You Wanna Get Mad?

Jan. 30 (Bloomberg) -- The average tax rate paid by the richest 400 Americans fell by a third to 17.2 percent through the first six years of the Bush administration and their average income doubled to $263.3 million, new IRS data show.

The 17.2 percent tax rate in 2006 was the lowest since the IRS began tracking the 400 largest taxpayers in 1992, although the richest 400 Americans paid more tax on an inflation-adjusted basis than any year since 2000.

The drop from 2001’s tax rate of 22.9 percent was due largely to ex-President George W. Bush’s push to cut tax rates on most capital gains to 15 percent in 2003.

I don't know about you but my tax rate is a whole lot higher than 17.2 percent and my income sure as hell didn't double. I think it's time we look at at least leveling the playing field.

Wait A Minute!

Dear President Obama... can we talk?

SAO PAULO — General Motors plans to invest $1 billion in Brazil to avoid the kind of problems the U.S. automaker is facing in its home market, said the beleaguered car maker.

According to the president of GM Brazil-Mercosur, Jaime Ardila, the funding will come from the package of financial aid that the manufacturer will receive from the U.S. government and will be used to “complete the renovation of the line of products up to 2012.”

“It wouldn’t be logical to withdraw the investment from where we’re growing, and our goal is to protect investments in emerging markets,” he said in a statement published by the business daily Gazeta Mercantil.

Un-Recyclable #5

Here is some good news for us recyclers.

As you know, not all plastics can be recycled. If you are a recycler like me, you are well aware of the bad old #5. In fact, most yogurt cups and other polypropylene #5 plastics, unless they’re reused, end up in the landfill since so few municipalities accept them. It’s a shame considering so much of our food arrives in #5s including packaging for cottage cheese, hummus, medicine, ice cream and take-out containers.

If you can’t altogether avoid buying products packaged in pesky #5 plastic, there’s now another solution. Preserve, the company creating stylish household products out of 100% recycled plastics, has just announced their new ‘Gimme 5’ recycling program.

They’ve teamed up with organic yogurt maker Stonyfield Farm, and Organic Valley, the organic, farmer-owned cooperative, to make recycling #5s possible through convenient drop-off locations in select Whole Foods Markets.

For a list of participating Whole Foods stores, visit www.preserveproducts.com.

More on Peanut Butter

Jill at La Vida Locavore has been on top of the Peanut Butter thing since the beginning and should be your source for continuing updates. It makes no sense for me to repeat her research and posts here.

Ice cream with peanut butter is the new focus of recalls and Jill has the latest list.

Another important update is that now there is some suspicion of jarred peanut butter...mostly boutique brands and not the the majors ones but for goodness sake pay attention if you are peanut butter person.

BTW there are plenty of resources on the web on how to make your own peanut butter which is always the right choice just like it is for bread, ground meat and other things of a similar nature. I have written here about how easy it is to make your own cheese but the best resource is the Cheese Queen.

Cooking Afternoon

I spent most of the afternoon in the kitchen getting ready for a dinner party tomorrow night. I have a get together with some friends from my old, old company tomorrow afternoon so I had to get ahead of the curve. We have managed to get together once a year since we all were downsized ten years ago. Unfortunately, two of the old crowd passed this last year so they will be missed.

It is just a simple spaghetti and meatballs thing but it still takes work and planning to get it done correctly. Got the tomato sauce done this afternoon. I will reheat and add the fresh basil and thyme tomorrow. This is a basic Southern Italian sauce. Onions, garlic, olive oil, crushed red pepper, and tomatoes simmered in the oven for four hours. I have decided that simple is better when it comes to pasta sauce. No meat or other veges to hide the taste of the tomatoes. The meatballs are all made and and just need to be baked tomorrow.

The starter is going to be sliced pear and arugula wrapped in prosciutto with a toasted Parmigiano-Reggiano wafer. Dessert will be creme caramel which is next on the cooking agenda. It's Madam's favorite dessert so I have had a lot of practice.

If you have never made little toasted Parmigiano-Reggiano wafers you are missing a great treat. They are simple to make and are glorious little snacks. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment and place a 1/4 cup of grated cheese in a round cookie cutter or tuna can with both ends cut out and spread the cheese evenly within the circle. Separate them by about an inch. You can do them free form but you need to make sure the cheese is no more than about 1/8" thick or so. Pop them in a 400F oven for about ten minutes or until they are bubbly and just start to brown. Careful or they will scorch pretty quickly. Take them out of the oven and while they are still hot put them on a flat surface to cool. When cool they are crisp and are great as a little lagniappe with salad or with an appetizer. I imagine you can use another Parmesan cheese, if you have to, but make sure you grate it yourself otherwise they won't behave in the oven as the cheese will be to dry if it is pre-grated. While they are hot you can shape them over the bottom of a small glass or bowl if you want and make little baskets to hold some savory treat. You'll either hate me or love me for giving you this recipe. Good Parmesan cheese is expensive and these suckers are addictive.

Off to the caramel.

Tubes Fixed

I haven't mentioned it but I have been having major problems with my DSL. For weeks it has been intermittent. It will be fine for a while then just go away and not come back which requires a reset of the modem. I've swapped modems 3 or 4 times.

Finally, with some help from AT&T, I ran some modem diagnostics and we pinpointed the problem. The signal to noise ratio on the line was down around 6-8 and six is the minimum acceptable. This was causing all kinds of CRC errors (thousands per hour). AT&T came this morning and broke out the DSL at the termination and routed it to the modem over a spare phone line and viola! it works like a champ. No CRC errors and the S/N ration is back to 16-18 where it should be. I'm happy. I was reseting the modem 20 or 30 times a day when it was at its worst and I haven't had to reset it once yet today.

Q4 Numbers Are Going to Be Bad

Most economists expect Q4 to be bad. I fully expect it to be worse than they think. Predictions vary but most think 5% shrinkage but I think it will be even worse. Never forget that the Republicans own this recession lock, stock and barrel. Their tax cuts and unnecessary wars coupled with the greed of their buddies on Wall Street have us where we are today. We're in this situation because of the Republicans yet they still don't get it. They are still insisting on business tax cuts and trying to hold the country hostage until they get them. The big headline in the AJC this morning is "Georgia could receive 1.2 billion for education". It says nothing about the fact that the majority of Georgia's congressional delegation is Republican and didn't support the stimulus. Elections have consequences but don't tell that to Georgia voters.

The official report is coming out this morning.

The country tumbled deeper into recession and probably logged its worst economic performance in a quarter-century during the final three months of last year as battered consumers and businesses throttled back spending.

The U.S. economy is deteriorating at an alarming clip as the housing, credit and financial crises — the worst since the 1930s — feed on each other in a vicious cycle that has proven difficult for Washington policymakers to break.

The Commerce Department is set to release a report Friday expected to show the economy shrank at a pace of 5.4 percent in the October-December period, a much faster descent than the 0.5 percent decline logged in the prior quarter. If economists' forecasts are correct, it would mark the weakest quarterly showing since an annualized drop of 6.4 percent in the first quarter of 1982, when the country was suffering through a severe recession.

"It was a bloodbath," said Richard Yamarone, economist at Argus Research, referring to the economy's fourth-quarter performance.

A massive pullback by consumers is expected to play a prominent role in the economy's worsening backslide. They are cutting back on spending as jobs disappear and major investments — homes, stocks, retirement accounts — tank in value. Businesses are retrenching, too, as profits shrivel and demand wanes from customers in the U.S. and overseas.

The thing that is really griping me is that the very people who caused this mess are still getting billions in bonuses and this for losing trillions of dollars. These guys are not sweating it. For them, life remains comfortable. they haven't had to give up anything. They don't stand in the grocery reading labels and doing the comparisons trying to save a dime while not poisoning themselves. How many of them are worried this morning about whether they can continue their health insurance for another month or two or make the mortgage? For everyone else, add years more of hard work and hope for the best which is looking more dismal everyday. Here is more from the Washington Post:

Millions of Americans lost more than a quarter of their 401(k) retirement savings in 2008 because of the stock market's collapse, a setback that could force them to work longer or severely curtail their spending as they grow older.

In an analysis of their participants' accounts, Fidelity Investments, Vanguard and T. Rowe Price -- three of the nation's largest 401(k) plan providers -- also found that some employees were further eroding their savings by taking hardship withdrawals to pay for current financial needs.

Many Americans have seen their wealth evaporate with the drop in home values, the rise in the cost of living and the stagnation of wages. Now, as they tap into nest eggs to pay bills, they face leaner retirements as well. Particularly vulnerable are baby boomers who expected to retire in the next few years.

If the majority of American workers ever stop and really understand what has been done to them there is going to be some major backlash. It is dawning on a lot of them but the stark reality has yet to shine its hard light on many.

Poison Peanut Butter

This is probably the last post on "things with peanut butter", it is getting a little ridiculous. We now know that PCA knew their product was contaminated and shopped around until they found a lab that would say it was OK. They knew it was toxic and shipped it anyway. This is just another case proving the Republican myth of industry self regulation is insanity and completely naive.

Here's the deal...If after this you are stupid enough to eat any commercial product from any source with peanut butter in it you are suicidal and or stupid. You are especially stupid and homicidal if you feed it to your children.

Consumers Union has posted news that shows that half of the 501 people sickened by salmonella in peanut butter are children under age 10. All of the 8 confirmed deaths were in people 59 or older. Please note that the recall has been extended from all products after July 1, 2008 to all products after Jan 1, 2007. To keep up on the latest news about the number of salmonella cases and deaths, check the CDC website.

