“There is one rule that works in every calamity. Be it pestilence, war or famine, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.” – Will Rogers, 1 November 1929

Notice this quote was only a couple of days after the giant stock market crash starting the Great Depression. That day wiped out a lot of “paper” fortunes and a lot of real jobs. It would be more than a decade before we began to really recover. And that even took a world war to accomplish.  While we have faced many more calamities in the years since nothing compares to the Great Depression.

Will Rogers was one of those rich guys and I’m sure he lost thousands of dollars on Black Tuesday, October 29, 1929 but you never heard much from him lamenting his personal loss. His main concern was for the common guy to lost his often 80-hour a week  below minimum wage, even though there was not such a thing, job and could no longer support his family. He, unlike many in the upper percentages of wealth, was more concerned about the common good than personal gain or loss. That, with the exception of a few, seems to be a rare commodity in today’s world. And that is why he inspired me and is a hero of mine…..