It's The Economy Stupid

A strategist in Bill Clinton's successful 1992 presidential campaign against incumbent George H. W. Bush; the title of this post was coined by James Carville as a missive to campaign workers. 

As we began the second year of Donald Trump's second term in office by traditional measures our economy was in decent shape.  Most forecasts put 2026 GDP growth around 2 - 2.5% with a solid, steady expansion and little risk of recession.  

Interest rates were expected to ease or stabilize while tax and spending policies supporting business and consumers took effect.  

Productivity gains and demand would lead to business - technology in particular - to post record profits.  All while artificial intelligence would boost efficiencies, margins and long term growth potential.  

The labor market was expected to remain near full employment levels with the prospects for American business and consumers looked much brighter following SCOTUS' striking-down of the president's import taxes.

Then President Trump unilaterally decided to go to war with Iran.  He did not ask for, nor receive the approval of Congress.  The president did not take the matter before the American people to make the case for war; although roughly a month later he did did make a formal prime time address to the nation on April Fools Day.  We heard a restatement of already-familiar talking points and were told the war was near completion and wrapping-up along with something about bombing them into the stone age.  With the exception of Israel, the president did not consult with our European allies or other global partners.  

Why is any of this worthy of mention?  The year 2026 had bright prospects  and by the end of February the president set in motion a cascade of destabilizing events that have dangerous consequences for global stability, security and the world's economy.  I think the president has stepped in it this time.

With the exception of Trump's war-loving MAGA base most of America disapproves of the war.   

Consequently, it should come as no great surprise that recent surveys of self-reported well-being have suggested that Americans are feeling discouraged and possibly becoming grumpy.   

Why is this important?  I hate to sound like a broken record but the American economy is not driven by manufacturing; it is a service economy.  With summer approaching the expectation at the beginning of the year was that of consumers spending more on travel and entertainment than last summer.  Accounting for two-thirds of all economic activity, it is consumer spending that fuels the US economy.  With the global disruption of energy supplies and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz all bets are off.

I've blogged on this subject from time-to-time and mentioned the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment survey which came in with preliminary results late last week.

The Consumer Sentiment Index plummeted 11% to a historic low of 47.6.  If these numbers hold by the time complete data is announced at the end of this month this represents the lowest reading in the survey's 74 year history.  In case you're interested, the previous record low of 50 was at the peak of Biden-era inflation.  

I'm not at all surprised.  I may be a retired financial guy but I know that average folks struggle with wrapping their mind around abstract economic data such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Gross National Product (GNP), but everyone understands the gas pump.  Last week national prices for a gallon of regular gasoline hovered around $4.15 with diesel at $5.50; up roughly 39% from before Trump went to war.  Oh boy howdy.

Additionally, according to the US Chamber of Commerce Small Business Index, small business optimism fell for a second consecutive quarter this past week.  Just 28% of small business owners say the economy is in good health; down 10 points from the previous quarter.

Finally, driven by sharp spikes in energy costs, this last week we learned inflation is up Big Time. Raspberries and blueberries and fresh produce in general have risen in price as a consequence of increased transportation costs.  So when I suggest the President Trump has stepped in it; I'm doing so because his unilateral war in Iran may turn out to be a serious-bad unforced error.  While I may grouse about the increased cost of fresh produce the impact of Trump's excursion in Iran is being felt in both myriad and profound ways across the globe.

I don't want to come across as the skunk that showed-up at your garden party but these are three data points that are blinking like glaring red warnings on the instrument panel of the airplane you are piloting over a vast uninhabited rain forest without a landing strip in sight.

While not much of this is life altering to me; that is simply not the case for a many of my countrymen.  Worst-case, people are nervous about making ends meet. Best-case, they're anxious about possibly altering or canceling a summer family vacation.  Between you and me I think the president actually cares.  Less about anyone's hardships; but more about the midterms and polling. 

The missus purchased airline tickets since the war began and both wartime fuel and baggage surcharges were assessed.  So yeah, I'm feeling a wee bit grumpy too.  Hardly at all as a consequence of cost; but mostly because none of this nonsense has so far improved my lot in life and made the world any safer.  For my sake and yours I sure hope Trump fixes this.  

You can learn more about the University of Michigan data here.

