Whining with my Wine

Back in mid-January, I complained about the weather here in the Chihuahuan desert.  We were hitting highs around 45deg F.  I got all kinds of comments from friends in New England like "shorts weather in Maine" and "warmer in Candia [NH] than here [Phoenix AZ] and "82 in FL".   So today, March 7, 2013, we should be around 75deg F here.  AZ has had more snow than we have, even had to postpone a PGA golf tournament round due to snow.  FL is plagued with pythons and sinkholes.  As for New England, many people can't see over the snowdrifts to get out of their driveways.

Not that south-central New Mexico is perfect.  As I write this, I am recovering from Valley Fever.  That's a fungal infection that feels like a really intense allergic reaction or the flu.  Congestion, sore throat---we all know the drill.   Coccidioidomycosis (I swear I'm not making that up even though the spell-check says it's not a word) is caused by the fungi being released from the soil during plowing and other agricultural processes then being carried by the wind and inhaled, causing irritation to the lungs and respiratory system.  This is the first time I've been affected by these little plants and hopefully I'll never suffer with this again.  But all in all it's a small price to pay for the sunny skies and not having to look out the window at snow cover from October to May.

We are waiting for our local feed store to notify us of the arrival of some Welsummer chicks.  This breed produces almost chocolate colored eggs.  We hope to add 5 or 6 to our existing flock which would more than double its size. At present we have a range of colored eggs from our Americauna (green), Barred Rock (brown), and Leghorns (white).  We presently have a couple of Rhode Island red chicks living in a crate in the spare bedroom until the Welsummers arrive.

A nice day's production

It still gets too cold at night to keep the newly hatched chicks outside but hopefully we can recover the bedroom in April when the night-time temps climb up into the 50's.

I've been sort of following the sequester, snowquester, and filibuquester in that place from which we are allegedly governed.  I think I'm more troubled by the fact that the UN has stiffened sanctions on North Korea than I am about the usual bozos in WaWa, DC.  The regime of Kim Jong Un  has nuclear devices and is working on a delivery system that could reach the USA.  That is a real threat because I believe that regime is mentally unstable enough to actually attempt such a maneuver.  Makes the petty partisan squabbles over money seem more than a little insignificant, unless the politicians actually allow cuts so stringent that we can no longer defend ourselves.  And speaking of unacceptable---Citgo should be fined for flying the Stars and Stripes at half-staff for the late President of Venezuela.  I realize that company is owned by Venezuela and have no problem if they want to fly their banner or the Venezuelan flag at half-staff but the US flag should not be lowered for some inimical foreign dictator. 

Done whingeing.  Pouring a glass of red wine to help me live forever.  

Resolutions and Fantasies

Been reading a lot of "Best of" lists and lists of things to watch for in 2013.  So here's a list of my resolutions and a few comments about the upcoming year.

Resolutions

1) Get more exercise.  Yeah, I have this one every year but this is the year I do it.  Check back in Jan.2014.....

2) Perform the annual cleaning out of the garage/workshop/man-cave, which never seems to last.

3) Improve my mind.  Already we attend the Academy for Learning in Retirement lectures but I'm feeling the need to expand on this-----maybe some courses at the university.

4) Complete my collections of Alexander Kent's series about the British navy following the career of Richard Bolitho and also my collection of Max Brand's Dr. Kildare series.  It's not great literature but after the political hash and elections of 2012, the looming fiscal fights in Washington, and just the general cynicism I feel about today's society, a major dose of idealism is just what I need and these series, along with Harry Potter, provide just that.

Fantasies

1) I get back to the weight at which I played lacrosse in college.

2) The USA passes a carbon tax and gets serious about cleaning up the mess we've made of the environment and atmosphere.

3) Congress passes laws that actually reform the tax code to make it simpler, fairer, have lower rates, and generate the revenue it should.

4) Congress enacts legislation to end the financial uncertainty its policies have generated and gradually increase revenues and reform long-term programs to put the country on the path to a sustainable financial future.

Good luck to all on your resolutions and have a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

Hooray

Congress did it!!!!!  They passed a compromise bill to avert the alleged "fiscal cliff."  Despite the recalcitrance of many Republican members, they raised taxes on those families making over $450,000 per annum.  We should be proud...........NOT.

The price for the compromise was the expiration of the payroll tax cut.  This item will increase by 2% with the issuance of the first paychecks of 2013.  A tax increase for every working person in the country.  Thanks, my representatives and senators.  Way to stimulate the economy, decreasing the amount a person has to spend.

