Just What Kind of "-ist" is Obama?

I've heard and read about all the ''ists'' that Obama has been called from a Socialist to a Crony Capitalist and I'm gonna lay out the what I like to call The Cow Theory of Economics in a bit. But first I think I might just toss in some background on our Fearless Leader.

 You ever wonder why he hasn't succeeded in fixing our economy? Maybe he doesn't want to? I do know that happy and well off people make lousy revolutionaries. You need them angry such as the 1%'ers. and let's be honest here, is there a method to his madness?

 He talks of redistribution thru fairer taxes, of everyone having insurance( thanks to the state) and has tried to consolidate power thru the appointments of ''czars'' which seems like he's bypassing the Cabinet to his own version of a Secretariat. He, thru his czars, has managed to gain of control of quite a bit of our economy. There are  other things he's done and plans to do but Y'all know about those. So apply what you know of his actions and words and see if you can figger out where he fits in on my Cow Chart

The Cow Theory of Economics

Socialist: You  have two cows. You offer give one to a neighbor who doesn't have one. However, the neighbor thinks it's unfair for him to have to tend the cow. He thinks you should just give him a share of the milk.

Marxist(Communist): You have two cows, the government seizes them and gives you a share as dictated by a central committee. unfortunately, the committee has now experience with cows so the cows die and you are let with no cows or milk.

National Socialist(Nazi): You have two cows. The party says you are guilty of crimes against the state and seizes your cows, then tosses you into a camp or prison before eventually shooting you.

Great Society-ist: You have two cows. the government buys the milk, then dumps it out and pays you not to milk your cows in order to maintain an artificial high price for milk. It never realizes that by doing so it causes  unemployment to rise because of less work for the dairy industry.

Capitalist: You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull. You are willing to risk  your capital by reinvesting in your business. You work long hours for for a promise of reward in the future. As your heard increases, you are able to hire workers and raise their standard of living; which in turn provides more money to be spent in your community.

  There you have it. Now take Obama's words and actions and see just where he fits in and what kind of an ''ist'' he really is. It's kinda frightening isn't it? I can think of one other person that started as an ''organizer'' in the late 1920's and  he wound up cowering in a bunker about  20 years later.

 Well I know this might seem like an over simplification of economics, but I didn't spend four years in in college studying it. So I have to rely on good old horse sense. it's served me in good stead over the years, so I think I'll just keep on riding that horse.

Cooking With The Pioneer Woman

 As all y'all know, I love to cook and have amassed quite a collection of cookbooks from all over ranging from The New York Times' to Paula Deen's. I read them as a bookworm would a novel or a musician would a book of sheet music. To be honest, I look at cooking as an art form which allows an individual an opportunity to express themselves. There are as many cuisines as there are genres in painting or music. And I love to try out recipes from my cookbooks and add my twist to them much as a musician would when playing.
 Now one of my favorite cookbooks isn't even mine. It belongs to my wife, Jane. However, I did get it for her and even sent it to the author who was kind enough to autograph it and mail it back to me in time for Christmas; so I don't feel bad about borrowing it from time to time.
The author of this book is none other than Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman. 

  For the few of you who might not know who she is,  she's a wife and mother who happens to help her husband run a working cattle ranch up in Oklahoma along with being an author and star of her own cooking show. I've tried several of her recipes and found them to be delicious... In fact I've used some of her methods for food prep and it has really made a difference in  the texture and how it tastes.

What makes her book one of my favorites is the fact the she uses what's available and does most of her shopping in a small town grocery store.And, one of her favorite ingredients is butter. If a little is good, then more has to be better? My kinda thinking.Her recipes are simple yet very tasty and very filling. She has all different kinds of recipes in her books, but I'm drawn to the "Stick to Your Ribs Food" recipes. You know, the kind of food that will get you to the next meal without your stomach thinkin' your throat's been cut. A meal that will let you do a day's work with feeling famished. If you've ever worked cattle and been in the saddle from breakfast till dinner, or any other kind of hard physical labor, you know a watercress and cucumber sandwich isn't going to cut it. 

 I'd like to share some of her recipes that have really been favorites that not only were delicious but very simple to make. I'm gonna just tell about them starting with:

Breakfast: Her Blueberry Pancakes are awesome to say the least. Very simple to throw together and delicious. Couple them with some sausage and eggs and you have a serious meal on your hands.

Dinner: Comfort Meatballs are filling, tasty and easy to make... Ever mixed milk with your hamburger?? You need to try it once before turning up your nose. It gives it a whole new texture and works well as a binder.

Sunday Dinner or Supper: Ree's Perfect Pot Roast... the name says it all. Her roast has a depth of flavor from one of the cheapest cuts of beef you can buy. Add the obligatory root vegetables and you got yourself a Sunday Dinner that will be a regular on your table.

I do think it would be fun and educational to share a kitchen with her and see what we could concoct. Be a lot like like a musician "jammin' with Willie", but  I heard he uses a different blend of herbs. Who knows, her being from Oklahoma, she might like some real Texas Style Barbecue.

 Well, there you go, a cookbook that even the most inexperienced cook can use and recipes that will make you a hit and hero with your family.. Oh, did I mention my wife, Jane has also tried some of her recipes with some successes and some that didn't quite turn out the way she had expected... But, as in life, it happens to all of us from time time to time... All we can do is just keep trying... Soup's on...

Oh, on a closing note, if you'd like to read about Jane's trip down recipe road just  click!

Click Here

Who's My Candidate?

  I've been following the debates, listening to the candidates and watching the ads and have yet to really pick one I can truly rally to. It seems they all have these big ideas and the same answer to all our problems: " When elected, I will enact programs to solve those problems."

  I guess my problem is that I don't want a candidate with big and grand ideas. I'm waiting for one with small ideas. I want one who will say, " I don't think big; I think small. Such as smaller government, smaller taxes, less interference in your lives, and smaller budgets."

  The government is bloated and unwieldy as it is and more programs will grind our ecconmy to a halt. Between the banking regulations that have crippled the housing industry, a tax code that even lawyers can't comprehend, ag regulations that prevent farmers from raising the crops that could feed most of the planet to strangling regulations on our enegery providers that force us to pay higher costs,the government is collapsing under its own weight(I'm not even going to go into Obama-Care).

 The country has had enough of grandiose schemes, ideas and programs. We need small ideas, and it will take a "Big Man/Woman" with matching cojones/ huevos to be willing to run on a ''small'' platform.

As Ronald Reagan so aptly stated, "Government isn't the solution to our problems;it's the cause".