Economics in One Lesson

Ok, first off, Dan says I should really credit my brother-in-law, Darrell, for bringing into our house some thought provoking testimony (see last post). So, thank you Darrell!

Next, you may be interested in chapter 4 of this book, Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt. This was originally published in 1946, and not much has changed. Chapter 4 is great! http://www.fee.org/library/books/economics.asp#4 is the link. It's titled, "Public Works Mean Taxes." It'll help you form a whole new look at the jobs and products that could have been created if the government hadn't intervened first. Think, "Iowa Rainforest" for example. Whew, good thing that died.

Happy Reading!

Econ 101

Dan brought home an interesting "article." Well, it's not so much an article as it is a "Testimony of Michael W. Masters, Managing Member/Portfolio Manager, Masters Capital Management, LLC before the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, May 20, 2008" Wow, that's a mouthful!

The basic thesis, I would say, is that a group of institutional investors are driving up the costs of oil, food, etc, in the commodities futures markets. Masters shows the history and specifically the last five years of these "Index Speculators" and the result of their hoarding. Prices have drastically increased in markets like coffee, corn, wheat, live cattle, lean pork, etc. because of the "Index Speculators" driving up the costs with their insensitivity to price.

Here's just a portion from his testimony - I'm sure you can google him for the .pdf if you want the whole thing:

Let's turn our attention to food prices, which have skyrocketed in the last six months. When asked to explain this dramatic increase, economists' replies typically focus on the diversion of a significant portion of the U.S. corn crop to ethanol production. (see http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10252015 "The End of Cheap Food") What they overlook is the fact that Institutional Investors have purchased over 2 billion bushels of corn futures in the last five years. Right now, Index Speculators have stockpiled enough corn futures to potentially fuel the entire United States ethanol industry at full capacity for a year. (see "Ethanol Reshapes the Corn Market" http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/April06/Features/Ethanol.htm ) That's equivalent to producing 5.3 billion gallons of ethanol, which would make America the world's largest ethanol producer. (see "Ethanol Production Could Be Eco-Disaster, Brazil's Critics Say" http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/02/070208-ethanol.html)

He is asking Congress to take out the loopholes created back in 1936 and regulate the commodities futures markets like they regulate pension funds.

Reading this led me to a unique little book on economics - it's like Econ 101 in less than 100 pages by Richard J. Maybury, entitled, "Whatever Happened to Penny Candy?" It's a great little booklet that summarizes economics and has a variety of resources to continue exploring.

As the dollar continues to weaken, I'm reminded of a quote by Nikolai Lenin, yes, the founder of the Soviet Union: "The best way to destroy the capitalist system is to debase the currency."

Pictures from the Weekend

Now that I'm back where there's high speed internet, I'll give you a little taste of what the kids were able to enjoy over the weekend in Mason City.

Saturday morning was the annual North Iowa Band Festival Parade, and the kids loved it! It was 2 1/2 hours long, but the candy, the floats, there was even stuffed animals that were given away! It was cold, but we all managed to stay warm.

One of the floats was made by a local company called, "Curries" that manufactures steel doors for commercial use. This is their float that is Shrek themed. That dragon is actually coming out of its castle!...Here's Johnny! Yes, that is Johnny Orr. For you kids out there, he was the greatest basketball coach Iowa State University has ever had.
The kids discovered a merry-go-round and had tons of fun. Only old parks have these anymore.
I took these four to the Ice Cream Social at the Music Man Square. This is a museum dedicated to Meredith Wilson, the writer of "The Music Man." We watched a portion of the movie while we ate delicious ("better than Whitey's" according to Moriah) ice cream.

Haley, Guthrie, Brooke and Moriah pose in front of Meredith Wilson.

The weekend included a LOT of pick-up soccer with the next door neighbors. The kids really had fun!

Update on Saturday

Hi -
We're having a pretty good time here in Mason City, as it's Band Festival weekend, which is a big deal around here. Eric and I ran the 4 mile Stu Nevermann Memorial Run this morning. Time: 34:30. It was hard...more mental than physical. But fun, nevertheless.

Then the 2 1/2 hour parade filled with bands and awesome floats. It's quite a production. My dad stayed home, of course, which hopefully did him some good.

