ARE YOU LISTENING CONGRESS?

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COINS AND COMMON SENSE

A recent article in Time magazine discussed eliminating the penny and how Americans are resisting the effort.  According to an ABC News article, the U.S. Mint makes 8 billion pennies each year.  Depending on the cost of metals, primarily copper and zinc, the penny costs anywhere from 2¢ to 2.4¢ to manufacture today.  That means that every time a penny is produced, the government loses money.  Eliminating the penny would save taxpayers millions of dollars each year. In March, 2012 the Canadian government announced that it would no longer distribute pennies and that the coin will be withdrawn from circulation on February 4th.  Estimated savings are $4 million annually.

Since 1982, Jarden Zinc Products of Greenville, Tennessee has been the exclusive supplier of zinc penny blanks to the U.S. Mint.  Since 2000, Jarden has recorded more than $800 million in revenue from federal no-bid contracts.  Coincidentally, since 2006 Jarden has given $1.2 million to a “keep the penny” lobbying group (Americans for Common Cents) and last year doubled its annually contribution to $280,000.  ACC contends that eliminating the penny would lead to a “rounding tax” and higher costs for use of nickels.

Speaking ot saving tax dollars, what about the paper dollar bill?  The average dollar bill has a life span of about 18-22 months.  According to the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office, if America gets rid of its $1 bill and replaces it with a dollar coin, the U.S. will save $5.5 billion on printing costs over the next 30 years. A dollar coin costs approximately two to three times the cost of printing a dollar bill, but the coin will survive in circulation for about 10 times as long as the note. The savings from such a switch add up to about $183.3 million a year. And, besides the penny, guess who has seen the logic with dollar coins.  Canada.  Where the cost of production exceeds the merits of the paper bill, Canada has been using the dollar coin - affectionately called the “loonie” and even a two dollar coin - the “twonie.” 

I just don’t get why Americans resist getting rid of the penny and paper dollar.  After all, the economy of Canada hasn’t collapsed by eliminating pennies and using dollar coins.  Or is there something in the drinking water in Canada that leads to common sense?  Whatever it is, this country could use a dose.  Just one day more...

COUSIN EDDIE HAS GONE BONKERS

Rats.  One of my favorite RV'ers, Cousin Eddie (Randy Quaid), has gone bonkers.  Seriously Randy... “star-whackers”?

TORONTO (AP) — Canadian immigration officials have denied U.S. actor Randy Quaid's request for permanent resident status in Canada.

A Canadian government official confirmed late Saturday his request for permanent status has been denied. 

U.S. officials last year refused to seek extradition of the actor and his wife from Canada to face felony vandalism charges in Santa Barbara, California, but authorities in the coastal town say they'll still have the couple arrested if they return to the states.

Quaid has sought to stay in Canada, claiming he was being hunted by "Hollywood star-whackers" who had killed his friends David Carradine and Heath Ledger.

Quaid's trouble began in 2010 when he and his wife were arrested for causing more than $5,000 damage at a hillside home they were renting.   (USA Today)

Just one day more...

Monday was inauguration day, however it was also Martin Luther King's birthday.  It was logical to expect that President Obama would highlight civil rights in his inaugural address.  During what was supposed to be an "objective" news report on Obama's address, Faux News reporter James Rosen took a swipe at the focus on civil rights.

Speaking to another Faux News reporter, Bret Baier, Rosen said, “That was one thing that struck me, Bret, about this speech. The president almost positioning himself as more than a president but as a civil rights figure. So much of his speech was given over to the subject of civil rights. And yet I venture to say that had you canvassed a hundred Americans, any one hundred Americans on Election Day, and asked them, “What is the most important issue that this country faces,” they would not have named civil rights. But that is clearly a preoccupation of this president.”  Rosen went on to say that there was no such “grace note” of reaching out to the opposition, as George H.W. Bush did in his inauguration.

Rosen’s comments, albeit veiled, are racist, pure and simple.  And for that, he is a butthead.  Just one day more...

For some time I have been wondering about RV solar.  It seems like solar technology has advanced far enough to make solar for an RV practical.  What still remains is making RV solar cost reasonable because of the system costs.  Systems range anywhere from battery trickle chargers to numerous panels systems.  For those who boondock all of the time, or at least most of the time, solar is cost effective.  Finding a balance between a small system for occasional boondocking and a mega system that runs everything matters.  

