Visiting an Old Girl Friend

May insisted we visit, so last night we went to May's for dinner. When I say an old girl friend, I mean it, May is 83. May killed two husbands with kindness. Now this may not seem possible, but if you visit may and you are one of her sweethearts, you can see how it may have been so. First, you art told to sit in one of those special chairs that electrically lifts you up and down. Once you have been instructed about how to use the buttons, you recline and May removes your shoes. A blanket is placed over you, and a heating pad is put behind your back. Next, you request a beverage and the remote control is placed in you hand for the television. Mean while May lays out the Kentucky fried chicken with all the trimmings. After dinner you get back in the chair and readjust the heating pad. May plays the piano and you drift off before the evening conversation begins. Don't ever let anyone tell you older women don't have charms.

May is full of life and her mind is sharp. May hates bugs, snakes, and anything small coming into her house. At every door are special sticky strips to catch intruders. The best defense doesn't always work. May explained how two small snakes got in her house and she had to stand on the dinning room table until the neighbors could rescue her. May like to party, and invited us to a couple more get togethers. We even got an invitation to a cookie exchange.

Safe for troops?

The news this morning on NPR mentioned that more troops will be put on the streets of Iraq, because it is now safe for the soldiers according to the Secretary of Defense. This seems like an extremely strange way to use soldiers. You don't put them in a position where they may get hurt. Isn't it inherent in the definition of a soldier that they work in unsafe places? What kind of war do you have where you don't deploy soldiers until it is "Safe"? I don't know how we ever would have defeated the enemy in World War Two if we didn't send troops until it was safe.

Found the GPS

Another hike today. Yesterday luck smiled on Ned, he left his GPS on the back of the pickup at Clear Creek. It fell off, but survived without being run over. It was on the ground and running when he made the twenty minute trip by dirt bike to get it. Another ten feet and it would have ended up in a massive puddle. Today will be another hike. Luckily the gipple in my back is doing alright. For some reason going up hill seems to work for Lardo (as our French exchange student called me.) First task this morning is some good breakfast rolls.

Who is Lisa Cremmer?

Todays hike was up to some altitude. The Kadizzle's went from 4,444 feet to 7,352 feet above sea level. Wonderful day, and scenery hard to improve. On the way up the trail we both missed a little day pack in the bushes. It was more obvious on the way down. Examing the day pack it first appeared to be some sort of rental thing, but closer looking revealed the name Lisa Cremmer. Why did Lisa leave the pack? Did she fail to return this way? Did she drink all the water and just throw the pack away? Did she ever return? Mud on the pack made it look like it had been there several days. Once before we found a pack like this, except it was completely loaded with goods. It had water and a lot of supplies. It was there early in the day and there when we returned. When you find things like this you wonder if someone is in trouble, or if it is just a stash as part of a hike. The other strange thing I have found this year, and never before is weather balloons. While hunting I found what at first I thought was a kite, but on a closer look, it was a parachute for a weather balloon. I traced the string down and found the transponder. I sent it back in the package provided and asked them to send me a balloon, or at least tell me where it was launched from. To this day I have not had a reply. On the way down here near Zuni I saw another weather balloon parachute in a field. We did not stop to investigate, but I am sure it was one. The odds of things seem strange. I have hiked for years and never found a weather balloon, and then this year I find two. Correction, last year I did find just the shredded balloon, but no transponder or parachute. An old fellow walking by yesterday told us about finding a human skeleton in a well while hiking around here.

Funny, but sadly true

Be sure to read Tom Friedman's column in the NYT today. He hits the nail on the head, and it is very funny. Friedman has a phony satirical letter from Iran

A little excerpt from NYT on cost of Iraq

From Bob Herbert

Early last year, the Nobel-Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz estimated that the “true” cost of the war would ultimately exceed $1 trillion, and maybe even $2 trillion.

Incredibly, that estimate may have been low.

A report prepared for the Democratic majority on the Joint Economic Committee of the House and Senate warns that without a significant change of course in Iraq, the long-term cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan could head into the vicinity of $3.5 trillion. The vast majority of those expenses would be for Iraq.

Priorities don’t get much more twisted. A country that can’t find the money to provide health coverage for its children, or to rebuild the city of New Orleans, or to create a first-class public school system, is flushing whole generations worth of cash into the bottomless pit of a failed and endless war.

To the top of the rim

The Commander was still full of energy today, so we hauled her to the top of the rim and let her hike down into Blodgett Canyon. Ned and Lord Kadizzle went on out to the top of the rim. His Lordship has often wondered what the top of the mesa was like. Once on top you can see how the cattle men in the old days took the herds up there to graze for the summer. There is not a lot of water, but the grazing looked good. It is evident that to the East of Cottonwood, Camp Verde, ect is a vast expanse of wilderness. However, this is the way all the early explorers came in and out. Things worked out perfectly and when we got to the bottom of Clear Creek, The Commander was just stepping out of the woods.

China's Corpocracy

Read David Brooks in today's New York Times. Mr. Brooks claims China is run by a corpocracy. All of a sudden it may occur to you while reading the article we have exactly the same thing in this country. The whole exercise could be enlightening.

Bell Trail Hike

Back Frozen Up

The Kadizzles set out on the first hike of the season. First the cinnamon roll place was closed, a near catastrophe. So the hikers drove to Oak Creek and had breakfast. Next we hiked up about two thirds of a touristy pinnacle, but lost the trail, and gave up. So the big hike started up Bell Trail. Bell trail was an old means to reach the rim above Wet Beaver Creek about 20 miles east of Sedona. Bell Trail turned out to be a perfect hike with some spectacular scenery. Later his lordship may put a slide show together. On the way back the belly overcame the back and now I am froze up. The hike was a fairly flat eight miles, but having the old Thanksgiving turkey hammer on the sciatica was just too much stuffing. Hopefully the gipple will give up by tomorrow, and we will be back at it.

Perfect Day in Rim Rock

The rain quit, and it could not be nicer. Bike riding, neighbor visiting, and sitting in the sun are the order of the day. Patty has been dog sitting, and house cleaning. The Commander and his Lordship have been looking at houses. Prices are falling right in front of us. Maybe some hiking tomorrow. This picture is looking down the street from Patty's toward the public land.