I'll post some pictures of our weekend when I get back home to high-speed internet. Until then, it'll be text only.

My dad seems to act like he doesn't have any infectious disease. I hope he recovers quickly and doesn't set himself up for a return, as he's basically running around here like normal.

We're hoping to come back home tomorrow (Sunday). Then I'll probably come back for his follow up appointment later on this week.

Thanks again for your thoughts and prayers!

He's home

My dad got released today with strict orders not to smoke, to take it easy, and take his meds. Well, 1 out of 3 isn't bad, right? He's doing remarkably well! Thanks for your prayers, etc.

Have a great weekend!

the latest

Ok, so I was finally able to talk with the doctor this morning about my dad's condition.

He has pneumonia (bacterial) in his left lung, both upper and lower. She ordered the CT-scan because it was in the left lung, which is apparently pretty uncommon. That showed that he indeed has pneumonia, but it also showed some small spots in both lungs. She said he'd need to have another CT-scan in 3 months or so to see if those spots are growing.

She took him off the IV drip today and he's on oral antibiotics. Looks like he'll be coming home tomorrow. So that's really good! I only hope he doesn't try to overdo it, because tomorrow afternoon is when my brother and his kids come, too, so there will be an entire house full of people, kids running around, the baby screaming, etc. Sounds stressful to me and I don't have any serious illness (ok - I just left myself open for a good return here...like an illness of my brain!).

He needs to go back to the hospital next week (5-7 days from now) to get another chest x-ray. So, I'm hoping to be around for that. We'll probably go back home for a couple of days in between and then come back.

Thanks for thinking of us!
-Linda

Update on Fritz

So by now you have probably heard that the kids and I came up to Masonville to see my dad, who is in the hospital with pneumonia.

The short story: He seems to be doing pretty well. Don't know much. Nurses give out no information! I'm a bit frustrated by that.

The long story: On Tuesday morning, he called his friend, Marge, to cancel card playing, because he wasn't feeling well. In fact, he felt like perhaps he was having a heart attack. Thankfully, she called some neighbors who came right away, helped Fritz gather some belongings, and drove him immediately to the E.R. They admitted him...of course, they ran many tests, ruled out the heart attack, and diagnosed him with pneumonia.

Side note - Did Eric or I know about any of this yet? No.

Continuing: Tuesday was a beautiful day. We had a gazillion things going on, including Brooke's final soccer game of the season. When we arrived home around 7:45, we had a strange message on the answering machine from Marge. I called her. She informed me my dad was hospitalized.

Still continuing: It took me about four hours to get everything put together this morning, and after about a 3 1/2 hour trip, we got here by 4:45, in time to feed Case, and then rush through Culver's drive thru (not the Culver mentioned elsewhere in this blog, ack), and got to the hospital at 5:30, in time to eat together with my dad. He looked a little grayish, but was talking. Glad we came. I still know nothing. He had a CT-scan today, but don't know the results yet, so I'm planning on ambushing the doctor in the morning to find out what's going on...when will he get out, etc? I'll let you know.

So thanks all for your prayers and concerns. We're doing pretty well. Tired! Looking forward to hopefully being able to sleep!

My Himalayan Walking (Running) Shoes

The shoes. The shoes make all the difference! While I didn't break any records this morning running my short route (3.2 miles), my legs felt great! My knees! I think the Mama26.2 name will stay in place for now. I'm very hopeful for the 1/2 marathon in June.

I'll leave you with this famous quote from one of my all time favorite tv shows (Seinfeld, of course!):

"Oh, I'm exhausted. I've been on this street a thousand times. It's never looked so strange. The faces...so cold. In the distance a child is crying...fatherless...a bastard child, perhaps. My back aches, my heart aches, but my feet...my feet are resilient! Thank God I took off my heels and put on my Himalayan walking shoes!"

A New Name for Mama 26.2

I might have to change the name of my blog.

This morning, I set out to run 10.5 miles in preparation for the marathon this September. Right at the end of mile 7, I had a knife-stabbing pain along the outside of my left knee. I stopped, stretched, walked, stretched, and started again for about 10 seconds when the tortuous pain returned. I ended up hobbling home. Luckily, it was only a mile from home.

