Littlestuff Weekender-10-22-2011

We haven’t discussed corn and soybean production for a while, but the harvest is well underway. As of this week, Ohio has harvested 71% of the bean crop, and the corn effort is not far behind at 65%. Virtually the entire Midwest has had significant rainfall for the past week. It will be interesting to note what effect the weather will have on harvest progress and yields. Here are some data from the USDA:

 Corn production is forecast at 12.4 billion bushels, down 1 percent from the September forecast and down slightly from the 2010 production estimate. If realized, this will be the fourth largest production total on record for the United States. Based on conditions as of October 1, yields are expected to average 148.1 bushels per acre, unchanged from the September forecast but down 4.7 bushels from 2010. If realized, this will be the lowest average yield since 2005. Area harvested for grain is forecast at 83.9 million acres, down 1 percent from the September forecast. Acreage updates were made in several States based on administrative data.

Soybean production is forecast at 3.06 billion bushels, down 1 percent from September and down 8 percent from last year. Based on October 1 conditions, yields are expected to average 41.5 bushels per acre, down 0.3 bushel from last month and down 2 bushels from last year. If realized, the average yield will be the second lowest since 2003. Area for harvest is forecast at 73.7 million acres, down slightly from September and down 4 percent from 2010.

 Released October 12, 2011, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Following Tuesday’s cat fight (debate) we have nearly a month until the next GOP debate. It will be fascinating to see who remains standing when the field is introduced on stage. Meanwhile the candidates will be scurrying to gain traction and support while Obama continues his frantic dog-wagging agenda. If the world can take it, he may eliminate every dictator on earth (except himself) in an attempt to justify his Nobel Peace Prize and earn the love and adoration of the American voters. He may also, if recent history is a guide, identify selected U.S. citizens for targeted “wet ops” in order to divert the attention of the voters from his own semi-criminal, pseudo-criminal, quasi-criminal and downright criminal activity. Let’s hope that Congressman Issa’s probe into the “Fast and Furious” debacle is fast, furious and final.

Freedom Works notes that 217 bills and 3573 new regulations were implemented by the federal government last year. They estimate the annual cost of regulatory compliance at $1,750,000,000.00. That’s one trillion, seven hundred fifty million dollars per year taken out of the U.S. economy in order for our job creators to comply with federal rules and regulations. As you read this, the rulemaking dump from the innumerable federal agencies continues at an accelerated pace. It’s not only NEW regs that cause problems, but clarifications, updates and new interpretations of old ones that compound matters. Don’t inhale, exhale, scratch yourself or glance sideways because you’ve probably violated something. How many people could we hire for $1.75 trillion every year?

Our column and our radio show are moving along quite well as our readership and listeners continue to expand. If you belong to one or both groups, thank you. Your attention, feedback and calls make my jobs much easier. I attempt to view everything through the prism of individual liberty. I admit that sometimes I become distracted by personal preference, but we must defend liberty now and forever.

Perk up, Pilgrim. You have but nine weeks to begin and complete your Christmas shopping. Of course, Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid are open late on Christmas Eve, but if you want to hit Dollar General and Big Lots, you have to start earlier in the day. Try not to give cash as gifts this year because by the time the recipient opens the package or card, the value will have shrunk.

Comment:  cearlwriting@hotmail.com

www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com

Tue. & Wed., 6-7:00pm, 1370 WSPD, Toledo.  www.wspd.com

Pull it or Prolong it.

Pulling teeth is an uncomfortable proposition….for the person whose teeth are being extracted. It can be a painful experience. If you can remember back to when you were young, and your adult teeth were replacing your “baby teeth,” you may recall that a wiggly tooth generated some pain, but you may have been hesitant to face the momentary onslaught of agony that would come as a result of pulling the tooth. You may have chosen to allow the smaller pain to linger rather than confront the immediate discomfort of a swift extraction. You now know that if you had allowed the baby tooth to remain in your jaw for too long of time, you could have negatively affected the oncoming adult tooth. So it is with our national fiscal crisis. Over spending must STOP, but many of us are too needy and dependent to wish it to do so abruptly.

Some of us understand the need for removing the affected tooth. We wiggle and maneuver it unceasingly, but remain too fearful to apply the one big “yank” that will allow the incoming tooth to fully extend itself. The fiscal and political parallel to this scenario is the budgeting scheme that attacks our fiscal problems in a piecemeal fashion. They may, if resolutely followed, ultimately resolve the spending/budget/debt problems we face, but they do increase the risk for our national fiscal security for the time they are in place. Slow-walking the remedy could create a hazardous recovery for the nation because of the opportunities lost and the diverted capital. The prospect of a “glide path” course correction may be appealing because of its minimizing of economic pain, but the recovery that succeeds it will be less robust because for years the private economy continues to compete with the government for resources. Many sectors, industries and businesses may not survive in such an environment. They will not be in place when the economic engine is re-ignited and capital, training and finances will be necessary for “re-inventing the wheel”…..many times over.

