Need a Cool Earthquake Testimonial?

We had an earthquake here a couple of days ago.  I didn't feel it.  But I didn't feel left out with all the truly amazing stories people told me because if I needed to...I could've had a cool story to tell anyone who would listen...over and over again.  If you've gone through an earthquake and don't have a story to tell...I'm here to help you.

Seattle is prone to earthquakes and on occasion they are large.  Most of the time they are isolated to small areas and produce no lasting damage. 

After a 6.8 magnitude earthquake in the year 2001 that rocked our little region I began to hear some commonality when it came to people describing how they felt the earthquake.  Everyone had their own account and talked as if their experience was incredibly unique and important. 

As a service to all of you, I will help you generate a cool earthquake testimonial that you can use to impress your friends.  Follow these steps:

1. All testimonials begin with where you were and what you were doing.  Don't miss this simple step as it adds flavor to your story. 
   
   For example:  I was at home and I was in the bathroom going poop.
   
2. Then describe what happened when the earthquake began.  This is an initial observation that there is something to talk about beyond your bowel movement.
   
   For example:  My cat suddenly ran out of the room and I heard something fall in my bathtub.
   
3. In this step describe what you thought it was.  This is important because no one thinks what they're experiencing is an earthquake, they always think it's something else.
   
   For example:  I thought the sound was my roommate passed out drunk in the bathtub.  Mr. Whiskers never liked him and I was sure that's why he ran out of the bathroom.
   
4. Then slowly, and in the most painfully boring way possible, outline how you used simple reason to deduct that your initial thoughts on what you were experiencing were completely inaccurate.
   
   For example:  Then I thought to myself that it couldn't be my roommate because he moved out two months because he wasn't paying me his half of the rent and he never slept in the bathtub while I was home during that part of the day because he was always afraid I'd hassle him for rent money even though I never did because I figured...hey...he's an adult and I don't like to nag people about...
   
5. This is the big finish.  This is where your whole story begins to climax into the now obvious conclusion that you understand that you're in the midst of a natural disaster. 
   
   This step goes like this:  ...and then I thought...OH MY GAWD...WE'RE HAVING AN EARTHQUAKE!

Go ahead.  Practice a bit and create your own and leave them in the comments.  You can thank me later when all of your friends and co-workers marvel at your awesome account of an earthquake you never felt.

The Detroit Bailout

 

While the news media has characterized this as an automobile industry bailout, it is truly just a Detroit bailout.  In Mississippi, and Alabama for instance (Nissan and Hyundai) no such bailout exists.  And why would it?  They build cars in America that people will actually buy.

Okay, prepare to be stimulated

It has passed. The stimulus package is days away from being signed into law to great fanfare. I get email from you out there that support Obama and I also get email from Republicans that think government has to "do something."

Please enlighten me. This is not a trap, but deserves an honest answer to this question. Here it is:

Where is this money coming from?

My follow-up question would be:

Knowing now where it has come from, can you tell me exactly how it will save the economy?

Feel free to pass this along to any Keynesian out there that wants to explain it. This subject deserves a chance to be discussed here.

Citizens Engaging in Freedom

The Canadian Revenue Agency wants citizens to make a trendy YouTube video to warn Canadians that their fellow citizens should not have the audacity to engage in freedom.

Sure tax revenue pays for roads, schools, and endless Canadian government programs, but do you know what the underground economy provides?

• The freedom for people to save money.
• The freedom for citizens to pay their own way.
• The freedom for people to decide what they will/won't pay for.
• The freedom to pay for timely medical care in the US.
• The freedom for people to give money where they choose.

The underground economy doesn't hurt Canada's economy, it just hurts the collective power that has concentrated in Ottawa.

I'm encouraged that the underground economy is a big enough problem for the CRA to have to address.  Perhaps the spirit of freedom is still burning, if ever so dimly, in our northern neighbor.

We now return you...

...to Ron Paul making sense...already in progress.

It would be nice to hear someone else in Washington DC just tell the truth about throwing bad money after bad.

Historic Piles of Garbage

The large crowd of advocates for change left 130 tons of garbage on the Washington Mall.  How inspiring. 

To Obama's credit one little bit of our nation's garbage has been cleaned up.  The detention facility at Gitmo will close as well as various other "secret" prisons around the world.  Not right away but within a year which is plenty of time to decide what to do with these people.  In many cases their countries of origin will execute them anyway.

