Keynes vs Hayek Round 2

My favorite YouTube video of all time

now has a sequel.  I just love these guys.

Supplemental Income

Many couples are looking for ways to add to the household income in these tough economic times.  Here at Starlings we are no different as evidenced by a recent conversation.

Me: You need to make more money.
Moose: Oh, why?
Me: Because I need a maid and a cook, or maybe just a housekeeper, I think they can do both.  Maybe you should start a crime syndicate.
Moose: Well, I have been watching this Dillinger movie and crime really does pay.
Me: Until you get shot in front of a theater.
Moose: But then Johnny Depp will play me in a movie and we can have the royalties.
Me: Profits.

Is there A Money Saving App?

 

Moose and I gave each other in the most unromantic and least secretive way Android phones for Christmas.  By unromantic I mean we dashed into Best Buy on Black Friday and bought them.  By least secretive I mean we bought them together and then I wrapped them, hauled them to Montana, then a week later we unwrapped them.

I didn't think that we could afford them and now looking at my financial planner on my new Android phone I see that I was right.  We should have given each other handmade coupon books and socks and that is it.

The good news is that we are Virgin Mobile customers so we get unlimited web, text and data with an adequate amount of minutes  for $25 a month no contract.  It makes me happy to know that we won't be sinking tons of money into a plan just because we were a little foolish on Black Friday.

I have already strengthened relationships because many of my friends and family members are REALLY happy that they can text me all the time now. And really if you were my sister you would want to tell me things all the time, wouldn't you? I am happy too because I can nag Moose without hearing his annoyed voice on the other end of the phone.  I can also send him lists of things to get at the grocery store all the time.

If only La Keira would figure out texting we could realize the Batphone dream.

I am totally excited to use my scriptures app at church on Sunday and not have to add my heavy quad to the already heavy Keep-the-Kids-Entertained-and-Quiet-During-Sacrament-Meeting bag.

But still I feel guilty that we spent so much money.  In my defense my Mom told me we should do it, and we all know that we should listen to our mothers.

I am hoping that I will be able to use the phone to help me save money like my brother did when we were Christmas shopping.  I have joined Groupon, am working on figuring out the barcode scanner and the aforementioned financial planner will help me feel really guilty and think 5 times before spending ANY money.

Do you have any helpful money saving tips you have realized with your smart phone?

Innocence Lost

There was once a man who was loved by many. He said to the people "Follow me and I will make you do what is right, I will save you. Not one soul shall be lost. The glory will be mine." There was another man, also loved by many who said "Follow me. I will not make you do what is right. I will let you chose good or evil. Some will be lost, but I will save you through my sacrifice. The glory will be to our father, our creator." Many people wanted to be forced to do what was right, still more wanted their agency. There was a war.
The first man and his followers were cast out. He tries now to take away our agency. Always he contrives with his whisperings, his cunning words and his lies. He tells us what we want to hear as he leads us down the path to bondage.
This man's name is Satan, Lucifer, the Devil.

Today I listened to the president of my country, the very country that was founded on the sacrifice and blood of so many for liberty, for freedom, for AGENCY. I heard his cunning words and lies as he tries to lead our people into bondage. Physical bondage, financial bondage, social bondage.

I snapped of the radio and told my children the unhappy truth. I told my children solemnly, gravely that the president of our country is a wicked man. I told them that he is taking away our agency, that he is full of lies and deceit.
I warned them to be on their guard.
I will fight for their agency just as I did once before.

Samurai Mom Goes to Washington

...or to the Sherwood Town Hall meeting with Congressman Wu to be precise. The questions were not pre-screened.

Near the end of the meeting I was called on. I reminded the Congressman that he had not answered the gentleman's question about whether or not he had read the "cap and trade" bill before he voted on it. I also reminded him that he had not answered the lady's question as to whether he would commit to reading the health care bill before voting on it. I then said that I would like to know if he read any of the bills passed recently that spent gigantic amounts of money and that I would like to know if he would to commit to reading all future bills before voting on them. Then I said
"As someone that votes and sends you to congress I expect you to read every bill before voting. If you cannot do so or don't have the time I expect you to abstain or vote "no." If you can't do that, if you think that that is to much of a work load then maybe this isn't the job for you."

Wild applause from the audience.

He insisted that he had kept all of his campaign promises over the top of people yelling "Answer her question!" He did not, and I am still waiting for a satisfactory response, Congressman.