The soundest method for dealing with the tooth whose time has come is to grip it firmly and pull decisively. The higher level of momentary pain will subside rather quickly, and the replacement chomper will have the freedom and the space to develop quickly and straightly.

RON PAUL “PLAN TO RESTORE AMERICA”
Source: ronpaul2012.com

Click HERE to download the PDF version SYNOPSIS: America is the greatest nation in human history. Our respect for individual liberty, free markets

Dr. Paul’s medical training, his constitutional fidelity and his grasp of reason are evident when one reviews his plan. Pulling the offensive tooth now is the best and safest remedy for dealing with a severe problem….especially if the tooth and gum are infected. He understands, however, a transitional time will be necessary to restore the United States to a firm fiscal footing. As a man of integrity, Dr. Paul will NOT leave the heavy lifting to his successor, but he does resolve the issue in one presidential term….straightforwardly, unabashedly, patriotically.

Pulling the tooth quickly will be painful. Playing and wiggling with our nation’s fiscal health will probably be deadly. Let’s get on with it. Dr. Paul is the ONLY candidate on the scene who has a plan and the will to resolve our current crisis. Others have offered piecemeal defunding and cuts but have not dared to offer a bold design for restructuring our fiscal house. A new metaphor: tacking plywood on the broken windows of our fiscal house does not enhance its value. Removing the dangerous broken glass (government), replacing the sill and frame (the economy) and replacing the glass and glazing it (liberty and free markets) will preserve the value of our fiscal house.

Friends, tiptoeing and tap dancing will not save this nation. Failing to squarely face our spending issues and allowing the geometric growth of our federal government will destroy the promise and potential of the United States for our progeny. Bold decisive action is required to restore some sanity to our national (and global) madness. Dr. Ron Paul of Texas is the ONLY candidate for President of the United States who has the plan, the integrity, the courage and the will to do what must be done.

Comment:  cearlwriting@hotmail.com

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Tue. & Wed., 6-7:00pm, 1370 WSPD, Toledo.  www.wspd.com

   

Process and Potential

Last week the Ohio Supreme Court by a 7-0 vote allowed the Ohio Democratic Party and other affiliated groups to move forward in an attempt to petition to place an issue on the state ballot. The issue will seek to repeal the new Congressional districts designed by the GOP-dominated legislature. The Dems and their allies contend that the redistricting was blatantly partisan in nature and was generally unrepresentative. Compounding the problem with the effort to place the issue on the ballot is that because of 2010 Census data, Ohio’s congressional delegation will shrink from 18 to 16. That suggests that running candidates for the coming election, if the petitioning and redrawing have not been completed, will be complicated because the existing districts cannot be a “fallback” position until the matter is settled.

Because the present filing deadline is December 7^th, candidates are forced, for the moment, to file in existing districts, but that would mean that too many representatives would be elected from Ohio if the remedy has not been enacted before the filing date and the election. Do you have any doubt that politicians could mess up the simplest task because of their game playing and misplaced party loyalty? They have proven over and over that they couldn’t plan a one-car parade without causing a major pile up on the street. It seems as if there are two probable remedies for this foul up: The first is that the petitioning and voting go forward, and if the voters reject this current plan, a new map is designed by either the legislature or a so-called “independent” committee chosen by the two old duopolistic parties. This method will probably result in a delayed special election for Congress persons from Ohio or at the very minimum condense the process so severely that citizens will find it difficult to properly vet and observe the contenders. This scenario would be a huge advantage for incumbents and well-financed candidates in the open districts. As a result the people’s choices would be limited by the manipulations of the establishment politicians in the two old parties.

The second likely outcome may be more toxic and anti-citizen than the first. Under the threat of the statewide petitioning effort bolstered by polling data suggesting that the people may vote to repeal the newly drawn districts, the Republicans may withdraw their plan and “cut a deal” with the Democrats. In other words….politics as usual. Following dinner and drinks the career politicians assemble together to carve up the state of Ohio into friendly areas where each party can maneuver at will. There may be a couple of “contested” or competitive districts to provide the illusion of fairness and to toss a bone to the Supreme Court of Ohio. All of the attempts to exercise raw political power and the cooperative efforts to shield the game from the eyes of the people may lead to a golden opportunity for Ohio politicians to courageously serve their constituents (sarcasm).

If for some reason (pick one, any one), the district map fiasco hasn’t been resolved in time for a reasonable petitioning/filing date, reasonable primary date and sufficient time to prepare for a general election or special election, then Ohio could claim a “time out” from participation in the federal government until we get the matter resolved. Actually, we might discover that our little breather or suspension of our federal participation might not be deadly. It might even be an occasion for exercising our rights as citizens without fear of Big Government trampling them just because some bureaucrat decides it can. We in the Buckeye state may conclude that we enjoy freedom, independence, self-reliance and the ability to chart our own course without interference from the Nanny state. Freedom can be exhilarating.