Now Mr. President...open trade with Cuba.

Okay Chrysler...the joke is over.

You've gone too far this time.  It was bad enough how it started:

1. First you take my money from me because I don't buy your cars.
2. Then you spend my money to thank me for the money you took.

and now...your strategy for rebuilding your company is to align with...FIAT!?!?

Chrysler will have you believe that they'll benefit by sharing platforms and technology with the likes of Maserati and Ferrari but don't hold your breath for the new Ford Focus to appear on a Magnum PI reunion show.  Forget those famous Italian brands and think more along the lines of Lancia.

What next Chrysler?  Who is your next strategic partner to join your road show of scrap metal debris?  I'm thinking you probably already have AutoVAZ on the phone ready to import the Lada.

This whole thing would be funnier had I not be paying for it.

C'mon...make a creepy pledge

Inaugural Speech

I was a little unimpressed.

I was troubled by his estimation that greed was somehow the reason for our difficult economic times.  He admitted that market forces have an unmatched capability to provide for us but must be reigned in so that it does not spin out of control. 

The market doesn't spin out of control, but fraud and force can and does.  It is the role of government to protect its citizens from doing harm to each other through force and fraud.  Don't blame the market because a corrupt government (of which he has been a member) does not take seriously its role to protect the right of people to engage freely and put their capital at risk.  Call it greed or whatever you want but we ALL benefit when people take risks to improve their own personal well-being.

I loved the benediction...a good vision for America in my view.

What did you guys think?

Peaceful Transition of Power

Our country does something that many countries can't imagine.  We peacefully hand over the keys to the White House to a new guy and throw a big party.  Every new president shares high approval numbers as people who didn't even cast a vote for the winner share in the hope.  That's the way we do it.  I like that.

Obviously, I'm a partisan.  I have ideals and core beliefs.  You all know Obama doesn't fit into these and because you pay attention to politics you know that there is truth to the stigma that he's a socialist in many ways.  Today I will forget this and just celebrate the peaceful transition of power.  Just like Germany did in the early 30's...so be a good German for one day and enjoy the inauguration. (Yes, I'm kidding)

There will be many references to Dr. Martin Luther King made tomorrow and snippets of his speeches will be played but I can't recommend enough that you listen to some of his famous speeches from beginning to end.  So many memorable moments for me in those speeches never became sound bites.

Thanks for the many warm wishes regarding Chesty.  It sucks losing a pet and so many of you had many encouraging and comforting words.   Thank you again.

Chesty the Cat - RIP

Chesty the Cat - 199?-2009

Chesty came into my life back in the 90's like any stray cat would. He wandered up to my door and wanted food. I didn't give him any. I decided if he came back and was friendly even though I didn't feed him then he may actually be worth adopting.

He did come back and I did adopt him though the jury is still out on whether it was worth it. That said, I liked Chesty quite a bit.

I named him Chesty because I thought he was a female and I gave him a stripper name. Chesty LaRue was his full name. I took him to the vet to get him fixed and even the vet was fooled...until they called me back about an hour after I dropped him off and told me, "We're calling about Chesty...the cat is apparently a male...after closer examination we discovered a penis." I knew at that point I had a bond with this cat that would be long lasting. How many people can claim they have a cat with a wang so small that it even fools a doctor?

Chesty peed in my kitchen. It was annoying. I put down puppy pee pads in the kitchen because he would use them and it controlled the mess and odor and clean up. He also used the litter box too, just not exclusively. I tried everything to break him of it but he was beyond help. The cat was retarded.

He visited me last night in his last healthy moment and I pet him. He didn't really eat yesterday and I knew with his weight down so much it was only a matter of time. He labored all night and I knew this morning that today would be his last day.

I called the vet to see if I could get him put to sleep humanely and got a 10am appointment. He died just after 9am. I called back the vet to cancel the appointment and they said it would've been helpful to give them more notice. I told them that my cat didn't bother to tell me when he was going to die and that I would not be taking any animal to them in the future. A tip: Ask for a reason for the cancellation if you don't know why the appointment was made in the first place. Assholes.