I was lucky that he called on me, I owe it all to my youthful and demure appearance Appearances can be deceiving as Congressman Wu found out. He went right back to asking questions of the frail looking elderly who were angry but a little more reserved and less pointed.

After the meeting was over I was congratulated many (20?) times, had my hand shaken repeatedly, was called a patriot and was accused of being just 18!

There were oh, so many other things I wanted to chastise him for but this one is what fit with the meeting. I am amazed that the thoughts came out so calmly, clearly and in order. I didn't lose my head and I didn't call anyone names! I was so angry but I don't think I gave that away in my voice.
The beauty of what I said is that it runs across the board. EVERY voter wants their congressmen to read bills before voting on them. No one but congresspeople think that not reading bills before passing legislation is OK. I realize that it is probably impossible to read every word of every bill. That just makes my point; the bills are too long, too complex, too full of pork and there are too many of them. If people refuse to support a bill until they have read it thoroughly then eventually the "way it is" will change!

As we heard tonight, Congressman David Wu has repeatedly refused to commit to reading bills before voting on them.

***This video will be active shortly, as it turns out it remembered it fairly well, and honestly, people did yell for him to answer my question.***

Sweet Dreams

It's not a gigantic pillow or a hammock (Moose stubbornly refuses to let me hang a hammock indoors) but it will do.

After 2 days, seven stores, 5 hours and tossing ourselves countless times on a variety of mattresses we have purchased a new mattress. It is latex and according to the guy at the store (just like every guy at every store) it is the best one around.

What I like about it is that it is soft and there are no springs. Really, who came up with the idea of sleeping on coils of metal? Insanity if you ask me. I can now sleep on a bed that doesn't sag in the middle both ways and does not have springs that find their way right into my rib cage.

Funny that liquid rubber can turn into a soft mattress.

I feel bad for the salesmen at the store - methinks the mattress business is slow right now and the poor guys probably have kids to feed.

The kids had a blast having races on the adjustable Temperpedic beds at one store. Boba Fett's dream is to grow up and have a machine bed.

Nutmeg thought that the stores were heaven as she bounced from bed to bed to bed.

Urban Legend Revealed

Monday I found a large envelope in my mailbox. It was from the Neilsen Ratings Company. I have of course heard about these people but I thought they were an urban legend made up by the TV people so that they could tell us how popular their terrible shows are. I had certainly never been polled by them, nor has anyone I know.

Well, now I believe in them because they sent me CASH MONEY! I opened the envelope and there were the Benjamins (I know they aren't really Benjamins but it isn't cool to say one Lincoln and five Washingtons now it is?) and a tiny one side of one page survey to find out if we were white and if we spoke Spanish.

I don't really feel represented though, because they didn't ask much about the shows I watch and I don't think that they care that I am a married white woman.

I really hate when people in surveys are so concerned about race. WHO CARES??? If we really want to eliminate racism in this country than we need to stop obsessing about what demographic we fit into and just take people as they are.

They also promised to send me $20 more once they received the survey. I think that is aces and even if it is a scam I still have the $10 and they can't take it away from me. I am totally going to but something awesome with it like sushi, or chocolate, or yarn. Way to stimulate the economy Neilsen Ratings!

The Happiest Place on Earth

Afton wanted to know what the deal was with my Disneyland remark on yesterday's Sabbath Leaves. It is complicated and has a lot to do with me being selfish, sounds like a good blog post...

We are having a family reunion at Disneyland this Thanksgiving. I am not excited. I have never really had a desire to go to Disneyland. I mean as a kid I wouldn't have said "No" to an offer but I never dreamed of Disneyland.

Reasons why I don't want to go:
The commercialism of it all. Yuck it just makes me want to gag. Disney everything all for sale! Don't even get me started on how ticked I am at Disney for getting copyrights for everything extended just so they could hold on to vintage Mickey.

I have issues with Disney movies, fun movies and all. I am a huge fan of the art in Sleeping Beauty and used to be obsessed with Snow White but the way they twist the original fairy tales really bugs me. It isn't the fact that they do it but the fact that after one of their movies is out it becomes synonymous with the fairy tale and the original is lost to the public knowledge. How many people know that the Little Mermaid really dies, that Beauty from Beauty and the beast had sisters, that the witch tricked Snow White with a poisoned comb, and tight corset strings before the apple, that Sleeping Beauty lay asleep for 100 years and many princes died trying to reach her?

