Stimulus?? Hell NO! This is a Spending Bill

I just have to respond to this absurd STIMULUS bill passed and signed by our Savior and Chief Mr Obama. I was pursuing the blogs when I came across an idiot who said the following:

Wow, I am amazed at how little economics people know but are willing to just say things regardless. I am pissed off at the stimulus bill exactly because of tax cuts. Cutting taxes is exactly opposite of stimulating economy — creating worthwhile projects is the way to do it. The fact that the same Republicans that gave us 1 trillion in debt are asking for more tax cuts is shameful. Did this country have a lobotomy after January 1st? We had tax cuts for 8 years… So the only question is: Are you better off now than 8 years ago?

I responded:

Pearl, you obviously do NOT know a twip about economics. You say: “creating worthwhile projects” is the way to go. You have no clue.

You do not inject $1 trillion dollars into the economy with out the real threat of inflation. Productive people and businesses create goods and services that they trade between each other in the open market. If you just inject $$$ into the system ($1 or $2 TRILLION), you create a demand/supply imbalance. Lots of money buying fewer goods (because this stimulus DOES NOT produce anything) there will be shortages and the price of goods will go up.

The argument about tax cuts is a freedom issue. I would rather spend my money on goods or services I choose to buy rather than the Government choosing where to spend it. I produce and buy from other producers. You want Government, who does not produce a dammed thing, to spend my money! This country is in dire shape if people like you are in control.

Econ 101 my dear!

As I say in my profile:

My greatest peeve is the downward spiral of education in our country as it has produced nothing but confident idiots who blindly follow the most recent social fads and worship todays most popular icon.

Timber Frame Completed

This week was quite a week. On Monday I called the boss of D@?!# the electrical inspector and complained about D@?!#'s demeanor and his combative nature. The boss tried to explain the situation and mentioned that there was some miscommunication. I complained that D@?!# had problems with owner-builders and he was cherry-picking items to fail me, like finding new items that needed to be fixed on each visit. The red tag could have shut us down, but it did not happened this week. And the inspection that was scheduled on Thursday never happened. I think my electrical-inspector troubles have ended.

The timber frame was completed this week and it is above all expectations. The frame itself was completed on Tuesday and the roof was installed on Thursday. All of the planks that I milled and the nephews planed and Susan sprayed with Symphony were put up with tar paper stapled on top. The effect was beautiful. The Symphony is a water based product that is supposed to protect the wood from yellowing. The frame itself will yellow, but the planks should not.

As this project comes together, I get more excited about the potential. The views are spectacular and the building is timeless.

On Wednesday the Cattleman's Trust folks came by. Chris West introduced me to the new gal that we will work with for the last three easements and I gave her a tour of the ranch. The presented us with a great big surprise when they announced that the past owner's son approved a grant to the Cattleman's to pay the transaction costs for our easement.

I discussed with Joe Bonn, the builder of the frame about using his workers to help with the infill framing. This, he said, will work great for him as they are between projects and a project to keep his workers busy was timely. This really takes a load off my back. This was a huge job that would have taken me forever. Tis way, I can concentrate on the siding and the interior flooring.

It rained on Friday and not much on the frame got done. I planned on setting up the deck beams, but the rain prevented me from getting exact measurements. I did, however, try out my new mortiser machine. It works great and will save me hours of time with my timber-framing. We have company this weekend, but I should be relieved from entertaining them as the Menks are here with their friends. I will continue to work on the frame.

Below I share some pictures of the work this week

Electrical Inspector displays Peter Principle

Got a surprise electrical inspection on Friday. Good old D@?!# shows up when I was told we were not to receive an inspection until next Thursday! When I talked to the head inspector last week, we agreed that the fix I had on the Lake Cabin temp power was ok until the next inspection. When D@?!# showed up he said that he expected the fixes to be done and that I "LIED" to Rod the boss and to him as to what was to be done.

Only when frustration turned into anger did he back off. I told him that I thought that he was against me from the start because I was doing my only work. He was taken back by my aggression and he responded that he works with homeowners all the time and is only concerned with safety. I reminded him about his continual comment about how an electrician would not have made my mistakes and would have supplies on his truck to fix errors. I responded by stating that if a responsible electrician had given me a bid, I would not be doing the work.

I said to him that he should be trying to help me rather than trying to bust me. I think this hit home because from there on he was more helpful.

He red flagged the meter and gave me the impression that he would not have Mt Parks pull it until he came back to inspect at some future date.

