Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Tuesday, March 8. 2016

Tuesday morning links

The Wussification of America


Inside Bob Dylan's Historic New Tulsa Archive: 'It's an Endless Ocean'


Scientists who found gluten sensitivity evidence have now shown it doesn't exist


I DUNNO, I THINK PROTEIN IS GOOD for growing boys


Video: Americans Don’t Know Who Washington D.C. Was Named After


The College That Wants to Ban ‘History’


The State of American Retirement - How 401(k)s have failed most American workers


Why blame the 401ks?  They are just one additional way to save. Defined Benefit pensions are never coming back.


Bubba bashes Obama's 'pretty picture' economy, says millions left behind


Note to GOP establishment: The voter is always right


VDH:  The Origins of Trump Nihilism


An Establishment in Panic


Sympathy for the Donaldites



 Though I intend to vote for the GOP nominee, each new round of appalling idiocy by that vulgar human troll doll tests my resolve. But as much as we wish to focus on the flawed messenger, the problem is that we have refused to heed the message he has adopted (and which I have little doubt he will abandon if elected). It’s not the illegals who are living in the shadows; it’s our own base, the guys and gals who got the short end of the globalization stick. The vast majority of Trump’s supporters are good people who we have let down, and as free agents in the political free market they have found someone who saw a need and is filling it.


They aren’t going away; we need to reintegrate them.



All sorts of people like Donald besides the victims of globalization


Why I support Trump — and resent the elites trying to destroy him


Ex-ADL chief: Trump’s ‘raise your hand’ gambit was deliberate, Nazi-style ‘fascist gesture’


That is crazy


The real lesson of Ted Cruz's Super Saturday? Marco Rubio is a horrible failure.


That is going too far


GERMANY BANS SAUSAGES: Pork banned in cafes and schools to 'not offend refugees'


Now I've seen everything


China's 'leftover women', unmarried at 27


Obama’s Cuban fiasco

Posted by Bird Dog in Hot News & Misc. Short Subjects at 06:35 | Comments (33) | Trackbacks (0)

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"GERMANY BANS SAUSAGES: Pork banned in cafes and schools to 'not offend refugees'"

Well, if that initiative succeeds without nary a murmur from the German man in the street then we'll know that country's wussification is complete anyway.
#1 JJM on 2016-03-08 07:40 (Reply)
Trump

How and why was it "the Donald" who came to fill this niche? Of course, Bernie has had some success too.

I thought the salute of the flag image was contrived too. I read it as defiance and mockery of the media and the people who benefit from and are insulated from bad policies.
#2 Exasperated on 2016-03-08 08:04 (Reply)
Having had two older brothers and my very own son, boys love protein and make really impressive consumption models.
Years ago, while taking a dog training class, one of the participants was extremely difficult to control. The trainer's suggestion was to eliminate a lot of the protein from the dog's diet (and castrate him). When I see our government recommending feeding boys/young men low-protein diets I am highly suspicious.
#3 Judith on 2016-03-08 08:45 (Reply)
"I DUNNO, I THINK PROTEIN IS GOOD"

It's not so much that the nutritionist is "wrong" as it is that she is not right. The give away of her bias is in her statement "boys should be eating more of their calories from vegetables but less from meat to better balance their nutrient intake". This is a common mistake that is taught in nutrition and diet classes in college. The correct statement would be that once you have your MDRs, many of which are more readily available from vegetables and fruits, you can acquire additional calories from any food source. Why would she think there must be some "balance"? Kind of an eat one bite of steak and two bites of veggies. This is more like nutrition advice by old wives tales. The bottom line is we all must get our MDRs from the food we eat. Failing to do so can result in illness. However it is NOT necessary to get mega-doses of MDRs and doing so does not prevent illness nor improve your immune system nor make you live longer. If it did and the science supported it than the MDR's would be changed to accommodate this new information.
#4 GoneWithTheWind on 2016-03-08 09:52 (Reply)
I got about 3 paragraphs into the article on 401(k)'s and then went to EPI Board of Directors page to confirm suspicions. Confirmed!
#5 Dunque56 on 2016-03-08 10:22 (Reply)
RE The College That Wants to Ban ‘History’

Assembly for Power and Liberation ... “College of Power and Liberation” ... Office for Social Transformation ... “hxstorically oppressed students” ... Education and Social Justice ... Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program, a Queer Resource Center, a Social Issues Resource Center, and an Ethnic Student Center.

truly a libtard wetdream.

back in the day at Faber College, we'd have beaten the tar out of these asshats along with other macroaggressions and then thrown a drunken toga party.
#6 Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz on 2016-03-08 11:06 (Reply)
By the way, the Dean's office called.