I have problems with the values Disney teaches through their movies. Fairy tales by their very nature are made to teach virtue to children.
In the Disney version of The Little Mermaid Ariel disobeys her father, runs away, sells her soul to the sea witch and wins the prince in the end. In the original she dies because she did not listen to her father. Which would you rather your children learn that by disobeying they could be in mortal danger or that by disobeying and selling your soul you will win happiness?

There is also the universal theme of true love conquers all in their movies, and you know what sometimes true love isn't enough. Sometimes love at first sight isn't love. Often the Disney Characters think that they know better than their parents or caregivers.

And then there are the crowds. We are going in November so it probably won't be as bad as it could be but I hate crowds of tourists. I try to avoid them at all costs. I like to go to the Children's Museum on days when there will not be any field trips so we can have room to enjoy the experience and not be worried about losing people.

There is the whole carnival aspect of it. I can't shake the foreboding feeling that it will be like a big expensive carnival, hot, dusty and sticky.

Which brings me to the expense. The whole things seems to me like a gigantic HUGE waste of money. I can't fathom how much we will spend and couldn't that money be better used for practical things or many small, economical family vacations?

I am betting dollars to doughnuts that the costumes will not meet my exacting standards and that will annoy me.

And this whole "Happiest Place on Earth Thing" Really? I am pretty sure I will have sore feet, a headache and a hungry belly combined with cranky over tired children. I will be worried about kids running off. There will also be the family reunion stress of making sure 17 people are happy and getting to what they want to do. How exactly will this be happy? I think that seeing a happy Cinderella and Jasmine walking down the street will really tick me of in these moments.

And so in preparation for our family reunion I am striving to get a better attitude about Disneyland. Do you think they sell those in the gift shops?

Low Tech, High Maintenance

I want to listen to the radio when I am in the kitchen preparing dinner. Just the AM radio, I don't even need any fancy FM stereo.
I have a radio not 10 steps away from the kitchen in the Library but it has one of those little cord antenna and I can't pick up any stations on it. I don't need a clock, there are already three in the kitchen just a radio.
I could stream from the computer but the radio stations' streaming only works with a Microsoft operating system, which I do not use.
Apparently this is too low tech for the 21st century.

So last night Moose and I packed up all the little mooselings into the car and went to Best Buy for two items.
When we got to BB I was in the lead filing past the DVD's when I noticed the kids were starting to lag behind, I turned around and I couldn't see Moose, then I saw him bent over looking at something on a low shelf in the Blue Ray Section. We don't have a Blue Ray player so I walked over to him and said "What are you looking at Honey?" In a sweet little wifey voice. He stood up and he was NOT Moose. I had never seen that guy in my life. I said "Oh, you are not my honey, I am sorry." Blushed, and turned around. Then I saw Moose wondering what on earth I was doing. I walked over to him and said "That man is NOT my husband. Where were you?" Home Theatre section.

We arrived at the headphone section.
As I have stated before I have small ears. Generally this is a good thing because small ears = beautiful ears in my opinion, but it does cause a problem when it comes to headphones and earpieces. Earbuds do not stay in my ears or are too big and hurts them. Ear pieces are too heavy and hurt my ears. We tried to find something that will work.
We ended up purchasing some Nike Vapor phones which ended up being too big for the inside of my ear and too heavy and pinchy for the outside of the ear. I think I will forgo coolness and get some good old headband style earphones. (By the way headbands press on my head and give me a headache so I can't wear those either, only all fabric headbands around here.)

We looked for the plain old low tech radio, - we did not find there though apparently there is one available at Best Buy online. Which brings me to how stupid major retail stores are with their websites.

When I go to GAP.com I am not looking to buy at Gap.com I am deciding if it is worth my time to find someone to watch the kids and get in the car and drive to The GAP and shop. I would never buy an article of clothing unless I knew it would fit me.
For example, this fall when I was looking for a black turtleneck online and I found turtlenecks at Gap.com and decided it was worth a trip to the Gap to check it out. The guy in the store looked at me as if I had said "Polyester Leisure Suit" instead of "turtleneck". I told him they had one on the website. He told me that they don't have a lot of things that are on the website.