It is obvious to me that he is milking the thing. This is the second inspection and he is finding new things that he wants me to fix. I feel that if he did not mention an error the first time, it is unfair for him to use a new visit to extend the permit with new finds

I look forward to seeing him again as I feel he has purposefully left items unnoted so he can catch me with another fix next time. One item is the lack of a finish plate on a 50 amp receptacle in the old shop. I was stunned that he did not mention it in the first inspection. After the second I decided to head him off by purchasing the plate when I went to Walden to get supplies to fix the Lake Cabin panel.

We shall see!

Timber Frame Erection Starts!!!

The timber frame started to go up yesterday with the floor joists being constructed.

Luckily, the electrical fiasco came to an end when I talked to the boss of the inspector that gave me such a problem last week. I told him that I had fixed the deficiencies that were notated by the inspector and was wondering whether he would be up this Thursday or not for a final inspection. He said that since I was the only inspection up here in North Park, that they would not be up this week and that since that was the case, he would pass the inspection on a temp basis until they came up here. He called Mt Parks Electric and released the job so the meter could be installed. Joe Lance of Mt Parks came over about 2PM and installed the meter (3333) and we were in like flint!

The first day the crew installed the rim joists, the floor joists and the OSB flooring.

Day two was the raising of the bents. Because some of the wood twisted and shrank the center bent was a challenge, but it all got done and by the end of the day two of the bents were done and the ridge beam set. Since Joe works 4 10's they went home to return on Monday to finish the frame.

Below are some pictures of the progress. If you want to see all of the pictures take a look at:

http://gallery.me.com/nshoffner#100207

Electrical Inspector from Hell

Got the bad news on Thursday that I did not pass the electrical inspection on the cabin. There were three items that he did not like. First the ground wire was not connected to the main panel at the meter. This was because the power company did not want it connected while they erected the mast to the transformer. The second was the temp panel did not have weather protected connectors to the receptacle box. The third was that the main conductor was not protected from the ground to the panel.

I asked if he would wait for me to get the tools (1/4 miles away) and fix the items and he gave me a lecture on how I should have used an electrician who would have had the supplies and tools there at the site and that he had a three hour drive ahead of him to get home. I did not say what I wanted to at the time that trying to get an electrician to come to a remote location in a rural area is impossible! I had one come to the site and look at the job. After waiting for 3 weeks for a response, I gave up and decided to do it myself.

The repairs took 25 minutes to do and now I have to wait for another week to get electricity. In the mean time I will have to rent a generator to do the erection of the frame this week.

Timber Frame Cabin; an anthology (and I don't mean collection of flowers)

This summer I started a new project ... a timber frame cabin. When Colorado was decimated with the pine beetle, I was devastated. Our ranch is covered with old growth Aspen, but we do have conifers which include the Lodge-pole Pine, the tree hardest hit by the beetle.. Then someone gave me the idea to buy a mill and put to use all that dead timber (I figure we have close to 1000 Lodge-pole Pines on the property). Well, I sold a seldom used tractor and purchased a bandsaw mill from TimberKing.

After I cut several of the trees down and saw how the forest responded by revealing much new growth not noticed when the old growth was overwhelming the view, I felt much better about the situation. And, from that point on, I looked at dead trees in a whole new light. I now look at a dead standing tree and assess its straightness, and thickness for the purpose of providing lumber for my many new projects. Oh, did I say a cabin? Well, yes, but, why not a new house for my wife Susan and me? And, how about a new shed, or a bedroom behind the existing house. The possibilities are endless when all you need do is cut down a tree and cut it into any sized lumber you want. No more going to the lumber yard to purchase over-priced wood for a project. Just cut your own to the dimensions you desire!

In the coming months.... years? I will write entries into this blog describing my trip down this path. I hope it will be of interest to others than my family getting a look-see at the progress. I know that when I started my search and research on the subject of Timber-frame building, I found a couple of sites doing this, and I found the info useful.

I will post pictures when possible showing the progress and, although I have high hopes, I know that when it comes to keeping these types of blogs current it is hard (I find myself very tired at night after a full day do this), I will try to keep the entries current as best as I can.

As I write this entry, the first big day of the project looms. Tomorrow, I will have an electrical inspection on the new service I installed to the cabin and to the old shop on the property. I have been working for several weeks now getting this done and finally I have my "final" exam. The whole process of doing the electrical has been a story in its own. Perhaps I will take the time to enlighten all those who want to tackle this type of work.

Well, that is enough for now. I leave you with a couple of pictures of the project with the last one the project as it looks today.

Scott

Obama is leaving footsteps. This man is not good!!!!