The first list here are only foods recalled SINCE January 24. Further on there is a list of foods recalled between Jan 22 and Jan 24. Archer Farms Double peanut Butter Chewy Soft Baked Cookies 8.6oz Milk Chocolate Monster Chewy Soft Baked Cookies 8.6oz Cambridge Cheese crackers with peanut butter 7.44 oz (210 grams) & 7 1/3 oz (208 grams) Can Do Kid Cookies & Cream Chocolate Crunch Carolina Prime 2 Pack Hooves Peanut Butter Hooves 4" Rawhide Bone Peanut Rawhide 6" Beef Shank Peanut Butter Dog Bone 6" Rawhide Bone Peanut Butter Rawhide 2pk Hooves Peanut Butter Single Packages 4" Rawhide Bone Peanut Butter Single Packages 6" Beef Shank Peanut Butter Single Packages 6" Rawhide Bone Peanut Butter Single Packages 6" Healthy Hide Beef Shank Peanut Butter Single Packages Dough-to-Go Peanut butter baked cookie products and Peanut butter cookie dough Grandessa Peanut butter cookies Happy Tails Multi-Flavored Dog Biscuits 4 lb and 26 oz Isagenix Chocolate Dipped Honey Peanut IsaLean Bar Carton and individual bars Jenny's Cuisine Anytime Peanut Butter Flavor Nutritional Bars Naturally Preferred Honey Nut Nuggets 8 oz. Bag Nestle Optifast Honey Nut 'n Oat NUTRILITE Chocolate Nut Roll Energy Bar Peanut Butter Energy Bar Product Intro Kit Vanilla Pretzel Energy Bar Promax Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Promax 70 Double Fudge Brownie 70 Cookies and Cream Salix Healthy-Hide-Deli Wrap 5" Peanut Butter Filled Rawhide 3 count package Sam's Choice Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies Shaklee Cinch Chocolate Decadence Cinch Lemon Cranberry Cinch Peanut Butter Crunch Shoppers Valu Multi-Flavored Dog Biscuits 4 lb ShopRite Peanut Butter and Cheese Cracker Snacks Peanut Butter on Toasty Crackers SunRidge Chocolate Energy Bar 10 lb Case Energy Nuggets 8 oz. Bag Tropical Golden Nugget 10 lb Case Supreme Protein Caramel Nut (Energy) Bars Caramel Nut Bars 20gm, 50gm, 96gm Caramel Nut Bars 50g CAN Peanut Butter Crunch Bars 20gm, 43gm, 86gm Peanut Butter Crunch Bars 43g CAN Sure-Pak 12 Meals 1 oz. or 2 oz. packages of peanut butter Think Thin Dark Chocolate Chocolate Mudslide Trader Joe's Sliced Green Apples With All Natural Peanut Butter 7-ounce Whole Foods Carob Energee Nuggets 9 oz., clear plastic package Zone 3 Carb Chocolate Brownie Foods Recalled between Jan 22 and Jan 24: ABC Peanut Butter Cookie Dough 3 lb. pails Arbonne Figure 8 Peanut Butter Chews Expiration Date 10/2009 Figure 8 Peanut Butter Chews Expiration Date 11/2009 Arizona Gold I love Peanut Butter Cookie Dough 3 lb. pails Peanut Butter Cookie Dough 3 lb. pails Avanza Supermarket Peanut Butter Grand Brownies Peanut Butter Rolls Rolls and Cakes Iced with Peanut Butter Cream Mini Peanut Butter Cookies Monster Cookies Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Peanut Butter Cookies Scotcheroos Puppy Chow snack mix Peanut Butter Rice Crisp Bar Special K-Bar Baker Jo's Peanut Butter Monster Cookie Dough 3 lb. pails Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough 3 lb. pails Peanut Butter Cookie Dough 3 lb. pails Chef Jay's Peanut Butter Tri-O-Plex Brownie ("Best Buy" 06/Sept/09 thru 16/Jan/10) 85 gram Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Tri-O-Plex Cookie ("Best Buy" 06/Sept/09 thru 16/Jan/10) 85 gram Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Tri-O-Plex Lite Bites Cookie ("Best Buy" 06/Sept/09 thru 16/Jan/10) 57 gram Peanut Butter Tri-O-Plex Cookie ("Best Buy" 06/Sept/09 thru 16/Jan/10) 85 gram Peanut Butter Tri-O-Plex Duo Bar ("Best Buy" 06/Sept/09 thru 16/Jan/10) 100 gram Econofoods (excluding Wisconsin stores in Sturgeon Bay, Clintonville, Marquette, Holton and Iron Mountain) Peanut Butter Grand Brownies Peanut Butter Rolls Rolls and Cakes Iced with Peanut Butter Cream Mini Peanut Butter Cookies Monster Cookies Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Peanut Butter Cookies Scotcheroos Puppy Chow snack mix Peanut Butter Rice Crisp Bar Special K-Bar Family Fresh Market Peanut Butter Grand Brownies Peanut Butter Rolls Rolls and Cakes Iced with Peanut Butter Cream Mini Peanut Butter Cookies Monster Cookies Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Peanut Butter Cookies Scotcheroos Puppy Chow snack mix Peanut Butter Rice Crisp Bar Special K-Bar Family Thrift Center Peanut Butter Grand Brownies Peanut Butter Rolls Rolls and Cakes Iced with Peanut Butter Cream Mini Peanut Butter Cookies Monster Cookies Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Peanut Butter Cookies Scotcheroos Puppy Chow snack mix Peanut Butter Rice Crisp Bar Special K-Bar Food Bonanza Peanut Butter Grand Brownies Peanut Butter Rolls Rolls and Cakes Iced with Peanut Butter Cream Mini Peanut Butter Cookies Monster Cookies Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Peanut Butter Cookies Scotcheroos Puppy Chow snack mix Peanut Butter Rice Crisp Bar Special K-Bar Gigi's Peanut Butter Cookie Dough 3 lb. corrugated box GNC Triflex Peanut Butter Soft Chews 60 count containers Gourmet Cookie Dough Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough 3 lb. pails Peanut Butter Cookie Dough 3 lb. pails Jimmy's Cookies Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough 15 lb, 20 lb and 25 lb Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies 4 oz, 12.5 oz, and 18 oz. One Smart Cookie Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough 15 lb, 20 lb and 25 lb Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies 4 oz, 12.5 oz, and 18 oz. Ovens of Ashley Monster Cookie Dough 3 lb. pails Parker Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup 1442 (Man. on 11/6/08) 30 pound case Peanut Butter Cookies & Crème Organic Bark 2348 (Man. On 10/3/08) 10 pound case Peanut Butter Milk Blend 2310 (Man. On 7/31/08) 30 pound case Pick'n Save (Ohio stores in Van Wert and Ironton only) Peanut Butter Grand Brownies Peanut Butter Rolls Rolls and Cakes Iced with Peanut Butter Cream Mini Peanut Butter Cookies Monster Cookies Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Peanut Butter Cookies Scotcheroos Puppy Chow snack mix Peanut Butter Rice Crisp Bar Special K-Bar Prairie Market Peanut Butter Grand Brownies Peanut Butter Rolls Rolls and Cakes Iced with Peanut Butter Cream Mini Peanut Butter Cookies Monster Cookies Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Peanut Butter Cookies Scotcheroos Puppy Chow snack mix Peanut Butter Rice Crisp Bar Special K-Bar Rain Creek Baking Company Michael's Baklava Assortment Baklava Assortment Peanut Butter Princesses Peanut Butter Turtle Shells Peanut Butter Turtles Hand Crafted Baklava Shurfine Peanut Butter Swirl Ice Cream 1.75 QT Sinbad Baklava & Sweets Galleta estilo Baklava Special Baklava Assortment Sweets Baklava & Sweets Sweets Caffe Sweets Sweets Enrobed Peanut Butter Baskets Sweets Enrobed Peanut Butter Princesses Sweets European Baklava Assortment Sweets Peanut Butter Princess Baklava SinbadSweets.com 12pc Peanut Butter Princess SunMart Foods Peanut Butter Grand Brownies Peanut Butter Rolls Rolls and Cakes Iced with Peanut Butter Cream Mini Peanut Butter Cookies Monster Cookies Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Peanut Butter Cookies Scotcheroos Puppy Chow snack mix Peanut Butter Rice Crisp Bar Special K-Bar Trader Joe's Sutter's Formula Cookies 16-ounce Nutty Chocolate Chewy Coated & Drizzled Granola Bars 7.4-ounce Peanut Butter Chewy Coated & Drizzled Granola Bars 7.4-ounce Wholesale Food Outlet Peanut Butter Grand Brownies Peanut Butter Rolls Rolls and Cakes Iced with Peanut Butter Cream Mini Peanut Butter Cookies Monster Cookies Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Peanut Butter Cookies Scotcheroos Puppy Chow snack mix Peanut Butter Rice Crisp Bar Special K-Bar

Again much appreciation for the hard work Jill at La Vida Locavore has done on this.

Shining City On The Hill

If you are not a regular reader of Joe Bageant, you should be.

This is some of Joe at his best:

The truth was always the only frontier and it has always been an inner one about seeking and unflinching acknowledgement of what one discovers -- which in the end inspires universal compassion. Looking upon the world with eyes as cold as ashes but with a heart like a furnace.

And that makes it spiritual. Not religious, not esoteric, not mystical, not cosmic, not New Age, but utterly and humanly spiritual. We are not and never were individuals, but merely brief swimmers in the river of flesh called mankind. Yet inside each frail sentient being there is that small bead of light, of self, of the truth of pure existence. It can guide us in those right things before us, that we either will or will not rise to doing. That is its purpose, if it can be said to have one.

Now that Cotton Mather's City On The Hill has proven a vapor, there are worse things we could attempt than fix upon that light as a beacon for crossing our spiritual Jordan's turbulent waters, toward some more perfect inner shore.

