Maggie's Farm

"Fresh antiques made daily" by our friend at Sippican Cottage. His biz site is Sippican Furniture.com.

This is serious handmade country furniture made by a Yankee fellow who knows wood inside and out - not department store stuff. Solid wood on antique designs.

Scroll down past the Victorian Christmas here at The Denver Post for an appreciation of Sipp's work.

Yes, he can deliver before Christmas, and he'll build you anything you want. (He's having lots of fun building me a large Spanish Cedar-lined Tiger Maple humidor.)

My next (post-Christmas) project for him may be a round kitchen table to seat 10.

Many are advising me to buy this camera, or one of their TZ line.

Why do people always want me to buy stuff? I like stuff but, being a stingy Yankee, I hate spending money, and I hate getting onto the mo bigga betta bandwagon. Well, more accurately, I should say that am ambivalent about it. (When it comes to guns, mo is betta until it's time to clean and oil them.)

Anyway, I saw they have them at Costco (where the optician is a heck of a nice fellow). I do not need a SLR, because I would never learn how to take advantage of its capacities because I have terminal ADD and, also, was dropped on my head too many times as a kid.

Maybe something for my Santa list...unless Obama gives me one first.

The Dylanologist rolled into town on a ferris wheel yesterday, and managed to find some black market tix for Dylan's last performance of his touring season this year. The Dyl threw me in the horseless carriage and we drove down, through mid-town Manhattan,

and past the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree (covered with scaffolding for the lighting), and down to Times Square to get the tickets from the scalper ticket agent,

then down to 34th street,

only to find that the ticket guy had already sent their left-over tickets way the heck uptown to the theater in now (largely-Hispanic) Washington Heights (where the Brits defeated Washington's army), so we had to turn around back north to do a cell-phone rendezvous in front of a restaurant across the street from the place (after finally finding a place to stow the car). The United Palace Theater on Broadway and 175th st:

Here's our photo of the lobby of the 77 year-old Loew's movie and vaudeville palace as people were leaving, (recently restored by the current owners, Christ United Church):

And here's the theater's (church's) photo of their splendid interior, minus people:

And here's Bob last night on the piano (we smuggled a camera in, but it seems impossible to get good rock concert photos):

Standouts were Thunder on the Mountain, Highway 61, Spirit on the Water, Ain't Talkin', and an acoustic Tomorrow is a Long time. They did a cheerful two-hour performance, and ended with Blowin' in the Wind with Bob on acoustic.

This is a post by guest writer Bruce Kesler:

Democrats are delirious with glee at their opportunity to impose a national health care regime that gets us closer to their ambition of government-run universal health care.

Their launch point is the 98 page outline issued by Senator Max Baucus.  Their point man is to be former Senator Tom Daschle, proposed as Secretary of Health and Human Resources, who has written of similar ambitions and is deemed to be able to wheel and deal toward that end.

Estimates of cost are in the area of $150-billion a year, and growing.  Since it shares many of the aspects of Massachusetts’ plan, which is costing double estimates, similar larger real costs can be expected.

Although only about 20-25% of the 47-million who are uninsured are actually US citizens in financial or underwriting need, let’s for the sake of this exercise use the 47-million number.

At an average monthly premium cost of $158, according to a recent study of actual individual premiums, that means $7.5 billion per month, or $90-billion a year.  Make that $250 a month, to include broader benefits that government typically requires in its plans, more health conditions due to guaranteed issue, and more elderly with community rating that averages their costs down while increasing costs for the younger, and you have $11.75 billion per month, or $141-billion a year.

Cut that back by even half, to eliminate benefits for illegal immigrants, for the legal ones whose sponsors are supposed to be responsible, and for those who can afford coverage but choose to go bare, and you’ve got an annual $70-billion program.

Assuming that Democrats are determined to further bust the federal budget and place us deeper in debt, paying or subsidizing the premiums of the truly needy uninsured would be cheaper than their favored schemes.  All that without a major disruption of the coverage, benefits, freedom of choice of everyone else, and without creating a huge new government bureaucracy that interferes with innovation in treatments or delivery.

So, is the Democrats’ goal increasing Americans’ access to health care?  Or is it increasing their own access to control over Americans, with the increased access to self-enrichment that comes from government programs?