Don't they get it?!? Use your website to drive traffic to your store you big retail morons! And then have the items the people want. They treat the websites as separate endeavors when they SHOULD be an addition to the store.
All their websites accomplish is me getting a sitter and wasting my time going to The GAP for no good reason when I could have just stayed home and bought online. This makes me want to not shop at retail stores because they are a waste of my time but I don't want to buy online because I want to try on my clothes first! So I don't buy anything and their stock falls and the economy is in the dumps all because Gap.com had a turtleneck and the store didn't and the only profit was made by my babysitter.
I did not get a black turtleneck form Gap.com I went without. So anyway bestbuy.com has a little radio but I think I will be buying it from anyone BUT bestbuy.com.

Concievable Instances in which I Would Consider Voting for Obama

Here are some of the conceivable instances that might induce me to fill in that little circle for Obama. Lets just say I am not easily parted from my constitutional right and civic duty.

1.IF the prophet officially told the church to vote for Obama (just FYI that is highly unlikely)- or a strong prompting from the spirit. By strong I mean Alma the younger type revelation with the angels and the coma and such. Little whisperings aren't going to cut it.
2. IF someone were holding my children hostage and would kill them if I did not vote for Obama. But I am limiting it to my kids ( maybe niece and nephews), the rest of my loved ones will have to fend for themselves because the constitution and I are tight like that.
3. IF the CIA were using me as an agent and could convince me without a doubt that my small vote would in fact save the world and ensure peace and stability everywhere and that Obama's policies will all be thwarted by secret government agents thereby protecting the nation from his lunacy.

I thought of other things like a one bajillion dollar bribe or a vacation in Prague, (but seriously how could I live with myself knowing that I sold out my country) or he suddenly reverses his position on the economy, taxes, the purpose of government, national defence, global warming, energy, the war, health care, education, abortion and others. But even if he did that I wouldn't buy it because he always changes his story to be what people want to hear. "Well when I said 'spread the wealth' I didn't mean spread the wealth." "When I said 'lipstick on a pig' I didn't mean Sarah Palin." Yeah, Yeah, Yeah. Uhuh, uhuh, uhuh. I wouldn't trust him to bring in my mail.

I heard someone yesterday say that "Barak Obama always says he wants to change America, not Washington. I like America, I don't want it changed. I want to change Washington."

Word.

Weezer is King

Yesterday I was expected to and I fully planned to give an account of the Weezer concert and how Moose scored us awesome tickets. I planned to tell about how we were walking to dinner we saw the trucks
that carry all of the concert stuff, and then just around the corner we saw the actual buses that carry rock stars of which I did not take a picture because Moose made me bring our old camera and there is a reason we bought a new one.
I planned to post about how dinner at The Greek Cuisina was not what we remembered and though the calamari was still huge delicious pieces of octopus, the fried batter around it tasted like fried grease and the dolmathes that I remember being so yummy made me want to throw up, so....I guess remembering food that you once ate while pregnant as the most delicious meal you ever had is just setting you up for disappointment.
I planned to post about how we got to the concert after the first act but unfortunately in time to see the second act, Angels and Airwaves. They were competent musicians but the tone and tempo if the songs did not seem to be suited to Weezer fans and the singer was weird. I mean weird. He was dancing and mostly prancing about the stage in a floating weird leg hovering manner and his hands did weird things. We saw a lot of his back side - doesn't he know that you aren't really supposed to show your back to the audience? All the while he was describing themselves as a punk rock band which really did not jive with the interpretive dance and sappy songs, but it did jive with his salty language. He sounded like such an idiot. There were two teenage girls however who couldn't afford good tickets that really, really loved this band. They screamed and jumped the entire set. They were more fun to watch than the band.
I was going to post about how Weezer finally came out and they were rockin', and we had a great time. I was going to post about how "King" may have been the best song of the night. Rivers called it a "Fresh Jam." and jumped on a re-bounder. I was going to post about the 4 adorable men sitting behind me. These men must have been at or near 40 years old, they came together just as Weezer started. They were big tall men and they sang along and danced to every song. It just tickled me to look back and see them having such a great time. I fully intended to get a picture of them but these guys were intimidating and when the moment came I chickened out.
I was going to post about how Rivers wore holes in the knees of his track suit, and how if I were his mother that would make me so mad.
I imagine a conversation something like this:
Weezer Mom: "Rivers, you wore holes in you knees again!"
Rivers: "Sorry Mom, but wailing on the guitar like a rock star is hard on the knees."
Weezer Mom: " I don't care what all the other rock stars are doing don't you know these matching track suits cost money?"
Rivers: " Mom, I am a rock star I can buy more track suits."
Weezer Mom: "I don't care if you have more money than Saudi Arabia, this is wasteful."
Rivers: "Mom, the fans love it when I wear holes in the knees."
Weezer Mom: " I don't care what the fans think. Next time you shred just do it on your feet. Do you hear me? Now get back out there and sign various parts of people's anatomy. Here is a sharpie. I have to get to work hemming these track pants into shorts for you to wear."