Perfection, whether of the stripe sought by socialists, Christians, atheists, Buddhists or Muslims, is within each of us. It's unhip, unscientific, archaic, politically incorrect and guaranteed to hurt. But it's the truth.

Amazing

I am pretty shocked at the discipline. Not a single Republican voted in favor of the economic recovery plan passed today by the House. I was expecting the majority of the GOP to vote no but 100% is a shock.

This is really shades of 1993 when not a single Republican voted for Clinton's stimulus bill after the first George Bush's presidency.

If you will remember the economy rebounded strongly back then. We'll see but this is just another clue as to why most Americans favor the Dems when it comes to the economy.

Big Guns

Sorry for the silence here today but I have been busy with the job search stuff all day. Spent a few hours today with an executive recruiter. I have decided I may have to bring in the big guns. This is a company that you hire to find you a job. I includes help with the resume, admin help, interview coaching, leads, negotiation and all the other things around a successful campaign for a new career. Not a cheap undertaking at my level but considering the environment it may be my best option. I will have to stew for a couple of days before I spend that kind of money. The good thing is that the expense is tax deductible...assuming you actually have income that is.

Speaking of Bad News

Monday was a great day with only 71,400 people laid off.
Tuesday, by comparison, was no slacker but not nearly as bad.

High-tech glass and ceramics maker Corning Inc. (GLW, Fortune 500) announced it will cut 3,500 jobs, or 13% of the company's workforce, by the end of 2009.

Oil field services company Baker Hughes (BHI, Fortune 500) announced it will cut 1,500 employees worldwide. That's about 4% of its work force, and 850 of the cuts will be from the company's North American work force.

Navistar International Corp. (NAV) said it will close its Indianapolis engine plant and Indianapolis Casting Corporation factory at the end of July. About 700 employees will lose their jobs as a result, a Navistar spokesperson said.

Specialty chemicals and office products company Avery Dennison (AVY, Fortune 500) announced it will cut approximately 3,600 employees worldwide over the next two years.

Volvo Trucks North America announced permanent layoffs of 650 hourly employees in March and April at its plant in Dublin, Va. A spokesman said declining demand caused the 40% workforce reduction at the plant. (they cut 1000 last May)

Forest product company Weyerhaeuser (WY, Fortune 500) announced it will close two mills in Washington and cut approximately 220 jobs "due to weak market conditions." The company said 25 salaried positions and 196 hourly positions will be cut.

Target (TGT, Fortune 500), the second-largest U.S. discounter after Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500), announced 1,500 job cuts. The Work force reduction affects 9% of employees at its headquarters, including the elimination of about 600 employees and 400 open positions, primarily in the Twin Cities area. Target also announced it will close its Little Rock, Ark., distribution center, which currently employs 500 people, later this year.

Are we having fun yet?

Global warming is 'irreversible'

Leave it to the BBC to spoil my day.

...the climate change that is taking place because of increases in carbon dioxide concentration is largely irreversible for 1,000 years after emissions stop....

This doesn't mean we shouldn't try to do something about our situation but it does allow us to set some expectations.

Give Up Mr. President

I don't want to presume to give advice to President Obama, who is obviously more politically astute than I, but I do have a suggestion.

Now that we know, regardless of the concessions on corporate tax cuts and family planning, that the Republicans are committed to voting no on the stimulus package why don't the Democrats and President Obama just craft the best package they can and pass it. Throw out all the sop to the GOP that we know from experience won't stimulate anything except a few fat cats and do it right. Obama has tried to play nice but the Republicans are dead set against a stimulus package that has an even chance of getting us back on track, so screw 'em. The Democrats control every branch of government. That's why we just had an election and why we sent the GOP packing. We have seen the results of their economic stewardship and it sucks. They aren't going to co-operate and no matter what is in the package they are going to oppose it.

Get rid of the useless tax cuts that won't do anything for the economy and put that money into urban rail and public transportation.
Put some of the money into helping people who have lost their jobs and help them keep spending.
Put back the provisions to allow bankruptcy judges to adjust mortgages.
Put money in to help the states and local governments keep essential services going.

If the Republicans want to add to the package meaningful changes that will, in fact, help us move in the right direction then add them in but don't put in crap to appease them because they will not be appeased.

When President Obama goes to the hill today to conference with the GOP he should lay it on the line. It's his game now and if you want to play you will have to play by his rules.

Similar take from Josh Marshall and Kos

More Good News

The hits keep coming. Maybe I am particularly sensitive to this but it sure seems to me that the job cut announcements are accelerating. Last week it was the mighty Microsoft and now Caterpillar is cutting 20,000.

Caterpillar Inc said on Monday that quarterly earnings fell more than 32 percent and warned of a tough year ahead as the downturn that began in the United States metastasized into a full-blown global recession that hit sales of its earth-moving equipment.

The company also warned that profit in 2009 would be under severe pressure and said that it would cut about 17,000 workers and buy out 2,500 others, to reduce costs in the face of what it predicted would be the weakest year for business since the end of World War Two.

This follows close on the heals of Home Depot cutting 7,000 jobs and Sprint Nextel nixing up to 8,000. Dutch manufacturer Philips also announced cuts of 7,000 today.

So Much for the Fall Back Plan

I actually said a while back that "There's always Home Depot."

CHICAGO —Home Depot, the nation's biggest home improvement retailer said Monday the cuts will affect about 2 percent of its 300,000 workers and cause the Atlanta-based chain to record a $532 million pretax charge, mostly in the current fourth quarter, which ends Feb. 1.

Most of the cuts affect workers at Expo Design Centers, YardBIRDS, Design Centers and HD Bath, a bath remodeling business. Combined, the four operate about four dozen locations.

Those chains' stores will close in the next two months. Liquidation sales are set to begin Tuesday morning, executives said.

GOP--No Price is Too High to Prevent a Win By Obama

Krugman in the NYT is a must read:

As the debate over President Obama’s economic stimulus plan gets under way, one thing is certain: many of the plan’s opponents aren’t arguing in good faith. Conservatives really, really don’t want to see a second New Deal, and they certainly don’t want to see government activism vindicated. So they are reaching for any stick they can find with which to beat proposals for increased government spending.

Some of these arguments are obvious cheap shots. John Boehner, the House minority leader, has already made headlines with one such shot: looking at an $825 billion plan to rebuild infrastructure, sustain essential services and more, he derided a minor provision that would expand Medicaid family-planning services — and called it a plan to “spend hundreds of millions of dollars on contraceptives.”

But the obvious cheap shots don’t pose as much danger to the Obama administration’s efforts to get a plan through as arguments and assertions that are equally fraudulent but can seem superficially plausible to those who don’t know their way around economic concepts and numbers. So as a public service, let me try to debunk some of the major antistimulus arguments that have already surfaced.

Krugman does a good job of debunking the arguments. Everybody who is interested in the passage of Obama's stimulus package needs to read this column. Once again the Republicans are demonstrating why they lost the White House and both houses of Congress. They are lying, which appears to be the only pony in their show. They don't care that Obama's efforts to stimulate the economy are based on sound economic principles and are desperately needed if we are to avoid a depression. What they are afraid of is success by Obama and by extension the Democrats. Success in reviving the economy by the Democrats now in power will destin the GOP to the political wilderness for a generation or more. They know it, and preventing an Obama success is more important to them than the survival of the American economy. They don't care if you and I starve, lose our cars, houses and or life savings.

The complete destruction of the American economy is a small price for them to pay in order to stop Obama from winning the battle over the economy.

Bush Numbers All In the Wrong Direction

Devilstower has a post over at the Orange Satan that summarizes the Bush reign of incompetence in some of the key numbers...let's call it the "Shrub Delta". You should read the post for the detail but here are the high(low) lights;

Unemployment up 3%
Median Income down 2%
Stock Market down 37%
US Crude Oil Production down 13%
US Crude Oil Imports Up 13%
National Debt Up 86%

Of course, there are plenty of other numbers to track. Illegal signing statements. Violations of the Constitution. Americans and non-Americans killed in an unnecessary war. Idiots put in charge of stuff. Industry cronies put in charge of regulation of the same industry. American cities lost. Terrorist attacks on American cities. There are many more and feel free to add them to the comments.

Weekend Stuff and Poison Peanut Butter

Quiet weekend here at Monk Manor. I am still trying to get the giant mountain of wood chips left from the 4 large pines moved from to the garden. While I have a nice garden cart from Vermont Garden Carts it still only holds about a cubic yard and I have probably 40 more cubic yards to move. What I do for a proper tomato!

Rabbit(s) attacked the other night. I took the cover off the small vege bed where I have carrots, chard, radishes and mustard since it turned warm and left it off Friday night. Big mistake. Critters feasted and all the tops off the radishes are missing. The good thing is that I only really planted them to have something growing as I am not a huge fan of radishes but it is still irritating. The carrots that were ravaged a few weeks back are trying again to put out green and they may recover...such are the trials of gardening.

Still more products are being recalled for salmonella contaminated peanut butter and I'll list the ones I know about at the end of the post. Still the best advice going is to not eat anything with peanut butter as an ingredient until this thing is over and even then most of the products are crap anyway so you might as well ignore them from now on. If you want peanut butter buy a jar or better yet, make your own.

Ok, off to move more wood chips. Have a great Sunday.

More peanut butter poison listed below and as always a hat tip to La Vida Locavore for the info. Notice that even some pet products are included in the recall so not even the pooch is safe from industrial food, though that's no big surprise.