Stump Preachers

Lord Kadizzle was not long awake this Sunday morning, when The Commander suggested we watch CBS Sunday morning. We must have got up to early, so spinning through the channels, which were limited, we found nothing but stump preachers. It is amazing the numerous thieves masquerading as preachers there are on television. Why do we tolerate, and even encourage these thieves by making their theft tax free? Europeans come to this country and are amazed at what a bunch of bumpkins we have giving money to these charlatans that freely admit they have jets and live in Mansions. Billy Graham was a classic. He was a racist, and the White House always invited him over to get the bumpkin vote. As it happens The Commander went to camp with Billy Graham's daughter in law. The last time she met her they talked about how they flew their twin engine plane over North Dakota on the way to their retreat in Alaska. Sounds like a man of God to me.

If you care an once about reality

I have a couple of friends who are hard core conservatives. No matter what you presented them with in terms of evidence, they would not change. One of them sails like I do. I remember my one friend's little sail boat engine was on the verge of disaster. He could not comprehend how the engine could run, and still be on the verge of disaster. The symptoms were clear, but the engine ran. Until the engine failed, I could not convince him that if you put a quart of oil in the engine, and it immediately ended up in the bilge you had a serious problem. My neighbor up the street is the same way. He is so entrenched in the Bush mythology, that he cannot comprehend the looming disaster Bush has created. 72% of the American public has finally awakened to the reality that is the Bush Administration. The other 28% caught in the Bush cult, will never admit what a disaster we have on our hands.

This morning I read an article that articulates what has been on my mind. In VANITY FAIR, Nobel Laureate, Josephe Stiglitz wrote an excellent article outlining the damage George Bush has done to the economy of the United States. If you care at all about what has happened make every effort you can to read the article. The title of the article is The Economic Consequencies of Mr.Bush. If I could print it and send it to everyone I know I would. It will almost make you cry. Josephe Stiglitz, feels Bush will surpass Herbert Hoover for the number one economic disaster we have ever had for president. It isn't just that Bush got one thing wrong, but the fact that he managed to mess up virtually everything. If I can find a link to the article on the web I will provide it. Here is the link http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2007/12/bush200712

John Prine and Iris DeMent - In Spite of Ourselves

This is the theme song for Lord Kadizzle and The Commander. I ran across it with some comments form my hero John Prine

Down to Patty's

The Indians Knew Real Estate

As the old saw goes, location, location, location. If there was a good place, or to be more precise perfect place to build something, it seems the Indians always could find it. Visiting El Moro, we found this to be the case one more time. The Zuni built a pueblo on top of a U-shaped mesa, that surrounded an idyllic box canyon. Everything about the site was perfect. The view from on top was for fifty miles in every direction, there was a year round water supply in the perfect pool, and the site was very defendable. I have tried every thing to get my video on here, but nothing seems to work. If you want a more complete view, go to youtube and search for Down to Patty's.

Arrived at Patty's

The Kadizzles have arrived at Patty's. I have been trying to post a video all day, but there must be a glitch. Check back later.

It always Happens.

Sari Clark, works in a little art place in the middle of nowhere. Lord Kadizzle and The commander stopped at this place in the middle of no where fifty miles south of Grants New Mexico. In no time we found out Sari went to high school with Lenard and Carylon Garceau.

If the Lord is willlng and the creek doesn;t rise

If all goes well we will be in Albuquerque New Mexico to night. We may stay at the Wal Mart Temple to American consumerism. If we are ambitious we may go on towards Grants. It seems like the Epizootic has loosened its grip. Megan, Erin, and the Commander all went to Yoga yesterday to get their shakra aligned.

Epizootic on retreat

Gradually after spending hundreds of dollars the epizootic is in retreat. It strikes Lord Kadizzle as unbelievable that a simple dose of the flue can have associated cost of over $250. This is for a person that has insurance. No rational person can believe our health care system is just fine in this country. If you want an eye opener there is a good article in the NY times called Dr. Drug Company. The article is by a doctor that worked or a drug company promoting their drug. His conscience got the best of him and he quit. You do not have to dig very deep to see our health care system is so riddled with special interest that it is hopeless.

Megan in the Kitchen

Strong Bad: Garage Sale.

Bee Bumble and the Practice Baby

Lord Kadizzle has been fighting the worst epizootic in recent history. I cannot shake the crud. If I have managed to infect the rest of the family it will be a major disaster. The Commander also has a case. Today we may go see the doctor, I am ready to surrender.

War of Words breaks out

Evergreen man woke up with his scrabbled brain anxious for a match. After challenging the new words Schatzer made up The Commmander won, by explaining to him there were no such words as taz, ri, and zeke. Next up on the slate was the sister match, which is still in progress.

Ancient Family Mystery Solved

As children we all lived just a short distance from our maternal grandparents. Granny Goodwin often made a desert that she fed to members of the Quinn mob. It was so good many of us long for it to this day. Many times the recipe has been discussed, but it seemed Granny took it with her to the kitchen in the sky. She will not be making it in that kitchen, unless she can get her hands on some bourbon. Today Suzie discovered in The Joy of Cooking the recipe for the sauce, it requires one half cup of bourbon. We must digress for a moment. The desert consist of white rice mixed with whipped cream, but the sauce is the key ingredient that draws it out. Many times I tried some alchemy to make the stuff. My observation was that it contained melted butter, brown sugar, and syrup. As regular as clock work bourbon was consumed at the rate of 1/2 bottler per day at grannies house hold. We always knew bourbon was a key ingredient in the manufacture of the lamps my grandfather made. The bourbon could be purchased in a decrotive bottle that made a nice lamp, when emptied. Emptying the bottles was key to making the lamps. Now we know why some of the bourbon went into the sauce.

Super Hero Appears on Deck

As we sat around and read this morning someone glimpsed up and spotted Evergreen man on the deck. Apparently someone left the lid off the hot tub. Like birds Evergreen man is attracted to water, hot water. We could see him frolicking in the tub. He declared "fear not this snow, Evergreen man is here, I will make it disappear". He left, but the snow didn't. Megan immediately fell in love with Evergreen man and hatched a plan to get him to return. She jumped in the hot tub and yelled "Help, I am drowning". Instantly Evergreen Man appeared and saved her.