I was making pretty decent time on the run, and feeling good. The weather was awesome - upper 50's, sunny. I was carrying my Gatorade, listening to some pretty good tunes, and felt great until the knee episode.

Hopefully this will be a minor setback. Maybe some new shoes will prevent this from occurring again, and I'll be back on track. If not...well, how does MamaFast5K sound?

Way too nice outside

It was way too nice today to be up in the attic or in front of the washer & dryer, so we took advantage and had fun outside! It's a little bright for Case!

Here, Haley helps Dad with putting up the new fence along the side of the house.

Here's the finished product from the neighbor's yard. Dan also planted seven of those cool looking trees. Looks good, huh? Last year at this time, there was a nearly 200 year old oak tree where that concrete is behind the fence.

Brooke's ready to drive...so she wishes!

Celebration of 16 years

Brooke stayed up pretty late last night "cross-stitching" this anniversary note, which reads, "Happy 16 Anivercity." Very cute!

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She was so excited. I think more than we were. We are tired. Dan's been working long hours at work and then long hours on the attic renovation. I'm tired because this 7-month-old still is not sleeping through the night. I'm finishing up school work and trying to get marathon training in, too.

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However, we did go out to a nice restaurant here in town, a Thai place - good food. It was nice.

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I heard this quote recently about happy marriages and I thought it was very fitting:

"To stay happily married requires a person to fall in love many times...with the same person."

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I second that motion. There's no other man on earth I'd like to fall in love with over and over again than Dan.

*

16 years. 3 houses. 3 full-term pregnancies. 4 kids. Priceless.

And the winner is...

It's down to the two Davids! These girls are not David Archiletta fans, so they've joined their mother in her support of David Cook. Go David go!

Great Website

I was trying to think of something to add to my blog today. Frankly, sometimes my day is just as normal as it was the day before, even if I do manage to get in a great run.

So today I don't have any great words of wisdom, and I haven't run across any deep quotes to think on....

But! I did find a cool website called, "Ology" today. It's sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History and it's very good! We explored the Archeology - Tools of the Trade area and it was like a game. I learned about a new instrument archeologists use called a "total station" that helps them plot out their site. It's way more advanced than the old way I learned, which involved a lot of graph paper, pencils and erasers. Anyways, there's more to this website than just the Archeology area. I recommend you take your kids there and explore it. Or let them explore it on their own. They're sure to learn something new.

So here's the website address: http://www.amnh.org/ology/archaeology#channel

Have fun!

Eric at Work

This is a picture of my brother (left) that was taken recently. Cool, huh?

Regretful Words

I said something today that I regretted saying immediately.

So, for the record, I really really REALLY love having four children! It's an incredible experience, and I know there's more experiences in store in the future.

It's also a relief to know that God has things under control, isn't it? And that he's the reason for the age differences in the kids. How great it is to have older and younger ones spread apart by a decade. The built-in babysitters come in handy, but from Case's perspective, it's nice to have so many loving people around all the time!

Of course, if you ask Brooke, she'd say she doesn't get to do everything her sisters do. She is right, but there is a 28-month age difference there, too, so she'll have to wait. Patience is a virtue, right? I'll have to try to explain that to her again.

Needless to say, this motherhood thing is going pretty well. Yeah, many times I feel completely overwhelmed, out of control (that's an issue I'm working on...trying to give up control, that is), and totally unqualified. I'm thankful for the examples of truly great mothers for me to look to for advice. What's scary, though, is when someone else asks ME for advice! Didn't I already say I was unqualified?

So in the spirit of Mother's Day, I embrace motherhood - the sleepless nights, the diapers, the training, the listening, the referreeing, the talks, the books - oh the books I've read, the cleaning, the cooking, the laundry -- and a Happy Mother's Day to all!

'Tis the Season

It's Garage Sale Season again! This was proven today by the mad rush of people up and down Mulberry Avenue during the annual neighborhood sale. The girls rushed to a neighbor's sale and quickly found toys to assemble in their "babysitting bags."

They have their first babysitting gig tomorrow night! I can remember the days of trying to find babysitters, and now they are babysitting? Doesn't seem right. Their clients are, however, getting 3 sitters for the price of one. Of course, I'm not really sure what that means...what is the going rate for babysitters these days, anyways?

