For those who wish they could write

John Phillips writing in Car and Driver April 2010:

“Some look at things that are and ask, ‘Why?’ I dream of things that never were and ask, ‘Why this?’”

Describing the body of the Pontiac Aztec: “A body that resembles Janis Joplin’s during her most devoted heroin years.”

Or the Dodge Shadow: “Who would have thought that someone could create a car guaranteed to make your wife shout, ‘Wow, my mother was right!’”

Of the cockpit smell in a Hyundai Pony: “A curious mixture of wet dog, WD-40, and liquid Maalox.”

Is there anybody left who doubts Obama is a socialist?

I remember the looks of disdain at the “fear mongering”. Ha Ha! Look it up.

Wikipedia

Dictionary.com Socialism - a theory or system of social organization that advocates the vesting of the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution, of capital, land, etc., in the community as a whole.

Concise Encyclopedia of Economics Socialism—defined as a centrally planned economy in which the government controls all means of production—was the tragic failure of the twentieth century. Born of a commitment to remedy the economic and moral defects of capitalism, it has far surpassed capitalism in both economic malfunction and moral cruelty.

Britannica

social and economic doctrine that calls for public rather than private ownership or control of property and natural resources. According to the socialist view, individuals do not live or work in isolation but live in cooperation with one another. Furthermore, everything that people produce is in some sense a social product, and everyone who contributes to the production of a good is entitled to a share in it. Society as a whole, therefore, should own or at least control property for the benefit of all its members.

[Capitalism provides for] private ownership of the means of production and allows individual choices in a free [market] to determine how goods and services are distributed. Socialists complain that capitalism necessarily leads to unfair and exploitative concentrations of wealth and power in the hands of the relative few who emerge victorious from free-market competition—people who then use their wealth and power to reinforce their dominance in society. Because such people are rich, they may choose where and how to live, and their choices in turn limit the options of the poor. As a result, terms such as individual freedom and equality of opportunity may be meaningful for capitalists but can only ring hollow for working people, who must do the capitalists’ bidding if they are to survive. As socialists see it, true freedom and true equality require of the resources that provide the basis for prosperity in any society. and made this point in (1848) when they proclaimed that in a socialist society “the condition for the free development of each is the free development of all.”

Think government control of banks, health care, automobile industry , energy and just keep going. Watch what they do not what they say.

The story line or how it is supposed to be

My eldest son J is always on the lookout for an idea for a script or short story so he has on occasion asked my wife or me for some ideas. Here is what I’ve been thinking.

Imagine a mix of The DaVinci Code, Godzilla, War of the Worlds, and Independence Day. It would have intrigue, world-wide ramifications, true evil, a life and death struggle, science as our savior, and best of all a cause that could unite the world and lead to lasting peace. We have this story hardwired into us dating back to WW2 movies, Star Trek, and Saturday morning science fiction shows. The basic plot is part of our world-view so it is easy to sell.

Consider a threat so dire that it will wipe out all of humanity and leave our planet uninhabitable. The evil is us, not a comet streaking toward us. It consists of greedy men who do whatever they can for power and money. But it isn’t that simple, they are empowered by those who are addicted to what they are producing.

Fortunately there are those who see through the conspiracy and by science are able to lead a way out but that path may destroy the former world and with it the cabal of evil and break its spell. Now the challenge.Who are the good guys and what is the evil?

One scenario would have the hero played by a guy who looks like Dick Cheney fighting an evil terrorist organization bent on the destruction of the world as we know it. He would have at his disposal the latest in military hardware. On the other hand we might select a Will Smith look-alike fighting to save the planet from the scourge of global warming caused by the evils of capitalism (and guys like Dick Cheney). His Manhattan Project would involve breakthroughs in green energy followed by the sharing of that knowledge with the United Nations.

Most Americans,especially men, prefer the flash and roar of explosions followed by the ghastly death of the bad guys and the knowing looks of our comrades-in-arms as we survey the rubble and contemplate the future. But there is a segment who lean toward the chick flick endings where the bad guys are sent to prison, the scales fall from the eyes of those deceived and we all join hands around the world and move in together.

Counting Down

When you start getting short there are several ways to count the days. First of all, in total days from today, it is 69. On the other hand if just school days count then it’s only 47 but if it comes down to days with kids it is only 46 but four of them are half-days so it’s really only 44. But I also have 25 sick days that can be used, well at least some of them. On top of that I finished my last recess duty a week ago so my mornings won’t be hectic anymore.

Tuesday I got the retirement paperwork done with the state and then on Wednesday with the district. There isn’t much more to do except finish up all the loose ends that go with the end of the year. There will be one more progress report, another report card, an awards assembly, AIMS testing, finishing my group PLC with three other tech teachers, and cleaning out my stuff. Well there is teaching involved too.

This spring break, instead of just kicking back, I’ve worked on a half-dozen computers. The contrast in work environment is so much more relaxed. There has been time to get out to ride and hike. Saturday Howard and I are doing an in and out at the Canyon just before the one-year pass expires that I bought last year when J and I rode up there. Brad even took a couple of hikes up Shaw Butte with me. Life is good!

Making plans for a long one

It seems like too long since I’ve written about riding. Just too much happening. I retire from teaching in 53 days (but who’s counting?) Oh that doesn’t mean it’s time to sit back and relax, people aren’t allowed to do that these days so it means another start, but that’s ok. There will be about a month that I can take off and forget about the regular stuff.

I’ve heard that the back roads through New Mexico are nice so it looks like Vicki and I’ll head out through Safford, Arizona and go up through Santa Fe. That little town of Madrid that was used in Wild Hogs is along the way as are a fair number of old Spanish missions. There is even a memorial to Vietnam veterans that looks interesting. Some passes in the Rockies will get us up to Denver where a niece and nephew have been kind enough to invite us to stop by.

My brother-in-law and his wife live in Omaha so we will go through there. And I have a buddy who lives in Quincy, Illinois who said to stop by. Our son and his wife live in Nashville but I don’t know how their schedule looks this summer. To make things even more complicated a teacher friend said to stop by his home in Montana just north of Yellowstone and south of Glacier Park. That’s one I don’t want to miss.  It may take some time and planning, but planning is half the fun.