The Elephant and the Dragon

If Lord Kadizzle enjoys a book a great deal he usually reads it as fast as he can. Since yesterday I have just completed THE ELEPHANT AND THE DRAGON, BY ROBYN MEREDITH. The book should be considered almost mandatory for passengers on this planet. Meredith gives an excellent summary about what is happening as India, and China dominate the world stage. The book is a real wake up call for those snoozing in the American La La land. Some big things are on the horizon and this is a heads up. As anyone who knows me knows, I think Bush is the worst president our country has ever had. It scares me immensely that our country with the encouragement of our president has been sitting on our hands while a snowball is rolling down the mountain at our way of life. After you read this book you will know for sure the world is going to change in a big way in the next ten years, and our life style is going to be shaken up. As our country is dumbing down with religious fundamentalism, THE ELEPHANT AND THE DRAGON are about to stomp on us in a way that even Jesus will not be able to save us from.

The Eagle has landed

The Kadizzles have landed in Evergreen. Last night we slept in fifty mile per hour winds at the rest stop near Wheatland. Ned, and Megan made it with dog Tony. So here we are ready to bug Erin for a week. The big problem is not getting snowed in here.

Failur to Launch

Since Lord Kadizzle has been suffering form the double epizoodic the wagon train did not leave Friday as scheduled. However, it looks like we will go today. The snow will make it so much more fun. We will be at Erin's for Thanksgiving.

Wagon Heads South Today

With a miserable head cold his lordship will head out when Buckwheat (The Commander)rolls out of bed. We may end up spending the night at the rest stop near Wheatland Wyoming.

Things I would never have predicted.

Often I think about how I ended up in North Dakota. I never imagined as a young hill billy I would spend most of my life in North Dakota. Now, I find myself the major stockholder in a fashion design company. Megan is going to make a stab at a line of clothing in New York City. So now a man with the fashion sense of a person living under the bridge, is watching Project Runway. Lord Kadizzle is learning, he correctly predicted the loser, and the winner. Since gay men seem to dominate women's fashion, I am not sure about Megan's chance. However, her boyfriend dressed as a gay guy for Halloween, so there may be some hope. This leads to an interesting question: Do gay women design men's clothes? Mine seem to be designed by a chubby elf. Lord Kadizzle may start his own line of mens cloths. A friends wife had a good idea, she put a bell on his zipper so he remembers to pull it up. Lord Kadizzle is thinking of various cloth with food stain patterns that would hide the clues to what was served for dinner. Also a shirt with buttons on the bottom that can be attached to the pants to hold them up is in the works. My big hope is to bring out a line of jump suits for retired guys. When RV's first became popular, every old fart that bought one had a silver jump suit. His fashion statement was "I am retired, and my belly no longer has to fight a belt". It also reflected the NASA era. If Kadizzle fashions can bring this trend back, you will see rolly polly guys poping out the doors of great big road hogs looking like a fat guy just landed on the moon.

Sea Change

If the Lord is willing, and the creeks don't rise the retinue of Lord Kadizzle, and The Commander will head to Colorado tomorrow to see the Snoocher Bear in her mountain lair. As hard core nature lovers, which includes piece and quite, we violated a fundamental principle yesterday and bought portable electricity, a generator. Prior to this purchase we were forced to return to civilization periodically to recharge the batteries. Hopefully this addition will reduce our traveling cost. I am not sure we made the right decision. For years we have done just fine without one of the damn things. On many occasions his Lordship has been ready to kill some inconsiderate person that came into a peaceful place and ran a generator. Hopefully we will be judicial enough not to ruin someone else's experience.

Late Night Television

Lord Kadizzle is one of the harder people to shock, but last night the feat may have been accomplished. Unable to sleep because of congestion his lordship got up at three in the morning and turned on the television. Every ripoff scheme imaginable was being sold on some channel. On one channel four women were helping to promote a male enhancement product. I am trying to think of a polite way to describe the winner, that will not ruin your breakfast. Some older man was promoting pills to give yourself a colonic, as he called it. The gentleman was extolling the virtues of flushing your pipes four times a year. The highlight of the commercial was a couple photos of what he said came out of him. It appeared to be a six foot long black rope that was dripping with what appeared to be crankcase sludge. As if this was not enough, he said a bunch of worms also accompanied the rope. Most amazing was that he said his daughter got similar results. This commercial may give a whole new meaning to me when someone says "your full of it". People who are watching television late at night must be dazed, confused, and gullible. My pills should be here in a week or two. I am hoping the results produce a gold brick and enough worms to fish for a week.

Warren Buffett (second richest man in the U. S) pays less tax than you do

Warren Buffett is challenging Forbes 400 members to fork over more

Warren Buffett has been up on his soapbox recently, railing against the Bush Administration's tax policy. America's second-richest man--whose net worth now exceeds $57 billion--pontificates that the rich have lower tax rates than the middle class. It's not a novel argument for Buffett, but he's finding new ways to showcase it.
A few weeks ago he told Tom Brokaw of NBC News that he pays less tax, as a percentage of his taxable income, than the folks who work in Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK-A - News)'s home office. That's because much of his income is taxed at the lower dividends and capital gains rate. To prove his claim, the Oracle (NasdaqGS:ORCL - News) of Omaha produced a memo showing that he had $46.9 million in taxable income in 2006 and paid just 18% to the Feds. The average federal tax paid by Berkshire employees was nearly double Buffett's rate, at 33%. Their salaries range from $60,000 to $750,000.
Buffett wants to take the argument further. He says he will bet any Forbes 400 member $1 million (proceeds to charity) that the average federal tax rate (income and payroll) paid by The Forbes 400 is less than the average rate of their secretaries and receptionists. "So far only three close friends, all 400 members, have made the calculation for me," he tells forbes in an e-mail exchange. "They all came up with results similar to mine but have no interest in being identified."

While we couldn't pin down many other Forbes 400 members to a real million-dollar wager, some did speak their minds.

Phillip Ruffin $2.1 billion Casinos

"I think Buffett is (getting) carried away with all of the media hype he gets. He is forgetting about the 55% estate tax at death that goes along with making the money. Maybe he is getting senile? [I have] no interest in his challenge, but I will play him (in) a game of poker, any stakes he wants."

Mark Cuban $2.6 billion Broadcast.com, Dallas Mavericks

"I agree with him. I put a lot of money in tax-free instruments. So, yes, I do pay less as a percentage of income than those that work for me, and I have no problem admitting it. Conceptually I have zero problem with paying more taxes. Unfortunately, far too much money is wasted by our politicians."