I was talking to a friend today and he said that he was impressed with Obama. I was taken back! After I counted to 10 I asked him what he was impressed with.

Was it his pastor who spouts hateful America vile? Why did he not leave the church he heard these hateful statements?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36T1fnIafC0

Was it his refusal to say the pledge of America or hold his hand over his heart when the ledge was being said?

http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Obama_doesnt_put_hand_over_heart_1022.html

Was it his refusal to sport an American flag lapel on his breast? (same url as above)

Was it his wife stating that she was only now proud of America that her husband was running for president?

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/02/19/michelle-obama-takes-heat-for-saying-shes-proud-of-my-country-for-the-first-time/

Was it his most liberal rating given to him from his votes in the Senate?

http://nj.nationaljournal.com/voteratings/

Nothing wrong with being liberal, but why has Obama insisted he is a centrist? Be proud Obama, of your liberal record!!!

This guy has no experience! He is just good at speaking FLUFF!

Obama has all the right words!

Obama has all the right words again. If he becomes president, however, he will not be able to do it all himself. He will have to rely on those he chooses to surround himself. For me this is a very large problem as his track record is not good in this area. Just take a look at his closest advisers, his pastor and his wife. Both are unable to gloss over their anti-American, anti-White feelings. One has to wonder if Obama, himself, doesn't, deep down, feel the same way, but is just better at covering it up with flowery words.

This man is NOT what he appears to be! And I hope folks figure it out before we get to the election.

I thought I would never say this, but I would rather have Hillary as president than Obama! Thank goodness there is another choice come November. This guy is just scary. All style and NO substance! He is pure and simple a socialist at best, as shown by what little political history we have of him, and at worst, a Marxist.

The problem, as I see it, is that the general public, what I call the People Magazine culture, are incapable of seeing through his words with no meaning.

One reason why Colo is a great place to live.

We went to Moab for a week and again, I am reminded why living in Colorado is so special. Not only do we have our great state, we have states right next to us like Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico, all just a day's drive away. I can't imagine living anywhere else.

The Colorado River just outside of Potash:



Just outside of Moab on the North side of the Colorado River. Great climbing!

Global Warming isn't what it appears???????

Seems at though the "environmental" scientists have cherry-picked their data.

In an article from the opinion.telegraph in the UK, global warming was flat from 1998-2005. And that we had a warming period from 1918 and 1940 well before the great global industrialization. In addition, from 1940 to 1965 we had Global Cooling.

WHAT??? You mean it is not getting worse? You mean my SUV is not killing me?

Best read this article in the Telegraph!

Telegraph Article


Here is an article in the Wall Street Journal by Richard Lindzen that talks about how scientists that go against the grain are being intimidated. In some cases to the point of loosing grants and their jobs!


Wall Street Journal article

Immigration

I don't think that marching in the streets with Mexican Flags and chanting slogans in Spanish is helpful for all the illegal immigrants in this country.

If nothing else, this display brings to stark reality the problem we have with immigration in this country.

The Olympics Disappoint!

NBC is concerned that they are not getting the viewer-ship they expected. Sorry, I cannot sympathize with them in the least!

Am I the only one who is tired of figure skating. We see every little moment of this venue (if we choose to watch). It all blurs together in one vision of flashing crotches and fairy dressing men(?).

Then there is the culture of ME, ME, ME!!! From Shani Davis refusing to join the long-track pursuit team to the absolutely ridiculous and selfish Lindsay Jacobellis who had to Hot_Dog it at the end of her snowboarding medal run. I only wish two more of the competitors would have passed her in the end!

Then there are the"Team Sports". What a joke this is. Ever since they allowed the Pros to be in the Olympics, the "I don't give a sh...." quotient has skyrocketed. Do you think the Russian people hit the streets in celebration yesterday when their team beat the Americans? Hell no! Do you think Shack will be in the Summer Olympics in 2008; I don't think so. And who would care?

They ought to go back to the good old days when the Olympics was about the amateur. Perhaps NBC should look at the venues that sell out...like Curling where insurance salesmen are more the norm than high profile pros and spoiled boarders with their pants half way down their asses!

There is only one thing worse than the Olympics and that is the competition....American Idol! Now there is a real comment on our culture. I think I will turn off the tube and read a book!

Spotted Owl Fiasco

The Wall Street Journal had an article written by Jim Petersen of Evergreen Magazine about the plight of the Northern Spotted Owl. The article sustains other reports indicating that the mid 1990's halt of logging in the Northwest was premature and based on short-sighted science.

Jim Petersen has kindly given me permission to reprint his WSJ article.

