Dragons in Congress

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In case any one failed to notice, let me point out, most legislators are thieves and liars. Most legislators first and only job is to get reelected, and with a retention rate in the high 90% range, they are good at it.

I am a little ill because Social Security is looming on my horizon, I will hopefully be able to draw benefits. My son will not, unless a financial miracle happens. I was blind lucky in some investments that have financed my retirement, so far.

The promise of survival with the aid of government is disappearing. Some wise man said, I wish I could remember who, "the power to tax encompasses until it destroys". This is relevant because the only way to finance the extension of benefits is to allow the individual to control retirement funds, that will never happen because FICA is only a smoke screen to allow a tax on all workers, that is diverted into the general fund.

If I control my retirement funds you can bet they won't go to social programs or foreign aid.

The Congress is not a good steward of our taxes. They consider our taxes to be, in my opinion, a public relations account to pay for their reelection efforts. That would be pork barrel spending, in case the veiled reference was a little too veiled.

In the interest of equal opportunity disgust, my state has fuel prices higher than any of the neighboring states. The obvious reason? The fuel tax is ripped off each year to fill the general fund. Then the Governor brags about fiscal responsibility due to surplus. The capper is when, as now, a bridge or road is deferred, never canceled just "deferred" forever, for lack of funds.

The obvious solution would be term limits, drop the odious worms back into the local society soon before they can build a support base. If a business can't buy a lawmaker that will stay bought, they will be less likely to try. If there is less incentive to be in office perhaps blowing our money out the window will be less profitable. If a lawmaker is on the street before they can build a power base their works in office are less likely to be expensive.

I'm sure they would find a way around it.

My point, at last. Congress knows about the problem, but they choose to avoid dealing with it. They still take the Social Security tax and divert it to a more politically advantageous purpose. They know that down a short road many will suffer and likely die because they continue with business as usual.

The sacrifice of the retiree, for their political gain is evil.

Beautiful morning

We woke up at the usual hour, the coffee and the paper filled in around the recorded Tivo from the past month. I used some left over Tomato and Mozzarella salad to make an omelet, aromatic and quite tasty. The sky is blue and the birds are trying to shriek the leaves off the trees.

Noisy little buggers. Cheerful, even so.

I am going to help the Olde Farts Club (Law Enforcement Assn.) set up for parking the world at the county fair.

The Love of My Life is running around the house naked, decorative that is! Actually she is going to shop for the grand daughter's birthday celebration, after she gets finished dressing.

I have to check screen sizes for wide screen TV, the local channels are going to HD format soon and ALL our current screens are regular digital signal.

All this is of course much ado about nothing.

Actually most of life fits that description, we get so wound up in it that the quiet Sunday mornings escape us, that is a real tragedy.

I need to monitor the wind and wave report, the fishing season is here and the Kings should be in. If I can get a fishing partner to go along, six large Kings would stock the freezer for the winter. Bottom fishing in cold water would supplement that nicely.

Just to be clear,,,,

I'm home for now. I'm trying to organize enough work and training to be able to work about six months a year and take the summers off with my grand babies and the Love Of My Life.

Things like valve tech, LLRT, QA/QC for Nukes, or Safety Tech for anyone. Looks like more education may be in order. One contract is for 12 to 24 months in Minn. That is a long way from home and awful cold.

I'm getting some things arranged at home, and will be posting more soon.

I didn't think retirement would be so busy!

The magic 10K,,,, well to me anyway.

Some of the rock stars get more comments than that in a day, but that's OK I couldn't read them all anyway. I truly love to read comments from my three readers.

Anyway, I crossed the magic 10,000 hit mark several days ago. A reader from the UK. as9105.com had the hit. If you check back by I will write something at your request.

Many thanks to all who honor me by stopping by to check my scribbling.

The classic my Dad always wanted.

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My Dad was always a good shot. When the weapon came to his shoulder it seemed to align and fire on it's own, an instinctive very quick shot.

We never had very much and what there was went to the needs of the many rather than the wants of a few. Dad always wanted to hunt deer. He never had the tools for the job until he was unable to take to the field. He horse traded for this classic model 94 Winchester in 30-30, like there was any other choice. When he passed away it came to me. I particularly like the darkening of the finish, and the compact feel it has.