American Culinary Dominance

As the resident food snob here at The Platz it is noteworthy that the price of Rao's pizza and pasta sauces have near doubled in the last year.  How do I know this?  I am the chief grocery shopper and resident Pantry Warrior in our household.  I am also a fan of imported Italian bottled sauces as a consequence of their quality ingredients (San Marzano tomatoes) and unlike American manufacturers their scorning of sugar and preservatives in their recipes.  

Some of the cost increase is a consequence of Donald Trump's taxes on imported goods and the rest is a consequence of inflationary pressure on raw materials, packaging, logistics and labor.  Some of it is what I attribute to the 'Snobbery Premium' or the cost of high demand for a quality reputation and the balance to the $2.7 billion acquisition of Sovos Brands by Campbell's.    

Which leads to this walk down memory lane.   

This image is a print advertisement from 1964-1965 for Chef Boy-Ar-Dee Spaghetti Sauces that were part of a mid-century marketing campaign that ran during the 1950s and 1960s.

Not surprising is the emphasis placed-upon the slow-simmered, hand-stirred, 'Old Italian Way' of authentic Italian sauces directly from Nonna's kitchen stove in Naples to your own kitchen from an American tin can.  Mind you, the theme is that this is a recurring 'secret' as no self-respecting American housewife would dare reveal the ease of which such gourmet results could be obtained simply by opening a can and rewarming the contents on a stove top and pouring it over boiled noodles.  Microwave technology improved-upon the concept by the 1980s.

Chef Boy-Ar-Dee was a real person - his name phonetically spelled so salesmen could pronounce it correctly - Ettore 'Hector' Boiardi (1897-1985) was a honest-to-goodness world-renowned chef. Born in Piacenza, Italy, he immigrated to the states at age 16 and was employed at the prestigious Plaza Hotel in New York City.

Striking out on his own he opened his own restaurant in Cleveland in 1924 - Il Giardino d'Italia.  His sauce was such a customer favorite that he bottled it in repurposed milk bottles for customers to take home. Due to high demand he and brothers Paul and Mario opened a small canning operation in 1928 producing a Ready-To-Heat Spaghetti Kit.  Included was a small can of grated Parmesan cheese making Boiardi the largest American importer of the product at the time.  By 1938 operations had outgrown the Cleveland facility and moved to Milton, Pennsylvania where it could grow its own tomatoes and mushrooms to keep up with national demand.   

In 1942 Chef Boiardi transformed his highly successful commercial pasta business located in Milton into a massive 24/7 operation supporting the war effort producing beef ravioli and other canned pastas for C rations.  At its peak the operation employed 5,000 workers producing roughly 250,000 cans of food per day.  This immigrant chef encouraged his employee with the patriotic slogan: Keep 'em flying! Keep 'em rolling! Keep 'em well-fed!  In 1946 the War Department awarded Hector Boiardi with the Gold Star Order of Excellence - one of the highest honors a civilian can receive from the military. 

Post-war Boiardi faced a dilemma: his factory was too large for civilian demand and he did not wish to lay-off the thousands he hired for the war effort.  He sold the company to American Home Brands in 1946 and remained the public face of his brand until his passing in 1985.  

Immigrant child laborer, chef, entrepreneur, patriot and promoter of affordable canned pasta and sauce.  This is the stuff that made America great!

Friday Music

Born of the American rock band Guns N' Roses in 1987 it was released on their debut album - Appetite for Destruction – later in 1988.  The tune topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart to become the band's only number 1 US single.    

Various covers of this tune have found their way here from time to time.  And for something completely different; this is a really fun cover of Sweet Child o' Mine... 

Wireless

I've previously blogged about REMCO (Remote Control Manufacturing Company) and toys from the 1960s.  It was a golden age and Remco dominated the marketplace for creating toys that made children feel like a cold war spy, a scientist or a backyard warrior.  Including fun stuff that you could assemble like a radio.

Before the age of microchips Remco sold a kit that a kit that included all of the components - transistors, capacitors and resistors - that a kid could put together by means of spring-terminals and screws to create a working AM radio.  

To keep costs down most models used a one-transistor circuit requiring a long antenna wire that you could clip to a metal window screen or bed frame to enhance reception.  Most included a single crystal ear plug while others used a speaker.  An entire generation of baby boomers found their way into an engineering career or became ham radio enthusiasts as a consequence of Remco radios.

And if you have a working model with the original packaging and instructions you would learn that collectors and radio hobbyists will pay handsomely to get their hands on it.

