By MARK DEVOLDER
Los Alamos

Reference 1: New Yorker, Nov. 9, 1992, p. 55.
Reference 2: Wikipedia

When I was younger, retread (recapped) tires were commonplace for automobiles, light trucks and large diesel truck rigs. At that time, I ran retread tires on my vehicles because they were cost effective and helped to protect the environment.

Per the first reference, Merrill Lynch published an advertisement, “Election after election, people concerned about their financial future have pinned their hopes on us.” The advertisement features a campaign button, “Reagan in ’80 – Let’s Make America Great Again.”

I guess that campaign buttons and retread tires have something in common – they are both round and have a limited service life.