Always Good For A Laugh

Yes, I'm talking about the "mainstream media". For those of us who know better than to believe everything they put out as "news", there is a lot of humor to be found in their stories.

Take today's story about how "It's Official - The National Bureau of Economic Research has determined the recession began in December of 2007." WOW! GEE!

Actually, the terminology I would use is BS, TRIPE!

First, it is definitely NOT "official" - they try to forge a belief that the National Bureau of Economic Research is a valid, government bureau. It is not. It is a private company that uses its own rules, and its own standards for making such determinations. There is nothing official about them or their determinations. And they do not use the accepted standard of what constitutes a recession, which is two consecutive quarters with a negative GDP (Gross Domestic Product).

So this begs the question, "Why are THESE clowns saying the recession started last year?"

Hey, here's a simple answer - the NBER is a liberal (spelled D-E-M-O-C-R-A-T) organization. And the last thing they want is for the recession to technically begin with Obama's term in office, which it is scheduled to do. So, they simply threw out the accepted atandards, and wrote their own, and using their own standards, they are able to "prove" the recession began a year ago.

I'm not debating when the recession started - it starts at a different time for each of us. If you lost your job on October 5th, the recession probably started in your home on October 5th. Personally, I think the recession, for all intents and purposes began this last spring. That is when unemployment levels rose sharply and and consumer confidence levels fell sharply. That causes fear, and fear turns a downturn into a full-blown recession. But for the media to say that "it's official" because some private entity with an agenda says so is too absurd for words, because the official standard is two consecutive quareters of negative GDP. And we have not yet seen that, though I suspect that this quarter will be the 2nd one, and we will "officially" be in recession come January.

But here is what many folks - including the NBER, apparently - do not understand. A recession is not the product of a President's term. The recession of '99, blamed on Clinton (but Democrats tried blaming it on Bush) was not Clinton's fault. And this recession is not Bush's fault, nor will it be Obama's fault.

Recessions are a necessary, unstoppable part of the economic cycle. First law of physics - what goes up, MUST come down. That includes economies.

But recessions can, and often are, assisted by a lousy Congress and a myopic, manipulating Federal Reserve. By continually trying to ward off "bad times", they only make it worse - like sticking your finger in the dike. For whatever you forestall will only grow in magnitude.

This recession is going to be bad - much worse than it should have been. If Congress and the FED had just let nature take its course, it would have come a long time ago, and would already be but a memory.

I sure wish politicians would realize that manipulation never produces desired results, whether it is minipulating the markets, the economy or the people.

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A Sad Note

A brief but sad note from Bob Hatch (MWVOCC):

After a brief illness, Larry Shanks passed away today at 2:15 pm. at Maine Medical Center in Portland, ME. Many of you my remember Larry's friendly smile, and his bright yellow pick-up truck. Larry was a longstanding member who frequenly participated in club events. He will be greatly missed.

Funeral services will be held Thursday December 4, 2008, at Our Lady of the Mountains Church, North Conway. Services will begin at 11:00 am.

Club members that plan on attending the service are encouraged to wear their club jackets as a show of support.

Sincerely,

Bob

MWVOCC Old Car Tour

Back in October I posted a letter from Bob Hatch about the 4th Annual Old Car Tour. Well, I just received this new letter from Bob:

"Dear Bill,

Could you please thank the people that signed up for the Old Car Tour? We now have our limit of 50 cars for the trip in June, and we have started a small waiting list. If people are interested in getting their name on the waiting list, please have them e-mail me at bobs58ford@hotmail.com.

Thanks,

Bob"

Please note - you may still sign up for the waiting list, in case one of the first 50 can't make it - a lot of life can happen between now and next summer, and plans change :o)

Bill

Another Prediction Comes True...

Almost. Two or three weeks ago I predicted oil prices would again rise because OPEC would meet early, to shore up the falling prices. Well, this just in:

CAIRO, Egypt – Saudi Arabia's king says the price of oil should be $75 a barrel, much higher than it is now, but his oil minister indicated Saturday that no measures will likely be taken until OPEC meets again next month. Saudi Oil Minister Ali Naimi said that the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries will "do what needs to be done" to shore up falling oil prices when the group meets Dec. 17 in Algeria, but for now it was "too early."

So there you have it. I mentioned earlier I will fill my oil tank and my gas tanks before December 15th, and I still plan on doing so. You may want to consider a similar plan. Bear in mind, now that the speculators are aware of this, the price may rise sooner, due to speculation.

Make no mistake about it - the Saudi's are not, and never have been our friends. They care not that the economy is bad, or that many folks may freeze. They only care about their profits. And to them, we are nothing more than infidels. So, expect nothing less from those people.

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HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

If This Were Snow....

This much rain would have been over 3 feet of snow. See? You DO have something to be thankful for :o) Looks like the year is going out the way it came in - soggy. Here's hoping next season is sunny and warm, and only rains at night.

We have more great classics up in the classifieds - a really sweet 1930 Ford Model A Roadster Street rod and a '68 Camaro. Check 'em out.

Well, so far "The Complete Car Show" guide has sold in almost every state so far. It is becoming popular, mostly by word of mouth. Looks like there was a real need for something like that.

Sure do miss y'all!

Happy Thanksgiving - and if you have a winter project vehicle, please share. Or a "super garage" for the gallery. Or any plans for gatherings over the winter.

Til then..........

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Chicken Tractor

I can hear you already saying, "NOW what the Hell is he talking about? Chicken tractor?"

Absolutely. I'm going to get one of those child-sized John Deere tractors and teach one of my chickens to drive it.

NOT!

For those of you who may not know, a chicken tractor is a small, self-contained chicken enclosure that is portable. You put a few chickens in it, and they peck and dig up the area. They eat the bugs, pull up the weeds, and lightly till the soil. Meanwhile, they also fertilize the soil with chicken manure.

When they finish an area, you simply move the enclosure to a fresh area.

That said, I'm building a newer, bigger one, for a dozen Rhode Island Reds. Here's what I get outta the deal:

Tilling, fertilizing, and bug control in my garden area, 72 square feet at a time, in about 3 days flat. So, I get better crops, as well. I also get on average about 9 eggs per day. We use three, so the other 6 per day means I can pawn off a dozen organic eggs every two days, which pays for the feed and oyster shell.

And when the hen stops laying, she will have another way to serve me - on a platter. There really is not much of a downside to having and using chickens in this way.

This new, big Chicken Tractor will be somethin' to see. Instead of a simple wired cage, it will have a built-in coop where they can retire for the night. The coop section will also be on garden cart wheels, with handles on the caged end for moving it easily. The top of the coop will be my old truck cap, providing light and ventilation, and the wheels and support come from my old Vermont garden cart - you know, the ones with the large bicycle wheels.

I'm also considering raising two pigs next year. If I do, I'll name them Muhammad and Osama. That should make it easier to dispatch them in the fall. (Of course, it could just as easily be Pelosi and Reid.)

Robin says I'm turning into a farmer. I guess she forgot I was a farmer before I was 6. Raised on a farm.

Well, it's dinner time - gotta go!

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