I've seen and handled many of these rifles over the years, from an octagonal barreled 30WCF, with a serial number that was slightly over 10K, to some of the latest, and some of the "collectible" series, none of them have that feeling of solid quality.

The 30-30 is a one hundred yard rifle. It will do a lot out to that distance, then the rainbow trajectory makes marksmanship way to chancy. A 150 gr bullet at about 1800 to 2200 fps and a top eject limit it's usefulness to thin skinned stuff that doesn't bite. I know you can get heavier bullets and you could hunt anything with it, but that would not be wise considering the choices available and the consequences of inadequate power.

Even with all the short comings, relative to modern cartridges, this is still a great gun. It is an icon, and a tool that no one can turn their nose up at.

The best deer rifle I own!

This will continue the list of rifles I really enjoy.

It started life as an 1896 Krag-Jorgenson Mauser in 6.5 X 55. This lively little round launches a 140gr bullet at a comfortable 2700 fps, if I remember right. It is a favorite because you can shoot all day and the only thing it hurts is your pocket, and that no more than any other.

We have a local gunsmith that loves his work enough that he doesn't overcharge for it. I am a sort of weird type when it comes to guns, I don't really care if the weapon is pretty as long as it's functional. I discussed the changes with the smith and settled on a shorter barrel, drilled and tapped for a scope, mounted and bore sighted, with some spot bluing and a sporter safety for the first round. That cost me seventy dollars. I did some range work, and didn't care for the trigger. For the sum of thirty five dollars he added three pieces and made it a fully adjustable trigger. The synthetic stock is from Butler Creek and the Scope is Simmons. The last touch was a black finish that resembles Parkerised.

I have actually murdered a deer with this one (it has to be murder, cause it isn't a fair fight), it's effectiveness is beyond question. The only shot fired in hunger resulted in a chunk of lung the size of my fist on the ground, and a dead deer in about four seconds. Rough on the deer, but better than laying in your lap after a tumble through the wind shield.

Some folks like their guns shiny and new. I'll take mine as individuals, the way I want them.

Back from the woods

I have survived the trip to the backwoods of Lancaster County. The trip was educational to say the least. The hills and rivers are beautiful, the people are friendly and helpful, the farmland is some of the most idyllic I've seen. There are long views filled with carefully tended barns and silos, carefully contour plowed and planted fields, and pastures with live stock.

Then some idiot went and spoiled it by putting a nuclear plant on the river.

It's not ugly as plants go, it's just a huge concrete and steel pimple, inflamed by pavement, in a beautiful setting.

They do, however pay very well.

I got some chance to visit the Amish Country and learn about the people. I'm not inclined, nor qualified, to go on about their beliefs, I did enjoy my contact with then.

My favorite was the Shady Valley Bakery, a roadside stand with bread and pastry, beside the farm house. Pies for three dollars, bread for a dollar and a half a loaf, cookies and Apple Dumplings as inexpensive as the rest. They also offer Jams and Jellies along side pickles and produce. When you pull up and make your selection, someone will come out and take your money, though the father is most likely, you might get a son or daughter.

I was alone much of the time, The Love of My Life came up for a day, and to ride back with me. When you are driving alone it's sort of hard to snag the camera and snap a well framed picture. When we are talking digital, call it impossible. I do have some memories that stand out. The Amish girl silhouetted on a hill, waiting for...a friend. The field being plowed by a four horse team, across the road from the field being plowed by a 4X4 tractor. I saw many times, traffic waiting to pass a carriage on a busy road. It was pretty cute to see the hitching posts, at the modern supermarket, lined with carriages.

I always thought the carriages were primitive affairs, not so. They have foot brakes, and headlights. I saw some with four way flashers on the road at night. They have reflectors on the back to make them easier to see, and the interior is usually finished very nicely. If you look closely at the horses you will find they are not plow animals, most seem to be trotters that were bought from the race tracks. The gait is distinctive.

I think I can now say I've spent three weeks in solitary confinement. My truck bed camper has the required amenities, but not much room. I can touch almost everything with out standing up from the table. I think an upgrade may be in the works. A twenty four to thirty foot bumper hitch trailer, perhaps.

My camping rig isn't actually primitive. I drove my F-350 and pulled a Jeep. The camper is a twelve foot long slide in with a queen bed. The Love of My Life noted that we were adding insult to injury by passing vehicles on the interstate while carrying the camper and pulling another car.