The Cost of Living, 1917

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Within.” Despite its being written over a century ago, I feel its sentiment is still poignant in our modern era.

“He is not the alien spy and bomb-maker, this enemy within; not only the intriguer who seeks to distract our attention or drug our minds. There is a more powerful, more cruel enemy, and even today his dirty hands are reaching for the American throat. Surely, it is well enough understood by this time, both inside government circles and out, that there is a very promising plot afoot to rob the American consumer. Small increases in prices have been justified from time to time, but there have been large increases, and they are growing larger. Coal — who knows anything about coal? Not the government; a government investigation found no information and gave up. Vegetables — which cost twice as much as in Civil War times — who knows anything about vegetables? Nobody. Yet, onions (15 cents a pound) have increased 366 percent in two months. In the same period, potatoes have gone up 100 percent, cabbages 212.5 percent, beans 300 percent, beets 100 percent, cauliflower 100 percent. ‘On account of the war’ — that is used to explain everything, but it has lost its charm.

This week’s puzzle theme: Board Games

The Federal Trade Commission, which has a batting average of 1,000 so far in its young life, wants $400,000 for an investigation into food prices in general. Give that commission all the money it wants, up to the limit of the treasury, and bring the secret enemy to book. There are reams of anti-trust laws, but their ‘anti’ function has no self-starter. We need an honest inquiry by an intelligent body — such an inquiry as we haven’t had in the whole history of food price investigations.

In our last war, the food barons were so powerful that they even fed putrid meat to our soldiers. Is that going to happen again? Or, short of that, are the poor going to starve in a great squeeze conducted by the speculators? This government would make a horrible botch of food control as practiced by the more orderly governments of Europe. Perhaps we can exist without the attempt [rationing] if the Federal Trade Commission is urged ahead on its duty.

The feeble treason of military traitors is nothing compared with the damage that may be done by daring food czars. Does the consumer want fair prices ardently enough to yell for them? Now is the time to do the yelling. ‘What about potatoes?’” proven to treat COVID-19, and were outright unsafe in the case of Ivermectin, “Sheep Drench,” of whatever, as people were overdosing on dosages meant for animals and filling up desperately needed hospital beds for it. By August 2021, it was so bad that the Maine CDC issued an official advisory regarding these products that Mr. MacGregor might have misinterpreted, and it was just that, nothing intended for its proper approved use was outlawed sir. (https:// www.maine.gov/dhhs/ mecdc/health-advisory. shtml?id=5433545)

What about potatoes indeed. Till next time!

As Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan’s (R-OH) Kafkaesque House “Weaponization Committee” seeks to denounce the Federal CDC, Dr. Fauci himself, and to deny all science regarding COVID-19 and vaccines and therapeutics ingeniously and speedily developed to combat the deadly virus, there is no need for any more dangerous published Pinocchios, Mr. or Ms. Editor.

Jon St. Laurent Lovell

Fighting midage weight gain

(Continued from Page 1B) a very rewarding time in our lives, one of deep reflection, branching out, perhaps exploring a new career or a new role in our community. Enjoy it!

Thank you to the reader who submitted this question.

Donna Dodge of Denmark has 30 years of experience as a registered dietitian and nutrition consultant. Do you have a diet or nutrition question? E-mail The Bridgton News at bnews@roadrunner.com for a chance to have your question featured in next week’s paper. All questions will remain anonymous.

Good Red vs Bad Red

(Continued from Page 3B) information for identifying Oriental bittersweet and for eliminating the invasive species. The recommendation is to hand-pull up the vines before they produce fruit. The roots are easy to identify as they are a bright orange (Bulletin 2506 of Maine Cooperative Extension). The vines can be placed in a plastic bag and disposed of, or placed on a tarp on a paved area and allowed to “bake” before disposing of them. If there are fruits, they should be placed in a plastic bag and disposed of.

The website for the Pennsylvania Extension Service (https://extension.psu.edu/oriental-bittersweet) reports that removal of the vine roots is the only way to kill the vine. However, it is also known that the Oriental bittersweet has an extensive root system, and any root remnants can continue to grow. For established vines that have begun to climb a tree the website outlines that, “The ‘window cut’ method is recommended, where each vine is cut in two places, at the ground level and again at eye level.” It is further stated that the cut vines should not be pulled from the tree so that no damage is caused to the tree, as well as concern for safety of the person. It is noted that this must be done each year to prevent any recovery of the vine. Ridding an area of the invasive vine can take several years of diligence. I am committed to this diligence, and I hope that readers will join me.

For anyone that enjoys placing the red berries on a wreath, or in fall/winter plant arrangements, the American bittersweet produces larger red berries. And, if a nursery cannot guarantee that the plant they sell is an American bittersweet, another option is to purchase fake plants/ vines/stems/berries. I do want to emphasize that American bittersweet plants are difficult to find as the plant is rare in Maine.

As I wrote this column about the color red, a wonderful and creative children’s book came into my mind. It is titled, The Day the Crayons Quit written by Drew Daywalt. The story is about a young man who opens his box of crayons but only finds letters of complaint from each of the colors. The red crayon wrote that it was overworked because of red being the color of “…fire engines, apples, strawberries, and everything else that’s red.” The red crayon added that, “I need a rest.” So, I propose that we work together to eliminate some of the bad red berries from our gardens and landscapes so that the red crayon can rest.

NICE WORK! A couple of ladies from the Chickadee Quilters made this amazing memory quilt for a family in Naples, who lost their 2-year-old son (Kolin Young of Naples who died in September 2022). They put so much love and thought into every stitch, it was such a joy to watch it being put together and knowing where it was going.