All those panels, wiring, inverters, batteries and controllers is totally confusing to me.  I’ve tried to figure it out, but without a degree in electrical engineering it is tough to understand those watts, amps and volts.  There might be a solution from CEA solar.

What I like about the CEA system is the self contained and portability of the system.  But, at a cost of $860 for the 130 watt professional series, the question is if that is a fair value for what it does.  It has a built in charge controller, as well as other features, however is only suited for light demand.  Additional panels can be added to bring it up to 520 watts of power, resulting in more expense.  

Seemingly the CEA portable solar would work as an initial simple system with the ability to add panels as needed.  But, $860 is a lot to spend to find out if it will work and then it becomes how much will it cost by adding panels, especially for what my wife calls a real “tightwad.”  Just one day more... 

INAUGURATION

1963

2013

Whole Foods co-CEO John Mackey said Thursday that he regrets his "poor word choice" in a radio interview comparing America's health care system to "fascism."   Back in 2009 in a Wall Street Journal editorial, Mackey likened Obamacare to socialism.  In an NPR interview on Wednesday, Mackey double downed on his editorial comment, calling it instead fascism.  Many people suggested on the Whole Foods Facebook page that Mackey had alienated his customer base and called on Whole Foods customers to shop elsewhere. 

Hmmm...  let’s see John...  the  “whole foods, organic, and chemical free” food concept seems to be in line with the “Prius-driving, socially conscious, NPR listening and politically liberal” consumer who shops at Whole Foods.  And, you are indeed charging higher prices for the specialty foods.  So, because you don’t want company profits to go to affordable health care, you think it is a good idea to attack a program supported by the majority of your customer base?

Once again, a company that can afford it the most attacks a program to make health care and insurance available to those who can afford it the least.  To use words like socialism or fascism serves only to incite the hate mongers and for that Mackey is a butthead.  Just one day more...

Part of the fun of camping is fishing and boating.  Back when we pulled our travel trailer towing a boat was not an option.  Even though I have seen it done, double towing behind a travel trailer simply isn’t safe.  At one of the boat and sports shows we saw something that looked like a good idea.  It was a folding boat made by Porta Bote.  After we purchased one the quandary was how to include it with the travel trailer.  I designed a couple of removable brackets to attach to the trailer frame and had local welding shop fabricate them.  It worked really slick and we got a lot of use out of it. 

Now that we have the Hitchhiker fifth wheel, finding a way to carry the Porta Bote turned out to be nearly impossible with the slide outs on both sides and there is no way we wanted to drill into the side for brackets.  The alternative is towing a boat behind the fifth wheel.  As I was checking around I happened to run across a small pontoon boat at a local dealership - something we have thought about for a while.  It is used, but in “hardly used” condition and since not a lot of boats are sold in January I was able to buy it half of the asking price.  We plan to tow the pontoon behind the Hitchhiker, however only to local lakes.

Even though the pontoon came with an electric motor, I have a 6 HP Johnson outboard which will make the pontoon a real screamer.  I’ll have to attach a bracket to hold the motor and will add that to the list of growing spring projects.  Now, we are really counting the days until spring.  Just one day more...

IDLE TIME

In a couple previous posts I mentioned that I took on the project of restoring the family clock I inherited.  I was hesitant since I knew nothing about restoring 100 year old clocks.  There was a learning curve, but it turned out well.  I have also mentioned that my wife has another year to retirement from teaching and I am retired.  Thus, besides being the housekeeper and cook, I have time on my hands in the winter here on the farm.  So, I decided to buy a non-working clock and restore it.  And another....  and another...  and another..., until I have now restored ten.  Two I gave to each of our kids and the others are taking up space in our house, ticking away.  No one needs ask “what time is it?” in our house.

finished

almost finished

Who knows where it will stop.  At least until spring.  I suppose when we finally RV travel in the winter I will sell these clocks.  Maybe.  Like the old saying, “fac et aliquid operis, ut semper te diabolus inveniat occupatum (do something, so that the devil may always find you busy)”.  Just one day more...