It is possible that our small-minded state politicians who are more concerned with holding and exercising power than with following the national and state constitutions have provided us (unintentionally) with a golden opportunity for reclaiming our liberty. If it works out that we become a “free state,” then our first order of business should be to select legislators and administrators who know what they’re doing, who have the interests of Ohio ahead of their partisan desires, and who are NOT seeking a lifetime job at the government trough. Deep in my heart and veneered onto my brain is the hope that our venal self-serving political class has finally shot themselves in the feet. Their faulty marksmanship can set us free. Just a thought for your consideration. I’m going back to sleep now and attempt to recapture the dream.

Comment:  cearlwriting@hotmail.com

www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com

Tue. & Wed., 6-7:00pm, 1370 WSPD, Toledo.  www.wspd.com

  

Westward Ho!

In our country the pioneer spirit is manifested in a number of ways. Certainly the Jamestown Settlement and the Plymouth Pilgrims exhibited their willingness to stretch beyond the familiar for either economic or spiritual reasons. Both motivations were anchored in their desires to be free. In Jamestown it was an urge for economic independence, and their fellow sojourners to the north sought to practice their faith unhindered by a government church. Pioneers have forged new paths in our nation from the beginning and have continued to do so until the present time.

Nearly everyone is familiar with the westward expansion undertaken by brave, hardy souls who sought new opportunities and the freedom to maneuver. Such names as Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett (see www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com for 3/16/2011 “Bring Back Davy.”) became legends in their own times because of their daring and resourcefulness. Other pioneers and visionaries established towns, created new businesses for the growing nation or struggled to emancipate a significant portion of our population from the scourge of slavery. The liberty that was promised to the people of the United States of America by the Founders and the Framers propelled a nation of people to trek to new places, try new enterprises and dare to follow mighty dreams. The dreamers were not limited to the people who harnessed horse, mule or oxen to seek new vistas and greater opportunities.

The Henry Fords, Thomas Edisons and Andrew Carnegies were visionaries who sought to tame wildernesses of raw materials by converting them into strong useful products for a growing vigorous nation. There were others who dared to go west or create industrial powerhouses, but they may have failed. Their anonymity was assured by their lack of success, but their spirits and determination helped make the nation stronger and more prosperous. Willingness to fail is a critical component for achieving success. Our present population has been robbed of the opportunity to fail because Big Government protects “the poor” and the “too big to fail.” Those policies undermine the “can do” determination of individuals and groups who refuse to be denied. If someone manages to escape the Nanny State’s helping hand, the massive web of regulations, rules and laws create a monstrous barrier to overcome.

Within the past century pioneers have flourished. Walt Disney overcame two sputtering missteps to launch a massive creative enterprise on the shoulders of two mice---Steamboat Willy and Mickey Mouse. Massive strides have been gained in the computing and communication fields by entrepreneurs and “garage mechanics” who constantly sought better ways, better games and more efficient hardware. Our small handheld telephones have become virtual communication centers because visionaries have expanded the uses (apps) and reach of the micro-consoles. Have you detected a subtle shift in the past few decades…our innovations have become more leisure and entertainment oriented? True, the Smart Phones, i-phones and other technological marvels do expand the capacity of the business world to provide service or stay abreast of fast-paced economic information, but they also allow more personal long-distance phone calls, movie viewing, game playing and web surfing during the work day. They have given us more power to understand and control our environment, but have exponentially increased our distractions.

It is unclear to me when this paradigm shift began. When our pioneering spirit was transformed from a quest for solitude and liberty into a necessity for constant engagement, entertainment and distraction. Personally, I have been frequently chided for failing to answer my cell phone when others were attempting to reach me…often for minor reasons. The tone of the caller’s voice suggested that I was at fault because I wasn’t available to answer the call and consider their requests. When I work outside on our little farmette or perform tasks in the shop and barn, I do not carry the phone. Safety and solitude are more important to me than some rather insignificant conversation with someone who desires my time or my money.

Also, during those rare moments when I am deep in thought, I do not carry my phone into the office so that I am not distracted by someone else’s agenda. My quiet moments of contemplation are precious for me, and I am hesitant to interrupt them for meaningless chatter. I find the cell phone especially annoying when I am driving because so many loons are navigating tons of lethal steel that I believe my attention should be laser-focused on the next threat on the highway. Was it Thomas Edison who extended the night by developing the incandescent bulb or Thomas J. Watson’s development of the massive computer that eventually was miniaturized to the point of becoming a home and pocket necessity? Even my beloved coffeepot is computerized….fast, consistent and necessary.

Maybe I should re-title this piece as “Westward Whoa!” because we must recapture time for thoughtful reflection. We must have “down time” for recharging our batteries, reconnecting with others in our households, and re-establishing a meaningful relationship with our Creator and his messianic Emissary. For visions and the pioneering spirit to be meaningful and contributory, the visionaries and pioneers must jealously guard those precious moments for quiet reflection, or all of our “new” developments will distract and weaken us. Yes, it’s true I am a Luddite……gladly and wistfully.

Comment:  cearlwriting@hotmail.com

www.littlestuff-minoosha.blogspot.com

Tue. & Wed., 6-7:00pm, 1370 WSPD, Toledo.  www.wspd.com