealth and too little sense? Please! We really have too may know-nothings talking already.
DTOM
Dave| 10.3.11 @ 11:00AM
Yeah Ben, those crazy, irresponsible supply-siders really got it wrong, Reagan the worst among them!
Hey Ben, you're a whiny, not-so-bright, not-so-interesting writer. I'm done wasting my time reading your clueless complaining.
bill glass| 10.3.11 @ 11:49AM
Getting their names and such would make it easy to file a complaint - at least a friendly letter to let their bosses know about it... they'd want to know.
Anita| 10.3.11 @ 12:18PM
Within the next year and a half I will be losing my job. I will turn 65 and have to have for supplemental plans for Medicare and pay for them. I will also probably be losing my house.
Be nice to have a Sandpoint to go to.
Intelligent Design| 10.3.11 @ 2:57PM
Nice report from Idaho. Now here is a sample of what's happening in the world:
Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) has the right idea, re cutting funds to the UN and the Palestinian/Hamas coalition. Taxpayers' money is supporting terrorists who want to kill Jews, destroy Israel, and destroy the United States.
The U.S. Congress should cut off aid to the Palestinian/Hamas coalition, and defund the UN program called UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA). If it doesn't, then American taxpayers will continue to fund terrorists.
Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta is in Israel today, pressuring Israel to make concessions to terrorists, warning Israel not to attack Iran, and telling Israel that Obama opposes withholding American taxpayers' funds from the PA (the PA-Hamas, terrorist coalition). Per the Zionist Organization of America's Fall 2011 Report, the PA receives hundreds of millions of dollars per year from U.S. taxpayers.
So Obama is making a very deliberate decision to fund terrorism. Repeat: The President of the United States is giving our money to terrorists, also known as the ENEMY. When is Congress going to impeach Obama?
Junius| 10.3.11 @ 6:17PM
What ole' Ben forgot to mention is that the real reason the flight attendent was surly is because Ben was wearing his pants down low - gangbanger style! A major no no when flying Southwest.
Shill Watch| 10.3.11 @ 7:08PM
Stop spending our money and stay at home. Do the people of Idaho a favor.
Boston12GS| 10.3.11 @ 11:30PM
Still advocating raising the costs of job creation on the "millionaires and billionaires" of American society?
Huge fan of your Ferris Bueller spot. But that was a long, long time ago.
Enjoy your wife and dogs, and live a long and happy life. You are blessed with fortune.
For all other purposes, please go away. My family and I don't enjoy your lifestyle, and actually need jobs--jobs that will almost certainly be financed by the "rich" you so desperately want to tax further, and not by the "poor" trust fund babies blockading the Brooklyn Bridge and striking out at police officers.
Bob K.| 10.3.11 @ 11:56PM
Here is a word for your Researcher, Liz Heyman, Mr. Stein.
She deserves deserves a word of praise for doing your research on whether Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger deserves praise for their actions in the Yom Kippur war!
Damn, it must be great to have someone do your work for you!
Did you really write this article?
Squiddly| 10.4.11 @ 9:45AM
I find it fascinating that so many people come here to post negative comments about Mr. Stein. If you don't like his work, don't read it. It's a very simple concept.
Dave| 10.4.11 @ 2:03PM
Advice taken, thanks.
Paul Richert| 10.5.11 @ 5:25PM
We enjoyed spending two days in Sandpoint this summer on a two week trip to Idaho. It was fun.
After crossing the border going on the Selkirk loop I think the Southwest flight attendants are in training to become American or Canadian customs service agents.
Forrest in Sandpoint | 10.6.11 @ 5:22PM
Just the US side. The Canadians are far more civilized and get better results.