A New One - Finally

No pictures today, just rambling......I've been working mostly six 12's since the end of May in Victorville, CA - including Saturdays! Now I've started a second project for the same agency with the pipe being fabricated near downtown LA. It's a 50 minute commute in prime Los Angeles traffic. The saving grace is they start at 5 am. But going home is a royal pain at 15 mph. Fortunately this is only for a week, then I'm back commuting Cajon Pass until fabrication starts in late Dec. That part is only 6 miles away in Riverside and I'll be starting a second job at the same firm...nothing like double dipping to keep the wolf away. I have 3 jobs running and I've turned down another two. This is stone cold crazy - I'm supposed to be retired!!!
The morning economic news is contract employment is dropping and not for the usual reason, becoming direct hires. So if companies are not hiring from temp agencies (ie. letting go) are the direct hires the next to get fired...likely!

I Will Never Buy a New Car

My favorite Jeep wrecking yead has been auctioned off and Pick-a Part scrapped everything!! If car manufacturers cannot support their product or cannot stop the clock, why should I buy something that's going to be obsolete? Besides I can still fix this without a dealers computer and tech at $80/hr.

The Budget Debacle

So what is so difficult to understand about “you cannot have any more money”?

DC has overspent for years and that means everyone. Now we finally have some congresspeople with principles who cannot be corrupted by the “good ol’ boys” there. Do you REALLY trust Congress…look what they did to Gramm-Rudman – declared an emergency and overrode it. Ten years of cuts???? That’s two elections! The rating agencies, Moody’s etc set the downgrade threshold and the proposals are missing that by 25%.

Default is not a necessity, there is enough daily income to cover the nation’s debt interest, Social Security, and military pay. Default is a SCARE TACTIC by the administration.

 ***********  You cannot have any more taxes    ************

Dateline: 7 PM Sunday-    A budget 'framework' has been agreed on.
I hate Washington speak - these budget cuts still allow an 8% raise when the GDP is growing 1.3%! It's still spending more than comes in.

Another Day, Another Dollar

Reminds me of George Thoroghgood's "get a REAL job".
So I'm back in a pipe mill inspecting the fabrication of water transmission pipe for the next 3-4 months. And screwing up a perfectly good summer when I had planned on taking a bike tour of the southwest. Eventually I'll get to see Monument Valley on my 'Iron Horse' when John Ford filmed a lot of his western movies. With only Sunday's off, I'll barely have time to finish the cosmetics on the Cherokee.

Churchill on Islam

 "How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. The effects are apparent in many countries, improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live.

A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement, the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property, either as a child, a wife, or a concubine, must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men.

Individual Muslims may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it.

No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytizing faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step, and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science, the science against which it had vainly struggled, the civilization of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilization of ancient Rome."

            Sir Winston Churchill; (Source: The River War, first edition, Vol. II, pages 248-50 London )

            This short speech from Winston Churchill, was delivered by him in 1899 when he was a young soldier and journalist. It probably sets out the current views of many but expressed in the wonderful Churchillian turn of phrase and use of the English language, of which he was a past master. Sir Winston Churchill was, without doubt, one of the greatest men of the late 19th and 20th centuries.

He was a brave young soldier, a brilliant journalist, an extraordinary politician and statesman, a great war leader and Prime Minister, to whom the Western world must be forever indebted. He was a prophet in his own time. He died on 24 January 1965, at the grand old age of 90, after a lifetime of service to his country, and was accorded a State funeral.
            This probably explains why one of Obama’s first act as a resident of the White House, was to returned his bust back to England.

Subsidies = Welfare = Entitlements

So now we have a bunch of Senators grilling "Big Oil" regarding their Federal subsidies. This is a good thing even if it's short-term political grandstanding.
BUT more to the point, we need to end ALL SUBSIDIES. This includes farmers, game reserves, welfare, these are all subsidies. We are as a nation BROKE and it's time to quit the give-away artists buying their way into the Republican and Democratic Congress. They are giving away OUR MONEY.
How long are you willing to contribute to these entitlement programs??? This must end if you want to keep our country.

Celebrating Ella's 7th Birthday

We all went to a Japanese steak house for Ella's seventh birthday party. She's growing up waaaaay too fast. Her new electric "Razor" scooter is the first time I've ever seen her cautious. I'm glad her birthday is in the spring because it's nice to see some green after all the snow.

Travelin' in PA

It was going to rain in LA so I thought it a better idea to go visit my daughter and her family. Coincidentally we all love local clams steamed in a white wine sauce. While I was there we surveyed the yard for regrading of about 150 yards of dirt. This will allow for about a foot of top soil instead of that terrible clay that only grows moss. After that I will install a complete automatic sprinkler system and hydroseed the whole yard.

Big John's View of AZ Bike Week

I spent the last week with a bunch of friends during Bike Week in Scottsdale, AZ. Most of us all ride Harley knuckleheads and we were guests of Knucklehead Mike-the best host in years!!
The conversations tickled enough brain cells to regenerate some more memories about the old days.....I'm now real ambitious to re-seat the oil pump check valve on my knuck. Then I'll only have Mike's problem - which one to ride ha ha.

Electricity vs. Conservation

We have used all the available sites and are maxed out for hydroelectric power and wind and solar are unreliable. Our wonderful EPA and ignorant public do not support nuclear power. So the DOE has MANDATED outlawing incandescent light bulbs and REQUIRE the use of mercury laden CFC bulbs. Fluorescent tubes are REQUIRED to be more efficient along with the ballasts that operate them. So where does that all bring us???
In 5 years I have reduced my usage from 137 kWh billed at $33.23 for the month of April 2006. Now I have a bill for 55 kWh for March 2011, a 60% REDUCTION and my bill is still $31.68!!!!!!
The answer is NOT conservation, costs will still go up. Between the EPA, DOE, and environmentalists they are killing our economy. WE NEED GENERATING POWER!!

Still Life In PA

I've been visiting my daughter and grandkids, Ella and Philip in Pennsylvania for two months. I love going there because she has a real kitchen and lets me cook! This is Sunday morning breakfast of waffles with strawberries, whipped cream and strawberry syrup - DELISH! Now back to work stacking sawn lumber from her downed tree.

East Coast Travelin'

I'm in Florida after a stop at my daughters in Pennsylvania. This is a 200 year old cypress wood water pipe at a steam and power show in Avon Park. My cousins kids are coming over for a BBQ'ed turkey dinner later. It's 80 degrees here and I'm lovin' it.