The Memphis BBQ was fantastic. Ended up at Interstate BBQ, and it was a meal to be enjoyed and quantity enough to have to bring some back to atlanta in carry out boxes. Dem folks knows thar BBQ, and fixins that is for sure!

Spent about 12 hours on the road. Left Atlanta, made a right in B’ham Alabama. Went North through parts of MIssissippi, and finally made it to Memphis Tn. Picked up a load of equipment, pigged out, and then followed the same route back to Atlanta. Listened to talk radio almost the entire time. Must have tuned in about 30 different radio stations along the journey. There is a Buzz in the air folks. And it is an angry one.

A lot of the radio shows had local callers voicing whats on thier mind. Its the government, and bail outs, and free money for banks and bonus $$ for executives, and billions for foreign banks. Even former Obama supporters and voters are taking a hard look at this ‘Change’, and questioning thier former ‘hopes’ for something different in government. Looks like for some, it did not take long for the ‘rainbow’ to turn into dark thundering clouds. I have some advice for Obama, Treasury Dept, The Fed, and all those elected dopes in Washington…..best get your act together and get your media lap dogs spinning all great things really are, and how the Stimulus is working. Better do it fast. There is a spark, at least in the South, that will build into flames by summer’s end, if they dont convince a lot of disgruntled folks that they are left holding an empty bag of hot air…of promises broken. Just one farmboys take on the stituation, but I dont think I am that far off in reading the airwaves.

Seemed every Pawn Shop and Check Cashing place of business had large signs up offering to buy gold. And I must have seen hundred or more of these places. Seen many large commerical buildings and warehouses shutterd closed, boarded up. Seen a small tent city in Memphis. Picked up a couple local newspapers and was shocked to see how local reporters in small towns are telling the Economic Story without the positive spin by the National News Media. Talk of food banks without food. Tongue in cheek reports about the 8 % unemployment. One reporter said according to thier own stats, unemployment was over 20 % already. Even higher for minorities. Reports of how ’shelters’ were maxed out, and why so many are seen on the streets, or camped out along a creek or private lake. More talk about how county operated medical clinics were over run and lacking supplies.

Seen plenty of car dealerships closed, or down to a very small inventory. (Guessing down by as much as 90% based on the size of the dealership and empty parking lots that no longer held hundreds of cars)
Seen where one fella had a hundred or so pieces of heavy equipment, bulldozers, graders, etc parked out next to the interestate for sale. Most of it looked to be of recent vintage. Seen several grocery stores that had recently closed. Cant quite figure that one out as I did not see a nearby Wal-Mart?? Liquor stores seem to be doing ok…did not see any of them closed.

And I think I saw a couple glimpses of the future. Seen some new strip malls where the ‘anchor’ store was not a Kroger, or Publix, but a large 20,000+ square foot Dollar Store. A Dollar Store as the anchor for a strip mall???!!! The times, they are a’changin. And Dollar Stores in every nook and cranny. Every little town had at least one. Figure Wal-Mart will be the new ‘Macy’s, and the Dollar store the new Wal-Mart in America. About the only full parking lot I seen was outside a county unemployment assistance office. Must have been a hundred vehicles parked outside with folks trying to get unemployment benefits inside.

It was only 12 hours worth of exposure. But if what I seen and heard, is any indication of what the rest of the Country is already going through…it sure dont look very positive.

Im used to talk radio in the big city. Big stars like Boortz, Rush, Glen Beck, and Hannity. You kind of get a taste from thier shows at some of the folks who call in to thier shows. Out in the little towns, the voices calling in are much more distressed. Much more angry. They arent talking about peaceful gathering for a ‘Tea Party’. More along the lines of Wanka’s Lampost Parties. And I garnered from both local papers and radio that local politicians are going into ‘hiding’, trying hard to disassociate themselves with their Washington counterparts. Something is afoot I think on the small home fronts, in the little towns and byways. Folks are getting fed up with the lies, and the Washington Spending Spree, while they get pink slips and hear of tax increases. There is a building sense of ‘us’ against ‘them’. The ‘them’ being the Washington crowd, and corrupt business leaders.

I predict that by the time the next national elections for CONgress rolls around, they will try to run thier election in the media. If they dont soon when the ‘hearts of minds’ of Americans. Thier next elections wont be out in the countryside having thier picture taken holding someone’s baby. Well, not without an armed escort and increased security teams. Fact is, Im thinking about starting a whole new carear myself. Thinking about being one of those fancy high paid advisors to those professional Washington politicians.

Here is my advice when it comes time to run for relection:

1) Ditch the 1,000 dollar suits and get you a pair of worn coveralls or some bluejeans with a hole or two. Something that bespeaks of your ‘hard work’ and humble beginnings.

2) Trade that fancy SUV starship for something from ‘Clydes Used Car Sales’. The more rust and dents on it the better. Might be good to get one that burns as much oil as it does gasoline. That smoke screen will help keep any snipers from getting a clear shot at ya.

3) Have one of your aids run down to the local hardware store and pick up the following supplies.
An electric hand sander, a copious amount of sand paper, a tube of grease, and a pair of work gloves.
First, Sand the work gloves to make them look ‘authentic’ and well worn. Stick them in the back pocket of your coveralls. Next start sanding the palms of your hands until they bleed. Do this every day for a couple months until you build up some thick callous. So when you shake a real man’s hand, your hand dont seem to be soft like a woman’s hands. Oh,…and while your sitting in your fancy office, you might want to squeeze a rubber ball so that your voters dont feel like thier holding hands with a dead fish.
On the edge of the city limits, smear a little grease on your face, like maybe your car broke down on the way to see em. Like you have some idea how to fix something. Might not be a bad idea to put a wrench in your back pocket. I doubt you fool anyone of your work ethics, but it can be used as a self defence tool when some 80 yr old granny grabs you by the throat.

4) Forget using that thousand dollar smile. They dont want to see your super enhanced gleeming teeth. Put a frown on instead. Look, act, like you too are really worried about what this country is turning into. And whatever you do, never, ever, use the words, “I Promise”. Folks have had about all the promises they can handle, and pay for.

5) Follow the same advice as given to those AIG executives and give back any donations you accepted from anyone related to a bank or financial institution. You dont want your list of ‘donors’ to include a single dime from those you have bailed out, and given billions too. Dont mention your 5 star government retirement and benefits package you will get for life after ’serving’ the country for a few years. Dont mention the ‘junkets’ where the taxpayer paid for you to fly around the world. Dont mention your second home in the islands, or how you helped your relatives by giving them jobs, or arranging loans and contracts for thier business.

6) And finally, if you voted for a single bill that gave money to any bank, foreign or domestic, dont bother running for office ever again. Especially if your life insurance policy has a double payment if you die in an ‘accident’. Just take your ‘winnings’, and move to Aruba, or Jamica now. While the ‘gettin is good’.

7) One last thing. If you have to ask what my fees are? You cant afford me is my general response. Course, if you have some silver, or gold, I will try and do my patriotic duty as I see it. Say, what is your neck size anyways? I have a friend that specializes in custom neck ties.

Trouble is brewing out there in the countryside. And I think they wont take kindly any effort to give up thier guns. But I got the feeling they are not too far away from giving some folks in Washington, all the bullets they want.

Reckon that will do it for the Farmboy Report for today.

Best, Farmboy