Randomly Firing Neurons

From a friend:

At the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Marshals today seized more than $1.5 million worth of food products, including herbs and botanicals, stored under filthy conditions at the American Mercantile Corporation of Memphis, Tenn.

During an inspection of American Mercantile in March, FDA investigators discovered evidence of extensive rodent and insect infestation throughout the company’s warehouse. The company failed to correct these problems.  Acting on a warrant issued by the United Stated District Court in Memphis, U.S. Marshals seized all FDA-regulated food products exposed to rodent and insect contamination at the facility. The seized products violate the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act because they were held under insanitary conditions under which they may have become contaminated with filth. 

“FDA will not tolerate a company’s failure to adequately control and prevent filth in its facility,” said Michael Chappell, the FDA’s acting associate commissioner for regulatory affairs. “The FDA is prepared to use whatever legal means are necessary and appropriate to keep potentially contaminated products out of the marketplace.”

American Mercantile stores and processes food ingredients, which are then sold to and used in the dietary supplement and herbal tea industries. The seized articles include food products, such as sarsaparilla, spearmint leaves, cornstarch, sweet orange peels powder, licorice powder, sassafras, and salt.

The FDA has no reports of illness associated with consumption of the products.

Ah Memphis -- 2nd behind Detroit in crime; now a home to pestelance too.

Question:  Is there life after diabetes?
Answer:  Yes, but it doesn't taste very good.

My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust? If the whole show was bad and senseless from A to Z, so to speak, why did I, who was supposed to be part of the show, find myself in such a violent reaction against it?... Of course I could have given up my idea of justice by saying it was nothing but a private idea of my own. But if i did that, then my argument against God collapsed too--for the argument depended on saying the world was really unjust, not simply that it did not happen to please my fancies. Thus, in the very act of trying to prove that God did not exist - in other words, that the whole of reality was senseless - I found I was forced to assume that one part of reality - namely my idea of justice - was full of sense. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never have known it was dark. Dark would be without meaning.   --C.S. Lewis

In the news today, President Obama proposes raising $190 billion - $210 billion (figures vary) by eliminating tax loopholes enjoyed by corporations.  You can read one article here.

While I am all for corporations paying their fair share of taxes, I think the President is forgetting who ultimately will pay for these corporate tax increases. How does he think corporations will pay for them? By cutting executive salaries? Not a chance. Unfortunately, there are only a few other ways to cover the proposed increase in taxes. (1) Build cheaper merchandise and absorb the new taxes by cutting the quality of materials used. (2) Cut worker wages. (3) Eliminate jobs. (4) Cut shareholder dividents. (5) Raise prices.

My guess is that corporations will do a combination of 2, 3, and 5, thus effectively passing along the cost of increased taxes to the consumer.

After all, where do all corporations get their money in the first place? By selling something. And if costs (taxes) increase, that increase must be covered somehow.

I think President Obama is forgetting that ultimately, the consumer (that's you and me, brothers and sisters), is the one who is at the bottom of the pile, paying for, in one way or another, the entire government structure.  I believe the President thinks of a corporation as a person, when in reality it's an entity that's created.

What President Obama proposes is to punish corporations (not an entirely bad idea) for their success. But  he forgets that the financial burden will fall on the consumer, just as funding for the bailout of banks and automobile companies will ultimately fall on the taxpayer.

With the country already up to its ears in debt, job losses, a collapsed housing market, rising costs for food and basic necessities, bankruptcies, foreclosures, wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and a ruinously expensive health care system, the one thing we don't need is to push yet another cost onto the consumer.

In spite of the Democratic Party's "tax and spend" mentality, I hope President Obama backs away from this plan, because I believe that, rather than helping the defecit, it will push the country further into recession. 

Home Is the Sailor

Home is the sailor, home from sea:

     Her far-borne canvas furled

The ship pours shining on the quay

     The plunder of the world.

Home is the hunter from the hill:

     Fast in the boundless snare

All flesh lies taken at his will

     And every fowl of air.

'Tis evening on the moorland free,

     The starlit wave is still:

Home is the sailor from the sea,

     The hunter from the hill.
 

A.E. Housman

Monday, 13 April 2009
     Today we finished preparing our annual contribution to the National Extravagance -- otherwise known as our income taxes. Some observations.
     Although our income is adequate, it's certainly not excessive, yet this year we owed over 12K in taxes.
     This caused me to wonder how much of my 12K is going to line the pockets of the recipients bailout money, or to pay for their travel, or retreats, or perks like jets and limos. How much of my money is going to fund the dining rooms of the House and Senate, where congresspersons eat on the cheap, paid for by the public dole. How much of my 12K is going to fund health care for members of congress, or their retirement fund, or, for that matter, their salaries. Every member of congress makes for than I, and even their annual retired pay is more than our combined annual earnings.
     I don't begrudge spending for adequate pay and benefits for service members (I was one), nor for adequate weapons and tools to do their job. But i do object to the proopensity of the Pentagon to jump on the bandwagon for every flashy, high tech project that comes along, especially when they forget I'm paying for it.
     I'm drawing Social Security benefits. I was taxed on the FICA I paid for 50+ years, and now I'm being taxed on the beiefits (?) I'm receiving. Even my insurance company does better than that -- I paid taxes on the money I put into insusrance, but the benefits are not taxable. Not only that, Social Security disability benefits are taxable. My VA disability benefits are not.
     Now that the bailouts are in excess of a trillion dollars (which will have to be paid for by you and me), I wonder when the individual American is going to get a bailout.
      Health care is a bottomless pit for most Americans. This and our educational system rank with Third World countries. The infant mortality rate among the poor is disgraceful, as is our provision for care of the elderly.
     The IRS pursues people over a pittance while the wealthy are only tapped when it becomes public (see Tom Daschle and Nancy Killefer, two recent bailouts from Obama's cabinet selection due to unpaid taxes).
     This rather unfocused rant is provided courtesy of my 2008 tax bill.