Spot The Critter

Unless it happens to be wild turkeys, birds aren’t easy to photograph on a trail camera without something to attract them.  Which is an OK idea.  Every summer I've been putting a camera on the oriole feeder to record who's visiting and this winter I've been doing the same with a peanut feeder.  But if you really want results put a camera on a road-killed whitetail.  Oh boy howdy.

Anyway, I captured a rare photo of this bird recently and I figure it likely pounced on some prey animal to trigger the camera shutter.  It also took me awhile to ID it and I ended-up emailing the photo to a wildlife biologist for verification.

It's a red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus); a very rare winter sighting as this raptor migrates south to the gulf coast and at least to Illinois for the winter. This bird is characterized by striking black-and-white checkered wings and a loud 'kee-aah' call.  Their red shoulders are visible when perched or in flight. 

Their diet includes small mammals, amphibians and reptiles.  While this sighting is a first, they do nest here and are highly territorial returning year after year to the same location to breed.

This bird requires large, contiguous blocks of mature forest, particularly bottomland hardwoods near rivers or wetlands.  As a consequence of habitat fragmentation this bird’s status in Wisconsin is threatened.

Every once in a while the trail cameras deliver a real keeper image.

And this is a bonus. 

Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em

On the subject of cigarettes there is this:

A perfect example of Yankee Ingenuity - a cigarette holder for nudists.

If a smoker finds their self at a nude beach, colony or camp what do you do besides carry a purse or a fanny pack (pardon the pun) when you haven't any pockets?

I am told by the Gemini AI that historically this device was pitched by a delegate to a nudist convention.  A sporty leather case that holds a standard pack of cigs to the wearer's leg by means of an elastic band.

Brilliance!

Happy Easter

Once upon a time we would watch the President and his family walk across Lafayette Square to attend Easter morning church services.

Today we get potential war crimes.

Happy Easter, Passover, or whatever or however you celebrate the season.

How to Learn to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

A funny thing happened on the road to the White House.  The president who turned-up isn't the same guy as the candidate.

The US war against Iran is unpopular and becoming more unpopular as it continues; furthermore, the latest Economist/YouGov Poll also finds few Americans support deploying ground troops to the conflict.

Or do other Americans see it differently?

Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper - Dr. Strangelove

It depends-upon whom you ask.

Only 30% of Americans strongly or somewhat approve of President Trump's handling of the Iran war with 60% disapproving for a net approval of -30.

Almost all Democrats (88%) oppose the war while independents oppose it by a 3-to-1 ratio.  

But there is this: Collectively, most Republicans support the war (62%) yet there is a huge gap in support between MAGA Republicans and non-MAGA Republicans (70% support vs. 33%).  Inasmuch as there are more than twice as many MAGA supporters as non-MAGA supporters among the GOP, MAGA opinion is basically settled science.   

Furthermore, a recent CBS News poll found that 92% of MAGA Republicans expressed support for military action against Iran, compared with only 70% of non-MAGA Republicans.

Amongst my MAGA acquaintances, and mostly on account of my unwavering support for arming Ukrainians in defending their country from a Soviet invasion, I have been characterized as everything from an armchair general to a warmonger.  

Naturally, beginning three years ago and following Vladimir Putin's unprovoked assault on Ukraine these same individuals reminded me at most every opportunity that supporting Ukraine's defense was distinctly at odds with candidate Trump's America First platform.  I quote:  'No foreign entanglements', 'We haven't won anything since WWII', 'Donald Trump is the greatest patriot ever' and 'You like war too much'.    

Candidate Trump may have ridden to reelection with a pledge to avoid forever wars yet systematically blowing alleged drug-running vessels and crews out of the Gulf of Mexico, a birthday military parade, deploying the military on America's streets, Houthis in Yemen (Operation Rough Rider), 529 air strikes across the middle east, Africa and central Asia, aerial strikes against Iranian sites last summer including ISIS in Iraq, threats to take Greenland by force, masked and unidentified federal paramilitary forces killing three American citizens, a military toppling of Venezuela's government, seizure of Venezuelan oil at the point of a gun, threats against Cuba, the current Iran war and recent musings to ditch NATO suggest that America First pretty much means whatever President Trump says it is; on any given day.  My impression is it is exceedingly warlike.

I had always figured that MAGA supporters preferred candidate Trump's populist pitch while bemoaning old-school Reagan neocons and their propensity for an assertive foreign policy.  Deservedly or not it is a fact I have been derisively called a neocon; yet the polling seems to suggest that MAGA world agrees-with and, only a short fourteen months into a second term, seems to have developed a powerful thirst for Trumpian military adventurism - both domestically and abroad.  