John Catsimatidis $2.1 billion Oil, real estate

"The numbers can fool you. If I make $20 million, I'm not going to pay 35% on it because I have a complex business. I own real estate, stocks and bonds, and so I have depreciation and writeoffs. But I do pay a lot in taxes. My secretary is going to pay it straight, because her only income is her salary, and her assets are essentially her home. Death is where the government really gets the rich."

George Kaiser $11 billion Oil, banking

"I agree wholeheartedly that our tax system is insufficiently progressive. I also agree that the estate tax at levels above $10 million should be retained. Higher tax rates for higher levels of income [up to at least 50%, maybe higher] not only are socially responsible but also would encourage more charitable giving."

Kenneth Fisher $1.8 billion Investments, FORBES Columnist

"He should stick to his area of expertise. It's a little late to be trying to learn and teach social policy. The fact is that most rich people have an impossible time avoiding high taxes, even if they are purely invested in instruments that are solely subject to capital gains. Rich people are still subject to alternative minimum tax on the federal level and still have to pay state income taxes. "

RANDAL J. KIRK $1.6 billion Pharmaceuticals

"While I admire Mr. Buffett greatly, his thesis here seems grossly simplistic. There are good reasons why investment returns are not taxed at the 'ordinary' income tax rate. If investment returns in the U.S. are reduced through the imposition of additional taxes, people will 'buy' less investment (because the price would have gone up)."

B. Thomas Golisano $2 billion Paychex (NasdaqGS:PAYX - News)

"There are some facts I'd like to remind Mr. Buffett of. The top 1% of earners in this country pay 30% of the income taxes, and the top 5% pay 50% of the income taxes. Other than that, I don't think he's crazy."

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The Great Hunt

Well, we completed the mission. His Lordship is happy to report Table Meat Jr. did just great. Lord Kadizzle often wondered if his old gun Table Meat could ever be replaced, but Jr. seems to be filling the role. Lord Kadizzle is a gentle man by nature and does not like to see any living creature forfit its life, however one must remember Pheasants are not from here. They were imported from China. Lord Kadizzle could not be elected to the legislature in North Dakota because the Republicans said "He is not from here". So Lord Kadizzle has come to understand that everything that "is not from here" must be subdued, that is why we kill pheasants. It is the right thing to do in North Dakota. Six ended up in the basket. There were two poor fellows that were shot, but escaped. Back to Table Meat, he made some long shots, some quick shots, and missed very few. The Commander did not have as many shots and wanted to hunt until she got her share. His Lordship told her to walk a couple of choice places, but she did not listen. His Lordship did the walking and got the birds.

Lord Kadizzle's wife, The Commander

In nothing but a T-shirt, and a pair of undies, The Commander just marched by on the way to the washing machine, with her hands full of dirty cloths. She announced in her authoritarian voice, "We are going hunting today". To most men this would be a dream come true to have a wife that says "I am taking you fishing today, or I am going to insist you watch football". So The Commander and I will be off soon to fight the communist pheasants into submission. The way we go after these poor fellows you would think they were the Hatfields, or the McCoys. The most amazing thing is that with a brain the size of a golf ball at best, they can defeat us, frustrate us, and cause more havoc, than George Bush with a full sized brain. Once we get to the field the pheasants will sit in the brush and laugh as we decide to use one of our two failing techniques. First is what we call the Audubon Hunt, we make so much noise that the birds hear us a mile away. It is called the Audubon hunt because all we get to do is bird watch. The major failure of the Audubon technique is that we walk side by side. The birds have countless ways to escape. Our next move is the German Panzer attack. This involves each of us starting at opposite ends of a tree row. This two usually fails because it is very difficult for two Germans to surround twenty pheasants. The pheasants have an air force, and we don't. Our only hope is the dumb pheasant that sits still thinking "Those idiots will never find me". The pheasant is correct, but he has missed one rule of the hill billy universe, "Even a blind hog will root". I am not sure what this means, but I think it means even an idiot will stumble on something. So that poor bird will panic when the idiot brigade almost steps on him. Finiease P. Pheasant still has a few things going for him as he flies away. Usually only one idiot is close enough to shoot. That idiot frequently forgets to take the safety off the gun, or fails to have a shell in the chamber. Assuming every thing goes well, the bird gets shot. It is gods plan. Any bird that falls prey to idiots is an idiot. This is how survival of the fittest works. The net result is we are creating smarter pheasants. Now this truly shows what idiots we are.

Door To Door Atheists Bother Mormons

This guy actually dresses as the Mormons do and goes to Salt Lake City to knock on doors. It is wonderful to see someone give them a bit of their own medicine.

The Great Wall of Hazen

As yesterday drew to a close I ended the day with a great deal of respect for the builders of the Great Wall of China. With the help of the mayor I built the great wall at the pocket park for the third time. The first time I built the wall, The Commander didn't like it. So I tore it down and rebuilt. The second time I built the wall the Mayor didn't like it, so the mayor and I rebuilt it yesterday.The latest version still needs some tweaking, but we had to stop due to frustration late in the day. Piling up stones would seem like a simple matter, but there are many lessons. The temptation to work with the easiest stones first is a big mistake. When you get to the end all you will have left is irregular stones that don't fit, you realize the easy way out doesn't work. Both the mayor, and The Commander wanted to start on both ends and work toward the middle. Neither would listen to me when I said that was a mistake. Try piling up stones, and then go look at what the Indians of the southwest did, look at what the Egyptians did, look at the castle builders, and the Incas, and you will have a new respect. The mayor and Lord Kadizzle had the advantage of modern equipment. We could move the stones hydraulically. From one day of work the skin on my hands is cracked and sore. Moving stones has been one of mans oldest accomplishments, but I don't think I could make it in the stone age.

Read Frank Rich in Today's New York Times

If you have an once of concern about the course our country is taking be sure to read Frank Rich's column in the New York Times today. Remember, you can read it free on the net. If I have any sense of history or knowledge of our past, it is my opinion that we have never had a worse president than George Bush. We have had other presidents that did nothing, but Bush has managed to do nothing positive, while being the best fertilizer ever for the viruses that are eating away our economy, our freedom, and everything we stand for as a nation. Personally I do not think Bush has enough intelligence to even be harmful. In my opinion he is just a useful dolt for people like Karl Rove, and Dick Cheney. Bush is a dupe of the highest order. That Americans go about their business while soldiers die because of his incompetence should be disturbing to everyone, but we all have nice TVs, and our children are not subjected to the draft, and so far we have been able to make it by mortgaging the house and living on credit cards, so why should we care?