From a hunting buddy and good Ducks Unlimited supporter:

Dear Maggie's:

We went goose hunting with Wild Goose Lodge in Prince Edward Island last week.  I wish I had a picture to show you of all the geese we killed (33 over the three days), but it was too dark by the time we finished hunting.  The weather was no good for goose hunting on two of the three days we hunted; too warm and no wind.  But, we had no complaints as the proprietor, Jim Duggan is a first class guy who goes out of his way to try and get everyone a good hunt.  The attached picture is from our last evenings’ banquet – started off with Malpeque Bay oysters (which in your correspondent’s humble opinion, are the best anywhere).  One of the hunters brought the wine – a Schramsberg sparkler which went great with the oysters.  Then, everyone had a 2.5-3 pound lobster, along with some homemade bread and potato salad.  On PEI, they serve their lobster cold, with lemon wedges and of course, butter.  We had a mix of whites to go with the lobster, including a chenin blanc from South Africa, which was in honor of your humble correspondent who had visited the winery while in S. Africa on safari several years ago.  Dessert was your choice of hot fudge or butterscotch sundae or blueberry pie.  One or two of the guests had a sundae and pie . . .

I must confess that I ate on the order of two dozen oysters and if I do so say myself, three lobsters.

An excellent time was had by all ten of us, including two of the folks whom had never been goose hunting.

Your Humble Correspondent,

J.

North America's Eastern Grey Squirrel is one adaptable critter. Here, in their native territory, I am happy to have them around - and so are the Red-tail hawks that eat them and keep their numbers down.

I think it's been a long time since American kids went out with their .22s to get a mess o' savory squirrel in the oak trees for the family stew-pot.

Like everybody else around here, my main problem with these crafty acrobats is that they eat me out of house and home on my bird-feeders. (Plus, these sneaky little terrorists almost blew me up when they chewed through the hose of my grill's propane tank.)

The ongoing war of brains continues at Maggie's Farm and, thus far, the Grey Squirrel still wins.

Here's some advice on Squirrel-proof bird feeders.

Wki has a good summary on the Eastern Grey Squirrel. Here, we have the black version too, but not many.

From guest poster Bruce Kesler - 

Business As Usual Goes In Circles

Statists on the Left resemble some private sector advocates on the Right.  They argue over which path to take, both leading in similar circles.  Both avoid the road right before their feet, as it would require looking forward to benefits for all instead of selfishly at themselves.  That road not taken is of outcome neutral free enterprise that enriches all.

Statists on the Left defend and want to enlarge government programs that sap productivity, reward sloth, and create a New Class of taxpayer-supported or obliged favored. Their fun-house mirror images from the Right defend and want to enlarge large corporate welfare, wasteful and needless products, and self-serving and enriching speculation.  Both are dependant upon the supposed largesse of government steering its huge budgets toward one or the other’s pets.

Government’s core role is in preserving freedoms to be individuals and national freedoms to avoid foes endangerment of our individual freedoms. One can legitimately, also,  propose that government serves that role when it can mobilize to increase our abilities.  But, government must then compete with other providers for which can do so most cost-effectively.

Private enterprise’s core role is in developing and selling -- transparently, honestly and without coercion -- solutions and products that individuals want to purchase, either directly or through government.  One can legitimately propose that trial-and-error may be wasteful, and some of that waste enriches selfish schemers. But, if subject to market penalties, waste is most quickly penalized and investments that benefit more are encouraged.

In the current economic meltdown, the central fallacy of runaway statists and of irresponsible corporatists is exposed. Both plead they are too big to be allowed to fail.  But, both already have failed. Both seek to put makeup on the zombie by sucking life out of productive sectors.

The easy pickings of criticism come to mind, but they only scratch the surface of our aimlessness and lack of understanding of what works: Competitiveness comes from competition, not from government protectionism.

Big-Three auto industry critics correctly point to uncompetitive wage rates and pension promises reducing profitability, but erroneously criticize now competitive quality or pricing. Their strides forward on these fronts came from having to meet quality and pricing market pressures from foreign-owned auto makers. Preserving their uncompetitive labor structure injects formaldehyde -- at the cost of more jobs lost and of  taxes and debt squandered -- rather than life. Instead, auto executives plead for taxpayer-relief from exorbitant labor costs. Those who enable this avoid the clearly marked road. 

That this seemingly easy and obvious conclusion is neglected by statists and by auto executives, both under pressure by union supporters or by union threats, highlights the path in other realms of our difficulties.

The bulk of state budgets are consumed by labor costs and pensions. The Left’s think tank, the Center on Budget and Policy Studies, counts 41 states in severe deficits, most wanting Washington to pay their bills as if manna from heaven. The Center points at relatively minor restraints placed on program beneficiaries – the first to be impacted when 50-75% of budgets are deemed “fixed costs” of government workers and structures -- while hiring – which exploded along with wages and benefits during the past 10 years – is merely slowed. The largest contributors to statist political candidates are government-employee unions. The obvious path should be that any state program be first subject to cost-effectiveness competition, as with school vouchers and other private service providers, subject to reasonable standards. Private providers, however, must meet – indeed, take the forefront in proposing -- such reasonable standards rather than seeking loopholes to be primarily self-serving. Clear and tested market standards are not the enemy of free enterprise but its underpinning.