So they're very excited, and luckily, they'll only be a few houses away, so if all else fails they can call me.

Back to the theme previously stated, I was thinking about hosting my own garage sale, but I opted out. Instead, I did hold a "private sale" and it was with a touch of sadness that I parted with many of Case's size 6 month clothes. If that surgery I had didn't work, I'll be regretting this....again.

Looks to be a beautiful cool weekend and I'm hoping to get in a nice LONG run on Mother's Day...about 2 hours is what I'm shooting for. I have to find out where the public drinking fountains are located in this town, though, so I don't have to carry a water bottle.

Latest Headlines

Here's a glimpse of some of the latest headlines in the paper:

Culver wants to charge for review of records

Culver signs 1-cent sales tax into law

Camping fee increased


Those were just in yesterday's paper, and it seemed to me that fees and taxes only seem to be increasing. What about the working man? Aren't Democrats supposed to be looking out for the middle class? I think secretly, they're trying to keep us down. If we're down, we can't object. In fact, if we "get" something from the government, then why should we disagree with them? Well, here's some news...not everyone "gets" from the government. Guess that's what's burning me....

If you read the INTJ personality blog, then you know I'm still right.

Can People Change?

For some time now, I've been thinking about my type-A personality or the Myers-Brigg version, called the INTJ. Introverted-iNtuitive-Thinker-Judgmental. And occasionally I find myself "out of body" when I've scolded a child, usually Brooke, for something that's really stupid - like eating candy in the living room....I set up that rule, which is stupid, for the reason that I didn't want ants and more importantly, that I would be saved a step in cleaning sticky off the couch.

In the scheme of things, who really cares?

So, anyways, during these "out of body" experiences, I think, "Jeez lady, that's not a very nice way to talk to your daughter." And then I'm back in me, and I blow it off, because I think I'm right.

Well, I'm wrong.

How can I change? Is it possible for a type A to cross over to the lazze-faire type B? Wouldn't that be nice? Not to have any cares? Not to feel the pressure of crossing things off a to-do list - for that matter, to even create a to do list in the first place!

Oh, there comes my sarcasm again. Apparently that's a weakness for INTJ's. I told you I've been reading up.

In fact, there are several weaknesses of INTJers....check it out:

INTJs

• May be unaware (and sometimes uncaring) of how they come across to others I'm actually becoming more aware thanks to those "out of body" experiences
• May quickly dismiss input from others without really considering it
• May apply their judgment more often towards others, rather than towards themselves That has me written all over it!
• With their ability to see an issue from many sides, they may always find others at fault for problems in their own lives I try not to blame others, though. Really, I try to take ownership for my faults. I think that has to do with becoming a Christian, which has taught me to look at my sins and seek forgiveness.
• May look at external ideas and people with the primary purpose of finding fault Can you say Democrat? Ok, I admit it. I do this often.
• May take pride in their ability to be critical and find fault in people and things Yep. I once took a test for a friend who was getting his masters in counseling, and I think I told him something like, "And what's wrong with that?" I really thought it was ok to be hyper-critical of others.
• May have unrealistic and/or unreasonable expectations of others Yes! That's partially what drove me out of teaching! But I never thought of those expectations as being unrealistic. Maybe being able to write in complete sentences and pass an open book science exam was too unrealistic for a 13-year-old.
• May be intolerant of weaknesses in others Again - this one has my name written all over it!
• May believe that they're always right Aren't I?
• May be cuttingly derisive and sarcastic towards others If you haven't had to opportunity to read any of my other posts, you probably wouldn't pick up on that from me...:)
• May have an intense and quick temper I actually think I'm a slow-to-boil kind of person.
• May hold grudges, and have difficulty forgiving people Again, I think having Christ in my life has actually helped me with this, although I'm not as quick as He was in forgiving me.
• May be wishy-washy and unsure how to act in situations that require quick decision making Indecisive...that's me. That's also Haley.
• May have difficulty communicating their thoughts and feelings to others You usually have an idea of what I'm thinking. Feeling? Now there's something for me to think about.
• May see so many tangents everywhere that they can't stay focused on the bottom line or the big picture Another way to describe that is easily sidetracked. Yes. Me.

