What does she know that I don't know?

The woman who approves our federal grant is going to China.  Very cool!

I remember talking to her before the possible government shutdown, back when Congress and our Pres were having some trouble approving a budget.  And instructions were issued from federal agencies about an orderly shutdown.  She told me about the time back in the mid-90s where they actually did shut down, which was followed by a snowstorm.  Feeling badly for taking pay when actually she didn't work for close to a month.

I tease my colleague about taking Chinese names.  That is the first step.  Like back in high school French class, where we took on French names.  Only this time names are a first step.  Given the Chinese government holds 25% or more of each dollar our federal government spends.

Well names are the first.  I suspect she is going to China to scope out possible employment opportunities.  Wouldn't you?  I mean, running a large state owned enterprise, she knows how to do that.  Will have to ask her what her Chinese name is when she comes back.  I told her to come back.  I mean, maybe she'll come back.  Would you?

Welcome to Chicago

Who could not love Chi-town? At O'Hare there are three (so far)
Barbara's Bookstores. People still reading paper bound books.

Blues music piped in. Allman Brothers too. The sky as blue and clear
and wide as the prairie.

The same segregation exists, I despair to say. I was wondering about that.

Things That Will Kill You

Ticks - pull them straight out, in case, say you happen to be hiking in the mountains..

Foreclosure - well deal with it. Maybe allow people to glean the food on your property (hint, don't kill the dandelions)..

Non-BPA water bottles. Well I am not going to pay $19.95 for a non-BPA colorful water bottle at REI. Just not. Those refund checks just sit around anyway for years. I will take my chances with my 2-year old water bottle, BPA and all..

Sea kayaking. What makes me think I can do this? Well, if I can brave ticks and the pangs of life and even a regular old fashioned water bottle, maybe I can learn to manhandle a sea kayak..

and maybe I can just pray.

By way of Seattle

Though you can go anywhere from Portland when you go by way of Seattle, they have a round the clock Starbucks at the gate. They know their
customers.

Kids kids kids

I would have to say it is more expensive to raise kids these days.

Two data points show me the world. Price of real maple syrup (the pure stuff): $7.69. And thats for the store brand. Price of Red Vines: $1.29

Ok that explains why everyone in the suburbs is fat (me too?) Real food costs more.

The last time I bought maple syrup it was like $5.69. So its gone up by $2, in probably that many years.. Good thing it has an infinite shelf life.

Well kudos to the fathers out there, happy father's day. It costs a bundle to raise kids. Be there. Buy them the real maple syrup, and bring your lunch. And red vines, but only if they do chores for it.

One Progressive Makes a Difference

One letter writer makes a difference.
In the Oregon legislature, which is winding down the session, the House takes up a bill that easily passed the Senate. The Senate voted en masse to pass SB 270 - which would set a maximum fine of $5,000 per month for failure to disclose campaign donations. Whatever the value.

Existing law sets a penalty at 10% once the violation is found.

For those anonymous rich donors like the Koch brothers, the Government of China, or even the 457 organization masking the Government of Palau masking the Republican party of Canada masking your next door neighbor who is a rabid gun toting terrorist. Or anyone.

If you believe in the sunshine - campaign contributions should be public so we-the-voters can all see who's influencing and benefiting from campaign donations.. then the punishment should fit the crime.

Along comes Dan Meek, political activist in Oregon, a Progressive Party member. Who wrote a letter to the House delegation alerting them of the dangers of the new maximum limit in SB 270.

And the House awoke collectively to its responsibility. To its visibility. While the Senate slept the House was vigilant. Thanks to Dan for writing one letter. One letter can make a difference.

One Leaf Falling in June

Something ahead of its time? An anomoly?
Like the one footnote I read in Congressional testimony one time, talking about the economy and the unemployment system. The author was talking about the 1930's, the late 1930's, and the term "crowding out" has stuck with me.

In the sense of - if the government stops huge stimulus spending programs, which acknowledged are sometimes necessary, for the security of humanity. But when they stop, it makes more money available for private investment.

Trying to follow these Republican candidates on XM radio in the debate tonight. I have listened to enough cspan sessions to be able to pick out - Senator Sessions, Harry Reid, Rand Paul, etc. Their voices map to their words.

But these Republican candidates, don't know them that well. My score tonight is Cain +3. Everyone else, -1.

Some of the things they said are really wacked out. So for a context free quote fest:

Gingrich - "we need a decentralized space program". Really. Like every person designs part of a rocket ship in their garage, then we all get together to assemble it to fly to other planets? Tell you what Newt, you can be the first one to fly into space (or, maybe you're already there). More sensible views on immigration though.

Ron Paul - colorful to listen to. Whacked out. With respect to getting out of various Middle East countries, "I wouldn't ask the generals. I'm the Commander in Chief!" Like I said, colorful to listen to.