New Golf Game in Stanton, or Drive by Shooting

Once Ray makes up his mind, very little deters him. Frisbee golf is not his cup of tea, so he has come up with Bambi ball. Ray has a nice course West of his house. Each green has a different crop for Bambi. A "Hole in one" has a completely new meaning when you golf with Ray. Lord Kadizzle is anxiously awaiting the picture of Ray with a Buck strapped to the top of his golf cart. Since his surgery Ray painted a blue stripe around his whole farm, so he has handicap parking everywhere, which under his rules means you can shoot from the cart. Back at the club house when they ask, " Howd ya do". Ray will reply " I got a hole in one". What were you using? "Oh, my 306 Winchester".

There has been a lot of controversy in North Dakota about canned hunting. South of Hazen we have canned Elk Hunts where you shoot an Elk penned up behind a fence for five thousand dollars. I don't know how Bambi Ball will go over with PETA, but I am sure it will draw a whole new group of sportsman to our area. Go get em Tiger Kerns.

Quinn the Eskimo

Boulder Wrestling

Yesterday was spent with the Commander wrestling large pieces of granite into positon at the Pocket Park. By noon I had a pretty good wall built on the back of the park, then the Commander showed up and said she did not like the way the rocks were laid out. So in a brief fit of insanity I complied with her wishes and made some changes. Getting a 1500lb rock to move exactly where you want it can be very frustrating. The rocks had to be set on edge, so the task was even worse. By the end of the day we more or less had the job done. If I can get some pictures I will post them later.

My Republican Neighbor

Last night Gerty came over for the regular evening sip of wine. Gerty brought her hard core Republican husband, Pat. Pat is a nice neighbor and has an artistic bent. As far as art goes I told him he is an "Idiot savant". It is unavoidable when Pat and I are together that politics gets discussed. Pat was a former state legislator. Last night the topic of health care came up. According to Pat there is no problem, even though he has to send money to both his children to help pay the cost of health care. Keep in mind the people in our area elected Pat over and over. Now for the sad state of affairs we are in, Pat says Bush is one of the greatest presidents we ever had.

This morning as I reviewed the New York Times I came across Paul Krugman's editorial. Amazingly it was about the typical excuses for the poor quality of American health insurance. Krugman's writing sounded like he had just talked to Pat. One of the scariest prospects I face every day is knowing how many Pats there are wandering around on the end of the leash held by Rush Limbaugh, Karl Rove, and the rest of the bunch. At noon Pat takes as nap while he falls asleep listening to Rush Limbaugh. Sweet dreams Pat.

Pat Robertson Endorses Rudy

Make me puke. I never had an once of respect for Pat Robertson, now I have none for Rudy. Is he nuts letting this cheap religious fraud endorse him?

The Big Event

Today the little village of Hazen will have the grand opening of a new Store. This is not an ordinary store, but the small town version of a big box store. So, the first order of the day will be to go to the Grand opening. Now we can have soap, and socks, and all the other things the big city people enjoy. Once the mayor is freed up from the grand opening we can head up to what was once the largest earth filled dam in the world. The dam fellows must have had some concern, because they stockpiled a whole bunch of rocks. Our mission will be to bring a dump truck load of those rocks back to the pocket part to make a wall. That is how it is from our version of Lake Wobegon, where all the people are Republican, and life never goes forward. Where the biggest excitement is at the funeral home, and all the kids leave.

Long Day on the Hunt

Live Report from Kadizzle

Heritage In Focus: Farm Subsidies: Too Much of a Bad Thing

george bush is funny

Sunday Morning

"I woke up Sunday morning, and I couldn't find a way to turn my head that didn't hurt. The beer I had for breakfast was so good that I had one more for desert". That is how Johny Cash said it. I got up at five, read the sorrowful Bismarck Tribune, which takes a whole five minutes, and then went on to the New York Times. Actually I woke up feeling pretty good. Now that the hunters have left, I get up to an empty kitchen, while the Commander steals a few more winks. We now live in a age of an information flood. Tom Friedman is concerned about what will happen when every person in India has a $2,500 car. Maureen Dowd is bitching about Hillary, and there is a good article about the farm bill. What a joke the farm bill is. Now, like the article says the biggest welfare queens are farmers. North Dakota is right in the heart of these hypocrites. Where we just came from hunting there is mean farming son-of-a-bitch who gets over two hundred fifty thousand dollars a year in subsidies. He post all his land and flies over it with his private plane to make sure you don't hunt without paying him. My tax dollars pay this jerk to live like a king, and what does he give back in return? The poor guy who is just getting by has a paved runway on his farm and a plane for himself, and his son. He farms the government.

The Human Hand

These are amazing things someone has done with their hands. If you want to see more let me know

Big Jim, and Little Jim

The two buzzards, Big Jim, and Little Jim, went down to the combination, gas station, hardware store, and cafe to have breakfast.

A Good Time was had by all

Last night at three in the morning Jim, and Sam jumped in his truck and headed back to North Carolina. Roger, and Tom are still here, but will leave around noon. Our house has been thick with a southern accent. Luckily Lord Kadizzle and The Commander have a southern background, so we do not need interpreters. Roger is over at the stove cooking ho cake. God only knows what it is, but it sounds like a giant pancake. Every morning Roger does the cooking. It is nice having a morning cook. Of course each of our guest has a good chaw of tobacco going most of the time. In the morning we level Jim by getting the tabac to run out of each side of his mouth evenly. We have got to taste a lot of good southern wiskey. Tom is a Gentleman Jack man. Jim is a George Dickle fan, and Roger likes B&G 2004 Merlot. I almost forgot to mention that Roger spent ten days in Paris last summer, and now is a changed man. His service station in Ashboro now also features advice on wine, and a little French Cooking. Dennis brings his own homemade hooch. It comes in two flavors, cheery, and plum. Every night after the hunt we had a good meal prepared by The Commander. Last night she made her famous "Under the bridge stew". Served with fresh biscuits it will make you slap your granny.

