Bruce talked about his objectives and programs for 2016/2017. He charged everybody to invite a new potential member, and encouraged looking for women and diversity potential members. The new attendance rules are relaxed and members can attend as little as once a month. Bruce talked about out reach projects with other Rotary Clubs. The fundraising projects that he discussed were the Chocolate Festival next March and Rotary Cook Books. Project participants will team up in pares. Application for District grants are due March 17, 2017. Bruce opened the floor for comments the last ten minutes. The Montgomery College commitment is for 2 semesters at a total cost of $6,000.

At President Thomas Jefferson’s urging, Congress approved the first federally funded “National Road” to connect Cumberland, MD with Wheeling, WV on the Ohio River. Lorna’s talk was about the privately owned toll roads (called “pikes”) which connected Baltimore with Cumberland, MD and the “National Road” to the Ohio River. Difficulties were made easy by turnpikes that made communication and trade easier. Turnpike requirements were: surface (not be washed away by weather ), width, grade, and mile makers made of stone. Toll amounts were regulated, and fines and punishments were imposed for toll jumpers. The first McCadam road (named for its inventor) was from Boonsboro to Hagerstown, MD. The road bed was made of three specified sizes of stone. The largest stones were laid first, then the middle size, and last the small stones, so the road would withstand all types of weather.

In 1913 the 16th Amendment to the US Constitution (Income Tax) was passed and the Federal Reserve was created. Both happened with great assistance from President Theodore Roosevelt (TR). Before 1913 the US had small government (funded mostly by tariffs on foreign goods) and vigorous free market capitalism. After 1913 the US evolved into big government with more and more control of business and the economy by government elites and bigger and bigger bureaucracy. Dave talked about the economic boom from 1865 to 1915 (50 years); the Yellow Journalist (muckraking) attracts on the “Robber Barons” ( Guild, J.P.Morgan, John D Rockefeller, and Andrew Carnegie): and TR’s trust busting and attracts on the “Industrial Overlords”, the “Tyranny of mere Wealth” (who demand immunity from Governmental control) for the “common good”.