---

Owl Be Damned
By JIM PETERSEN
February 18, 2006; Page A9
Wall Street Journal

Last month the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a call for proposals to develop a recovery plan for the northern spotted owl. It's about time: The owl was added to the nation's burgeoning list of threatened and endangered species nearly 16 years ago. That it took so long helps explain why only 10 of the 1,264 species listed under the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) have ever recovered.

If my gut reading is correct, the owl won't be No. 11. It is already doomed across much of its range, and the reason is well known among field biologists who have been observing the bird for some 20 years. More aggressive barred owls are pushing them out of their 21-million-acre home range, or killing them, or both. In any case, spotted owls are fighting a losing battle, a fact that has me wondering if the Fish and Wildlife Service isn't whistling past the graveyard.

Barred owls, not to be confused with common barn owls, migrated from their native East Coast environs a century or more ago. No one knows why, and until they started killing already-threatened spotted owls, no one cared. Now they do. Just how long it will take the barreds to finish off their brethren isn't known, but the situation has become so precarious that a federal biologist recently opined that shooting barred owls might be the only way to save spotted owls.

How and why the government failed so miserably in its costly attempt to protect spotted owls is a sordid tale that illustrates what happens when science is politicized. Begin with the fact that protecting owls was never the objective: Saving old-growth forests from chainsaws was. The owl was simply a surrogate -- a stand-in for forests that do not themselves qualify for ESA protection. But if a link could be established between harvesting in old-growth forests and declining spotted owl numbers, the bird might well qualify for listing -- a line of thinking that in 1988 led Andy Stahl, then a resource analyst with the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund, to famously declare, "Thank goodness the spotted owl evolved in the Northwest, for if it hadn't, we'd have to genetically engineer it. It's the perfect species for use as a surrogate."

Indeed it was. But to back their play, the Sierra Club, the Audubon Society and their friends in the Clinton administration needed a good story for the judge. They found it in three obscure reports: a 1976 master's thesis written by wildlife biology major Eric Forsman at Oregon State University; Mr. Forsman's 1980 doctoral dissertation; and a 1984 report written by him and two other biologists. All three reports suggested a strong link between declining owl populations and harvesting in old-growth forests. Unfortunately, the hypothesis has never been tested, so despite 16 years of research, no link between old-growth harvesting and declining owl populations has ever been established.

Moreover, we know little about the relationship between harvesting and owl populations. One such study -- privately funded -- infers an inverse relationship between harvesting and owls. In other words, in areas where some harvesting has occurred, owl numbers are increasing a bit, or at least holding their own, while numbers are declining in areas where no harvesting has occurred.

This news will come as no surprise to Oregon, Washington and California timberland owners who are legally required to provide habitat for owls. Their actively managed lands are home to the highest reproductive rates ever recorded for spotted owls. Why is this?

One possible answer is that the anecdotal evidence on which the listing decision was based is incomplete. No one denies the presence of owls in old-growth forests, but what about the owls that are prospering in managed forests and in forests where little old growth remains? Could it be that spotted owls are more resourceful than we think?

We don't know -- and the reason we don't know is that 16 years ago federal scientists chose to politicize their hypothesis rather than test it rigorously, to flatly reject critiques from biometricians who questioned the statistical validity of the evidence on which the listing decision was based, and to declare with by-god certainty that once the old-growth harvest stopped owl populations would begin to recover.

Some biologists believe that spotted owls still have a fighting chance for survival east of the Cascades in Oregon and Washington, but there is a problem: White fir is pushing native Douglas fir out of these forests in the same way barred owls are pushing spotted owls out of their home range. Minus a long-term thinning program, opposed by many of the same environmental groups that pushed the owl's threatened species listing, the birds will probably vanish from these forests, too.

No doubt one or more environmental groups will use the government's call for recovery plans to demand that even more habitat be set aside for spotted owls. When that demand is made, someone ought to remind Congress of a recent U.S. Forest Service estimate that an additional 1.1 million acres of federal forestland in the Pacific Northwest have grown into old-growth status since the owl's listing. But owl numbers continue to decline.

Perhaps the untold story of the northern spotted owl will lead the U.S. Senate to endorse changes in the Endangered Species Act ratified by the House of Representatives last fall. Among other things, the House version mandates immediate development and implementation of recovery plans for all listed species. To avoid repeats of the spotted owl fiasco, it would also be nice if the scientists selected to peer-review listing proposals represented all sides of inevitably controversial questions.