• ABC Peanut Butter Cookie Dough 3 lb. pails
• Arbonne
  
  • Figure 8 Peanut Butter Chews Expiration Date 10/2009
  • Figure 8 Peanut Butter Chews Expiration Date 11/2009
• Arizona Gold
  
  • I love Peanut Butter Cookie Dough 3 lb. pails
  • Peanut Butter Cookie Dough 3 lb. pails
• Avanza Supermarket
  
  • Peanut Butter Grand Brownies
  • Peanut Butter Rolls
  • Rolls and Cakes Iced with Peanut Butter Cream
  • Mini Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Monster Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Scotcheroos
  • Puppy Chow snack mix
  • Peanut Butter Rice Crisp Bar
  • Special K-Bar
• Baker Jo's Peanut Butter
  
  • Monster Cookie Dough 3 lb. pails
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough 3 lb. pails
  • Peanut Butter Cookie Dough 3 lb. pails
• Chef Jay's
  
  • Peanut Butter Tri-O-Plex Brownie ("Best Buy" 06/Sept/09 thru 16/Jan/10) 85 gram
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Tri-O-Plex Cookie ("Best Buy" 06/Sept/09 thru 16/Jan/10) 85 gram
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Tri-O-Plex Lite Bites Cookie ("Best Buy" 06/Sept/09 thru 16/Jan/10) 57 gram
  • Peanut Butter Tri-O-Plex Cookie ("Best Buy" 06/Sept/09 thru 16/Jan/10) 85 gram
  • Peanut Butter Tri-O-Plex Duo Bar ("Best Buy" 06/Sept/09 thru 16/Jan/10) 100 gram
• Econofoods (excluding Wisconsin stores in Sturgeon Bay, Clintonville, Marquette, Holton and Iron Mountain)
  
  • Peanut Butter Grand Brownies
  • Peanut Butter Rolls
  • Rolls and Cakes Iced with Peanut Butter Cream
  • Mini Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Monster Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Scotcheroos
  • Puppy Chow snack mix
  • Peanut Butter Rice Crisp Bar
  • Special K-Bar
• Family Fresh Market
  
  • Peanut Butter Grand Brownies
  • Peanut Butter Rolls
  • Rolls and Cakes Iced with Peanut Butter Cream
  • Mini Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Monster Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Scotcheroos
  • Puppy Chow snack mix
  • Peanut Butter Rice Crisp Bar
  • Special K-Bar
• Family Thrift Center
  
  • Peanut Butter Grand Brownies
  • Peanut Butter Rolls
  • Rolls and Cakes Iced with Peanut Butter Cream
  • Mini Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Monster Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Scotcheroos
  • Puppy Chow snack mix
  • Peanut Butter Rice Crisp Bar
  • Special K-Bar
• Food Bonanza
  
  • Peanut Butter Grand Brownies
  • Peanut Butter Rolls
  • Rolls and Cakes Iced with Peanut Butter Cream
  • Mini Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Monster Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Scotcheroos
  • Puppy Chow snack mix
  • Peanut Butter Rice Crisp Bar
  • Special K-Bar
• Gigi's Peanut Butter Cookie Dough 3 lb. corrugated box
• GNC Triflex Peanut Butter Soft Chews 60 count containers
• Gourmet Cookie Dough
  
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough 3 lb. pails
  • Peanut Butter Cookie Dough 3 lb. pails
• Jimmy's Cookies
  
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough 15 lb, 20 lb and 25 lb
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies 4 oz, 12.5 oz, and 18 oz.
• One Smart Cookie
  
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough 15 lb, 20 lb and 25 lb
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies 4 oz, 12.5 oz, and 18 oz.
• Ovens of Ashley Monster Cookie Dough 3 lb. pails
• Parker
  
  • Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup 1442 (Man. on 11/6/08) 30 pound case
  • Peanut Butter Cookies & Crème Organic Bark 2348 (Man. On 10/3/08) 10 pound case
  • Peanut Butter Milk Blend 2310 (Man. On 7/31/08) 30 pound case
• Pick'n Save (Ohio stores in Van Wert and Ironton only)
  
  • Peanut Butter Grand Brownies
  • Peanut Butter Rolls
  • Rolls and Cakes Iced with Peanut Butter Cream
  • Mini Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Monster Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Scotcheroos
  • Puppy Chow snack mix
  • Peanut Butter Rice Crisp Bar
  • Special K-Bar
• Prairie Market
  
  • Peanut Butter Grand Brownies
  • Peanut Butter Rolls
  • Rolls and Cakes Iced with Peanut Butter Cream
  • Mini Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Monster Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Scotcheroos
  • Puppy Chow snack mix
  • Peanut Butter Rice Crisp Bar
  • Special K-Bar
• Rain Creek Baking Company
  
  • Michael's Baklava Assortment
  • Baklava Assortment
  • Peanut Butter Princesses
  • Peanut Butter Turtle Shells
  • Peanut Butter Turtles
  • Hand Crafted Baklava
• Shurfine Peanut Butter Swirl Ice Cream 1.75 QT
• Sinbad
  
  • Baklava & Sweets
  • Galleta estilo Baklava
  • Special Baklava Assortment
  • Sweets Baklava & Sweets
  • Sweets Caffe Sweets
  • Sweets Enrobed Peanut Butter Baskets
  • Sweets Enrobed Peanut Butter Princesses
  • Sweets European Baklava Assortment
  • Sweets Peanut Butter Princess Baklava
  • SinbadSweets.com 12pc Peanut Butter Princess
• SunMart Foods
  
  • Peanut Butter Grand Brownies
  • Peanut Butter Rolls
  • Rolls and Cakes Iced with Peanut Butter Cream
  • Mini Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Monster Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Scotcheroos
  • Puppy Chow snack mix
  • Peanut Butter Rice Crisp Bar
  • Special K-Bar
• Trader Joe's
  
  • Sutter's Formula Cookies 16-ounce
  • Nutty Chocolate Chewy Coated & Drizzled Granola Bars 7.4-ounce
  • Peanut Butter Chewy Coated & Drizzled Granola Bars 7.4-ounce
• Wholesale Food Outlet
  
  • Peanut Butter Grand Brownies
  • Peanut Butter Rolls
  • Rolls and Cakes Iced with Peanut Butter Cream
  • Mini Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Monster Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Scotcheroos
  • Puppy Chow snack mix
  • Peanut Butter Rice Crisp Bar
  • Special K-Bar

Additionally, the AP reports recalls for:

• Archer Farms (sold at Target)
  
  • Milk Chocolate Monster Chewy Soft Baked cookies
  • Double Peanut Butter Chewy Soft Baked cookies
• Sam's Choice (sold at Wal-Mart) Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter cookies.
• Dough-to-Go cookie dough (California)
• Jane Dough cookie dough (Washington, Nevada, and Arizona)
• Auntie Ono cookie dough (Hawaii)
• Nutrilite
  
  • Vanilla Pretzel Energy Bar
  • Peanut Butter Energy Bar
  • Chocolate Nut Roll Energy Bar
  • Product Intro Kit

Evidently there's ANOTHER recall... but not due to peanut butter. It's a totally separate food safety screwup... but it's included it here too. It's from the same AP article.

• Stonewall Kitchen
  
  • Chocolate Hazelnut Sauce
  • Chocolate Peanut Butter
  • Coffee Caramel Sauce
  • Dulce Le Leche Sauce
  • Barefoot Contessa Espresso Dulce de Leche
• Simply Enjoy (Stop & Shop and Giant stores)
  
  • Coffee Caramel Sauce, square glass jar, 13 oz.
  • Chocolate Peanut Butter Sauce, square glass jar, 12 oz.

Nothing But Muggers In Sharp Suits

I have absolutely no problem with people getting a bonus when they are part of a team that helps a company make a profit. I myself had part of my overall compensation in the form of a bonus based on earning goals. During my last year with the company I did not get any bonus because we didn't meet our earnings goals, which was fair enough, so this business with Merill-Lynch just really frosts me. Now we find out that these criminals(that is the correct word) paid out $15 BILLION in bonuses last year with nearly $4 BILLION of it in December. What really makes this insane is that this comes on the heels of news that the former CEO spent $1.2m on decorating his office. Click on the link and see the details of the remodel including the 87 grand for a freaking area rug.

They have the nerve to try and tell us that they had to pay out this money to "retain" top talent. What a laugh. If you work on Wall Street you are lucky to just have a job. I'd sure like to know where all this "top talent" would go if they didn't get their big bonus. To pile lie upon lie they are also insisting that this wasn't tax payer money from the $20 Billion bailout. Hello, money is fungible people. This is really despicable and the government should demand the bailout money back. You can read more here.

Down the Tubes

The last week of Shrub's reign sure didn't bode well for a lot of American workers:

The number of workers lining up for jobless benefits surged last week, while new housing starts and permits hit record lows in December, pointing at an acceleration in the economy's downward spiral.

First time applications for state unemployment insurance benefits increased to a seasonally adjusted 589,000 in the week ended January 17 from a revised 527,000 the prior week, the Labor Department said on Thursday.

It was the highest level of initial claims since a matching reading in the week of December 20 and beat analysts' forecasts for a rise to 540,000 new claims versus a previously reported count of 524,000 the week before.

The last time claims were higher was in 1982, when they notched a weekly rise of 612,000.

The headline this morning in the AJC is that the unemployment rate in Georgia hit 8.1% which is the highest its been since the early 80's. That woeful number doesn't even include those like me who haven't applied for unemployment yet as we got a little severance or vacation pay when we were made redundant.

Now, watch the same Republicans on Capitol Hill who helped Bush destroy the economy try to block Obama's efforts at fixing the mess they've made.

Daily Peanut Butter Update

Here are the foods added to the list of recalled product today. It is getting quite large. Add these fine products to the list from yesterday and don't forget to check the FDA website for the latest news.
Hint: If you follow Michael Pollan's rule about avoiding foods in a package and/or with a list of ingredients more than 3 or 4 items long then none of these would have been in your shopping cart in the first place. Don't forget the Grandma rule either. If your great grandmother wouldn't recognize it as food... it probably isn't.