There is nothing in this bill that directly addresses the salient issue---the structural deficit.  It would be so constructive if politicians did what they were sent to DC to do---work on solving real problems.  Instead they engage in public relations and brinksmanship that is hardly conducive to eliminating the looming deficits, reforming an outdated and unfair tax code, or enabling programs for seniors and the poor to be assured of  stable and consistent funding as our populace grows older and the wealth disparity accelerates into the future.

A foolish bet would be that over the next two months there are any constructive talks on the real issues that have been again "kicked down the road."

Oh, and by the way, those of you most affected by Hurricane Sandy-----you need to wait until the new Congress takes up your plight.  Don't hold your breath for that $60billion........

For Those Undecided

The series of debates between those contesting for the top leadership roles in the executive branch of our government have concluded.  Unfortunately, we only got the Republican and Democratic nominees so it wasn't truly a representative debate.  If I were an undecided voter, awaiting the outcome of the debates to influence my choice, I'd still be undecided.  The banality of the system, or is it the coverage, is probably best summed up in this picture:

After a poor performance in the first debate, the incumbent tried to portray the challenger as attempting to balance the budget by firing Sesame Street icon Big Bird.  Groups, especially women's organizations, seized upon the challengers comment about getting "binders full of [women]" while searching for qualified female applicants for government jobs.  The third debate on foreign policy had the incumbent trying to paint the challenger as naive and behind the times in military matters.  I learned nothing new from watching any of the debates.  Basically, I'd call all of them draws.

The one salient difference between these candidates is what they imagine as the role of government.  The incumbent believes we are improving in the economy and cuts in the defense area can best be spent improving education and infrastructure to enable America to regain its place among the leading nations in the world.  The challenger would achieve the same goals but using the private sector, not government to do so.

Of course, I am not an undecided voter.  I am retired-- old enough to draw on the money I've paid into Social Security; not yet of the age where I can reap what my employers and I have paid into Medicare.  I live in the Southwestern United States where distances are huge compared to the East Coast and maintenance of the Interstate highways is a major concern.  On the PBS Newshour Morning Line this morning was a story about a study carried out by a non-partisan group that said, in essence, that the cost to update the Interstate system would exceed the cost when it was built--$688billion.  (Story is about 2/3 way down the page, after the segment on McGovern.)  Please note that is about 2/3 of the challenger's proposed increase to defense spending, where the USA already significantly outspends the entire rest of the world.

This morning I was in a conversation about what the effect on day-to-day living would be if either candidate won.  The answer, I believe, is that the effect would be negligible over the short term.  Neither candidate is going to have an immediate effect on the benefits I paid into and now, and in a year or so, will receive.  But the long term effects will be devastating if the challenger wins.  Spending on defense instead of infrastructure will have such long term deleterious effects on the economy and on competitiveness that the USA will be removed from the top tier of the rich world, likely surpassed by China, a country making infrastructure gains.  Under the challenger's budget plan and the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, I see my medical costs increasing, especially on the predictive tests that in the long run help reduce the overall medical bill.  This could make my financial position untenable since I've already retired and my income is fixed.  It would have been nice to have $20million or so in assets to see me out and handle unforeseeable tribulations, but I'm afraid I never made it into that top 1% of earners.

So for me the choice was easy when I participated in my state's early voting.  For those readers who might still be undecided or under the age of 55, the age when most Republican changes will affect you, the question of for whom to vote may boil down to whether you want the Social Security benefits you have paid into coming in a check or electronic transfer from the U S Treasury, the same entity that sends you your income tax refunds, or whether you prefer the funds to come from some private firm like Goldman Sachs or JP Morgan Chase who brought you the economic meltdown of 2007 from which we still haven't recovered.  And for those who believe the present administration is responsible for the slow recovery, turn off FOX and Rush and Glen and read this.

Stumbling Towards the Election

Hey, kiddies, it's election season!!!!!!  For some, like lobbyists and Super-PACS, it's the most wonderful time of the year.  For some, like a friend of mine, it's time to shut down the Facebook page or the email account to avoid the constant barrage of political messaging.  Thanks to New Mexico early voting, I soar above all these attempts to influence me.  I've already cast my ballot.

I have to admit it's sure been a long season.  The president has been running for a couple of years, Mitt Romney since 2008.  They went toe-to-toe in the first presidential debate about a week ago and their surrogates, the Number Twos, went at it last Thursday night.  It's not my intent to pick winners or losers in this post.  It is my intent to remind readers to make up your mind and go vote.  With that as my motivation, please allow me to share a few ideas about performing this oh most patriotic of duties.....

Don't shut off any information sources.  There's a lot of noise from the DNC and the RNC and Crossroads America and Priorities USA Action and ad nauseum....Check the Open Secrets site for a list of PACS and Super-PACS and for whom they spend.  I always find it helpful to know what the agenda is for the person trying to force feed me information.