Notice, this is a separate matter from whether this or that program is worthwhile.  Those  decisions will be clarified by open competition and standards of measurement.

More difficult distinctions arise when other realms are considered.  For example, the contracting of Defense and State tasks abroad provide flexibility in staffing and incurring costs only when needed instead of idly in reserve, but at higher costs when necessary.  Again, reasonable standards of competence and results for competition are required, rather than protecting government payrolls and longer-lasting retirement obligations.  Veterans  organizations and retired diplomats, here, operate like unions in being more oriented toward benefits than toward mission effectiveness.

Taxing certain expenditures and not others, exempting certain organizations – particularly “charities” whose prime recipients are those running and working for them, are more difficult to justify when exposed to more scrutiny.

These and many other instances of spreading transparency and freer competition provide citizens with clearer choices over their taxes.  One-by-one and in mass, special favors embodied in the thousands of pages of tax codes will be exposed.  Essentially, this would move toward more neutrality between richer and poorer, between saving/investment and consumption.  Competition breeds competitiveness and more efficient choices that better meet each individual’s needs and ability to advance.  The truly unfortunate are not abandoned.  Instead, resources are not wasted but able to be focused on providing them with more opportunities. The truly motivated are not penalized for adding to their and our opportunities.

That’s the American road, not the protectionist staying-in-place circle of self-destruction we’re now trodding in circles.

One quote from her piece:

Bailing out the auto industry offers no net gain to society.  It is a straight transfer of resources from one sector to another:  we tax money, or borrow it from a finite pool of capital available to the nation, and spend it on auto workers.  The people who pay the taxes, or the people who would have borrowed that investment capital, now have less to spend.  Whatever they would have bought goes unbought; whoever would have made it goes unemployed. To coin a phrase, what is made on the swings is lost on the roundabouts  We have the illusion of a gain only because that other group of people is invisible.  Even if we don't bail out GM, they will not be visible--we will never know who didn't lose a job or a business because we declined to spend one squillion dollars saving the Chevy Cobalt.

It's been as clear as day to everyone for years that the once-Big Three are lousy companies with lousy businesses, products that don't sell, and that nobody wants to invest in anymore - except politicians. We're a Toyota country now (except for the Ford F series).

But who ever said raw politics has to make logical sense? This is called vote-buying, and a big thank-you to Michigan for going blue by supporting existing union contracts. With our money. There is a certain sort of political logic in that.

Comment from The Barrister: What is often left out in these discussions is that bankruptcy would not put these companies out of business and these workers out of work. They would reorganize (and renegotiate contracts), or sell off their parts.

And from BD: Follow the money. Best I can figger, all that a bailout would bail out is the existing union contracts, and little more.

And from the NJ: I would not be happy to be working to support Michigan union benefits, which are so much more generous than mine - or those of most folks - that it's ridiculous. Why would I want to do that? Those businesses are obsolete, but somebody is going to try to sell us the notion that they need my money to go green, or some similar BS. Toyota already did that.

The wary American Black Duck of the Eastern US and Canada is prized by hunters, and there is no binocular birder either who is not happy to see them. Sadly, their numbers in the Northeast have been dropping while the population of their close relative the Mallard (with whom they commonly hydridize) have been rising.

Unlike most dabbling ducks, Blacks are happy breeding on either freshwater ponds and marshes or in salt marshes. Some studies in recent years indicate a significant reliance on beaver marshes for breeding habitat.

You can read about the American Black Duck here.

Photo from that site.

Mankiw and ghosts.

Indeed, ideas do not "exist," nor does wealth, no does the "mind,"  nor do emotions, nor does math. How much of our lives are driven by nouns that do not exist in any material way?

Plato discovered Virtual Reality, and the epistemological message for today is that we all live in a mostly invisible Virtual Reality. It's no wonder we're all half-insane because our minds mess us up, and thus it's no wonder we love things we can touch like wood, metal, books, pretty girls (or boys, as the case may be), and plants.

Still, invisible things are often the most important and powerful. Like God.

Photo: A Theo gal. She exists materially, but whether you can touch her or not is another subject. That's up to her.

Bacon recipes are going around. It must be the time of year. For example, Apple Bacon Pie.

And how about this Texas Tommy? Thank God the hot dog is Kosher.

Here's all you need to know about how bacon is made. Real chefs make their own. Some folks save their bacon grease in the freezer, to cooks greens in. I should start doing that. Greens without grease are rabbit food.

When a candidate or party loses an election, the tendency is to over-read it and to self-scrutinize, sometimes to a fault. When they win, the tendency is to over-read it and not self-scrutinize enough. Often, the process devolves into a circular firing squad for the former, and a circle jerk for the latter. We try to avoid both of those unseemly activities.

These election thoughts by guest poster Bruce Kesler: