OK, I am done with the snow removal du jour. So maybe now I'll hike into town and watch "The Revenant" to see what sort of hardships other real men endure? Naah. I'll be watching NFL Championship Football! And rooting hard for the Cardinals since I have an Ariens snowblower.
And speaking of my snowblower, I had a Donald Trump epiphany this morning. I bought the snowblower last winter, we had plenty of snow, and it is the Greatest Toy Ever, although I say that as a non-owner of a huge chainsaw. When I am out there with that thing roaring I am the King of Snow. Well, a guy running a giant plow down an Interstate at fifty MPH in a blinding storm is the King. Call me a prince. Hmm, but do I really outrank the guys with the riding snowblowers? OK, I am the Duke of Snow.
Moving on, this morning I could not get my Greatest Toy Ever started. It was gassed up and ready to go but... to start it one must adjust the choke to open (not closed), the electrical switch to on (not off) and the fuel line to open (not closed). Three binary settings, only eight possibilities, even an idiot could do this, right? Especially having done it many times only ten months ago.
Maybe! But I would like to blame my difficulties on an absence of idiots. The on/off switch, which when I was a kid would have been labelled (get ready) "On/Off", in fact included only a pictorial aid. One choice was indicated by an unlocked padlock and an upraised hand, palm forward. I took the hand to mean "Stop" and the padlock to mean "Unlocked". Mixed messages! The other possible setting was a locked padlock and a picture I still can't make out. And as a final hint, there was a larger graphic indicating that all the dials had two positions and to run the machine they all had to be turned to the correct position, although what that position might be was left unclear. Not helpful!
After fifteen dark moments during which my life, or at least a snow shovel, my lower back and a bottle of Advil, passed before my eyes, I figured out that "unlocked padlock" meant "Off". I mean, duh. The Greatest Toy Ever started up and away I went, the Duke of Snow unchained! Oh, I love the smell of engine exhaust in the morning. It smells like... Actually, I have no sense of smell. At all. Got sprayed by a skunk once and didn't even realize it, although when I got back to camp my friends were quick to give me the news. Kind of a digression.
But my Donald Trump epiphany was this. I get globalization and international marketing and a more globally oriented America. But seriously, are "On" and "Off" that hard for people to grasp, even non-English speakers? What is with these useless padlock graphics that make no sense? And how many snowblowers are we selling to Mexico or Venezuela anyway?
Let's make America great again by finding the ON button and labeling it sensibly. Yeah.
Early retirement. Simply buy them out and send them home.
Unless the buyout exceeds the NPV of their lifetime pension cost, healthcare costs and any COLA going forward, none of them would take it. That would be a sizable lump sum, BTW.
Posted by: lyle | January 25, 2016 at 05:02 PM
...so now I have Verizon FIOS and the old DVD which we had, plus now Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Prime all plugged into a TV which knows my WiFi password.
Good grief, OL. What if the ChiCom's start hacking our remote controls so that all we get is CNN, MSNBC, and The View!!!
Ai yi yi!
Posted by: daddy | January 25, 2016 at 05:02 PM
http://www.mediaite.com/online/watch-if-youre-confused-about-caucusing-let-bernie-sanders-help/
This actually is interesting to watch, and explains the democrat caucuses. Smart move by Bernie.
I think the Republican caucuses are run differently, but I am not sure. Anyhow, this explains the dem caucuses.
Posted by: Miss Marple | January 25, 2016 at 05:03 PM
TK
I don't have to. Do you think the Chinese invented the "Climate Change Hoax"?
And, do you think that is a real stance against it?
Posted by: Truthbetold | January 25, 2016 at 05:05 PM
As long as it's not Rachel Maddow all the time, daddy. If the ChiComs are successful at that, I'll be surrendering and kowtowing to Emperor Xi in no time flat!
Posted by: Thomas Collins | January 25, 2016 at 05:05 PM
JiB do not take Dr OL's quack medicine advice..and get better soon.
Posted by: clarice | January 25, 2016 at 05:07 PM
The Republican ones are more orerly--the Democrat ones are based on the Zimbabwe workers-farmers meetins--last ones up win.
Posted by: clarice | January 25, 2016 at 05:09 PM
Aww, you stopped your search.
Didn't like what you found?
Posted by: Threadkiller | January 25, 2016 at 05:09 PM
Everything I have ever posted here has been extolling conservative values.
Except this bit of ad hominem, followed by or this.
You are quit prolific with ad hominem tbt.
Posted by: henry | January 25, 2016 at 05:10 PM
Apparently Bernie Sanders is "Yearning" for you to lick him.
Posted by: daddy | January 25, 2016 at 05:16 PM
OL @ 4:02
That story is horrifying, but not at all surprising.
Posted by: James D. | January 25, 2016 at 05:17 PM
--Taking IV antibiotic of the super kind. Can't remember name but seems to be working according to review of the cultures.--
Vancomycin?
Posted by: Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki | January 25, 2016 at 05:20 PM
Breaking News: China figures out how to create new Democrat voters
Posted by: daddy | January 25, 2016 at 05:23 PM
TK
Don't need to. Do you realize how stupid that is?
Posted by: Truthbetold | January 25, 2016 at 05:25 PM
You again?
Posted by: Threadkiller | January 25, 2016 at 05:25 PM
That is what Palin was hoping for when she said that steel sharpens steel
I've taken one knife and used it to sharpen another knife by swiping the edges against each other.
Posted by: glasater | January 25, 2016 at 05:28 PM
Texas nails it. I don't think ideology, like liberal vs. conservative, or "true" conservative vs. whatever is going to matter a hill of beans in this election, if it ever did. In fact, it's possible that even party ID might not matter as much. I think this election is going to be a contest between those who are making a living off the status quo and want it to go on, and an abused, shrinking, and desperate middle class who looks at our government and all the satellites that suck off it--like the CofC, the big banks, the civil service workers, the unions, Wall Street, the judicial system, the media, the welfare class, the think tanks, etc, and sees nothing but corruption and incompetence as far as the eye can see and on every level from a White House that leaves Americans to die in Libya, to a weather service that can't even measure a snow fall, to a city council that chooses to spend money on "civic art" instead of a decaying sewer system.
So when NR says Trump isn't a "true" conservative, or when a bunch of congress critters say that Cruz doesn't play well with others, it's falling on deaf ears. The guy who owns the mechanic shop on the corner isn't politically ideological. All he knows is that the economy sucks, taxes are killing him, he's in debt up to his eyeballs, and he's got two kids he'd like to send to a university that costs $100,000 a year. He's the guy who wonders why the only health insurance policy he can afford has a $10,000 deductible, when the illegal alien family next door not only gets their health care for free, but an Obamaphone, subsidized housing, and food stamps all on his dime. He's the guy who is told he's a racist if he worries that some "properly vetted" Syrian is going to blow up the mall when his wife is there shopping.
IOW, he's the guy who wants the goddamn trains to run on time--which is, historically, as we all know, how you get the rise of populism and the danger of demagoguery. And that brings up an interesting question: If a status quo person, be it Hillary, or Biden, or one of GOPe favorites, or even Rubio wins the election, is the anger and fear and frustration that is fueling the popularity of the outsider candidates going to just fade away? Or will four more years of corruption and incompetence just fan the flames higher?
And then what happens?
Posted by: derwill | January 25, 2016 at 05:30 PM
Glenn Beck is a 9-11 Truther: http://youtu.be/faGSTQdONEk
Posted by: Threadkiller | January 25, 2016 at 05:32 PM
JiB -- so good to hear from you! And so very good to hear that you are seem to be finally on the right track.
I happen to have an intimate acquaintance with the heperin lock and temporary one floor living, and I predict that you will not only survive but flourish! Trust this battle hardened veteran!
P.S. Don't be shy -- milk it for all you can!
Cheers!
Posted by: maryd | January 25, 2016 at 05:34 PM
Iggy,
Yeah Vanco now onto something else. Got my new pick today for all the upcoming IV's. Interesting procedure.
Posted by: Jack is Back! | January 25, 2016 at 05:34 PM
And then what happens?
A cold civil war gets hot.
Posted by: lyle | January 25, 2016 at 05:35 PM
Thomas Collins:
"But I can't help but be disheartened by the fact that so many of my friends and family are still all in for The Hill."
"Disheartened" captures it exactly. Just this week 3 people I know who normally vote Republican said they'd probably vote for Hillary -- and expressed a certain amount of shock when I said I'd vote for Trump if he were the nominee.
Posted by: JMHanes | January 25, 2016 at 05:37 PM
A hot civil war or a Hugo Chavez.
Or one preceded by the other. In either order.
