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Ben Stein's Diary
Before Sunset
Our monthly Diarist’s print magazine installment.
FRIDAY
I awakened about noon at the
fabulous Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Last night
I gave a short talk and then a longer speech to investors and
depositors at a bank with the great name of Integrity. My speech
was about the economy and how screwed up both GOP and Democratic
politicians have left it. I also talked about how well-chosen
investments in public but small capitalization stocks (not penny
stocks; well run companies) had done over long years.
The audience was intelligent and friendly. Afterward, I had dinner with my pal JW his wife and my pal Dave and their colleague Gary. It was a delicious meal on a veranda overlooking the lake at the Broadmoor. My wife was too tired to join us, but we had a good time anyway.
I stayed up far too late, which has become a real problem for me. So, this morning, even with sleeping late, I am tired. I dragged myself out of bed, dragged my wife out of bed, and we had a fine lunch at the Broadmoor. It was some kind of cheeseburger that just tasted amazingly good.
Then, into our car for a ride to the Denver airport. I like taking cars for trips of less than four hours instead of short hop flights. I sleep in the car and it’s relaxing to not have to go through security. This time, I also wanted to stop at the Chik-fil-A in Castle Rock. The owner is a pal and the chicken sandwich is heavenly.
Our driver, a severe-looking woman, had other plans. She did not know how to find the Chik-fil-A (which is well marked on the exit sign). She also “never eat[s] processed food or foods at restaurants…” Finally, her tight work schedule that day would not allow a 10-minute stop for food for me.
I was angry. I had allowed four hours for a two-hour trip exactly so I could stop. I am a super good customer of their company. And I dislike being condescended to about food.
However, I just went back to sleep. I am trying not to make mountains out of molehills because a woman in D.C. told me that was something Jews did that really annoyed her. (She’s a transgender, by the way. It takes all kinds. I dislike having her judge me…on the other hand, she’s probably right. The fact that she is transgender does not disqualify her opinions.)
Anyway, we got to the airport and got our Southwest tickets to Spokane. I was stunned at how much they cost. I guess SW was once the low cost carrier but isn’t any longer. What happened?
We got some McDonald’s food at the C concourse. Meat. Processed. At a restaurant. Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa. Many people came by for photos. A staggeringly beautiful young Ethiopian woman waited on me at Mickey D’s. As far as I could tell, almost everyone working there was Ethiopian.
Query: How come they can get jobs and Americans can’t? Is it because maybe they are better motivated than some Americans? Come to think of it, a great many of the staff at the Broadmoor were from Mexico or the Caribbean or Africa. Are there no Americans who will take these jobs? If not, why do we pay them unemployment insurance? If there is so much unemployment, why do we have to go to Nigeria and Jamaica to find willing workers? I am obviously missing something here.
At the gate, we met a group of Army Reservists just back from 10 months in Afghanistan. They were young and charming and amazingly hung over. They were all from the Spokane area. I asked one of them, a medic with a bomb disposal unit, what the Afghans were like.
“They like to squat and stare at you all day,” he said. “I used to pick out the ones who were going to try to kill me. But I didn’t do anything to them. Not until they started shooting at me.”
The flight was delayed, which I foolishly had thought never happened on SW. But when we got to Spokane, at almost midnight, the scene was magnificent, like a glorious World War II movie. The six soldiers on the flight came out in a group, and a column of veterans with many flags stood forming a guard around them. A large crowd erupted in cheers and applause and—this part brings me to tears—a wife ran so fast into the arms of the first returning soldier that she almost knocked him down and then his tiny daughter leapt into his arms and the crowd cheered and cheered.
A Baptist minister and I joined in a prayer of thanksgiving to God for bringing these men back alive and well.
There is a lot of patriotism still in this country. A helluva lot. Plenty of gratitude, too.
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.
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Denver Todd| 10.31.11 @ 9:09AM
Southwest may not always have the cheapest fares, but they make up for that by having fabulous change policies and free baggage.
