OT - What the hell are we coming to?

[LDosser]

Praise be, I've never had to resort to corn cobs! Sears catalog, newspaper, leaves, volcanic ash, but not cobs ...

Cats only get the one shade! :()

[LDosser]

Butler Bins! Started about 100 years ago.

[Lew Hodgett]

---------------------- I was probably 6-7 years old when my Dad told me that one.

It was about the same time he pointed out a round barn as we were driving and told me a guy had killed himself in that barn.

Seems the guy ran himself to death looking for a corner where he could take a pee.

Lew

[Larry Jaques]

On Thu, 1 Apr 2010 08:52:22 -0700, the infamous "Lew Hodgett" scrawled the following:

Are you serious, Lew? You don't think that reducing corruption in our gov't would be a good thing? Oh, wait. I forgot about your views on politics. Never mind.

-- It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. -- Charles Darwin

[Larry Jaques]

On Thu, 1 Apr 2010 13:19:49 -0600, the infamous "ChairMan" scrawled the following:

PREcisely. And doesn't _even_ cover it.

BOHICA.

-- It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. -- Charles Darwin

[Larry Jaques]

On Thu, 01 Apr 2010 14:38:25 -0600, the infamous Chris Friesen scrawled the following:

Why don't we 4) recategorize corn raised for fuel so it doesn't skew the food prices?

While the Mexican poor go hungry from the high corn prices set about by the our government's adoption of the ghastly expensive ethanol fuel thing, which pollutes the air more due to the reduced efficiency of the vehicles it powers. That gov't is going to "fix" healthcare.

-- It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. -- Charles Darwin

[-MIKE-]

I totally agree with you about the ethanol myth. It take more energy to make than it produces.

However, the Mexican poor go hungry because of the Mexican government... it has very little to do with the US.

Mexico is one of the richest countries on earth, due in part to their oil resources. The richest man on earth is a Mexican in Mexico. Unfortunately, Mexico is still very much a class society. You're born rich or poor and the Government cares very little about their own poor. They tell them if they don't like living in poverty, to go to "el Norte."

Poor Mexicans are poor because of their own government's policies, not ours.

[LDosser]

He could just as well have said "Feets, don't fail me now!"

[LDosser]

LOL!!

[Mark & Juanita]

Phelps's group's resemblance to a church is purely artificial and coincidental.

[Mark & Juanita]

Nope, I'm thinking it's gone past that for many people. It's gotten to the point where not a lot of people have the "mine is a prince" notion right now. Gonna be very ugly for incumbents come November; that is, if they get past the primaries.

Oh, BTW, comedy gold:

Well, except for the fact that he, and people like him, just voted to take over 1/6 of the US economy and believe themselves to be superior to you in every way, thus qualified to run *your* life and oversee *your* health. Other than that, outrageously hilarious, you just can't make stuff like this up.

[Mark & Juanita]

OK, I'm not getting the volcanic ash concept.

[LDosser]

Kinda like kitty litter, if you're in the right place with no other recourse.

I suppose regular ash might work, but the volcanic stuff has more of a cachet.

[Mark & Juanita]

Seems somewhat gritty. Bet one walks funny for a while afterwards.

[Tim Daneliuk]

There are two paths to great evil:

1) Work diligently to create the illusion that "evil" as a construct doesn't even exist. 2) Hijack "good" and do evil deeds in it's name.

The cultural left has done 1) to a tee. The Phelpses of this world have embraced 2).

[LDosser]

Well, if you happen on some pumice ...

[HeyBub]

I think you may be right. Someone once said there was an intelligence hierarchy.

• The really bright people became entrepreneurs.

• The above average folks became politicians.

• Everybody else was plebes, worker ants.

Now, with the economy in such straits, tens of millions of people have become entrepreneurs (think "underground economy") and suddenly became much smarter than the politicians.

This health care fiasco is going to be the gift that keeps on giving. Several companies, so far, have tabulated several billion dollars in unexpected expenses (AT&T, Verizon, John Deere, Caterpillar, etc.) which means health benefits for their employees and retirees go down or prices go up. As time goes on, expect similar revelations from other companies every month as the green eye-shade types continue to add columns of numbers.

[HeyBub]

Your #3 is a contradiction. If prices are low, as in your hypothetical, that IS the market price. If the government pays more, it is interposing its judgment for the market. Every time the government intervenes in the general marketplace, wealth is destroyed. Every time. With subsidies, tariffs, taxes, regulations, inspections, and so on.

It's dirt simple. Option #1 is the ONLY effective answer.

And your conclusion that the marginal farmers will be forced out of business is wrong; only the stupid farmers will be forced out of business. Every farmer can hedge his crop's outcome by selling his anticipated crop on the futures market and/or buying insurance. Failure to anticipate and protect against unforeseen circumstances is the mark of a foolish farmer, not one ruined by the whims of fortune beyond his control.

[Robatoy]

=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0 =A0-- Charles

(Lowell George)

[Larry Jaques]

On Thu, 1 Apr 2010 22:25:20 -0700, the infamous "LDosser" scrawled the following:

Twue.

-- It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. -- Charles Darwin