I have a friend on Facebook who always posts the most inane and least fact-checked information.  For example, one that has a person click "like" to stop Joe Biden from smiling.  The only way to acheive this is to elect Mr. Biden's opponent.  Of course, since that party has persistently failed to concisely elucidate what specific actions he would take to improve the lot of the country, the listener or decision maker, i.e., the voter, is faced with quite the conundrum.  But fear not......

A couple of months ago we "cut the cable"---fired Comcast as our television content provider.  Since we still have high-speed internet with them, there is a bleed-over of some broadcast channels.  It is so refreshing to NOT have to listen to the self righteous blo-hards of either the left or right---yes, no MSNBC trying to make us feel guilty and no FoxNews trying to fill us with bile and venom.  So now I get my news from my local PBS station.  Both the national editions and the local news bend over backwards to present BOTH sides of any controversy.  Commentators and "expert" guests are identified as to their proclivities as liberal or conservative.  Best of all, I don't need to adjust the volume to avoid the screaming and vehemance of the more partisan cable news outlets.

As for print media, well, I subscribe to the New York Times  digital editions.  This goes back to my roots growing up in CT and having had a history teacher my junior year who wore three-piece suits and    assured us that the only way to improve our minds was to read the Sunday New York Times from first to last page.  I also get print editions of both the Economist and Atlantic, neither of which is a bastion of socialist thought.  In short, I attempt to get information from various and reliable sources.  I utilize fact checking sites whenever I have a question about some statement that is made or some email I've received.  None of this is very time consuming or difficult.

But making an informed voting decision has perhaps never been more crucial for baby boomers, genXers, and millenials.  Please vote, and please use your head and make an informed choice.  A candidate's smile, laugh, or jokes aren't important---what he will do is what counts.

Colorado

First, we'll add to the outpouring of support and prayers for the community of Aurora CO, scene of the latest senseless gun violence.

Why does this type of abomination continue in American society?  The lone superpower.  Middle of the pack in educational achievement.  Among the poorer performers among rich nations in infant mortality.  Highest per capita incarceration rate in the world.  Maybe I just answered my own question.

Various reports earlier this morning discussed the weaponry the shooter had.  NBC's Today Show host Matt Lauer even got into an arcane discussion of what type of ammunition was in the shotgun with a correspondent---single bullets or the more traditional pellet-loaded "shot."  And since two hours needed to be filled, there were a lot of speculative opinions and not a lot of real reporting.

But my purpose here is to raise again the issue of gun control.  The alleged CO shooter wasn't in any databases.  If we assume all his weapons, including the tear gas, were purchased legally, why were there no warning flags raised?  This guy had at least three guns, gas masks, and tear gas with him.  As of the time I'm writing this, the search of his apartment was proceeding but speculation on the tv hinted at booby-traps there and more weaponry.  How many weapons can a person own before some government entity charged with the safety of our citizenry investigates??  I'm sure many such intrusions would come up negative, but if even one Columbine or Aurora were prevented, would not the cost be worth it?

Please don't assume I'm anti-gun or anti-hunters.  Growing up, we knew where our father kept his gun and the ammo.  Our childhood obsession was finding the Luger pistol that family legend reported our father took from a German soldier and hid in the insulation of the attic.  I fully appreciate that different types of legitimate hunting require different types of rifles.  But unless one is the worst shot this side of the "gang that couldn't shoot straight", I can see no rationale for automatic weapons in the hands of the general population.

Don't buy the NRA argument about personal defense either.  Automatic weapons, discharged in say a condo or apartment complex, could do severe damage to other residents as the sprayed bullets power their way through adjoining walls into the domiciles of the innocent neighbors.  Better as a defensive strategy would be a good handgun or rifle, accurately sighted in, with long hours at a target range spent by the owner, effectively aimed at the attacker.

So let's all hope that this latest tragedy removes the inertia of our government representatives and a reasonable approach to gun control can be enacted.  It's too late for so many victims of gun violence.  But that is no reason not to continue the struggle for rational policies to protect the citizenry.

Never Growing Up

Over the end of June/first days of July, I had to take a trip to California for some personal issues.  I was successful in convincing the parents of my grandchildren to allow two of them to return with me for a few weeks.  A vacation for parents, children, and siblings, I'm sure.

There will be other posts about this trip but I had to post this video of the old man refusing to act his age and just watch others riding the discs called sleds down the dunes at White sands National Monument.

This gives an idea of the scale:

The kids getting ready to use the sleds

Now the crazy old man who refuses to accept the limitations of his age, either mentally or physically, mounts the noble steed and away we go..............