Just as with the CBS poll, if you dig thru the data, MAGA world is overwhelmingly in favor of mounting a war with Iran; and, when specifically asked if the war counts as an America First policy, only a mere 9% of the president's loyalists say it does not.

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute's 2025 National Defense Survey reveals that self-identified MAGA supporters were also the most supportive of all sorts of interventions in Taiwan with two-thirds supporting 'committing US forces in defense of Taiwan.'  That doesn't sound like isolationism does it?

Speaking for myself I happen to think that the Iranian Mullahs are a dangerous collection of twisted religious revanchists who would represent a threat to a peaceful world order if they had nukes and the capacity to deliver them.  I generally lose no sleep over dealing with bad actors by means of force.

Nevertheless, dealing with security threats deliberately and with forethought is not the same as impulsiveness.  And the world has no shortage of bad actors.  Most days I think the president has stepped in it this time and unleashed a cascade of destabilizing events that have dangerous consequences for global stability, security and the world's economy.  Let there be no misunderstanding, it is in my own self interest that things somehow work out for the best.  I'm also smart enough to know that five weeks into this the president's excursion is nowhere near a forever war.  Oh; and we don't have the highly-enriched stuff in our possession either.  Yet anyway.  There is that as a denouement.  

I have yet to hear what the exit strategy is.  You?

So for now I think we might be in for a stretch of rising energy costs, inflation and possibly some economic stagnation or contraction.  Only the passage of time will write the end to that chapter.

Meanwhile, there's a pile of the US population becoming grumpy over rising gasoline and diesel, increasing grocery prices due to supply chain disruptions and escalating transportation costs.  I'm beginning to believe that post-election MAGA world doesn't really care about that as much as they did a couple-three years ago.  Nobody's bitching about it at all on social media and not a single sole Trump supporter I speak with on a daily basis has yet to bring it up.  Loyalists are called that for a reason after-all.  Which is just fine; and it is perfectly OK to own what you have wrought.

It has occurred to me this might have something to do with ideological principles; dictated by whatever president Trump tells us to believe and the possibility that the beliefs of some reading this might be insincere.  Which is fine too; people are disingenuous all day long.  I understand that sometimes it is difficult to admit making a mistake.  I get it.  I make mistakes too.  Get over it.  Own it.

Or perhaps at its core the principle is to agree with the president in every respect; even if his actions contradict what he promised in order to get a voter's support.  No matter it damages their business and costs them the actual farm.  On that matter I can only speculate.

So, for any of my MAGA acquaintances reading this; if you want to call me an armchair general or a warmonger; have at it.  Throw neocon my direction for good measure.  I have a thick skin and since you're doing it from the warming glow of your device and not personally to my face I understand the context. Water off a duck's back.  Das macht nichts aus.  

Polling is science.  With growing awareness the rest of the world is learning that MAGA world likes war; and way the heck more than me.  Does MAGA like it too much?  That's hard to know as we're only fourteen months into President Trump's military adventurism.  I think we ain't seen nuthn' yet.  But I'm perfectly happy to be wrong.

I'm old enough to remember back to 1965 when a certain general famously pledged to eschew ground troops and use naval and air power to bomb the Vietnamese - Back into the stone age.  In his April 1st address to the nation it was fascinating to see and hear President Trump invoke the very same oath - verbatim.  Curious about from whom the president is taking his cues? 

A general splendidly associated with ruthless scorched-earth tactics against civilians.

Stay-tuned..... 

New Roommate

The Missus trapped this critter as it was jumping across the dining room table while she was completing some paperwork.  For it's diminutive size it was making some spectacular leaps and she eventually trapped it under a adult beverage highball glass.

At first glance I thought it was a flea; but upon closer examination with my iPhone camera it was revealed to be a small spider.  Similar to others I've seen around the kitchen or bathroom sink recently.

A Google Gemini search reveals this to be a Jumping Spider.  Meet the Tan Jumping Spider - Platycryptus undatus - reported to be common in the Midwest.

Buddha would approve of our decision not to kill this critter as quickly as we would the nasty Asian beetles thawing-out recently as this arachnid is harmless to people and an active hunter of flies, gnats and mosquitoes.  Furthermore, relative to other spiders they're endowed with excellent vision, complex brains and are known to be curious about humans and will track your movements with their large front eyes. Yup, if you pay us a visit you may be watched.