Either you return Emile Faber's head immediately or you go on double secret probation.

Again.
#6.1 JJM on 2016-03-08 12:50 (Reply)
The "victims" of globalization? Huh?

Globalization makes us better off. The opposite is protectionism, which really only protects those industries who would otherwise compete with foreign providers of goods thus enriching the US owners of these industries while firing the rest of us to pay more for lower quality goods.

It's the same foolishness as "buy local."
#7 mike m on 2016-03-08 11:42 (Reply)
Thanks for playing, mike. A nifty consolation prize has been carefully selected with you in mind.
#7.1 Ten on 2016-03-08 19:25 (Reply)
Yep. But voters don't understand or agree. People I thought were staunch Republicans are totally protectionist.
#7.2 Texan99 on 2016-03-09 19:53 (Reply)
Re: The College that wants to ban history.

This is just one step further down the road that the feminizis in Seattle have been creating for the last 30 years that I know of.

Donny--the question is this, where are the lawyers? If each lawyer must take on a case by himself, and the large corporate law firms won't confront this issue, then how do the independent, individual lawyers take on these large, very important cases against the NEA, against the women in universities, against. . . ? You good guys have to band together in something other than the ABA and start to work together in your little town to support each other when they do take on these challenges. If you don't then we are truly lost!
#8 faculty wife on 2016-03-08 11:55 (Reply)
The FIRE crew is good at this.
#8.1 Sam L. on 2016-03-08 12:10 (Reply)
When the U.S. is graduating people who have designed their own classes around sucking weed under an apple tree while contemplating cloud formations that might indicate global warming, no wonder U.S. employers hire from overseas. No wonder graduates can find a job; they're not employable!

Where are the employers on the boards of trustees saying "no way"? Where are the administrators who will tell the students to grow up and fly right? Where are the parents who should turn off the money spigot for progeny who haven't earned part of their own tuition? Who are the lenders supplying hundreds of thousands of dollars to students paying outrageous, ridiculous sums to colleges and universities?

Just who instigated this "cannot include student loans in bankruptcy filings'? Have a few thousand students with these outta-sight debts declare bankruptcy, leaving the lender in the lurch and watch the money dry up fast!

BTW, not everyone benefits from or needs a college education to lead a very comfortable lifestyle with multiple rewards.
#8.2 jma on 2016-03-08 12:17 (Reply)
"Where are the employers on the boards of trustees saying "no way"? Where are the administrators who will tell the students to grow up and fly right? Where are the parents who should turn off the money spigot for progeny who haven't earned part of their own tuition? Who are the lenders supplying hundreds of thousands of dollars to students paying outrageous, ridiculous sums to colleges and universities?"

----------------------------------------------------------------------

What I learned from my first son going to college and what we were told during "parent orientation." Due to federal "privacy rights," the college can't tell you what courses your darling children are taking. They can't tell you what grades they have gotten. They can't tell you what their health situation is, if they have a health issue or emergency. They can't tell you if your child had an overdose from drugs or complications from an abortion.

Parents are only a source of the tuition money, but have no rights beyond that.
#8.2.1 Jim on 2016-03-08 13:28 (Reply)
Yes, been there, too. The "experts" have now determined you are simply a checkbook or a charge card. THEY are in control until your little snowflake turns over sufficient funds to underwrite their salaries, research and prestige (while your child takes classes from T.A.s).

And we advised our children that they better cooperate with the parental plan IF they wanted any help with college expenses; i.e. a bank account by the time they graduated from high school that contained one year's worth of spending money for incidentals and clothing, a job of some type while in school and full time summer employment to replenish their bank account for the next year, a major that focuses on tomorrow's job market with a list of classes they're taking, a show-and-tell with grades before the next semester was paid…you get the idea.