It should not take 16 years to write a recovery plan. The fact that it did ought to prompt some very pointed questions about what went on behind locked doors in the Portland, Ore., U.S. Bank Tower -- nicknamed the "Tower of Power" by government scientists who gathered there, beyond public and congressional scrutiny, in the spring of 1990 to sift through the pieces of their story. Congress ought to ask for their notes. I'm told they were shredded daily.

Mr. Petersen is the founder of the nonprofit Evergreen Foundation and the publisher of Evergreen Magazine in Montana.

---

Go here to see my last blog on this subject.

Here is another link that speaks to the Northwest Forest Plan from the Clinton years. The publication this link goes to is far from being a neutral observer, and yet this article quietly agrees that the plan has done little to save the Northern Spotted Owl.

More Reid

Below is a partial quote from Breitbart.com that sustains my argument placed on this blog on Jan, 10th. This guy is just another liberal blow-hard hack in the mold of Howard Dean!

"Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid wrote at least four letters helpful to Indian tribes represented by Jack Abramoff, and the senator's staff regularly had contact with the disgraced lobbyist's team about legislation affecting other clients.

The activities _ detailed in billing records and correspondence obtained by The Associated Press _ are far more extensive than previously disclosed. They occurred over three years as Reid collected nearly $68,000 in donations from Abramoff's firm, lobbying partners and clients. ...."

Cabo Whales

Just got back from a week in Cabo San Lucas Mexico; my first time in Mexico except for a memorable trip across the border to Tijuana when I was 19.

While we were there, we went whale watching. Apparently, the whales are there in the thousands around this time of year. We would see them just off the shore every evening and decided we wanted to get up close and personal.

We went on a raft (same type you would go down the Colorado River on) that had two 150cc outboard engines. This thing was FAST!. On the trip out there we were going over 50mph. For those who have not been on the water, this is fast for water travel.
The several boats out there worked together to spot the breaching whales. Our boat responded much faster than the rest and we would be right on their tails when they came up for a breath, as you can see from the pictures. You only get 30 or so seconds then they disappear for 5 or so minutes.
One thing the pictures do not give you. That is the fact that the breath that comes out of their blow-holes smells very bad. I cannot put into words the surprise we all had when this guy blows this retched smelling mist out. We were covered by the stuff one time when we were right behind the guy.
Amazing experience I recommend for anyone that goes down there this time of year. If you have the time, apparently, you can take a plane ride up the coast a couple of hundred miles and see where they give birth to their babies. Quite a site I understand because the mama's come to the surface every 45 seconds or so because their offspring can only hold their breath that long.

These same guys will be seen in the Alaskan waters in late summer. Since we will be there then, I look forward to seeing them again.

Ski Steamboat

View from the top.

Visiting Elk

At 12am last night (I guess that is today), I was awakened by a tap-tap on the window. When I pulled up the shade I was face to face with a 6-point Bull Elk. I mean, he was just staring right at me - head on - with his snout no more than 2 feet away from me.
He was eating the shrubs below the window. I got my wife up and rushed to my office to get my camera. By the time I returned he had left the bedroom window and was around the house just west of the house.

Attached are a couple of these shots.

This guy has been around the house for the last two nights and was the one I took the picture of on the 16th.

Police Report from North Park

The following are a couple of police reports written by the clever Jim Dustin of the Jackson County Star.

Dec 13: a ranch manager on the west side of the county had a chat with some snowmobilers regarding the concept of private property.

Dec 14: the EMT's assisted when a child fell out of a shopping cart.

Dec 14: a motorist driving over Cameron Pass and down into Jackson County was confronted with numerous curves along Highway 14. He failed to make the first one; passersby helped.

Dec 14: motorists were faced with a prickly problem when they encountered a rather large porcupine in the middle of Highway 125 south of Walden. Officers summoned the DOW.

Northern Spotted Owl

EATS ->





In the Feb 2006 issue of Outdoor Life the editor relates the sad fact that the environmentalists had it all wrong about the Spotted Owl. Sad, that is for the 130,000 people who lost their jobs!

Having been placed on the endangered list in 1990, the Clinton administration (in the mid 90's), banned all logging on 24 million acres in the Pacific North West. This shut down the logging industry and therefore the loss of jobs.

The population of the Spotted Owl has continued to decline even though there has been no logging. Seems as though the reason is the fact that the Barred Owl's favorite target is the Spotted Owl! Heavens me! Did we jump to conclusions back in 1995?

Just another example of how the left, the environmentalists in this case, are really anti-capitalist when it comes right down to it.

I think he is lost

When the snow is close to 4 feet deep on the flats, getting around is much easier if you use the plowed streets!