Marmath the Video

From Rags to Riches

Although there was little opulence at the Bunkhouse, the hunting party lacked none at the Jacobson Mansion. After a day of some good hunting we hunkered down for a nice meal of prime rib. Prior to the meal we sat in the parlor and told the usual round of stories. The meal was excellent and ended with a fresh baked Key Lime Pie.

Life at the Bunk House

The Mousekateers had a club house, but the Phesanteers have a bunk house. In the little town of Marmath in Southwest North Dakota, the old railroad bunkhouse has been converted into a hotel of sorts. For 15 dollars a night you can sleep just like the old brakeman did many years ago. Lord Kadizzle paid the extra ten dollars for a bed warmer, The Commander. Everyone seemed to sleep well in their sparse little room with just an electric light hanging from the ceiling in the middle of the room. The bunkhouse had two main attractions. First there was the railroad track that ran right in front of the place. Burlington Northern Santa Fe is very careful to schedule only one train a day that runs in the middle of the night. Lord Kadizzle likes to sleep with the window open. Some time near one in the morning the train came rumbling down the track. The whistle blew and about knocked old Kadizzle right out of bed. Several members of the group claimed the next morning they did not even know a train went by. Although it was similar to an earthquake a couple hunters did not believe it happened. This was a testimonial to the quality of the medication they had taken prior to bed. The next night the engineer was a little more merciful on the horn.

The second attraction at the bunkhouse was Harvey. Harvey was on oil field worker that was residing at the estate. Harvey appeared to be a burnt out, leftover, worked over, hippie from the sixties. The first night Tom engaged Harvey in some conversation and the two of them managed to solve many of the worlds problems. It is questionable if Tom could have communicated with Harvey if he had not been well lubed by his friend Gentleman Jim. Gentleman Jim comes in the industrial size, and the traveling size. Tom brought one of each to cover all bases. When we got up in the morning Harvey was usually sitting there staring off into space looking like he was ready to bite your leg off. One day when we returned from the hunt Harvey was sitting there looking like a coal stove had blown up in his face. He was black from the waste down. According to Harvey his delima was caused by vent oil, whatever that was.

The boys from North Carolina were amazed how the bunkhouse was run. Basically you just walk in take a room and sleep in it. When you leave you put the money you owe under the door of room two. You never see anyone who runs the place. It is a fine system that could only work in North Dakota.

Not a good day to smoke

When we had breakfast before the hunt there seemed to be an ominis warning. A large woman, about two ax handles across the bottom came into the cafe. She proceeded to light up a smoke. The cafe owner told her in no uncertain terms she could not smoke. She yelled at her " You can't smoke in here, take that thing outside". As the smoker ran for the door Lord Kadizzle yelled, " and we don't allow farting either". The poor woman did not even come back.

Later that day as we were driving we saw some smoke in the ditch. As we started to hunt it became evident there was a major fire. On the way back we found the combine that had just done our host field caught fire. Luckily it was not his combine. The next day we found another combine in the field that had also caught fire. The dry conditions seem to be causing problems.

Off to the Bunkhouse

Some friends from North Carolina will arrive today for a hunting expedition. His Lordship and The Commander will be hosting the group in Marmath, North Dakota. The group will be staying at the railroad bunkhouse. Marmath is a very interesting old railroad town. Marmath host dinosaur digs in the summer, and many of the participants stay at the bunkhouse. One fact I found while visiting was that there was a large Japanese community. I always thought the Chinese built the railroad, but the Japanese must have helped in North Dakota. As usual we will be in for some fine dining. The Pass Time Bar in Marmath is famous for the expert chef, and on Tuesday evening we will be having prime rib at the Jacobson Mansion. Life is good.

Introduction to Jesus

If there is such a thing as a Quinn family church, this is it. I did not last long as a good Christian, and I think this church was the start of my decline. My earliest memory was about the age of five. I wanted no part of Sunday school, and tried to leave. They locked me in the room so I could not get out. Ever since that day I have not been a very good student of the Bible. As time went on someone was always trying to con me into returning, but I never did. Our grade school was just across the street from this church, and we were sent over there every Wednesday for a dose of God. The Supreme Court would have gone nuts with separation of church and state if they knew what was gong on. There was a reasonable Jewish community in our neighborhood, and the Jews wanted nothing to do with the Presbyterian Church, so the Jews, and other heathens stayed back at school when the rest of us were being indoctrinated. There were many times I just stayed back at the fort with the Jews, perhaps that is how I ended up marrying a nice little Jewish girl from Richmond.

My Apartment

I have lived in several nice homes during my life. This morning I was surfing the net, and came across this picture of a place I once lived in my home town.The pictures were taken about 1889. Around 1890, Wheeling, West Virginia was the wealthiest city in the United States. Very elaborate homes were all over the place. After I graduated from college I decided I needed an apartment, so I contacted an elderly lady who had divided this mansion up into apartments. The picture above must have been take before the place was fully landscaped. The original owner had statues, and many other artful items in a formal garden in front of the house. The part of the building I lived in had a strange history. Behind the building you see was another entire building that did not fit the design of the front at all. Apparently the husband got mad at the wife and had a separate addition built for himself. The addition was as large as the original house. The elderly lady who was my landlord was a kind old person. She lived entirely in the living room. The living room was so large that she used office room dividers to make various living quarters for herself. I don't know how she came to own the place, but it was strange that she was so destitute that she had to rent out the house, but the house still had to be worth a fortune. The staircase sticks in my memory because it was so elaborate. The steps were about ten feet wide with fine woodwork on both sides. At the landing there was a stained Tiffany Glass skylight that must have been worth a fortune. The skylight was probably fifteen feet by twelve feet across. When this home was built, most of the material was brought from Italy. There was a great deal of marble and fine wood. Since the home sits high on a hill, an inclined rail system was built to get the material up the hill. I would love to have seen my home town in its time of glory. Wheeling was at one time the jumping off point for the West. The people who supplied the travelers going west made fortunes. Two other things helped Wheeling at the time. Wheeling was the western terminus for the first major government highway in this country, The National Road. The second important transportation system was rail. The B & O Railroad terminated at Wheeling. To add more you had the Ohio River. It all came together to make an ideal business setting. As St. Louis became the new western hub Wheeling slowly declined and the big homes could no longer sustain themselves. The number of these mansions was amazing, and they were in various parts of the town. I cannot recall visiting another town with such a population of these marble palaces. Growing up I assumed every town was like this, but have come to realize very few actually are. At the time most of these homes were going full bore, they each had a tennis court, many had swimming pools, gold fish ponds, and separate carriage houses for the servants. All the big homes and many of the smaller nice homes had old fashioned intercoms. There was a system of pipes you could speak into like they did on the old ships. As a child I remember seeing these strange gizmos. Visiting these big old homes was a lot of fun because they had all kinds of secretive little areas in the attics and under the steps. The attics were always amazing, because they often were the servants quarters. Most of the attics were nicely finished and had as much living space as most homes do today. I would guess that even up until the depression about twenty percent or more of the homes in Wheeling had live in servants. At one point when we were growing up the family across the street moved into one of these old marble mansions. As kids we were amazed they had an old brass elevator that took them from floor o floor. The stairway to the second floor was a curved marble affair that had no support underneath. It must have been an engineering feat for its time. The real mansions of that time made todays McMansions look Micky Mouse.
"