FOLLOW UP

One of my few blog followers, Tom, asked about the Model T transmission after yesterday’s post.  Likely because of how unique it was for the time.  It was a “planetary” transmission, which is system consisting of one or more outer gears or “planet” gears and is often called the first automatic transmission.  The Model T transmission was an integrated part of the engine and was lubricated by the splash method directly with oil in the engine pan.  Below is a photo of one of the engines I rebuilt showing the transmission just behind the flywheel.

The Model T transmission was controlled with three foot pedals and a lever that was mounted to the road side of the driver's seat. The left pedal was used to engage the gear. With the floor lever in either the mid position or fully forward and the pedal pressed and held forward the car entered low gear. When held in an intermediate position the car was in neutral. If the driver took his foot off the left pedal, the Model T entered high gear, but only when the lever was fully forward- in any other position the pedal would only move up as far as the central neutral position. This allowed the car to be held in neutral while the driver cranked the engine by hand. The car could thus cruise without the driver having to press any of the pedals. There was no separate clutch pedal.  A better description is at this website.

Ford soon became aware of the advantage of advertising and went after women drivers, citing the ease of operating the Model T transmission.  

The Model T was produced from 1908 to 1927 and in that time 15 million were manufactured.  Learning the history of the Model T while I was restoring them was just as much fun.  Just one day more...

On this date in 1914, Henry Ford announced the newest method in assembly line production, reducing the assembly of the Model T from 12 hours to 93 minutes.  Ford is often credited with being the “father” of mass production, however such is not true. His production methods were a compilation of different methods of various manufacturers.  In 1922 Ford said of his assembly line, "I believe that this was the first moving line ever installed. The idea came in a general way from the overhead trolley that the Chicago packers use in dressing beef."  

This is of interest to me is because from age 50 to age 60 I restored Model T’s as a hobby.  I found the cars at auctions and stored in barns.  Part of the fun was finding the cars as basket cases and spending the hours restoring them to original factory condition.  Even more fun was driving the Model T’s.  My favorite memory was driving one of the Model T’s from Nebraska to North Dakota for my Grandmother’s 95th birthday.  It took me three days at 40 mph and was every bit an adventure.

I have since sold all the Model T cars I restored in anticipation of traveling in our retirement.  Sometimes tough decisions have to be made as we age.  Fortunately, my two bachelor friends, who spent many weekends in the garage with me (mostly drinking beer and talking cars) bought three of the Model T’s and tell me I can drive them anytime I want.  They have also asked me numerous times to also work on their Model T’s.  After all, what are friends for?  Just one day more...

In Michigan some residents oppose a new free bridge being offered by Canada to replace the 83-year-old Ambassador Bridge  across the Detroit River that connects Detroit, Michigan, in the United States, with Windsor, Ontario, in Canada (Comedy Central Daily Show).  It is the busiest international border crossing in North America in terms of trade volume: more than 25 percent of all merchandise trade between the United States and Canada crosses the bridge  The toll bridge is owned by Grosse Pointe billionaire Manuel "Matty" Moroun.  Canada has offered to help pay to replace the bridge and make it a publicly owned bridge.  But, some twits are suspicious of Canada’s intentions.

In November Michigan voters defeated a proposition (Prop 6) on the ballot which would have vetoed any new bridge.  Moroun spent more than $33 million to convince voters to vote for the proposition.  Opponents of the new bridge warned that the Canadian offer is really a “Trojan Horse” designed to conceal the real intent of delivering “China steel and Chinamen” to the U.S.

“Matty” Moroun might be a billionaire, but he is still a greedy goober.  Evidence is clear on the economic impact a new bridge would have.  Opponents of the new bridge, and Canada’s offer to financially support it, have offered little or no rational reason why the new bridge shouldn’t be built.  Instead, they they cast unfounded accusations at Canada and spout idiotic remarks.  For that, Moroun and his loons are buttheads.  Just one day more...

RATES LOOPHOLE

Health insurance companies are raising their rates on customers by double digits – in some cases by over 20%, all the while recording record profits.  Insurance companies spent millions of dollars trying to defeat the U.S. health-care overhaul, saying it would raise costs and disrupt coverage. Instead, profit margins at the companies widened to levels not seen since before the recession.  The Standard & Poor’s 500 Managed Health-Care Index rose 36 percent in the period, four times more than the S&P 500.  (Bloomberg report 1-5-12).   Insurance companies cite rising costs for the rate increases, however others have said it is a rush to adjust rates before the Affordable Health Care Act is fully implemented, taking advantage of a loophole in the law.