Update of NEW foods recalled as of today:

• Austin Quality Foods Reduced Fat Cheese & Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
• Best Brands Corp.
  
  • 1.25 oz Peanut Butter Precut Frozen Cookie Dough 22.5 lb case, 288 cookies per case
  • 1.5 oz Custom Peanut Butter Precut Frozen Cookie Dough 20.25 lb case, 216 cookies per case
  • 1.25 oz Custom Peanut Butter Precut Frozen Cookie Dough 18.75 lb case, 240 cookies per case
  • 2 oz Custom Peanut Butter Precut Frozen Cookie Dough 25 lb case, 200 cookies per case
  • 1.5 oz Custom Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Precut Frozen Cookie Dough 20.25 lb case, 216 cookies per case
  • 1.5 oz Custom Reese's® Peanut Butter Precut Frozen Cookie Dough 20.25 lb case, 216 cookies per case
  • 3 oz Original Peanut Butter Precut Frozen Cookie Dough 21 lb case, 112 cookies per case
  • 1.5 oz ZT Custom Peanut Butter Precut Frozen Cookie Dough 20.25 lb case, 216 cookies per case
  • 1.5 oz ZT Custom Reese's® Peanut Butter Precut Frozen Cookie Dough 20.25 lb case, 216 cookies per case
  • Peanut Butter Frozen Cookie Dough 18 lb pail
• Blanton's Candies Peanut Butter Sticks 8 ounce cellophane bags
• Classic Breaks Peanut Butter Cookie Dough 2 lb. rectangular-shaped package w/ white wrapper
• Cub Foods
  
  • Peanut Butter Cookies 12 ct 12 oz<li>
    
  • Peanut Butter Cookies 24 ct 24 oz<li>
    
  • Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies 18 ct 11 oz<li>
    
  • Peanut Butter Blossom Tray 9 inch, 36ct 22 oz<li>
    
  • Iced Peanut Butter Cookies w/ Chocolate Icing 12 ct 12 oz<li>
• Dinners Ready
  
  • Asian Marinated Flank Steak with Sesame Vegetable Stir Fry (November & December menus) Zip-lock baggie
  • Indonesian Chicken with Coconut Rice (November & December menus) Zip-lock baggie
  • Chicken Satay & Bangkok Peanut Sauce with Jasmine Rice (November & December menus) Zip-lock baggie
• Eating Right
  
  • Apples with Peanut Butter ("Sell by" dates of 12/27/08 to 2/2/09) 12/6.75 oz.
  • Celery with Peanut Butter ("Sell by" dates of 12/27/08 to 2/2/10) 12/6.76 oz.
• Evening Rise
  
  • Peanut Butter Cookies clear Cellophane bags
  • Peanut Butter Bars clear Cellophane bags
• GRANDE GOURMET Peanut butter and peanut butter and jelly combination products 0.5 oz., 0.75 oz., 1 oz., 1.12 oz., 2 oz., 2.25 oz. and 3 oz.
• Grreat Choice (dog biscuits)
  
  • Small Assorted 32 oz.
  • Small/Medium Assorted 4 lb.
  • Small/Medium Assorted 8 lb.
  • Small/Medium Assorted 10 lb.
  • Large Assorted 8 lb.
  • Extra Large Assorted 8 lb.
  • Peanut Butter 4 lb.
• Health Valley Organic Peanut Crunch Chewy Granola Bars 6.1 oz box
• Landies Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups 11 oz. bags
• NutriSystem Peanut Butter Granola Bar 1.41 ounces or 40 grams packaged in flexible film
• Parco Foods Chuck's Chunky Peanut Butter Cookies 5lb boxes
• POCO PAC Peanut butter and peanut butter and jelly combination products 0.5 oz., 0.75 oz., 1 oz., 1.12 oz., 2 oz., 2.25 oz. and 3 oz.
• Private Selection Peanut Butter Passion Light Ice Cream ("Sell by" date of 8-13-09 followed by 49-70) 1.75 quart
• Ready Pac Cool Cuts Celery with Peanut Butter ("Sell by" dates of 12/27/08 to 2/2/09) 12/6.75 oz
• TITAN
  
  • Nutrition Bar, Chocolate Peanut Crunch, Best Buy:SEP 04 2009A through DEC 17 2009A
  • Nutrition Bar, Chocolate Peanut Crunch, Best Buy: SEP 04 2009A through DEC 17 2009A 25g size
• Trader Joe's
  
  • Celery with Peanut Butter ("Sell by" Dates of 12/27/08 to 2/2/09) 12/6.75 oz.
  • Celery with Peanut Butter ("Sell by" dates of 12/27/08 to 2/2/10) 30/6.75 oz.
• TWISTED
  
  • Nutrition Bar, Vanilla, Best Buy: AUG 01 2009A through JAN 09 2010A
  • Nutrition Bar, Chocolate, Best Buy: AUG 01 2009A through JAN 09 2010A
  • Nutrition Bar, Peanut Butter, Best Buy: AUG 01 2009A through JAN 09 2010A
  • Nutrition Bar, Best Buy: 07/01/09 through 01/09/10 Variety Packs 15 and 24
• Boca Grande Unbranded Wholesale Peanut butter and peanut butter and jelly combination products 16 oz., 5 lb. and 50 lb. bulk plastic containers.
• Wegmans Swiss Recipe
  
  • Ultimate Peanut Butter Cups 8 oz. tubs
  • Medium Chocolate Holiday Platter (Sold between 10-31-08 and 1-21-09) 23 oz.
  • Large Chocolate Holiday Platter (Sold between 10-31-08 and 1-21-09) 51 oz.
  • Large Chocolate Holiday Platter with Sponge Candy (Sold between 10-31-08 and 1-21-09) 49 oz.
  • Ultimate Peanut Butter Cups (sold between 10-31-08 and 1-21-09) Bulk food bins and in random weight packages
• Weis Quality
  
  • Cheese Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers 11-ounce
  • Toasted Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers 11-ounce

once again h/t La Vida Locavore

The Circle is Unbroken

Today is the day the circle of gardening starts anew. I begin the age old process of starting the first seeds of this years garden. The garlic is already in and growing well, but today is the day we start the seeds for the early veges. Today we start arugula, celery, parsley, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, leek, Russian Kale, and lettuce(4 varieties) indoors.
As you can see from the picture...I am armed and dangerous.
The cool thing is that all of the seeds you see and some that aren't visible are all heritage or open pollinated varieties. Not a hybrid among them.
All of these seeds have come down from our ancestors and have been tested by Mother Nature. They may not produce the biggest results but they will produce and if I save the seed correctly I can plant them again next year and expect a good garden. Your ancestors and mine carefully saved the best seed from their gardens and these packets represent hundreds of years of careful cultivation and preservation. I get excited just thinking about the history behind each packet.

What's your favorite vegetable? Do you see it in the mix? (You can click on the picture to enlarge.)

The seed potatoes, onion starts and sweet potato starts are still on order but they should be showing up next month.

Food Sins

I use the term "food" only because it is something you put in your mouth. The continuing list of food with peanut butter that is being recalled reminded me of all the "foods" that I have, at one time or another, felt compelled to eat whilst knowing that they were bad, bad, bad. I don't think I am the only one with "food" weaknesses for things that are not even remotely good for you. Do you have some "food" sins that you are ashamed to admit that you have, at one time or another, eaten with gusto?

Here is just a partial list of some of my worst sins;

Slim Jims
Penrose Pickled sausage
creme filled horn pastries
Little Debbie Oatmeal cakes
Twinkies
Cheetos (only the crisp ones)
Cheez-its
Taco Bell tacos
Mickey D's double cheese burgers (they're only 99 cents a lot of places)
Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts

I've managed to avoid most of these for years (with the exception of Cheetos) but I must admit that all of them have passed my lips more than once.

OK, everyone own up.

It's Very Good

I haven't posted yet on the changing of the guard because I really didn't know what to say or how to put my thoughts to paper(pixels). Everyone else has done the standard stuff about a new era and how change is coming and I don't need to repeat it here.

What is important to remember is that we now have a leader that actually seems to care about our well being. That's good. We now have a leader who cares about whether the American ideals of our forefathers are practiced and upheld. That's good. We now have a leader that plans to return us to the rule of law. That's good. We now have a leader that wants to lead. That's good. We now have leader who wants to interact with the rest of the world as an adult. That's good. We now have a leader that wants us to help him solve the problems facing us. That's good.

Most of all we now have a leader that want's to leave his two daughters and the rest of the world's children a better world, a cleaner world, a more peaceful world and a more loving world.

That's very good.

More Peanut Butter Product Recalls

The FDA has an updated list of all recalled products, which is below. This is the most up to date list I know of but be sure to check the FDA site to verify stock numbers, lot numbers, and UPC codes. If there no quantity or size listed below it means all sizes/quantities are affected.

