Three Coins in a Fountain

I've got a black magic woman
Got me so blind I can't see
That she's a black magic woman
She's trying to make a devil out of me
--Black Magic Woman, Santana

Fair is foul, and foul is fair;
Hover through the fog and filthy air
--Witches, Macbeth (I. i)

We never see a headline
'Bout breadline, today,
And when we see the landlord,
We can look that guy right in the eye
--We're in the Money, 42nd Street

I will, I will, I will, I will
Be there to share forever
Love will keep us together
--Love Will Keep us Together,
Captain and Tennille
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All classes in the pre-volunteer Army used to start with a joke, or "life lesson" told as a joke. Let's do the same:

A disillusioned man climbed out on the ledge of a building with the intent to commit suicide by jumping. But before he jumped an old woman asked, "What are you doing, Sonny?"

"My life is garbage and I'm going to commit suicide."

"But," she said, "I'm a witch, and can grant you three wishes. But first, you must have sex with me for one week."

Since the jumper had nothing to lose, he agreed. After the week was up, he asked, "When can I get my first wish?" To which she replied with a question, "How old are you?"

"Thirty-seven," came the reply, to which the old woman said,

"Aren't you kind of old to believe in wish-granting witches?"

Well, Ranger is past 37 and certainly doesn't believe in wish-granting witches. The just-concluded Presidential election was a witch's promise. Both sides promised change, but they don't have the fairy dust with which to accomplish the feat.

What change is on the horizon?

• Will the phony wars end?
• Will the federal deficit diminish?
• Will the mortgage crisis end?
• Will the federal government save homeowners by refinancing their loans so they can keep the houses they could not afford to begin with?
• Will your taxes reduce?
• Will disabled vets get their benefits without administrative battles?

Ranger is old enough to remember another Democratic President who promised energy independence back in the 1970's -- Jimmy Carter. Despite his earnestness and scientific knowledge, it didn't pan out. Will global warming cease? Will love and change and warm fuzzies save us?

And now, the second half of As the World Turns . . .