The health care reform law instituted a procedure known as rate review, by which state insurance departments evaluate carriers’ proposed premium hikes of 10% or more to determine whether they are justified.  Unfortunately, it is a toothless tiger.  The law only provided for review and did not have a provision to stop rate increases deemed excessive or unreasonable.  Only 37 states have enacted laws to regulate excessive or unreasonable increases.  California is an example where there is no such regulation.  Anthem Blue Card PPO raised their rates on some customers by 39% in 2010.  Now, just 3 years later, they want to raise it again by 26%. 

Health Insurance costs are one reason many seniors are staying in the workplace, hanging onto jobs that younger workers could fill.  We fall into that category.  My wife is working longer than we expected because of health insurance benefits.  When she does retire we will still have several years before we are both eligible for Medicare.  Until then health insurance and health care costs will take all of one social security check.

I agree with those who think the insurance companies are rushing to raise their rates before Obamacare is implemented.  Even though the new Health Care Act has a provision for review of excessive rate increases, it is a shame it doesn’t have a provision to regulate them.  What is an even bigger shame is that such provisions are even necessary.  Just one day more...

Winter is a drag.  Here on the farm so many projects have to be put off until spring.   Mower oil to change.  Buildings to paint.  Sheds to clean out.  Fence to fix.  Trees to trim.  On and on.  Some of the work could be done now, but it is certainly easier in the spring.  About the only thing worthwhile in winter is planning projects.

The past few days I have been giving some thought to chickens.  We did raise chickens when we first moved to the farm, however last year we didn’t.  We wondered why raise chickens when they go on sale routinely for 99¢/lb. at the grocery store.  But, we have decided to get some chicks this spring and raise some again.  While the cost of feed can make the cost of farm raised chickens more expensive than store bought, it is certainly offset by the taste.  And having chickens roaming around the place is enjoyable.

   

One breed of chicken that is good for meat is the Cornish Cross.  They can be “table ready” in 8-12 weeks and are versatile as fryers and broilers.  We especially like chicken roasted in our convection oven and on the Weber grill.  We picked up a tip from a fellow blogger George who grills the chicken whole and it is great.

The only question we have now is how many.  We are fortunate to have a butcher in a nearby village that sets aside a few weeks each year to process chickens.  So, 50 chicks seems like a good number.  But, what the heck, we have a deep freeze in the basement and chicken tastes great.  Maybe 100?  Just one day more...

The loon from Minnesota is at it again.  

On the first day of the 113th Congress,  Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R) introduced the first bill of the session, a repeal of the Affordable Health Care Act (Obamacare).  "At noon today, I introduced the first bill of the 113th Congress to repeal Obamacare in its entirety," she tweeted proudly on Jan. 3.

Never mind the fact that in 2012 Congress attempted to repeal Obamacare 33 times and failed each time.  And never mind that a Kaiser Foundation Poll conducted after President Obama was elected for a second term shows that only a third of the country wants to repeal Obamacare, which is reportedly a record low.  And never mind that CBS News reported in July that the Republican repeal effort took up 80 hours total (the equivalent of two work weeks) and cost about $48 million.  Just the fact that this is the first bill of the 113th Congress signals that the 113th Congress is on the road to being as worthless as the 112th Congress.

Michelle Bachman is wasting tax dollars and Congressional time out of spite.  For that she is a butthead.  Just one day more...

I’M ADDICTED

Hi.  My name is Bill and I’m addicted.  

Well, maybe not addicted, but I sure like peanut butter.  I suppose it got started when my Mom first introduced me to the staple peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  A good way to provide nutrition with a tasty food.  But when is too much bad?

As I was having my Reese’s Puffs this morning I wondered if they had any nutritional value or if it was just a way for me to get my peanut butter fix.  I had decided that slathering peanut butter on toast as thick as the slice of bread probably wasn’t a good idea.  But, how can you have peanut butter in moderation?  So, I reverted to Reese’s Puffs.  Some skewed logic, eh?  That lead to trying to rationalize my addiction to peanut butter.