• Peanut Corporation of America or Parnell's Pride
  
  • Creamy Stabilized Peanut Butter 6 ct/5 lb
  • Creamy Stabilized Peanut Butter with Sugar 6 ct/5 lb
  • Crunchy Stabilized Peanut Butter 6 ct/5 lb
  • Creamy Stabilized Peanut Butter 35 lb
  • Natural Course Peanut Paste 35 lb
  • Old Fashion Creamy Peanut Butter with 1% Salt 35 lb
  • Old Fashioned Crunchy Peanut Butter w/ 1% Salt 35 lb
  • Crunchy Stabilized Peanut Butter 35 lb
  • Crunchy Natural Peanut Butter 35 lb
  • Creamy Natural Peanut Butter 35 lb
  • Sugar Free Creamy Stabilized Peanut Butter 50 lb
  • Creamy Stabilized Peanut Butter 50 lb
  • Creamy Stabilized Peanut Butter with Palm Oil 50 lb
  • Dark Creamy Stabilized Peanut Butter 50 lb
  • Creamy Extra Stabilized Peanut Butter 50 lb
  • Creamy Stabilized Peanut Butter w/monodiglyceride 50 lb
  • Crunchy Stabilized Peanut Butter 50 lb
  • Extra Crunchy Stabilized Peanut Butter 50 lb
  • Creamy Natural Peanut Butter with Stabilizer 475 lb.
  • Organic Natural Creamy Peanut Butter 35 lb
  • Organic Old Fashioned Crunchy Peanut Butter 35 lb
  • Organic Crunchy Natural Peanut Butter 35 lb
  • Organic Old Fashioned Creamy Peanut Butter 35 lb
  • Organic Natural Creamy Peanut Butter 35 lb
  • Peanut Butter Variegate 45 lb
  • Creamy Natural Redskin Peanut Butter with Salt 475 lb.
  • Creamy Natural Peanut Butter 475 lb.
  • Dark Roasted Creamy Natural Peanut Butter 475 lb.
  • Pet Food Paste 35 lb
  • Feed Grade Peanut Butter 475 lb.
  • Creamy Natural Peanut Butter 1700 lb.
  • Peanut Paste 1700 lb.
  • Coarse Natural Paste Tanker
• King Nut Peanut butter
• Parnell's Pride Peanut butter
• Austin Quality Foods
  
  • Cheese Crackers with Peanut Butter
  • Cheese & Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
  • Mega Stuffed Cheese Crackers with Peanut Butter
  • PB & J Cracker Sandwiches
  • Super Snack Pack Sandwich Crackers
  • Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
  • Toasty Crackers with Peanut Butter
  • Fruits and Vegetables
  • Reduced Fat Toasty Crackers with Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
  • Cookie/Cracker Pack All
  • Variety Pack
• Keebler
  
  • Cheese & Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
  • Toast & PB'n J Flavored Sandwich Crackers
  • Toast & Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
  • Soft Batch Homestyle Peanut Butter Cookies 2.5-ounce
• Famous Amos Peanut Butter Cookies 2 and 3-ounce
• Hy-Vee
  
  • Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Monster Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Reese's Pieces Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Lunchbox Reese's Pieces Cookies
  • Lunchbox Peanut Butter Cookies
  • People Chow Party Mix and Assorted Truffle Fudge
• Perry's
  
  • Premium Peanut Butter Cup Craze Ice Cream 1/2 Pint
  • Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream 1.5 QT, 1.75 QT AND 3 GL
  • Peanut Butter Chip Frozen Yogurt 1.5 QT, 1.75 QT and 3 GL
  • Peanut Butter Sundae Crunch Ice Cream Bar Bulk 24 pack
  • Premium Peanut Butter Fudge Ice Cream 1.5 QT and 1.75 QT
  • Perfectly Churned Light Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream 1.5 QT and 1.75 QT
  • Light Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream 1.75 QT
• Shurfine Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream 1.75 QT
• Wegman's
  
  • Chocolate Nutty Cone Ice Cream 1.75 QT
  • Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream 1.75 QT and Pint
  • Peanut Butter Swirl Ice Cream 1.75 QT
  • Peanut Butter Sundae Ice Cream 1.75 QT
  • Peanut Butter Pretzel Ice Cream 1.75 QT
  • Peanut Butter Crunch Ice Cream Bar 6 Pack
  • Peanut Butter Candy Sundae Cup Ice Cream 4 Pack
  • Peanut Butter Sundae Cup Ice Cream 4 Pack
• Little Debbie
  
  • Peanut Butter Toasty sandwich crackers
  • Peanut Butter Cheese sandwich crackers
• South Bend Chocolate Company
  
  • Assorted chocolates 5 ounce, 8 ounce, 12 ounce, 26 ounce
  • Hoosiers 3.5 ounce, 5 ounce, 4 lb
  • Valentine Heart 14 Ounces
  • Peanut Butter Fudge 4.5lb.
  • Peanut Butter Meltaway, Milk Chocolate 5 lb.
  • Peanut Butter Meltaways-Dark Chocolate 5lb.
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge 4.5 lb.
• WalMart Bakery
  
  • Peanut Butter Cookie 12 Count Clear Plastic Container
  • Harvest Peanut Butter Fudge No-Bake Cookies 9 Count Clear Plastic Container
  • Peanut Butter Fudge No-Bake Cookies 9 Count Clear Plastic Container
  • Peanut Butter Fudge No-Bake Cookies 12 Count Clear Plastic Container
• H-E-Buddy
  
  • Celery with Peanut Butter with expiration dates: Jan. 16-18 & Jan. 20-22
  • Apples with Peanut Butter: with expiration dates: Jan. 16, Jan. 18-23 & Jan. 25-26
  • Snack Tray with two dips: with expiration dates: Jan. 16-17, Jan. 29, & Jan. 21-22
• Food Lion Bake Shop Peanut butter Cookies 12 count clear plastic clamshell containers
• Lofthouse
  
  • Peanut Butter Cookies 12 count clear plastic clamshell containers
  • Peanut Butter No-Bake Cookies 9 or 12 count clear plastic clamshell containers
  • Peanut Butter Fudge No-Bake Cookies 9 or 12 count clear plastic clamshell containers
• Parco Foods Chuck's Chunky Peanut Butter Cookies 5lb boxes
• Pastries Plus Gourmet Cookies 21 count plastic containers
• ZonePerfect
  
  • Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
  • Peanut Toffee Bars
• NutriPals Peanut Butter Chocolate nutrition bars
• LÄRABAR Peanut butter cookie flavor snack bars
• JamFrakas Peanut Butter Blisscrisp flavor snack bars
• Private Selection (Kroger Co)
  
  • Peanut Butter Passion Ice Cream sold ("Sell by" date of 9-13-2009) 48-ounce containers
  • Peanut Butter Passion Ice Cream "Sell by" date of 8-11-2009 56-ounce containers
• Meijer
  
  • Cheese and Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
  • Toasty Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
  • Peanut Butter and Jelly Ice Cream
  • Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream
• CLIF BAR
  
  • Chocolate Chip Peanut Crunch - Best by: 21JUN09 to 01OCT09 and 03NOV09 to 28NOV09
  • Crunchy Peanut Butter - Best by: 21JUN09 to 01OCT09 and 03NOV09 to 28NOV09
  • Peanut Toffee Buzz - Best by: 13SEP09
  • Builder's Peanut Butter - Best by: 19JUL09 to 30SEP09 and 05NOV09 to 18NOV09
  • Kid Organic ZBaR Peanut Butter - Best by: 07JUL09 to 05SEP09 and 12NOV09
• LUNA
  
  • Nutz Over Chocolate - Best by: 29JUL09 to 03OCT09 and 11NOV09 to 14NOV09
  • Peanut Butter Cookie - Best by: 02OCT09 to 03OCT09 and 11NOV09 to 14NOV09
• MOJO
  
  • Honey Roasted Peanut - Best by: 30APR09 to 21JUN09
  • Mixed Nuts - Best by: 30APR09 to 21JUN09
  • Mountain Mix - Best by:30APR09 to 21JUN09
  • Peanut Butter Pretzel - Best by:30APR09 to 21JUN09
  • Dipped Chocolate Peanut- Best by: 30APR09 - 21JUN09
  • Dipped Peanut Butter and Jelly- Best by: 30APR09 - 21JUN09
  • Dipped Fruit and Nut- Best by: 30APR09 - 21JUN09
• Optimum Energy Bars Peanut Butter Flavored Optimum Energy Bars - Best Before 01OCT09A

h/t La Vida Locavore

Contrast

I may come up with some lasting contribution to the dialogue that is suitable for the pregnant promise of the change we are seeing today but we will just have to wait and see if the "light " comes.
I would, however, like to note something on the philosophical side of things...

If Shrub wasn't the worst President in our nation's history and his tenure hadn't been such a cesspool of hate, incompetence and downright nastiness then the magnitude of hope, promise and joy that so many of us feel today would be somewhat diminished. If nothing else we owe Bush some gratitude for making today such a fan-fuckingtastic moment in history.

More Bad News for Peanut Butter

The recall goes on and more products are being recalled. The list is long and reinforces the notion that anything that has peanut butter in it is suspect.

Some of the highlights:

Late Monday, Safeway said some of the products it makes, including Ready Pack Eating Right Kids Apples with Peanut Butter and Orchard Valley Harvest's Organic Bark Peanut Butter Cookies and Cream, may use peanut butter involved in the recall and asked customers to throw them out or return them to the store for a full refund.

Kroger, the nation's largest traditional grocery chain, recalled Private Selection Peanut Butter Passion Ice Cream sold in stores named City Market, Fred Meyer, Fry's, King Scoopers, QFC and Smith's in 11 states, primarily in the West. The company said the ice cream was not sold in its namesake Kroger stores or any other retailers it operates.

Golden Valley, Minn.-based General Mills said Monday afternoon that it was recalling two flavors of snack bars: LARABAR Peanut Butter Cookie and JamFrakas Peanut Butter Blisscrisp. General Mills said the recall did not affect any other products it makes.

Clif Bar & Co.'s also Monday recalled some Clif branded bars - including some under Luna and Clif Mojo labels - sold in the U.S. and Canada that contain peanut butter made by Peanut Corp. Clif Bar makes all-natural and organic foods and drinks

I just want to reiterate....DON"T EAT ANYTHING WITH PEANUT BUTTER IN IT.