These people in higher education are operating with the same mindset as congress critters, who promise you everything and follow up with absolutely nothing, nada, zilch and grow the budget for heaven only knows what (because they have to pass it before they can read it) to boot. Have you read that those TRASH TREATIES that give away all our Constitutional rights to grow a Global Economy benefiting Washington D.C. and Silicon Valley but not too many in-between. Somebody has got to stop these continuous train wrecks.
#8.2.1.1 jma on 2016-03-08 14:58 (Reply)
what laws or statutes do you think have been violated?
#8.3 Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz on 2016-03-08 12:34 (Reply)
Not statutes, statue.

Return the Founder's head now.
#8.3.1 JJM on 2016-03-08 12:52 (Reply)
Eerie Statues Of American Presidents Forgotten By Time

http://www.leenks.com/link525308.html
#8.3.1.1 feeblemind on 2016-03-08 13:03 (Reply)
first things first. we just discovered how old the mayor's daughter is.
#8.3.1.2 Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz on 2016-03-08 13:50 (Reply)
Sorry Donny --I don't follow, please elaborate or link to. Thank you,
#8.3.1.2.1 Apple pie on 2016-03-08 20:52 (Reply)
its a reference to an incident involving well known character Clorette De Pasto
#8.3.1.2.1.1 Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz on 2016-03-09 00:09 (Reply)
Why blame the 401ks?
Because they have been a scam for decades.

401ks came into being in 1978 when the highest income tax rate was 70% with 26 brackets total. High earners wanted a way to add to their retirement income beyond what their pensions provided. A 401k plan allowed those high earners to defer paying taxes at a higher rate while working, to benefit from a lower rate while retired. So while a 401k made sense for those folks, in that situation, with those tax rates, they have not made financial sense for decades. The scam part is that the financial industry has known this for years. But even today, 401ks are sold to people more likely to be harmed by these plans than helped.
#9 Old Dude on 2016-03-08 12:14 (Reply)
Even if you include the downdrafts in 2000 and 2008, the value of most stock funds have done very well over "decades." On top of that, the employer will often contribute matching funds.

Meanwhile, people who are counting on a pension are locked into their job - whether they like it or not - since their payout is dependent on their length of service. If they go to another job, they get to keep their pension, but it's not likely to be much.

By keeping people dependent on their employer, unions can more effectively setup an environment of conflict and thus increase their value.

People who invest are much more likely to get ahead than those who do not.
#9.1 mudbug on 2016-03-08 13:34 (Reply)
I currently work for a company with a pension, and I want nothing to do with it. I wish I could opt out and invest my money as I want. I've worked for companies that had 401Ksand I saved a lot of money using a variety of options. When I left I took the principle and everything I gained. Pensions are a rip off.
#9.2 Jack Walter on 2016-03-08 23:14 (Reply)
Foxman is right about Trump.

Re: 401ks. Employees get stuck w whichever worthless fund their employer's top managers have been bribed to pick. Usually w high fees, hyping risky stuff like foreign marketsaccounts churned a lot to generate fees, etc. to the ignorant. It wd be better if everyone picked their own and the sensible ones wd go w Vanguard and the Fortune 500 and hold...of course the idiots think they can beat the market so are easy prey for pirates. No honest individual can.

Re: protein for boys. It's always amused me that tho women of childbearing age have far higher requirements for protein and iron than men (except men bleeding on the battlefield), we expect males to eat more good red meat. I'm old enough to remember wives giving their husbands and sons the meat at dinner when money was tight. I still do it. Men really enjoy meat more than women. Most hate veggies. So, beyond MDRs, my attitude is let people eat what they like.

I also agree with the comment about low protein diets pacifying dogs and people. They make one slow, stupid, sleepy and more passive. They make one fat. High protein diets make one feel more alert, less hungry and they also help one cope w stress, heal quicker from infection.

Also, look at the Third World populations subsisting on low protein diets. They are short and suffer from lack of protein. When given an adequate protein diet, the kids grow inches taller than their parents. IMHO children should get a hi fat hi protein diet until their brains have finished growing, and they attain their full adult height. Thereafter they can go on a vegetarian diet if they so choose. But it borders on child abuse to give kids a low fat low protein diet. (I had one inflicted on me by a diet nut mom, and we were all several inches shorter than the rest of the family, so I am biased. My brother 6 inches shorter than the other males).
#10 Retriever on 2016-03-08 12:28 (Reply)
Just adding to your protein discussion, I would like these people telling a high school boy to eat less protein just TRY to stop my kid from doing so. When he gets home from school...he's huge for his age and still growing...he devours cheese, yogurt, protein shakes, etc. If I tried to hand him an apple or a bunch of carrots, he'd be right back for more food 10 minutes later.