Peanut butter has a high level of monounsaturated fats and resveratrol.  Peanut butter provides protein, vitamins B3 and E, magnesium, folate, dietary fiber, arginine, and high levels of the antioxidant p-coumaric acid.  

With all that it certainly has to be good for you, right?  But, connoisseurs of peanut butter aren’t concerned with these benefits.  We concern ourselves more with which brand tastes best.  Is it Jif, or Skippy, or Planters, or Peter Pan?   After all, if we are going to buy ours in the super size jar we want the best.

As with any addiction you first need to admit you are addicted.  Over time I have cut back on peanut butter.  Heck, I even went to one serving on toast once a week.  The withdrawals were hell, but I’m doing okay now.  January 24th is National Peanut Butter Day and I can’t wait.  Just one day more...

SPRING TIRES

Here on the farm we have two pickups.  One is the 2006 Dodge 2500 diesel, which we purchased new and have driven 40,000 miles.  It is used exclusively for towing our RV and when we bought it the plan was to keep it in the best shape to use for our retirement travels.  Diesels are expected to get upwards of 300K miles, so we wanted this truck to last well into our retirement.  As a matter of fact it was the deciding factor between a fifth wheel vs. a Class C when we bought our Hitchhiker last year.  The simplicity of the Class C was appealing, however the Dodge is in such good condition we couldn’t justify getting rid of it.  Besides, even though it would be an easy sell, I doubt we could recoup our investment.  We have a couple more winters before my wife retires (have I mentioned how much I dislike winter), so our RVing is done in the summer.  I doubt we will have more than 50,000 miles on the truck when that time comes.

The other pickup is what we call the “farm truck”” and is a 2001 Ford.  Anyone who has been on a farm knows that is always nice to have a “beater” pickup for towing and hauling.  This one has a little over 100,000 miles and still runs good.  But, I’ve noticed the tires are nearly ready to be replaced.  Replacing tires on a truck can get a bit pricey and figured these will make it until spring when we would have to shell out about $500 for tires.  I stewed over that for a couple of weeks (my wife says I’m the ultimate tightwad).  But, that is nothing compared to the $1000+  it will cost to replace the tires on the Dodge.  The tires on the Dodge are load range E, which is 3200 lbs per tire and is required for the weight of an RV.  Just thinking about the cost of new tires for this truck is frightening.

Spring can’t come soon enough for me, however is still far enough off that I forgot about the tires on the farm truck.  That is until one of the bald ones on the front developed a slow leak.  Damn.  A guy just can’t get a break.  So, that got me to thinking again.  Wouldn’t it be nice if I could get new tires for the Dodge and put those on the Ford?  Why spend upwards of $1500 for 8 tires when the low mileage tires on the Dodge could be put on the Ford.  That is if they are the same size I mused.  So, I trudged through the snow out to the garage where the Dodge is in storage.  Eureka!  They are the same size.

Isn’t it great when a plan works out?  Now it is just a matter of nursing the tires along on the Ford until spring when we can get new tires on the Dodge.  I’ve done some research and the tire we will likely buy is the Michelin LTS/MS-2.  I’m hoping by spring Michelin will run a promotion.  After all, $1000+ for tires is enough to send a tightwad into apoplexy.  Just one day more...

SERIOUSLY?!

It is too early in the week for my butthead of the week, however they keep coming out of the woodwork.  It might be time for a middle of the week “stupid people of the week.”  

Wisconsin State Senator Glenn Grothman recently attacked Kwanza, in a December press release, claiming that it was "an effort to divide America."

In his press release, entitled 'Why Must We Still Hear About Kwanza,' Grothman wrote: “Of course, almost no black people today care about Kwanza, just white left-wingers who try to shove this down black people’s throats in an effort to divide America."

“Irresponsible public school districts…try to tell a new generation that blacks have a separate holiday than Christians. Be on the lookout if a K-12 or college teacher tries to tell your children or grandchildren it’s a real holiday."

Seriously Senator Grothman?  I suppose Hanukkah is the Jews hostile takeover of Christmas?  What is with these boobs that keep getting elected?  Why would this goober even care about another culture’s holiday?  Maybe because he wants to divide America.  Someone needs to tell this guy that New Year’s Day was the 150th anniversary of President Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation.  Just one day more...