Eating Oil

There is a constant discussion about saving energy by buying and driving fuel efficient cars or using public transportation, but changing how we eat can have as much impact on fossil fuel use as what we drive or ride to work. About 19% of the fossil fuels used in this country go into food production which is about the same amount that we use in our cars. A recently published study by David Pimentel, a professor at Cornell, who has been doing research for years about the link between food production and oil, describes how food production energy needs could be cut in half.

The good thing is that by changing the way and what we eat, we can not only reduce our use of fossil fuels but be healthier to boot. Eating smart would be the same as taking half the cars off the road.

For example, the researchers recommend:

• Eat less and cut down on junk food: To produce the typical American diet requires the equivalent of about 500 gallons of oil per year per person, says the study. Americans, on average, consume about 50 percent more calories than recommended by the federal government for optimal health and get one-third of their calories from junk food. Eating less and cutting down on junk food would use significantly less energy, considering all the processing, packaging and transportation costs saved.
• Eat less meat and dairy: We use 45 million tons of plant protein to produce 7.5 million tons of animal protein per year, according to Pimentel. Switching to a vegetarian diet, he says, would require one-third less fossil fuel than producing the current animal-based American diet.
• Eat more locally grown food: Food travels an average of 1,500 miles before it is eaten. "This requires 1.4 times the energy than the energy in the food," Pimentel said. A head of iceberg lettuce, for example, which is 95 percent water, provides 110 calories and few nutrients. Irrigating the lettuce in California takes 750 calories of fossil energy and shipping it to New York another 4,000 calories of energy per head, according to the analysis. Locally grown cabbage, on the other hand, requires only 400 calories to produce and offers far more nutrients, not to mention it can be stored all winter long.
• Use more traditional farming methods: Pimentel's team also shows how using methods to reduce soil erosion, irrigation and pesticide use, through such things as crop rotation, manure and cover crops, could cut the total energy now used in crop production.

It's basically a no brainer!

h/t La Vida Locavore

Goodbye Shrub from Around the World

Reuter's has a roundup of what the papers around the world are saying on the eve of Bush's last day as President. It is not pretty as you can see from the samples below.

Canada's Toronto Star was categorical in its condemnation.

"Goodbye to the worst president ever," it declared. "Bush was an unmitigated disaster, failing on the big issues from the invasion of Iraq to global warming, Hurricane Katrina and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression."

The Scottish Daily Record observed:
"America is now hated in many parts of the world. Bush leaves a legacy of wars and the world economy in meltdown. He has been dismissed as a buffoon and a war-monger, a man who made the world a more dangerous place while sending it to the brink of economic collapse."

Le Monde:

"It's hard to find a historian who won't say that Bush was the most catastrophic leader the U.S. has ever known," the French daily wrote. "One success: since September 11, 2001, there was no attack on U.S. soil. But this sits alongside an interminable list of failures, starting with the war in Iraq."

It's not pretty.

P-But Pain Expands

Not that any of the readers here would actually consume such a thing but PCA foods has expanded their list of recalled products and this has forced Kellogg to expand theirs as well.
Two new product lines have been added to the recall of peanut butter containing foods. Evidently Kellogg makes some of McKee foods "Little Debbie" products.....

• Hy-Vee Foods:
  
  • Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Monster Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Reese's Pieces Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
  • Lunchbox Reese's Pieces Cookies
  • Lunchbox Peanut Butter Cookies
  • People Chow Party Mix and Assorted Truffle Fudge.
• Perry's Ice Cream "select ice cream products containing peanut butter"
• McKee Foods:
  
  • Little Debbie Peanut Butter Toasty
  • Little Debbie Peanut Butter Cheese Sandwich Crackers

Evidently none of the retail peanut butter sold in jars has been implicated but I sure as would think twice about anything else that had peanut butter or peanut paste.

A New Beginning or Beginning of the End

Looking around the Internets you see that a lot of other bloggers are writing their farewell posts to the Bush era. I guess there is something worth saying on the changing of the guard and the final departure of the worst President in the history of the Nation but I think I will let everybody else scatter the ashes. A lot of the posts here have been about the injustice, depravity, cowardice, avarice and hate that is the Bush presidency and frankly I don't feel like writing anymore about it. I have made my opinions and disgust clear enough I think, and there is just no sense in saying it all over again. Let's just say it was a moral and ethical atrocity and leave it at that.

I’m as excited about the Obama presidency as anyone else and I don't, by any means, want to rain on anyone's parade today, but I am worried. I am worried as in "not optimistic". I am not sure America has what it takes, regardless of how inspired our leader is, to make the sacrifices that are needed to get us back on track. Let's face some hard facts. The United States as a whole has been living beyond its means for over 30 years now. We have been shipping our fundamental economy overseas for decades. Our ability to manufacture the basics is now resident in the third world. We and our government have been living on the credit card for decades. We've bought the lower taxes mantra (look at California) and ignored the necessary investments we should have been making in infrastructure, education and all the other things that matter. Where would we be today if we had adopted a health care system like the French 30 years ago? How many trillions of dollars have we spent on guns instead of butter over the last 30 years?

We, as a nation, are in serious trouble. Any other nation would have collapsed by now. Argentina did and they were actually better off than we are right now when it happened. It is only our status as the United States, the world's greatest economy, that the rest of the world is still willing to pay us to consume and this is soon going to go away. It's unsustainable.

So we have a new and energetic president as of tomorrow. If he is willing to lead us, are we ready to follow? Are we ready, as a nation, to make the sacrifices necessary to bring the world back into balance? If not, we are facing serious trouble. We cannot continue to ignore the basic economics of living beyond your means. Sooner or later the bills come due.

Vegan Lasagne Update

The lunch meeting was today and the recipe was a success. I had to go a little penurious on the ingredients though. I used baby portobellos , regular low fat mozzarella and yes, domestic Parmesan cheese. Still very good and much cheaper than than the original recipe. When you think about it there really isn't much cheese in the recipe so the less expensive cheese wasn't too big a part of the final product.

The only problem is that only 14 people showed up and therefore there is an entire 9x13 dish left over. Guess what I am having for dinner.

Lentil Soup is a Cold Weather Cure

It's cold everywhere, though it only dropped into the twenties here in Atlanta last night. Anyhow, for those of you looking for a healthy and warming idea for dinner tonight here is a quick recipe for lentil soup that is won't take you more than hour to fix and it is very good for you to boot. It's vegan if you use the the vegetable stock.

You'll need:
1 cup of dried lentils of any type
1 quart of chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 medium onion chopped
2 stalks of celery chopped finely
1 carrot chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic chopped finely
1/4 - 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes (depending on your heat tolerance)
1 TBsp dried thyme or 2 TBsp fresh
2 TBsp tomato paste or a cup of canned tomatoes chopped
2 Tbsp olive or canola oil
1 TBsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

In a 4 quart saucepan saute the vegetables and garlic in the oil for about 10 minutes add the stock and lentils along with the tomato paste or tomatoes and red pepper and simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes at which point the lentils should be cooked but not mushy. Finish with the vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with some nice toasted crusty bread and some olive oil on the side for dipping the bread.

If there are only two of you, as in my case, there is some left over. If you reheat and add a cup or so of cooked brown rice you have another meal that is different and tasty as well.

Another variation is to add some cooked pasta(like orzo) to the soup for something a little more filling. Chopped fresh spinach or kale( a couple of handfuls) is another good addition.

If you don't have any dried lentils then think about a couple of cans of chick peas(garbanzos) or other beans. Just rinse them first and a bonus is, you only have to heat them for ten minutes or so. Dinner in under 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

A Last Slap at the French

I know it's not a big thing but for some reason this epitomizes the small ugly aspects of the Bush administration. They wait until right until the end and then increase import duties on Roquefort cheese! What the hell is that all about? It would be different if it would actually have any other impact other than pissing off the French and hurting a few small farmers just a tiny bit. The U.S. accounts for maybe 2% of Roquefort cheese sales. The reason stated is even worse...to try and force the French to eat some of our hormone saturated and poison beef. Good for the French for not wanting their children eating crap and having their young girls mature at 9 years old. I don't often buy Roquefort but I'll make a point of spending some of my limited food budget on some just to spite them. I don't know why any self respecting Frenchman would eat American beef anyway when they have their glorious grass fed beef anyway.

Less than a week before it leaves office, the Bush administration has sparked anger across the Atlantic by tripling the import duty rate on roquefort cheese to 300%, a move which the US hopes will "shut down trade" in the sheep's milk product by making it prohibitively expensive.

The decision, part of Washington's attempts to force the EU into dropping its ban on hormone-treated beef, was greeted with disbelief by the French government and by farmers in the south-western Aveyron region who depend on the industry for their livelihoods.

"Maybe the Bush administration indulged itself by taking this decision just before it leaves," Robert Glandieres, president of the roquefort producers' group, told Reuters.

The tariff on roquefort, condemned as "incomprehensible and inadmissible" by the French government, will probably have a minimal effect, given exports to the US account for just 2% of annual sales. French farmers said it would mean "the end" for roquefort in the US and vowed to take "symbolic actions" in return.

That will show those couple of dozen French farmers a thing or two.

Reducing Risk

I didn't mention it yesterday but I finally got around to getting rid of 4 huge pines that were withing ten feet of the house. One was decidedly leaning toward the place and the other three were just too close and too big. Here they are (only the top half of the load) going to wherever big pines go. The tree guys were in the neighborhood and gave me a price that I couldn't pass up. It was a third of what I had estimated based on other tree removal experience.

Now I have another huge pile of wood chips to deal with but they are not in the driveway and therefore can wait until it warms a bit. Was 12F this morning and hasn't yet made it above the freezing mark as I post this a 3pm.

I am now on my way out to try and thaw the bird bath. The birds are pecking at the ice and are very frustrated. I have a heater I can put in that will keep it thawed. I just didn't get to it before the chill.