They don't construct webs preferring to actively hunt and pounce-upon their prey.  Nevertheless, while jumping they sometimes deploy a single strand of silk that serves as a safety tether.  Spider-Man would approve.

I haven't spotted these in large numbers as they don't live in colonies and since they don't bite and neither of us have any spider phobias maybe they'll keep the fruit flies in check around the box wine and kitchen compost container.  If they're bothersome they're easily-enough moveable outside after it warms-up.  A simple-enough mechanism to get rid of a new roommate if things don't work out...

Friday Music

Composed by Mancini for the television show of the same name the song was the opening track on the original soundtrack album - The Music from Peter Gunn.  Released in 1959 it reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 12 on the R&B chart.  Mancini went on to win an Emmy Award and two Grammys for Album of the Year and Best Arrangement.

Over a couple of decades this song has earned three posts here at the Platz (Yes, you can read/watch them by searching under Peter Gunn) and I figure it's about time to add one more to make it four.

Emerson, Lake and Palmer issued a live album - In Concert - recorded at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Quebec, August 26, 1977.  Following ELP's breakup it was released by Atlantic Records in November of 1979.  It was subsequently repackaged and re-released as Works Live in 1993 to include three tracks recorded in Wheeling, WV in November of 1977.  This was one of them.

Turn-up the volume for a really fun iteration of the Peter Gunn theme...

Highway Patrol

Yup, Wisconsin State Patrol pays a visit; again.

This time with a 1956 Chevrolet 210 4-door sedan including dark blue on white paint and the still-familiar door badge.  In the 1950s Wisconsin was transitioning from motorcycles and under powered patrol cars to V8-driven high speed patrol and pursuit vehicles.  Chevrolet was a natural fit as a consequence of their reliable small block V8 motors, availability of a statewide maintenance network and a lower fleet cost than Chrysler or Ford.  

click on image for a closer look

This vehicle was identical in virtually all respects with the Chevy Bel Air; hosting the same drive train (engines and transmissions) chassis and suspension.  As a trim line the Bel Air sported costlier chrome and flashier trim.  Police agencies eschewed such extravagance and opted for the less-ostentatious utilitarian appearance of the 150 and 210 models.  

Our State Patrol rolled courtesy of a 265 cu. in. V8 equipped with a 2-barrel carburetor rated at 170 HP.  A few vehicles in the fleet were upgraded to the 4-barrel Power Pack 205 HP model.  A 3-speed manual transmission was standard for patrol duty.  Naturally, this was a vehicle with rear-wheel drive and equipped with fleet specification rear axles, heavy duty springs, shocks and reinforced frames.

Standard equipment included a single rotating red gumball roof beacon, a driver's side spotlight, a roof-mounted whip radio antenna, hi-output fender-mounted siren and painted steel wheels including dog-dish hubcaps.

Notable in this photo is the absence of the trooper's ubiquitous Smokey Bear hat.  That's because he is outfitted in winter kit including a cold weather fur service cap and his Sam Browne belt. 

You're probably wondering if there was a Motorola radio lurking in that cruiser.  The answer is of-course.  By the mid-1950s Motorola enjoyed a virtual monopoly on law-enforcement radio contracts.  Motorola radio technology enjoyed operability across agencies, exceedingly reliable rural coverage and factory support based in Chicago and other major population centers.  By the time 19655-56 rolled-around, virtually all state patrol sedans nationwide were equipped with Motorola radios.

And if you're a bad guy fleeing the long arm of the law you may have a fast set of wheels; but you can't outrun Motorola.... 

1955 Chevy in LAPD Livery

 

New Species!

We're excited to share about a new exotic species that now calls the the Great Lakes system home.  

The rare spotted catfish is genuinely one of a kind. This elusive freshwater creature has never been seen by most, some even argue its existence.

Spotted catfish tend to have a docile temperament until you try to touch them, which is when they will bite you and swim away with a smug demeanor.  They have been known to eat other fish and will chase bright, shiny lights in the water.

 

Bedtime

Just back from taking doggo out to tinkle before bedtime.

 

It’s quiet here in flyover country; yet now that the solstice is past things are coming to life.  Yes, even when you live halfway between the equator and the North Pole.

The Pink Moon is almost full.  The ducks are chuckling and quacking down at the big pond.