Let the kids eat what their bodies are telling them to eat. Geez...
#10.1 MissT on 2016-03-08 12:59 (Reply)
If only you rightists had been as concerned about squandering an entire constitutional republic for the last hundred years as you are about what you somehow intuit filthy federal progg pencil-pushers think about your Saturday BBQ tongs-and-beer freedom rallies out in the back yard by the 12' above ground pool and the tin mower shed from Lowes Depot.

It might have actually meant something.
#10.1.1 Ten on 2016-03-08 19:32 (Reply)
Honestly, the longer I read your comments the less idea I have what you're talking about.
#10.1.1.1 Texan99 on 2016-03-09 19:56 (Reply)
Hm, any 401(k) I have participated in was GREAT for me. The companies I worked for matched 4% or more (free money to me) and I had a choice of funds. Even better, when you leave that place and work somewhere else, roll over your 401(k) into an IRA that you have control over.

Anyway, I did pretty well with the companies who had a 401(k) option.

You should always try to spread around your investments...as in, don't put all your money into the 401(k). Listen to Clark Howard once in awhile and he will set you straight!
#11 MissT on 2016-03-08 12:56 (Reply)
re: An Establishment in Panic

If Trump has fallen short of a glide path to the nomination, the war goes on. But if Trump seems to be the near-certain nominee, it will be a time for acceptance, a time for a ceasefire in this bloodiest of civil wars in the GOP.
Otherwise, the party will kick away any chance of keeping Hillary Clinton out of the White House, and perhaps kick away its future as well.

Hasn't this been the Establishment position for 30 years or more - abandon your principles if you have to in order to vote (R) because it's so important to keep those nasty (D)'s out? Why does the GOP deserve a future when its past is nothing but broken promises on smaller government, lower taxes, less regulation, more liberty? When a political nobody like Dave Brat primaries out your Number 2 guy Eric Cantor, you should get a clue that we're done with settling for promises and we'll burn the place to the ground rather than see you sit here one more day. No, Pat, we're no more willing to rally behind Trump just to save your precious party than we were to rally behind Jeb! or Marco. "You have sat too long for any good you have been doing lately ... Depart, I say; and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!"
#12 Jerryskids on 2016-03-08 13:12 (Reply)
401K Plans

The main problem is that participants don't save enough. You need to save at least 15% of comp per year over a career and you need a cooperating market to be able to generate enough wealth to replace your income in retirement. Do the math.

The second problem is that individuals are too conservative and hold too much in bonds and cash throughout their career. You should be about 90% in stocks till age 45 yet few are.

The third problem is that people grossly underestimate what they need at retirement. You need at least 25 times your necessary retirement income (minus social security) and few know this.

Finally, individuals do not take advantage of the opportunities to learn about investing from their employer's providers.

The employers are at fault too. They all eliminated pension plans and told workers to save through their 401K but no one wanted to tell the workers that 4% was not nearly enough lest the employees figure out that they were just screwed by the elimination of their pension plan.
#13 DMW on 2016-03-08 17:38 (Reply)
The real fault is parents, not employers. Why should employers have to be the teacher of financial stuff? Parents should be teaching their kids this stuff or at least providing insight when a kid is an adult and working.

As for the 4%, that is the matching amount. So really you are talking at least 8% of a person's salary in a 401(k) if they are taking advantage of matching. Some places match higher than that. Then open a ROTH IRA or other investment account.

Problem is, when you are young and starting a family or trying to buy a house, very hard to find that extra $$, unless you are doing very well at a young age. Not everyone is that lucky. Better to be putting SOMEthing away, rather than nothing.

Very discouraging for someone to tell a guy who is 28 with 2 kids and trying to buy his first house that the 2% of his salary he is putting away 'isn't enough.' Just praise the guy for doing something and encourage him to put more in when he is able.
#13.1 MissT on 2016-03-08 18:45 (Reply)
Re: Dylan Archives

That's my home town. A very cool addition to Oklahoma, and a fitting home if you consider Dylan's biggest influence. If you ever make it over to see it, you'll enjoy the rest of the Gilcrease Museum too. Lots of beautiful western, cowboy, and indian art. Frederic Remington works are amazing in person.
#14 Jack Walter on 2016-03-08 23:23 (Reply)

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