Cain - personal retirement accounts. I'm not off for killing off social security, but he made it sound like a supplement, like an option. Of the crowd of 7 tonight, he was the most impressive.

Michelle Bachmann - 23 foster children. Really.

Pawlenty - sounds like a political hack, slippery in his answers. Wants to "appoint conservative justices". What ever happened to justice as blind??

And as proof that we are still in Recession, new billboards have sprouted on I-5 heading north of Salem. For hard liquor. One for a new Cuervo black or something (tequila). Another for "Black Velvet" and its not the song. Perhaps liquor is recession proof.

The Corners of My Car

Ah, it is already raining. So forget about washing the car (I can't make it rain, today). Cleaning out the corners of my car, 27 hundred water bottles (returnable! worth 5cents each!) I wish a band crew would come around and take them from me, but alas, they will now sit in bags in the garage, till they reach a critical mass (when we can't get past them to the lawnmower).

Also found, a little postit of things to do today, from days gone by: FY 09 budget, FY 10 budget. Has it always been thus? Are we always stuck between this federal fiscal year, and the next federal fiscal year? Right now we are at last content (or, have settled) on a FY 11 budget, and still fussing over a FY 12 budget.

What else was unearthed.. chile-cheese fritos. Ah, I remember those Stimulus Point of Contact meetings. I remember when it was a big thrill to attend those, with the movers and shakers. Back when the federal Stimulus held real promise - money to lift us out of recession! Put people to work!

And when federal data doesn't show the results, they change the reporting rules. Instead of cumulatively counting how many jobs were created or saved (tricky), it becomes a snapshot - only those jobs funded this quarter. Count every last piece - even if a research analyst only worked for 10 minutes, capture this in the jobs total. ok.

Back in the heyday people cared about the Stimulus and such things. While perhaps the most fun thing was getting a bag of chile cheese fritos at the Capital Market on State Street, a familiar place that always smelled like fried food. You could always park there at the end of the day and no one would care, there would be spaces for the taking. Though I miss the monthly interaction with the owner of the market in making my (cheap) parking payment, he always politely responded "thank you lady" with a smile.

Now its more like - when, girl, are you going to be done with these reports?! That is my boss. The higher ups sign off on these things and ask about format, the format that has been there from Day 1. Does it make sense? Do I even notice it anymore? It has become routine. A routine that has outlived its usefulness.

Now Obama is talking about maybe, maybe, another Stimulus. Seriously? And combine that with tax cuts. Seriously???? What does this combination do - throw money on states and simultaneously take money away from the federal coffers? And this helps the deficit and the debt how exactly?? Even the Chinese must be wary by now.

Oh, they are political chess pieces to throw on the table in exchange for raising the debt limit. So we now have three, 3, trois, ways to continue to spend money we don't have. Stimulus #2. More tax cuts (keep cursing them as the Bush tax cuts). And raising the federal debt limit.

My only hope is that if we have Stimulus #2 that we can have meetings back at the old digs, cause its been awhile since I've had any chile cheese fritos.

Shards of slate in the road

Even the nicest neighborhoods suffer foreclosures these days. The end of a "street of dreams" block, with slate walkways and Frank Lloyd Wright windows. Fancy white fences. Babbling stone fountains carved into the yard. Sport courts nestled behind fences.

And yet, a piece of that nice slate is in the road. The white fences (plastic, as it turns out) are askew, covering with moss. No one plays in the sport court, and the entropy of the old country house next door spills into the street, cars on blocks, and no nasty homeowners association for them. A burn pile even!

I used to love (and probably still do) going to the Street of Dreams open houses in August. Always up someplace you have to take a bus to, climbing up into the rarified air which probably does not cause allergies (are pets allowed?). The infinity pools with views of vineyards. Maybe the wine is free if you live next to a vineyard? If you help pull weeds once in awhile, maybe?

I will probably go yet again to the Street of Dreams. Not sure why - maybe it is a Disneyland experience for someone who gets motion sickness on rides. Something far from your every day experience, oh! Did Oreo just barf on our new carpet? So much for keeping it virgin clean and taking our shoes off faithfully every day, I guess at some point even a new car loses its new car smell.

I don't know whether entropy has the upper hand today, or order. But I do see signs of the Street of Dreams crashing down, evidenced by the shard of slate in the road. And no, the "fruit of the poisoned tree" is not from Genesis, its from Matthew. Actually more commonly quoted with respect to a 1920 court case, which refers to evidence illegally gathered. Like all the words we coughed out of people the U.S. has tortured, with waterboarding or other methods.

Maybe some things were not meant to be real. Platonic ideals. Just meant to be ever out of reach, heaven on the horizon. You can think about it, want it, strive for it, but you're not really meant to have it. Not on this earth.