Professional Fat Guy

According to Mrs. Kadizzle, Lord Kadizzle is a fat guy. Reluctantly his lordship must admit there could be a surplus of chicken meat around his equator. However, there are amature fat guys, and there are professionals. The amature got fat eating cheeseburgers, and ice cream. On the other hand a professional fat guy gets his bulk from the best possible sources. The key to going pro is a good cadre of cooks who also happen to be friends. This is where his lordship pulls away from your run of the mill fat slob. Last night the Kadizzles had a nice meal with the strange Strawberry Hill cult, which has several outstanding cooks. They are in the Kill a Liberal with Kindness program. It is a secretive organization that supplies liberals with too much drink, and food, which ultimately causes them to explode. It is a devious patient group.

The second key to being a professional fat guy is sponsoring a cooking contest. Locally the good cooks all strive to win the Kadizzle. The Kadizzle is a traveling trophy given each year to the best cooks in the county. It is a clogged arty cast in bronze. Of course there are several categories. The prime rib award is essential. Next you have the deserts, and of course the pasta. Then there is the overall award. One key rule in the contest is that the cook has to cook the same meal or something similar twice. For example: Lord Kadizzle might go to someone's house and have an excellent meal, but it could have been a fluke. Would it be right to accept this entry? No. So the cook within six months must make the same meal again. If it is as good as the first it can be submitted. This is only fair. Having plenty of categories is essential, this assures the contest judge that every woman should be able to win in some category. You can see the wisdom of this system, so there is even a presentation category. Mrs. Kadizzle won the presentation grouping one year by serving His Lordship in a dog bowl.

No meal can be seriously considered without wine. His Lordship does not judge the quality, so much as the quantity. A mediocre wine in a box has been know to beat a small bottle of the best France can produce. One key the winners have discovered is that too much wine can result in his lordship failing to remember the flavorful nuances of the meal, so pulling the wine off the table a the crucial moment is critical.

2.5 Trillion Dollars

After you get past $1.98, most people cannot envision sums of money. The war in Iraq is now estimated to cost 2.5 trillion dollars. This is enough money to solve the social security problem for 75 years. It is certainly enough money to provide health care for everyone for a long time. This money needless to say is being borrowed. It is not being borrowed from poor people. The same people who are asking for tax breaks in the millionaire bracket are the same beneficiaries of the interest on the borrowed money. Of course there are other big beneficiaries, like China who owns massive portions of our debt. When one remembers Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11 it becomes truly mind boggling that we are spending the money we are in Iraq. Once you see who is profiting from the war everything falls into place. The whole thing is such a replay of Vietnam, it is like we don't have history books in this country.

Drinking Buddies

After a hard days work at the Pocket Park, Dennis and Lord Kadizzle came home for a round of hooch. Soon there was a knock on the door and Gerty appeared (Carol Galvin).
Carol comes down a couple times a week for some wine and conversation. Our group was soon completed with Pat, Carol's husband. Carol managed to walk the three hundred feet to our house, but Pat drove. Gerty mentioned that Pat took a shortcut with the car across the lawn so as not to disturb the pavement. We had a good time with the old neighborhood gang. Pat is recovering from a bout of problems. He just got out of the hospital and says he can't drink, but he asked for a glass of wine, just to have something to hold on to.

A New Addition to the Pocket Park

Lord Kadizzle has been working for the past month with the help of Wayne Axtmann to build the rear entrance to the Pocket Park on Main Street. There is still some tweaking to be done, but generally we are pleased with the results.

The Party Line

If you want to read the best editorials, and expose yourself to something other than the Fox News, Rush Limbaugh courses for fawning George Bush supporters, read the New York Times editorials. As a flaming liberal I have to say they are consistently the best. Anyone can read them free on the New York Times web site. I almost consider it a patriotic duty. Maureen Dowd is my favorite, no one kicks butt like her. If you could put her side by side with Ann Coulter you would see the contrast between brains, and the vicious selfessness Ruport Murdock loves in his marching minions. You see the same thing when Keith Oberman, is compared to Bill O'reilly. Sometimes I listen to Rush Limbaugh, if I can I watch Ann Coulter, and I even give Bill Oreilly a chance once in awhile. I do it because you need to know, and give each side a chance. I strongly suspect most hard core right wingers do not even consider what the left has to say. Many times I have given my right wing friends a copy of an article by someone they do not agree with. They refuse to read it. On the other hand, if they were to give me an article I would be willing to read it and discuss the merits of the case. To me that is the difference between doctrine, and philosophy.

How did I get to be me?

Once upon a time I did my student teaching in West Virginia. At the high school where I was teaching all the students were carrying around and reading THIS PERFECT DAY. One of the students gave me a copy and I read it. The book is similar to 1984, however it has a different spin. No other book I have read explains how our society works better than this book. It deals very well with the concept and morality of manipulating a whole society. If any Kadizzled fans have read the book, again I would like your feedback. A big issue the book deals with is about the morality of the more intelligent manipulating the less intelligent. Should they do it? The more intelligent create a perfect world for the less intelligent, but is this a good thing, if the less intelligent are subjected to nothing but a drug induced bliss? The book parallels very much what is happening in our society today, and its ability to predict the future has amazed me. If I had to choose a paranoid theory to subscribe to, this would be it.