My son and I dug a grave and had a brief Anglican graveside service for him. More than the cat deserved really but I wanted to convey to my son that what we were doing was respectful and thankfully he understood. My 3 year old son's eulogy was this:

"Chesty was a good kitty. Now he is dead. Bye bye Chesty!"

Indeed. Bye bye Chesty.

Update:
Related Post

Why Centralized Planning is wrong

You have heard much about central economic planning over the last year of the failed Bush administration and will hear even more in the coming months of the Obama presidency.  In both cases they will be wrong and against your best interest.  Here is why.

A free society and a free market requires not just voluntary exchange, but informed voluntary exchange.  In a voluntary exchange, all parties benefit from a transaction.  The role for government is to protect the freedoms of everyone to enter into voluntary exchanges.  Government would work to prevent fraud, it will protect contracts of all kinds.  This enables people to have lawful protection while doing business with another party that they do not personally know.

When Central Planning begins, it accidentally removes many of the fundamental components of free and informed exchange.  Central Economic Planning can attempt to make things "fair" by fixing a price, or fixing a wage.  The price of something in a free market can tell a consumer immediately if it is a good deal.  If the price is too high there may not be a market for it, if it's too low it may lend information about the quality or reliability of the product.  These are decisions that you and I make a thousand times as consumers.

Once "fairness" or "stimulus" has been added to the market, the ability to make an informed decision about an exchange becomes more difficult.  When a price becomes fixed, or more money or credit is allowed into the system, all the information we seek becomes harder to find.

The other piece of the exchange disappears as well.  The "free" part of the exchange goes away with choice.  After an industry has gone under the wisdom of central planning it's not long before the winners and losers in the industry are chosen by bureaucrats rather than consumers.  Protectionist policies, tariffs, regulation and bailouts all lead to a reduction in choice by the consumer.  It isn't long before the consumer loses the freedom to exchange with whomever they wish...after only a few choices remain.

The heart of a free society is the voluntary and informed exchange.  Once a government compromises this then believe me...there are no free markets.  President Obama would do well to ignore central planning and work hard to build a government that enforces fraud and tirelessly protects the rights of people to voluntarily exchange with one another.

Obama's Raw Deal

There has been a great deal of talk about Obama's plan for America and his first 100 days.  From universal this and that to bailouts, new era WPA, and mandatory civilian service...not much to like in that list frankly.  His advisor's have actually used the term New New Deal.

My hope is this type of thing will go by the wayside in the same way privatizing a tiny part of Social Security failed with the Bush administration.  This country doesn't need any of that and the last thing this country needs is dependence on the federal government to provide life support.

It's hard to say how much political capital there is to spend for Obama, but there could be a great deal as long as our current economic status is compared to the Great Depression.  It'll be interesting to see what signature line will be chosen for his inauguration speech...some type of "...nothing to fear but fear itself." line is what some speech writer is agonizing over somewhere.

I will celebrate inauguration day by paying bills.  Not my bills but those of my mom's.  While she would certainly qualify to have some of your money, we decided it would not be right to take your money unless you offered it first.  We're funny that way.

Let's hope Obama's call for change isn't just turning back the clock to the 1930's.

Hey Chrysler...ya got a lot of nerve

You couldn't get my money the fair and honest way could you?  Did you ever really try to make an automobile I would want?  Did you make an affordable and reliable automobile in recent memory?  How about a warranty so I would be willing to take a chance on your dodgy fit and finish?

But you got my money anyway didn't you?  You got it not because I bought your products but BECAUSE I DIDN'T!  Like the bandits you are you used the government as the agent of force to do your bidding...and what did you do with the first fruits of your theft? 

You take out ads across the nation in newspapers and Internet sites to thank me for what you call my "investment." 

Is this some kind of sick joke?  You take money from me against my will and then thank me for it like some kind of villain only found in comic books.

You are not welcome Chrysler and don't think for a minute I will forget this. 

Goodbye 2008, go on...who needs ya?

I began the year getting the flu...not once...not twice...but THREE TIMES.  I barfed, coughed and shot various fluid out of my body in every direction all through January and February.  Great way to start the year.

In February Larry Norman died as well as a friend named Sue Ady. 

In March I flirted with an audio supplement to this blog and wasn't totally happy with it after just two...it will make a comeback in 2009.

Later on in the year I joined the Dave and Steve Show which has been an absolute blast and a cool creative outlet.  I would enjoy doing the show even if it were not for the female groupies.

