No Financial "material" Impact - Ha Ha Ha

I know, Obama has said that there would be no "material" impact to finances until 2014.
Liar.

Truth: Caterpillar and John Deere already announced non-cash charges of $100 and $150 million, respectively, for this year based upon the impact of this bill on forward retiree health care costs.
But today a 100-kiloton device landed on AT&T's (NYSE: T) balance sheet - they announced a one billion dollar non-cash charge.

Now tell me you think that these companies are going to pay this out of the kindness of their hearts and their own pockets and to hell with the shareholders??? Or are they going to pass this along as higher consumer costs?

Yes, you are going to have your healthcare but you cost-of-living is accompanied by a giant flushing sound.

I Really DO Work......Occasionally

This is the pipe yard looking out to San Jacinto Mountain.

I am still getting in my 2 or 3 days a week, now as a consultant to Aleta's company. It's weird having my daughter for a boss. I just sent 6 packages to my accountant for all the family and their business's. And I'm wrapping up a whole bunch of other details so I can leave for St. Lucia in 2 weeks for 4 months. The mining company has been 're-aligned' to a family business under Cole's guidance. I'm free at last, free at last!

Family Visit 2010

Aleta with Ella and Philip came to SoCal for a two week visit. I think that uncle Cole was outmatched by the mini-Jedi. Great fun was had by all including me with continuous fun and mayhem at the Orchard House interspersed by four count 'em 4 visits to Disneyland.

Our Amerian Hertitage - a gentle reminder

The Tenth Amendment of our American Constitution -

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

I believe it is time for the citizens of America to hit the Federal Reset Button. This country was not made great by people receiving handouts...they did it all by themselves! I want the Federal Government to do their job and only their job. Then we can all do ours with honest rewarding work.

Remembering...

When Aleta first talked to me about marrying Phil I said that only if we become one big family because after raising them for almost 3 decades I could never really let them go. Phil and his family were and are a wonderful family to have joined. Three days before Phil took Ella and I for a plane ride around the neighborhood. It was the last I saw him and he enjoyed it as much as we did.

Work, Work, Work

So there is was happily getting greasy building my new motor. Actually I was putting the new parts together and I got a call for few days of real work for last week and this week. In between I have finished and installed the motor - now it RUNS! Here is before and after:

The Haitian Dichotomy--and I have no good answer!

Now that we have a handle on the immediate rescue problem we need to look at the long view. From a construction point of view, economics plays an important role. I have witnessed island construction of concrete block buildings that I could see daylight through what should have been mortar joints. There was no rebar and the concrete was inferior because of insufficient cement. There are no building codes in place and corruption is suspect. And this is prevalent throughout the Caribbean nations.
Where to draw the line between safe construction and over-building is difficult. When hurricanes or earthquakes destroy buildings, the new construction does provide new jobs in a poor economy. But when the economy is inadaquate to provide quality materials and competent workmanship, the results will be inferior. The salt air rots steel construction but rust-proof paint or galvanizing costs extra-no immediately visible benefits. And the replacement a couple years later provides work.
There are a variety of considerations to take into account: the involvement of knowledgeable foreign business with guarantees of investment return. Also the education and training of contractors and their workers and the implementation of building codes. And last but not least, motivation of the population with less emphasis on religous superstition and voodoo and a better work ethic.