For some of my dear readers, you have already donned your powdered wigs and wooden teeth to celebrate President’s Day. What a day it is for all of us as we remember our presidents. You are remembering your presidents, aren’t you? Well, you do know what George Washington said when his dad caught him cutting down the cherry tree. He said, “Father, I cannot tell a lie, maybe I did or maybe I didn’t.” I say that in the spirit of some presidents, just putting my own spin on the story. We are a little bit lighter today for you dear readers. Hello, ello, ello, ello, lo, lo, o. There are readers in here, aren’t there, there, ere, ere, ere? Which reminds me of another famous tree. You know—the one that fell down in the forest, but since no one heard it, it didn’t make a noise. It is a new perspective on a time-honored philosophical question. If no one reads a blog, did it make a noise?

Keeping on topic, do you have a favorite president? The favorite president test must pass the first thought test. Which president first entered your mind when you were asked that question?I’m cynical of all Calvin Coolidge fans, even though I won the writing contest in my 8th grade class for Great American’s Day. I do have a favorite Calvin Coolidge story, however. Here it is. Calvin Coolidge got home from church one Sunday carrying a big fat Bible. Oooops, excuse me, wrong president, that was Bill Clinton. No, Coolidge got home from church and his wife asked him what the minister preached about. He replied, “Sin.” She asked, “What about it?” He answered, “Against it.” That will tell you a little bit about quiet Calvin.

You can say that you truly like George Washington or Abraham Lincoln first. That’s OK, even though it’s not going to earn you any special presidential praise. Some party loyalists will say John F. Kennedy or Ronald Reagan or Richard Nix. . . . let’s not get carried away. My first thought grid feeds me the name “Andrew Jackson.” And you know why I think of Andrew Jackson? The Trail of Tears. I have to say the relatively unknown and controversial to produce readership. Not at all. Granted, that was perhaps a low point in the Jackson presidency. Just as an aside. Did you know its hard not to think of Andrew Johnson when I think of Andrew Jackson? Andrew Johnson was the first president impeached. And the second was . . . . Uh-huh. They both stayed in office, the first by only one vote in the Senate. But no, not because of the Trail of Tears. Jackson was a Southerner. That is one strike against him for most United States citizens, especially in the red states. And the two significant thoughts that come to my mind with Jackson are: (1) He wouldn’t significantly lower the tariffs to aid southern farming. He knew the importance of tariffs to protect northern manufacturing. As a result, his Vice President, the popular John C. Calhoun of South Carolina, resigned. The tariffs were a burden to the cotton trade of the South. (2) He distrusted the national bank. In one amazing act, Jackson removed all government funds from the national bank to punish its continued unjust practices, despite damage this did to the national economy. People seemed to either love him or hate him, and on many occasions just misunderestimate him, but perhaps that’s someone else I was thinking of.