I became a Republican for awhile but after Ron Paul left I went back to my comfortable place voting for people who never win...was elected a delegate to the GOP State Convention and found I cannot stomach conservatives at all.

In July I went on vacation and promised to post pictures...and never did.  So there.  The vacation was so-so.

In August my best friend's wife died. 

In September I heard outrage over Socialism.  Where in the hell was the outrage over the last eight awful years I wondered.  Also in September I bought an Insurance company and pondered how much urine might be on my pants.

In October I grew less interested in the election since I don't remember an election where I could barely vote for any candidate...I eventually settled on Bob Barr.

In November I stayed away from politics and bored you with stupid crap...in December I did the same thing...except a little less...oh and I got sick again and took care of my mom during one of the biggest snow storms to hit our region in 20 years.

So see ya later 2008, don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out.

Happy New Year everyone.  May God bless you in the new year.

Christmas Eve and other stuff

What a week.  First of all thank you all for the emails, instant messages and phone calls asking about my mom.  I'll begin with an update on her.

Mom's hip surgery was a great success.  Yesterday is what I'd consider to be her first good day really.  She sat in a chair for most of the day and took 20 steps using a walker.  Her rehab included using a recumbent bike for 10 minutes as well.  This is a great move forward for an 84 year old polio victim.  In a funny way the surgeon said the new artificial hip was an upgrade from the one she's had her whole life due to the polio she got when she was just 3 years old.

We've had snow here in the greater Seattle area and when it falls, it's a big deal.  I have about a foot of frozen snow on the ground now and it's still snowing.  I always hear from people in the Midwest and other places who think it's ridiculous that Seattle virtually shuts down after a few inches of snow.  The impact it makes on our region happens for a few reasons.

1. We don't get snow very often,  consequently we're not exactly prepared for it.  In this greater metropolitan area of over 3 million people there are probably fewer than 30 snow plows.
2. The Midwest is flat.  Very flat.  The whole time I've driven around in,  or flown over the Midwest, all I can think about is how flat it is.  Driving on flat terrain in the snow is simple.   There are more hills around here than coffee houses.
3. Seattle area drivers are idiots.

Here is an updated photo of me in the winter here.  

As you can see in the photo, I'm obviously amused by recent events...anyway...

Christmas is upon us but to me honestly if feels like it has gone by already.  My son has been a true treasure for me during this time and it reminds me of why so many aspects of Christmas are for children in particular.  We do a blended spiritual/secular Christmas here at home using the Charles Spurgeon approach to the holidays...since everyone is thinking about the baby Jesus during this time we may as well not ignore it either.  The account in the Gospel of Luke is beautiful and important to me on a deep level but I've not really made any attempt to connect it to the celebration of Christmas...but whatever...what can you do?  As a libertarian there is only so much bucking the system you can do before you either go on a killing spree or just go along.  For now I'll go along.

Have a Happy Christmas to all of you and thank you again for all of your kind words of encouragement and concern during this time.

Pre-Christmas Update

Haven't blogged lately due to some factors:

1. Mom broke her hip.

2. I've been sick.

3. Snowy roads, being sick and arranging rehab care for my mom has put me behind on blogging and Christmas Shopping.

4. Dealing with my brother makes me want to go on a 3 state killing spree...starting with Washington state.

I'll be blogging your face off in no time...you can count on that.

Thanks,
-t

Medicated Blog Post #9

My cat is sick.  Hyper thyroid plus kidney dysfunction.  He eats all the time and still loses weight...plus that fun vomiting problem.

It's supposed to snow tonight and we have a winter storm advisory in our area.  People in the Northeast would snicker at what constitutes a winter storm in the Pacific Northwest. 

I'm feeling okay but caught a cold roughly a few hours before I saw The Lost Dogs in concert.  While having no fewer than two Hall's Honey Lemon throat drops in my mouth I listened to some awesome independent Alt Country/Rock and some great stories about Route 66.

I patronize any place that hires handicapped people...especially those with mental handicaps.  The Fred Meyer Store near where I work has a gal named Noreen who takes the carts in from the parking lot.  She works hard, always has a smile and always brightens my day just to talk to her.  We talked the other day and she said to me, "You seem to come here during your lunch time...you should pack a lunch."  I guess Noreen would rather I stay away from the store or is concerned that I may be spending too much.  Not sure how to read that one. Hmm.