Posted by: derwill | January 25, 2016 at 05:42 PM
That is one scary anecdote, JMHanes. Maybe they'll vote for Bloomberg instead!!
Posted by: Beasts of England | January 25, 2016 at 05:46 PM
Interesting.
Ace comes out against Rubio and for Cruz or Trump
Here's Why I Am So Absolutely Opposed to Marco Rubio
Posted by: Art in Newport | January 25, 2016 at 05:46 PM
Well, all I can say is that I think it depends on your circle of friends. I know what mine say, but I also know that I have a friend in North Carolina who swears she and her friends will not vote for Trump because "he's destroying our Republican party."
This is partially emotional for ALL parties on both sides. I think a lot depends on how much you have been hit by the Obama economy,, whether you care about immigration, and whether you accept the positions of people like National Review.
Lots of variables. If you are a white blue collar worker, you are probably more attracted to Trump. If you are a professional who worries about things like taxes, you probably gravitate to Cruz or Rubio.
No way to figure how it would break down in a general election. Trump (if he's the nominee) would have to do the greatest selling effort of his life.
Posted by: Miss Marple | January 25, 2016 at 05:47 PM
JiB! We missed you. Even a major round of anti-biotics is no picnic, but I'm glad to hear that at least they'll be letting you head home soon.
Posted by: JMHanes | January 25, 2016 at 05:54 PM
WTF???
http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/266958-creator-of-planned-parenthood-videos-indicted-in-texas
Posted by: Stephanie | January 25, 2016 at 05:54 PM
"That would be a sizable lump sum, BTW."
Compared to what they spend on our behalf?
Posted by: Buckeye | January 25, 2016 at 05:55 PM
Yes.
Posted by: lyle | January 25, 2016 at 05:57 PM
Totally OT, the latest audiobook from my book series just went up for sale today (this is book #9, and I did a little bit of a "ripped from the headlines" thing for this one - the villain is not-at-all-loosely based on Eliot Spitzer).
http://www.audible.com/pd/Mysteries-Thrillers/Fever-Dream-Audiobook/B01AYK5XV6?ref_=a_mycart_vi_c2a_1_3
I had a new narrator for this one (the previous narrator couldn't work on it), but she did a great job, I think.
Posted by: James D. | January 25, 2016 at 05:58 PM
Lyle
Any workable ideas on how to eliminate a few agencies, short of rope and lampposts?
Posted by: Buckeye | January 25, 2016 at 06:05 PM
No.
Posted by: lyle | January 25, 2016 at 06:08 PM
Best wishes JiB; infections acquired at health care facilities are an increasing problem (that's what happened to you, no?).
It would be a great day for the GOP if they'd tell the Gas Chamber of Kommerce to take a hike. This election should be against people who think the economy is just ducky and everybody else.
Posted by: Captain Hate on the iPad | January 25, 2016 at 06:10 PM
-creator-of-planned-parenthood-videos-indicted-in-texas
Oh my goodness...:(
"Instead, Daleiden was indicted for “prohibition of the purchase and sale of human organs.” He and Merritt were both indicted for “tampering with a governmental record.”"
and this -
"Earlier this month, the national organization went on the offensive against Daleiden by filing a lawsuit in federal court accusing the Center for Medical Progress of unlawful behavior ranging from secret taping to trespassing."
Planned Parenthood & the abortion industry can to anything they want. Anything. They are a protected, taxpayer funded, multimillion dollar industry.
It is sickening....
Posted by: Janet | January 25, 2016 at 06:19 PM
can *do* anything they want.
Posted by: Janet | January 25, 2016 at 06:20 PM
an old tweet -
Brant Hansen @branthansen
Genuinely wondering if there was *anything* #PlannedParenthood could do that would cause supporters to say, "OK, I need to re-think this..."
Posted by: Janet | January 25, 2016 at 06:22 PM
James D, congratulations and good luck.Unfortunately my stack of unread books keeps growing. I thought I'd get caught up while snowbound but survival tactics ate up my time.
Posted by: clarice | January 25, 2016 at 06:36 PM
new fred.
Posted by: Stephanie | January 25, 2016 at 06:46 PM
What else would you expect from a grand jury in Houston Texas? What is wrong with you? You live in a cave? Black lives are the only lives that matter.
Posted by: TexasIsHeaven | January 25, 2016 at 06:48 PM