It's the Constitution

Once again Krugman is right. Obama doesn't have a choice under the oath he will take next Tuesday to ignore the crimes of Bush and his cronies. It's not about what is convenient and comfortable for Obama and his team. It's about the Constitution and what the long term consequences of ignoring the laws that have been broken are.

Now, it’s true that a serious investigation of Bush-era abuses would make Washington an uncomfortable place, both for those who abused power and those who acted as their enablers or apologists. And these people have a lot of friends. But the price of protecting their comfort would be high: If we whitewash the abuses of the past eight years, we’ll guarantee that they will happen again.

Meanwhile, about Mr. Obama: while it’s probably in his short-term political interests to forgive and forget, next week he’s going to swear to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” That’s not a conditional oath to be honored only when it’s convenient.

And to protect and defend the Constitution, a president must do more than obey the Constitution himself; he must hold those who violate the Constitution accountable. So Mr. Obama should reconsider his apparent decision to let the previous administration get away with crime. Consequences aside, that’s not a decision he has the right to make.

I'm as big a fan of live and live as the next guy but this is about the rule of law and there should be consequences for breaking it or ignoring or wiping your feet with it.

Miracle

Pretty amazing that everybody walked away from the emergency water landing this afternoon of a US Airways flight. Not only did the pilot get the sucker down in one piece but it managed to stay afloat long enough for 150 passengers and 5 crew to get safely out. This is definitely a win for the pilot and not too bad for the Airbus 320 either. Some good news for a change. Give me more.

Bad Peanut Butter

I suppose most of you already know that there is some salmonella tainted peanut butter in the food system. None of it is directly marketed retail but instead will show up in other products made from it.

From the FDA: Peanut Corporation of America Announces Voluntary Nationwide Recall of Peanut Butter (yes... voluntary. Because the U.S. government can't call for a mandatory recall.) So far there are almost 400 sick people in 42 states because of the salmonella-tainted peanut butter

You should be very careful of any product that may contain peanut butter. Read labels if in doubt.
For instance, Kellogg is taking peanut butter snacks off the shelves.

Kellogg says it is not aware of any tainted products but it is taking this measure as a precaution because PCA is one of its suppliers.

The Kellogg products that are being taken off shelves are Keebler and Austin brands:

Toasted Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Crackers
Cheese and Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers
Peanut Butter-Chocolate Sandwich Crackers.

h/t La Vida Locavore

Surprise! Surprise!

Surprise! Surprise! As Gomer would say. Guess what? Obama's idea of getting any Republican Senators to support his stimulus plan is a pipe dream. The idea that the GOP really cares about what happens to the nation is once again proven to be a joke. Seriously, the GOP only has one goal and that is to see the Obama presidency fail. They do not care that in order to have it fail the nation will have to fail as well. This should be a learning experience for Obama. Never, ever trust the GOP to do the right thing when it comes to the American people:

Obama's stimulus package is on track to pass before the Presidents Day recess in mid-February. But it is increasingly doubtful that he will pick up the 80 Senate votes he had hoped to win in the first major legislative test of his presidency. Instead, the bill is likely to pass on the strength of the Democrats' majority.

Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) said Wednesday that prospects for bipartisanship in the stimulus debate rapidly were eroding.

"The air is coming out of that balloon," Thune said. "To attract Republicans, they lose Democrats. It is a very difficult needle to thread. They are discovering that the goal [of an 80-vote majority] is unrealistic. He got so much push-back from his own people."

House Republican leaders have set up a working group to draft their own stimulus proposal focusing on permanent, across-the-board tax relief. And the Republican Study Committee, a group of about 100 conservative House Republicans, unveiled a bill Wednesday that contains a series of tax cuts, including reducing all personal income tax rates by 5% and cutting the corporate tax rate from 35% to 25%.

Now is the time to tell the GOP to go to hell and take his Congressional majorities and run with them. A huge number of people have worked to get the adults in charge once again and now is the time to make all that hard work pay off. All the experts say that tax cuts won't do the job and the evidence is already there to prove it. The GOP tried it and it has now put us where we are today. Massive government spending on the order of a trillion dollars is what is needed if we are not to slide into a major depression.

How Much Pepto for PEBO?

Last night Obama had dinner with conservative columnists Bill Kristol, George Will, David Brooks, and Charles Krauthammer, among others. Limbaugh was rumored to be there as well but it turned out not to be so. Jon Chait seems to think that if George Bush had done something similar with liberal columnists eight years ago, wingers would have gone ballistic:

And the reason is that they wouldn't have confidence in Bush or McCain to be surrounded by liberal ideas without being deeply influenced by them.

....And that's why liberals aren't having a cow. They know that Obama understands far more about policy than any of his right-wing dinner companions, is used to being exposed to opposing ideas, and won't come out of that dinner telling his staff, "Hey, did you know we cut half the capital gains tax and raise more revenue?"

I am pretty sure PEBO didn't go to dinner with this crew with an idea to convincing them that they should support his ideas, but I do think he is smart enough to know that a face-to-face meeting can change the way people see you and think about you. I think he knows that once these people have had a chance to meet him in person and actually have some conversation it will be just a little bit harder get too nasty toward him in print. It was pretty shrewd and Obama's demonstrating, yet again, that he's a worthy adversary in the political world.

It is also sharp for Obama to follow up immediately with a meeting with "liberal" media types, which he did this morning. Here's a partial list of "liberals" who chatted with Obama this morning: E.J. Dionne, Eugene Robinson, Gerry Seib, Ron Brownstein, Frank Rich, Maureen Dowd, Andrew Sullivan, and Rachel Maddow. I put the word liberals in quotes because I don't consider all these "liberals" in the strictest sense and that especially goes for Sullivan who calls himself a conservative even though he supported Obama.

Regardless, the whole dinner with the enemy and friends things is inconsequential. I don't think either group are going to make any lasting changes to what Obama thinks and does. I think the big thing to take away from these two events is Obama's willingness to actively engage with people and especially those with such contrary ideas. The man obviously has some curiosity and maturity about competing ideas that's been sorely lacking in the White House for some 8 years.

Still, I wonder how he managed to avoid just a little indigestion.

No Good News

Sorry folks, I've been busy doing you know what. Not really much worth blogging about out there anyway. Maybe it's the cold or just pre-revolution doldrums. Osama is challenging Obama. Citigroup is falling apart(about time). Retail sales in December were almost 10% lower than last year or 2.7% lower than expected which, in turn, has sent the stock market further south and it is now courting 8,000 again. Bummer.

It's cold and getting colder in Hotlanta and we are expecting "teens" tonight. I went down to the garden and put some extra mulch on the garlic just in case but it should be fine. This recent warm weather has caused it to put out guite a bit of green which is susceptible to the cold. We'll see.

Meanwhile, all you folks north of me try and stay warm and Madam and I will do the same. Glad I spent the money in November to add the extra 18 inches of fiberglass in the attic. I can tell the difference in how much the furnace runs on these cold days.

Tonight is going to be a soup night I think. I just have to figure out what I have that is "soup fixings". Then again there is always the potential for a comfortable pot of beans and some buttermilk cornbread. I just have to shake the fridge and cupboards and see what falls out.

Making the Economy Fair

David Cay Johnston has an excellent article over at Mother Jones on getting the economy back on its feet. This is not a pleasant piece to read and if you are like me it might possibly make you mad. Read it anyway. I know some of this stuff but have never really stewed on it that much. I was doing OK, paying my taxes and mortgage and generally living the good life. Things have changed a bit and now this just really sucks. There is a huge opportunity to fix the way things work in this country but we really need to focus if we are to survive. The status quo is way out of whack as this article shows. Let's do something about it.

Food: Good, Bad and Ugly

Asinus Asinum Fricat has posted his "Food Hall of Fame" over at La Vida Locavore. Surprise... the number one food is one of my favorites, the lowly sweet potato.

My number 1 on the all time scale of greatness:

the humble sweet potato! Or yam as it's known in some countries. It packs a wallop! Simply cut lengthways in four or six, drop a little olive oil and a pinch of rock salt and bake till tender. They're loaded with carotenoids, vitamin C, potassium, and ot course a ton of fiber (highest fiber vegetables: avocado (though some see this as a fruit), beans, broccoli, eggplant (aubergine), lima beans, Brussel sprouts & cabbage (both green and red), carrot, chick peas - garbanzo to you)

The entire list is good and of course includes fruit and vegetable but there may be some surprises there for you as well. Just a few days ago the same author posted the 08 Food Awards Hall of Shame over at the "Great Orange Satan" which should also be required reading.

The good news is I am doing pretty well with respect to the "good food" list. How about you?

Too Left to Be Accepted

Matt Yglesias has a post up looking at the comparative costs and the number of people now uninsured that would be covered under various Congressional health care plans. Pete Stark's AmeriCare plan would cover and additional 49 million people and lower the overall cost by nearly 59 billion dollars.
Matt's argument is that we will never accept a plan like Stark's because of ideology...it is just too left wing to be accepted. In Matt's words;

Some folks, of course, will oppose the Stark plan because they’re right-wingers who don’t want to expand health care coverage. And some folks, will want to focus their energies on other, worse, plans because those plans have a better chance of passing. But what’s incredibly frustrating is that a lot of people who claim to want to change public policy to expand health care coverage and better control health care costs will nonetheless fail to embrace Stark’s plan or anything similar for no real reason other than ideological posturing. It just can’t be the case, as a matter of centrist dogma, that the best solution is actually the most left-wing solution. It’s a far more ideological stance than anything you’ll ever hear from Pete Stark or from me. But the people hewing to it will insist on being called pragmatists.

It's a pretty short post but has two shocking graphics. The sad thing is that Matt is probably right and it is really disheartening.