I planned to post all of those things but instead I went to visit a friend in the Hospital and then on the way home I was almost rear ended. I didn't think it was a big deal but Commander C and Moose witnessed the incident (it was right in front our out house) and Moose was really upset - (the other car was going very fast and my wheels were turned into the oncoming traffic). He tried to chase the car and beat it up. Which really made me feel loved and protected.

After that I just felt quiet and a little shaken and just sat around all day long. I couldn't blog or even knit. So I just sat around.
I am grateful we said a family prayer yesterday morning pleading for protection.

Short Pants

I have previously championed the return of many historic forms of dress including (but not limited to) the lightly boned corset, bonnets, full 50's style skirts, petticoats and aprons (not assembled together however, that is a bit weird.)

But never have I have a more practical cause than dressing boys in short pants.
Ever notice how boys wear holes in the knees of their pants no matter how long they have been wearing them? Commander C wears his church pants for precisely 3.5 hours a week doing "reverent" activities and he still manages to wear out the knees. It is as if boys' knees radiate a fabric degrading signal.

In earlier times little boys wore short pants and graduated into trousers around puberty. Children were easily distinguished from young men. Getting your first pair of trousers was a rite of passage.

If one is worried about cold legs the practice of knitting wool socks is coming back into vogue. I realize this is not practical for those living in areas with harsh winters but for those of us in milder climates I believe this is a practical solution. You just wait until the great depression of 2009 and we are all making our son's pants. Shorts will start looking very attractive.

On a less celebratory note, I was thinking about the economy, the likelihood of another depression, and the prophecies in the book The Fourth Turning. Strauss and Howe initially thought that 9-11 was the crisis for this cycle but later said that is was not and that the crisis was likely to be economic. I really think that is the case, I hope I am wrong but I think our nation deserves a recession if not a depression. I think it will get worse.
If you haven't read The Fourth Turning or The 13th Generation by Strauss and Howe, you should.

Coming Out of the Closet

The political closet that is. Anyone who knows me knows that I have very strong political views. It all goes back to this little thing written a couple hundred years ago called "The Constitution of the United States of America" and the ideals espoused by the authors; liberty, freedom and personal responsibility.
I have been a little reluctant to admit to most that I support Ron Paul for President because I don't like being laughed at.
I find it disturbing that most people just laugh at him. Friends of mine were at a Republican caucus late last year and people thought Paul was so ridiculous. As if espousing ideals that align with our constitution are something to mock.
The media's treatment has been outrageous. We know what happens to their darlings - Obama. The only mainstream media piece I saw about Paul was about how prostitutes in Nevada support him for President. Hardly fair reporting.
Ron Paul shares my views on economic policy, war on terror, immigration, education, Social Security, health care, states rights, the Federal Reserve and limited government to name a few. He will not compromise nor will I. That is why I support Ron Paul for President of the United States of America.

A Dream Regarding Economics

After last night's discussion on Free to Choose by Milton Friedman, I had and interesting dream. I was having a one-on-one conversation with the governor, giving him a little lesson on fiscal policy. The best part of the dream was when I said "Look, everybody knows that you are bought and paid for by the teacher's union, but just listen for a minute." And he did.

There Will Be No Government Subsidies

"L gets $5 a week just for being a good kid." Commander C informed us. He was angling for a similar compensation. I cringed because if L gets $5 then Commander C deserves $15, $10 on his bad attitude weeks. He is really a good kid and according to him L doesn't even have ANY chores.

We didn't say anything just then but I feel a little economic lecture is in order all about how we aren't a socialist household and no one gets money just for being there. Dad doesn't get paid just for being a good dad, or citizen or whatever and Mom certainly doesn't. A talk about self reliance and the only way to get money is to earn money. There are things he is expected to do as a member of this family but if he is willing to do extra there is that Help Wanted board right there in the School Room and there are plenty of opportunities for him to earn money.

Maybe L's parents need a little lesson in economics too.