My advent calendar told me to make an elf hat last night.  Screw you calendar!

I called my mom this morning and she was getting an in-house massage in her living room.  For the record, if I was getting a massage in my house...I wouldn't be answering the phone.  That reminds me of a story I'll tell sometime.

I'm very behind on Christmas shopping.  Being sick puts me further behind.

Okay, I need to go get jacked up on cold medicine again.  Talk to you later.

I will not drive a broken window.

I've never owned an American car in my life.  Never.

I've owned cars from Germany, Japan, and Korea...but never any made in Detroit. (or even Canada on behalf of Detroit)  My reasons are simple and fairly reasoned:

• I've known many who have had terrible American cars
• I do not like their cars
• They do not warranty their cars to my satisfaction
• Overall reliability is poopy
• The true cost to own is prohibitive

Detroit has never received a dollar from me because I will not buy their cars.  Now they claim to politicians that they MUST have my money because I don't buy their cars.  They promise that once they have my money they will build a car I will like...and I hope they're right...since I will have already paid for it.

Frederic Bastiat, in the 19th Century, discussed this theory of economics in his explanation of the Broken Window theory.  Bastiat concluded that those who would support a Detroit bailout would look at a broken window as an opportunity to support the glass industry.  This argument tends to focus on what is seen (a new window and a glazier gainfully employed) rather than on what is unseen. (another industrious person not being paid because money is being spent on broken windows)

Washington DC will not be satisfied until we are all replacing broken windows (Detroit lemons) just to keep the glaziers employed.  How will a new automaker ever get a chance to succeed in this country if public money is used to nationalize the big three failed automakers?  How can we truly expect from Detroit the type of innovation and reliability we're demanding when we buy a car made by Honda, Toyota, or BMW?

Every economic advisor for your new president supports the bailout and ignores the advice of Bastiat (and scores of others) and continues in the footsteps of their hero Lord Keynes.  For you Obama supporters that thought you were getting diversity of thought and a wide variety of views advising your savior...get ready to be replacing many windows over the next four years.

Pearl Harbor Day and I'm a Jerk

After church I went to a large warehouse store with my son to get something to eat for lunch. His choice was pizza and I'd settle for a hot dog at a low low price. This is not a normal lunch as we almost never eat out together but today's schedule demanded it.

My son will be 3 soon and we are at the beginning stages of holding conversations together. This is how today's went:

Me: It's Pearl Harbor Day today, bud.
Son: Perr Hobber Day?
Me: Yup.
Son: What's that?
Me: It's the day we decided it wasn't over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor.
Son: (chomps away on pizza)

I decided to forego historical accuracy with the conversation and quote a portion of the famous line from the 1978 movie Animal House. Honestly my son wasn't paying much attention anyway. The conversation continued with a man who was sitting near us:

Man: The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor (giving a stunned look at my ignorance)

I had a choice to make at this point. I could let him correct me and say thank you. I could give him the backstory on my attempt to comically encapsule history or I could do what I ended up doing: Act extra dumb to piss him off more.

Me: No, I'm pretty sure it was the Germans. (pretending to think about it)
Man: You've got it all wrong! It was the Japanese in the Pacific theater. (shakes his head stunned at how stupid I appear)
Me: Right! The Pacific...it must have been the Germans. See?
Man: Oh brother! You don't know anything.

I'm sure he's telling anyone who will listen in his life that he witnessed this dumb guy telling his toddler son that the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor and that people these days have no respect for history but I really had to do to this. It was his own fault that I acted this way.

He expects me to know specific details from an event that occurred 27 years before I was born but he can't know a famous movie line from a movie that came out in both of our lifetimes? Sure maybe he didn't see the movie or wasn't a big John Belushi fan but I couldn't resist being a jerk.

I find it entertaining that I quoted something historical correctly and was corrected by a man that didn't know what I was talking about. So I more strenuously responded incorrectly to make his factual correction demonstrate how dumb he was actually being. In the end, he feels smarter than me and I felt entertained. Win-win.

Someday one day my son will utter the words:

Was it over when the Mexicans brought down the towers?

I'm sure most of you would've handled it differently, but to quote the Yardbirds, "Mr. You're a better man than I."