One thing I learned while doing a bit of research on this is that it's supposed to be good for INTJers to journal. Maybe that's what sort of led me to this Blogging thing. Even if no one reads it or responds, it has been kind of fun. It's given me a chance to think throughout the day things like, "That would be good to blog about!"

So respond if you like. I will try not to be explosive or too judgmental - I am working on that!

More Progress on the 3rd floor

Haley Demonstrates How to Hang Sheetrock

More Progress is Being Made!

We're only a few weeks away from having guests come and the goal is to have the room partially done, so kids can have a place to possibly spend the night. Dan has been working non-stop in all of his spare time and has done so much! We're all very excited about being able to use the room in its future state.

Meaningless - Meaningful?

I haven't been inspired to write for a few days now. I guess I have Blogger's Block, formerly known as Writer's Block.

I was thinking about writing about the weather! That's how uninspired I have been. Take today, for example. It was blizzard-like this morning at Brooke's soccer game, minus the snow. We were freezing. Now, as I write, it's nearly 70 degrees out, sunny, with a nice breeze. How bizzare.

I think my "funk" started a few days ago when I was thinking about the mundaness (is that a word?) of life...at least the mundane tasks I have set before me. I wouldn't trade them, mind you, for a real job with a real paycheck, but nevertheless, it was seeming to me that my tasks were quite meaningless.

Take laundry, for example. There are still divorced socks from months ago waiting for a suitable mate in a pile on my dryer. And just when I have the last load folded and put away, here come the clothes from today. Or the pajamas from last night. Or the towels from the showers. Or the burp rags from the baby. Or the... See what I mean?

I could go on with the list of mundane tasks, like cleaning, cooking, running, even schooling. But I won't. Because I've come to the same conclusion as a wise king who wrote several books many centuries ago: What's it all matter? Everything really is quite meaningless. Generations before us aren't really all that different from the generations to come. But in the end, to be content with the job that lies before us is all we can ask for. And, really, I am content. Are you? Sure, I think sometimes "Is this all there is?" And it possibly is. So, why not just enjoy it?! Another great philosopher of our day - I think Bob Marley - said it best, "Don't worry. Be happy."

Now, that's what I'm talking about!

Clarification

Ok, so I probably came off as a Ron Paul Wannabee in that last post, and that's not exactly what I was trying to do. It occurred to me as I was ranting, that I would probably have to explain the tongue-in-cheek post regarding Linda Steele for President.

There were several points I was trying to make. Obviously, it's ridiculous for me to "run for president." Espeically when it seems to me that there are at least 2 people out there in a certain political party who are attempting to run for it already without the full endorsement of their party (i.e. Obama and Rodham-Clinton). I was trying to be slightly sarcastic with the idea that I could actually run for president.

However, I do believe that we do not need any new programs. If anything, we citizens should call for an audit of the federal government accounts. If we're expected to pay our bills and spend within our means, can't we hold our own government to the same expectations? New programs only cost more - what's wrong with eliminating ineffective ones or at least revamping them?

So, for those of you who were concerned I'd gone off the deep end, worry no more.

I Have An Announcement to Make

I'm running for President!

Yes, around 3:30 am this morning, I was inspired to run for President of the United States of America. This will be a shoestring campaign, mind you, so you won't see me on commercials or be receiving mail from me. Please just use the blank line on your ballot to write in my name (Linda Steele - don't forget that last 'e' or your vote won't count).

Here's my platform:

Let's get rid of all the government programs that waste money. In fact, let's eliminate wasteful programs altogether.

Let's allow individual states to have control. For example, let's eliminate the US Dept of Education. Do we really need the federal government involved in education when the states have sense enough to educate their citizens? I mean Iowa is going above and beyond the call from the feds and is providing preschool for all 4 year olds....not to mention free health care for kids under 18.

And, here's my campaign promise (don't you have to have one of those if you're running?): NO NEW PROGRAMS!

Pretty simple don't you think? Of course, at 3:30 am it was actually much clearer than right now. But if you're so inclined to agree with me, please show me your support - Linda Steele for President. Thank you.