And we heard the first plaintive peents from the returning timber doodles.

Spring peepers are defrosting in the on deck circle…..
 

April Astronomy

If you are reading this you have ample notice about tomorrows' full moon - called the Pink Moon. 

The term ‘Pink Moon’ actually does not imply that the moon is pink.  The term derives from the spring appearance of native ground phlox and their pink blooms that coincides with the April full moon.  I recommend that if viewing conditions are good tomorrow night that you step outside around 9 PM so you can witness the moon at its largest.  

The April full moon is also known as the Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon and the Fish Moon.  The Algonquin people knew this as the Breaking Ice Moon while the Dakota identify this as the When The Ducks Come Back Moon.  These native tribal names ring true around here.

More here from the Old Farmer's Almanac... 

A Day In The Life Of A Retired Guy

 

Started my day with making the dough.  

Easy peasy.

Braised and deboned a couple wild turkey hindquarters for soup, assembled a batch of Lenten tuna salad, prepped for Wednesday’s class and closed with that dough.

Daily Bread!

Entirely possible my kitchen likely smells better than yours...

American Culinary Dominance

The TV dinner represents a major shift in our 20th Century lifestyle - the moon shot  moment the aluminum-plated frozen meal met the living room.  To be clear, I haven't had a TV dinner in more than five decades; however eating in the living room persists as a cultural shift.

Believe it or not, this uniquely American gastronomical contribution to our rich culture heritage has an origin story involving C.A. Swanson & Sons.  Seems that following Thanksgiving in 1953, the company found itself with 260 tons of unsold frozen turkey sitting in ten refrigerated rail cars.  

Gerry Thomas, a Swanson salesman, inspired by the tiered aluminum trays used by airline commissaries envisioned a complete frozen meal that could be heated and consumed smack dab in front of a television.  In 1954 Swanson launched the TV Dinner and sold 10 million turkey dinners that year.  The original price was 98 cents. 

Naturally, this coincided with the launch of the space race and all things aluminum and before too long menu offerings included entrees like fried chicken, Salisbury steak, meatloaf and eventually a fourth compartment featuring a dessert such as a brownie or fruit cobbler.  Swanson ditched the 'TV Dinner' name from their packaging by 1962; nevertheless, just like Kleenex tissues the name stuck as part of our vast genericized American cultural lexicon.

With the proliferation of microwave ovens, by the mid 1980s plastic and paperboard packaging conspired to deliver your frozen gourmet feast in less than ten minutes!  

Sure, I'm being modestly snarky because I'm a food snob but I admit that this mash-up of industrialization and frozen food technology was a boon to working families struggling to get dinner on time and on the table.  Trust me, I've eaten my share of frozen Banquet turkey pot pies served at the temperature of molten lava on the surface of the planet Mercury.   You might have too.

Anyway, the Chopped Sirloin of Beef (hamburger) swimming in a ubiquitous brown gravy highlighted a partnership between Swanson and Pepperidge Farm featuring a blueberry muffin in the fourth compartment thus elevating the culinary experience to the level of festive celebration.  Mad Men advertising brilliance!

Between you and me the inclusion of crinkle-cut fries and buttered peas is a monument to the pinnacle of American industrial processed food know-how, sodium content and poor food pairings.  The birthday candle and even the smiling cat screams domestic tranquility.

Dammit; this is the Right Stuff.  This is what Made America Great!  

---

Happy Endings All-Around

Some of you readers may recall my experience with applying for Medicare the summer of 2020.  My application for coverage was denied.

Yup.  This was a consequence of my being born in another country; Germany in-fact.  No matter that both my parents were American citizens.  No matter that I have been paying into the system forever and held a valid US passport. The Social Security Administration had me classified as an undocumented non-citizen and therefore ineligible.  My application was rejected.  If anyone tells you that illegal immigrants are lining-up to collect Medicare and Social Security benefits I am living proof that they are either lying to your face or ignorant.  But I digress.

I can only speculate; but this was likely a bureaucratic record-keeping holdover traced to my registration for the draft in the very early 1970s.  The local draft board was somehow convinced that because I held both a US Army birth certificate and a German birth certificate my dual citizenship status would entice me to flee the country and thereby circumvent any attempt at conscription and a all-expense-paid trip to Vietnam. The fix was I had to renounce any claim to German citizenship.  

