June 30, 2008

On the economy. I am on a roller coaster. I don’t know whether to be scared to death or hopeful about the future. On one hand, gas prices continue to rise and on the other hand some politicians seem to be getting the message that something must be done to lower prices (except democrats), innovation is rearing its head, and I am getting good exercise riding my bike. The country is still afloat. The stock market is down but not out. However, the airlines are in real trouble and at least one big three auto maker (GM) is in serious trouble. I am looking for a trailer for my bicycle so I can haul groceries. Since you can push it too, I will be able to get groceries when it is too cold to ride. Not paranoid, just prepared. Really.

On books. I have finished The Forgotten Man by Amity Shlaes. This is a must read to understand how so many things the left would like to try to “fix” the economy. Today the democrats want to try taxing the rich, tried that didn’t work, taxing corporations, tried that didn’t work, “economic stimulus” packages, tried that over and over, still doesn’t work. Because the American public has no idea what has been tried before nor the outcome of those fixes, they are willing to let politicians talk them into trying them again. It is ridiculous. Actually, it is socialism bordering on unabashed Marxism i.e. nationalizing oil companies and refineries.

On a lighter note, the fourth book in the Artemis Fowl series, The Opal Deception by Eion Colfer is another delightful read. This series just gets better. It is smart, funny, imaginative, and suspenseful at the same time. The only disturbing part is the too liberal use of sentence fragments. I don’t think this sets a good example for young readers who will eventually have to write. Unfortunately, “writing” is not specifically taught in government schools so kids will write like they talk or if we’re lucky like what they have read. For that reason I believe authors of youth literature should make every effort to write in a way that can be imitated.
I am looking forward to reading the next book, a birthday present I had to work up to.

Playing for Pizza by John Grisham was, however, a disappointment. It had more potential than he gave it. It was good football, the Italians were great, but the girl ruined it for me. I felt her character was very inconsistent and muddled the story both by her appearances and by her absences.

July 1, 2008

Yesterday I felt like I was on a roller coaster, but today the country has jumped down the rabbit hole. There is talk of 170 dollar-a-barrel oil which would translate into SIX DOLLAR A GALLON GASOLINE. I THINK I WILL HAVE A HEART ATTACK. It is not so bad for someone like me except maybe EVER BEING ABLE TO DRIVE HOME AGAIN…EVER. But for someone who must drive to work and school and is only barely making it now it will be impossible. In the Peoples Republic of Illinois, the legislature has raised minimum wage to $7.75 an hour, effective today. Fast food places and other low wage jobs are just going to disappear because owners won’t be able to pay more as commerce drops off. The drive through is going to look like a hitching post, a relic of a by-gone era. This is insanity.
The Great Depression is going to look like a walk in the park. Prior to the Great Depression, the government had never been in the business of providing for the people. They did what they were supposed to do and provided for national defense against enemies foreign and domestic. They did not hand out welfare for all. They even had to be dragged kicking and screaming to provide pensions for veterans. But today everything is different. We have already pulled out all the stops. We have huge deficits and enormous national as well as personal debts. As a country we spend more than we make at every level. One of the things about the Great Depression was that those who were not in debt by and large did alright. The bank didn’t get the house or farm or the car or refrigerator. Today we are mortgaged up to our eyeballs. Foreclosures are all ready soaring. If the Big One happens, everyone is in trouble. Everyone. I wish I had a bicycle shop with an apartment over it and no mortgage. That’s the guy who’s going to survive. (Oh, and maybe a pig, some chickens, and a big garden, too.)


On books. Tuesday is garage sale afternoon in this part of the Peoples Republic. I picked up an interesting book for a former high school teacher—The Art of Teaching Adults. For a quarter in the midst of economic melt down it seemed like an amusing book. As all teachers know, it is easier to get five year olds to stand in a line than it is to teach adults.