In early March, I was in Washington, D.C. for a marathon.   While riding the Metro subway, I spotted a subway placard above a bench seat stating:  “Federal law requires that these seats be available to persons with disabilities and to seniors.”  The “federal law” part grabbed my attention and I dug out my phone to snap-capture the regulations without disturbing the ear-bud clad, millennial slouched across the seat; they can be aggressive once provoked.  Now let’s jump to early April, but we will come back to the subway. 

 As a birthday present to my father-in-law, the trophy wife, her two sisters, and yours truly sent my in-laws to Seattle to visit family.  Unfortunately, by a vote of three to one, we purchased round trip tickets, so when my in-laws returned Thursday, I picked them up at the Billings Airport.  It was a nice, sunny, afternoon and for the first time in what seems like eternity, the wind was not blowing.  I was ahead of schedule, a rarity for veterinarians during calving season, so I pulled my muddy pickup curbside at the airport and reclined my seat. 

 Before long, I spotted an airport maintenance crew sealing cracks in the pavement with hot tar.  It was a crew of three, leap-frogging along filling the cracks before moving the orange safety cones.  I quietly studied them in my rearview mirror before realizing one of them was Larry, a hunting buddy of mine.  He never saw me and I said not a word.  They finished the job and as they retreated to reposition the traffic cones I witnessed the event inspiring today’s column.  Seen only by God and me, Larry paused where the walkway crosses the street, bent over and scooped up a handful of decorative gravel which had migrated from the landscape to the gutter and tossed it back to the base of the tree from which it came.  I suspect the maintenance crew was not specifically instructed to hand sweep gravel from the street, yet Larry recognized this simple thing as the right thing to do.  Now, back to the subway so I can make my point. 

 Just like only doing what you are told, if you need a law forcing the able bodied to surrender their seat to the disabled and seniors, the battle has already been lost.  There was a time when manners were held in high esteem; when pride in a job well done prevailed.  Not anymore. Progressives promote covetousness and entitlement over common courtesy and work ethic and our American culture is dying because of it.  When in doubt, ask yourself, “What would Larry do?”