There was paperwork and a trip to the federal office building.  And after I raised my right hand and swore an oath to 'absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen'.  I was issued a Certificate of Naturalization and as a sole citizen of the United States of America my draft-dodging moment was over.  

The people over at the Social Security Administration eventually cleared-up any confusion over my citizenship status and I am covered by both Medicare and Social Security.  A happy ending to a stressful three months.

The other happy ending was on January 23, 1973.  The year of my high school graduation  Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird announced an end to the military draft and move to an all-volunteer military.  POOF!  Any chance of conscription vanished.  

After I retired, I was moving some personal files, and found this precious piece of history... 

My draft card; a bit worn and dogeared, but basically intact.  

Throughout most of our country's 250 year history the draft has come and gone.  General George Washington groused about the unsoldierly quality of state militias during the revolution against Great Britain and pushed for universal conscription.  Congress put the kibosh on the entire notion.  

During the war between the states both the Union and Confederacy enacted drafts.  The Union's Enrollment Act of 1863 was particularly controversial inasmuch as it allowed wealthier individuals to pay a $300 fee or hire a surrogate to avoid serving in the military. 

World War One and the Selective Service Act of 1917 created local draft boards to determine exemptions emphasizing 'selective' service based on agricultural and industrial manpower needs.

During the Second World War the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 instituted the first peacetime draft in history.  At its peak it processed millions of men necessary to meet the unprecedented manpower needs for fighting a war on two fronts.  

Conscription continued at the close of hostilities as a consequence of the Cold War and need for a standing army.  Nevertheless, by the time the Vietnam war peaked the draft had become a source of increasing social unrest largely because of the inequities resulting from student deferments and the lottery system.  The recommendations of the Gates Commission led to the demise of the draft and transition to an all-volunteer military. 

Even though the draft is not active, in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan President Carter resumed registration in 1980 requiring men born in 1960 or later to register with the Selective Service System as a contingency addressing any extreme national emergency.

The all-volunteer shift has changed the military from a temporary obligation for many to a professional career path with higher retention rates than a conscript force.  When a service member sticks-around for one or more decades the military retains the institutional knowledge and technical expertise that would otherwise be lost when a draftee rotates out after a couple of years.

Volunteers require higher pay and benefits allowing the military to set higher standards for aptitude resulting in higher education, morale and better discipline.  It should come as no surprise that the military enjoys higher education levels than the general public.  The quality of the military has not suffered.

In a letter to James Monroe in 1813, Thomas Jefferson wrote of; 'The necessity of obliging every citizen to be a soldier.  We must train...our citizens and make military instruction a regular part of collegiate education.  We can never be safe until this is done'.

Jefferson's vision of mandatory service is certainly noble; and most families nowadays no longer have a member in the service.  Yet the volunteer force is the best trained, best educated and best-equipped ever.  And among my own circle of friends, neighbors and acquaintances I don't have to cast my net very far to locate somebody who has voluntarily served or is presently serving.

On a personal note, in 1980 I graduated with a Masters Degree in Education and after three years as a classroom teacher promptly lost my job. With a newborn daughter and a world of declining student enrollments and school closures my teaching career was looking a bit bleak.  Maybe even grim.  Only 25 years old a career change had a high probability of success.  Figuring I should leave no stone unturned as to options I spoke with a recruiter.  A Navy recruiter.  The Navy was as interested as I was having a deeper discussion with a 25 year-old with a couple of college degrees.  My spouse at that point in time put the kibosh on any further discussions.  Same for relocating.  That spouse is now a long-gone former spouse.  The newborn has a family of her own.  I pursued a wildly-successful business career and am married to the best spouse on the planet.  Happy endings all-around for everyone involved; including the former spouse.  Nevertheless, with more than a wee bit of wistfulness, I wonder some days how a career in the military might have turned-out.

Raising a toast to all who have served our nation and continue to do so.

Cheers! 

Shell Game

Because these buggers don't stand still and seem to materialize from multiple directions this is a little bit like trying to play a shell game.

Count them.

Count the whitetails...

 

Friday Music

Written by Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew this song was released on Imperial Records in 1955.  Selling a million copies it was an immediate hit and rose to the Number One position on the Billboard R&B chart and Number Ten on the Pop chart.  The song is ranked number 438 on Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.  High praise, indeed.

The song gained additional popularity after Pat Boone covered it; appealing to a broader audience.  The song was also covered by the Four Seasons in 1963, Hank Williams Jr. in 1971 and Cheap Trick in 1978.