Humphrey Dumfries | 10.31.11 @ 9:36AM
...and certifiable flight crews... Not sure at what point singing stewardesses seemed like a good idea, but they freak me out.
Occam's Tool| 10.31.11 @ 11:10AM
Perhaps the taxes on fuel, which is all part of the higher tax regimen on everyone, especially greedy companies, is part of the reason your flight cost so much, Ben.
The purpose of taxes is to raise the money the government needs to provide appropriate services. NOTHING ELSE! Not to punish or hurt people.
sam vaughn| 10.31.11 @ 6:20PM
and what appropriate service would that be? fondling my genitals? having my luggage searched and items of interest confiscated? having my parents, in their 80's interogated because my Dad has a plate in his head courtesy Chosin, Korea?
emilio lizardo, PhD| 11.1.11 @ 9:21AM
wondering if anyone caught ol' Ben on Fox this AM (Tuesday 11/1) calling for "massive" tax increases across the board to alleviate the deficit. I suspect Ben is an economist to the same degree as he is an "actor". The ravages of his perpetual gourmand's tour and the stuffing himself with Chik-Fil-A is rotting his mind. Time to pull the plug. AMF,Ben
Peppermint Tea| 10.31.11 @ 12:31PM
Tender and touching diary, but I wonder, "Is Ben still alive or is he just a Halloween ghost viewing the world and imagining?"
Vern Crisler| 10.31.11 @ 3:02PM
SW tickets will cost more if you buy them at the airport. You've got to order them online or in advance to get better deals.
Ethnic people work at McD because the neighborhood is probably mostly ethnic, and that's who the franchisee wants to hire for their location.
Also my understanding is fast food restaurants hire mainly part time people, and therefore don't have to provide health insurance, etc.
Obviously the owners of the fast-food restaurants think part-time ethnics are a better hire than part-time high school whites, who will only work for a little while, then quit. Ethnics will stay on for a long time.
sam vaughn| 10.31.11 @ 6:11PM
Ben, thanks as always, the part about the veterans brought a tear to my eye. I stood in the airport in Charlotte recently, a small crowd had formed at the window. I peered out to see and saw a flag-draped casket descending from the rear of the plane. A small honor guard stood by and half a dozen people walked up. An officer said a few words and I saw small man, he just looked small, perhaps shrunken, grief will do that, but he straightened up as tall as he could go and saluted. The Delta ground crew stood by, some in tears. I don't know any of them but I sat down with tears in my own eyes. I goout of my way to greet soldiers in my travels, they deserve 1,000 smalls thanks from people like us.
Glen H| 10.31.11 @ 7:25PM
So what am I missing here? If you are going to schedule traffic work to inconvenience the least amount of people, wouldn't you schedule it ... after midnight?
Squiddly| 11.1.11 @ 7:48AM
The part you missed was this: "It was one of the worst traffic jams I have ever seen in Spokane--after midnight. I was really furious, especially because I did not see one single solitary workman."
Grouchy| 11.1.11 @ 1:49AM
So few comments....Ben usually get 100 s, but
maybe there's nothing controversial here..
Judy Wolfram| 11.2.11 @ 10:06AM
Thanks for your wonderful insights,Ben. I was wondering if you had any or could steer me towards commentary about Nixon invading Cambodia and whether it was a good idea. My son is writing a paper for his Honors American History Class and I wanted to give him a hand. Any books or articles we should check out?
William (Bill) Benton| 12.9.11 @ 6:50PM
Ben: I'm 80 years young & remember my stint in the Korea "police action." My son is a mechanic with south west working out of Phoenix. He's made it possible for his Mother & me to fly all over their system. I used to travel a lot on a ton of airlines when I toured my one-man show, Clarence Darrow, by David Rintells. (He wrote it when Henry Fonda commissioned it. Great writing, made me look good.) The point is, I'm not being just prejudice when I say SW beat 'em all. Enjoy your writing a lot, don't always agree with you, but like your stuff just the same. Bill Benton, Fort Collins, CO (a real GREAT place to live.)