    Yesterday was Karen's birthday. Everybody's broke so, along with the kids, her sisters came over and Marilyn managed to arrive timely. I was fried but everybody else went out on the deck and had cookies and presents. They all trickled out and Marilyn and I watched an episode of "Bones" from the DVR -- a strange episode about Brennan's father's murder trial. Not the best "Bones" ever, by a long shot.
    This morning Kerry came buy with Johnathon and Pooh, dropped Johnathon off at school, and then turned around to pick him up because his ringworm had spread to his hand. So she brought him here and scheduled a doctor's appointment.
    Took Johnathon to the doctor. She was kind of heated because (a) the school had told us we had to have the ringworm bandaged, which apparently only makes it worse, (b) the "ringworm" on his hand was a mosquito bite, (c) his ringworm had been treated long enough that it wasn't contageous, and (d) the school was questioning her (the doctor's) authority to determine whether or not he could go back. Very satisfactory inasmuch as i have no love lost for his school or the mindless bureaucrats who work there. (This from someone who spent 30 years in the Navy!)
    Following doctor appointment Johnathon wanted to go to Baskin & Robbins as he had found a discount coupon in a flyer in the doctor's office. So we went.
    Finally got home around 1330, and so watched "Spongebob Squarepants" until time to pick up Sierra at 1500 from her bus. Then on to get Alex from his school at 1600, by which time Pooh was urging a trip to Chez Ronaldo (McDonald's), and so there. Finally got home about 1730, followed by Kerry at about 1800 to pick up her kids. Managed to talk Kerry into taking Alex to church for his youth group, which was nice of her.
    Marilyn had a job interview today, so got off early to go to that, but then stopped by to say "Hi" to a friend, which "Hi" took a couple hours. Driving "straight home" (quoting her) she stopped off to buy a pair of shoes, arriving just in time to race away for choir practice. Sierra opted to stay with me and we're now watching "The Corpse Bride."
    At McDonald's Pooh made her inaugural trip down the two-story, corkscrew slide, to the delight of her cousins, brother, and grandpa.
    Here's an odd piece of news. I got a new battery for my cell phone and the phone now accesses my wireless router, which it has never done before. Makes you go "Hmmm."

Are you celebrating Cinco de Mayo?

No, We celebrate seis de mayo -- which is my eldest daughter'[s birthday.

Marilyn had to go in to work today -- bummer!

Took the foil off the turkey and turned the oven up to 350. Delicious turkey smells soon permeated the house.

Alex woke me up with a call wanting to know if he could come over. I said sure. Six hours later he, Karen, and Sierra arrived. By that time Kerry had called wondering if I could watch Pooh for a few hours while she and John saw a movie. I okayed that too, so shortly after Alex+ arrived so did Pooh. We had a nice afternoon. Karen scarfed down about 1/4 of the turkey before she and Daniel headed out to do heaven knows what.

A dizzy spell struck about 1630, so I was pretty well shot for a while.

John called around 1820 and told me not to eat supper, followed anon by their arrival with sushi. Oh, YUMMY! I scarfed down all I could beg, cajole, or plead for. They also brought some slices of double chocolate cake. More yummy.

I started editing some pictures and quickly found Pooh on my lap wanting to see herself as a baby (now that she's reached the advanced age of two). Some of the pictures were of last Christmas. Boy has that baby grown!

The house emptied itself about 1915. Soon thereafter Marilyn arrived and we started cleaning off the DVR.

Soon to bed.

Pooh arrived in due course. Kerry was upset because, having taken Tuesday and Wednesday off because she was sick, and Thursday because Pooh was sick, she had to go to work. The upsetting part was that Johnathon's school was having an awards ceremony and Johnathon was getting awards.

Pooh and I ran up to the base for some meds for me and then, after lunch, wandered over to the school for the ceremony.

Johnathon received awards for:
    Good Citizenship
    Perfect Attendance
    A-B Honor Roll

In addition, his class won the P.E. and Music awards.

I took a bunch of pictures. After Johnathon and his class came down from the stage, Pooh went over to stand beside him. He reached out and rubbed her back, and then pulled her up next to him, where she sat for most of the rest of the ceremonies. That sure was cute.

After the ceremony John checked Johnathon out and took him out for a treat, while Pooh and i returned to our sanctuary (home). John arrived about 1645 to pick her up.

Not having had enough turkey on Thanksgiving, I put one on to roast. I start the turkey (which is frozen solid) at 180 degrees and cook it all night. The next morning I turn the temperature up to 350 until the indicator pops. I get a moist, tender turkey with skin that is perfectly browned and crispy.

By the time Marilyn got home around 2130. No programs tonight.