The Cheap Trick cover charted at number 35 after its release on the 1978 Live album - Cheap Trick at Budokan.   Remarkably, it was this group that made this song their own.

Ain't That a Shame...

Notable Quoteable

And any domesticated primate alpha male, however cruel or crooked, can rally the primate tribe behind him by howling that a rival alpha male is about to lead his gang in an attack on this habitat. These two mammalian reflexes are known, respectively, as Religion and Patriotism. They work for domesticated primates, as for the wild primates, because they are Evolutionary Relative Successes. (So far.)

― Robert Anton Wilson, Prometheus Rising

 

Garrison America

As of Monday, March 23, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been deployed to fourteen major US airports ostensibly to assist with crowd control and support TSA checkpoints during staffing shortages.  We've been told that agents are primarily assisting with, rather than operating, security, and the list of locations may change.

So far, every photo or newscast I've seen shows these guys standing or walking around in improvised and mismatched non-standard fatigues, ballistic vests, sidearms and automatic weapons; sometimes wearing ICE or POLICE patches.  They're unmasked and none of them are outfitted with a name tag or visible ID.  

Compared to the law in my community - by all outward appearances - they're unprofessional and poorly groomed.  Sloppy bordering on slovenly.  Up-armed mall cops.

We're paying these guys a premium wage to chill-out and stand around at the airport while the TSA agents continue to do all the work and go unpaid. 

Meanwhile, it is a proven fact that the long lines and wait times remain unchanged.

Check-out the photo above.  A few of you will cheer it; while most will shake their heads.

Welcome to the militarization of America.  Unkempt and unprofessional too.

I'm an old man and never thought I would live long enough to witness the normalization of this nonsense during peacetime.  

Ponder that.  

Peacetime. 

Any wagers this is a dress rehearsal so you will be less alarmed when you go to vote?

I pray this isn't a condition I have to get used to....

Spring Is Sprung and Mud is Made

I am told that it is meteorological spring here; where I live half-way between the equator and the North Pole.

In the Northern Hemisphere this is defined as the three-month period of March, April and May - commencing on March 1 and ending on May 31.  It is used by meteorologists and climatologists to align seasons with annual temperature cycles and to simplify the collection of weather data instead of using the varying dates of the astronomical equinox like the rest of us nerdy stargazers do.  But I digress.

What I know for sure is that when you score a 60F day you take your canine sidekick out for a run and let her explore the melting edges of the ice-covered pond and creek.

For sure it is Mud Season after all...  

 

 

On The March

After a long hiatus these are showing-up on the trail cameras regularly.

During the extended cold snap there was nary a wild turkey to be found.

What I do not know is where they go to hide?

Black Ash Swamp maybe?

Somewhere else?

Anyway, the turkey birds are on the move.... 

 

Open The Strait!

At long last, Japan answers America’s call to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Sunday Enchiladas

Most everything came from the freezer and pantry inventory.  Picked-up an beautiful, imported Mexican farmer cheese yesterday while in Sturgeon Bay. 

Lazy Sunday chile verde chicken enchiladas.

From six o’clock, homemade guacamole, lettuce and tomatoes.  Queso fresco and frijoles from our friendly neighbors south of the border.  

Chips.

Post-solstice there’s no eating in the dark either.

How good is that?

 

On This Day In History

On this day in 1765, the British Parliament passed the Stamp Act to fund British soldiers stationed in the colonies after the French and Indian War. The Act taxed most printed documents in the British colonies—everything from legal documents to magazines and playing cards, touching nearly everyone's daily life.

 

It was the first direct tax on American colonists and had to be paid in British sterling, a currency nigh impossible for the colonists to obtain (who had long paid taxes to colonial legislatures in local currency). Act violations were prosecuted in jury-less Vice-Admiralty courts that could be held anywhere in the British Empire.

The Act broke decades of "salutary neglect," a mostly hands-off stance from Great Britain that had allowed the colonies to prosper. At the Stamp Act Congress that fall, representatives argued that as English subjects, they could not be directly taxed without representation in Parliament, and announced a boycott of British goods. Although the British repealed the act a year later, it dug in with the Declaratory Act, which asserted Parliament's right to legislate for (and tax) colonists.

On the heels of the Writs of Assistance these taxes led to widespread protests and fed colonial resentment over British taxation.  The episode was a key stepping stone toward the American Revolution that unfolded a decade later.