Zeitgeist The Movie

One of my greatest pleasures in life is being the dad of two great daughters. Both of them have a love for knowledge, and are always making it a point to enrich their knowledge base. Recently Megan called and insisted I watch a movie called Zeitgeist The Movie. You can watch it on your computer, that is what I am doing this morning at 5:30 A.M. I have only made it through the first chapter. I can see why Megan found it so fascinating. It would be very useful for the religious to watch. The movie in my mind proves Christianity is basically an advanced astrological religion. Before you get your shorts in a knot, if you are religious, watch the movie. I would love to watch it with a fundamentalist and see their reaction. I think the movie is about much more than religion, and of course I endorse it because it parallels my views. It is almost two hours long, so if you decide to give it a try, be patient, and let it unfold. I am just taking a break, then on to chapter two.

Well, I made it through chapter two. Chapter two deals with 911. Chapter two portrays 911 as a conspiracy. It does a very good job of it, but I am always skeptical of conspiracy theories. There are certainly some very interesting unexplained things that took place on 911. The most convincing is the collapse of what they call building seven. Building seven was never hit by an airplane, none the less it still collapsed like the others. One theory that I never bought before was the idea that the buildings were blown up. This seems crazy to me, but they make a case for it. Like I say, I am one of the most skeptical of people, and conspiracy theorist love coincidence. The jury is out on chapter two. On to chapter three, if I can see it before the commander wakes up.

Just barely made it. The Commander is up wondering what I am doing. I made it through chapter three. Chapter three is very good and thought provoking. Unfortunately it gets into the one world order type thing, which turns me off. However, it makes some very good arguments, and I would recommend going through it for its thought provoking nature. The basic premise is that we are being manipulated. I believe this is true, I don't exactly agree it is being done in the manner described. The last chapter is called the man behind the curtain. I think the guy is back there, but we may be giving him too much credit. My problem is I can see how these conspiracy theories can be flip flopped to the advantage of to the guy behind the curtain. Perhaps he is exposing his own magic, in order to make an even greater magic. Questioning is a very good thing, but the line between questioning and paranoia is very fine. Many people have been cleverly manipulated by paranoia. There are some very good scenes in chapter three that make it worthwhile. If you watch the thing, I would like to hear your spin on it. The first chapter was my favorite, and the one I truely believe. The verdict is out on the last two chapters. I agree with a lot of it, but I am not yet ready to make a ruling. My gut feeling it is the recooking of a lot of old stuff.

The Good Life

Lord Kadizzle and The Commander spent the weekend near Pettibone at Sandy's lakeside hunting Cabin. The crew consisted of five dogs and six people. The dogs had free run of the house, and usually took the best seats. Sandy is the guy in the red long underwear. Up in the morning, he stumbles out of bed, and trips down the steps in his suit of red. He sits at the table to roll his first cigarette, to help him remember and help him forget. His hair is a mess trying to escape his head, he mumbles something, but you can't tell what he said. Next comes Mev with his duck boots on his feet, his mind is confused, but his outfit is neat. Sandy and Mev are a baking pair. Sandy baked Taylors birthday cake and Mev iced it with care. The women are outside sleeping in the trailer, we have to do this to keep Sandy from Taylor. Bob is up and ready to go get the birds, but Sandy and Mev are stumbling around just mumbling some words. Finally together they go out the door, only to come back from the hunt empty handed once more. Life is good at the hunting camp by the lake, it was the best trip the men from the group home ever would take.

His Royal Cheapness

Lord Kadizzle has a reputation for being cheap, or cost conscious, or whatever you want to call it. Tuesday with The Commander in Bismarck the Kingdom got everything for at least thirty percent less using the credit card technique. Most stores give you a special deal on the day you get their credit card. The great thing is most of the stores also let you have the discount on the sale price. Lord Kadizzle first purchased a wallet at Herbergers for 40% off. Next, at Penny's his Lordship got two pair of blue jeans that normally sell for thirty two dollars each for only eleven dollars a pair. At Best Buy the Kadizzle family got a forty percent discount on the new external hard drive for the computer. At Scheels the commander got her hunting pants for a thirty percent discount. Now, we have to cancel four credit cards when they come, but for a savings of over one hundred dollars, it can be done. Anyone who made an attempt could save ten percent on every purchase they make. Many times his Lordship has simply told a clerk in a store that he was a good customer and wanted a discount. Often they deliver on the spot. Take your yearly income and figure out what ten percent is, and you may see the glory of being cheap. Lord Kadizzle once read an article that explained this very well. The writer pointed out that if you got a ten percent discount on a purchase, you instantly made ten percent. On the other hand if you invested a dollar, your dollar would be tied up for a year, and you might be lucky to get the ten percent. Now, if you took the dime you made immediately and invested it, by the end of the year your discount at the store could easily amount to twenty percent. The bottom line is do you want to work for your money, or do you want your money to work for you?

The Death of the Machine by Paul Krugman NYT

There are two things that are important in politics. The first is money, and I can’t remember what the second one is.” So declared Mark Hanna, the great Gilded Age political boss.


Karl Rove has often described Hanna as his role model. And predictions that Mr. Rove and his disciples would succeed in creating a permanent Republican majority — I have a whole bookshelf of volumes with titles like “One Party Nation” and “Building Red America” — depended crucially on the assumption that the G.O.P. would have vastly more money than its opponents. It might even, some thought, match the 10-to-1 advantage Hanna gave William McKinley when he ran against William Jennings Bryan.

Oops. According to data collected by the Center for Responsive Politics, in the current election cycle every one of the top 10 industries making political donations is giving more money to Democrats. Even industries that have in the past been overwhelmingly Republican, like insurance and pharmaceuticals, are now splitting their donations more or less evenly. Oil and gas is the only major industry that the G.O.P. can still call its own.

The sudden burst of corporate affection for Democrats is good news for the party’s campaign committees, but not necessarily good news for progressives. Before I get to the down side, however, let’s talk about why business seems to be giving up on the G.O.P.

To some extent it’s a matter of cold political calculation. Polls, plus a wave of G.O.P. retirements, suggest that next year the Democrats will expand their majority in the House, which is already bigger than anything the Republicans ever had during their 12-year reign. Of the 34 Senate seats up for election, 22 are held by Republicans, and major Democratic gains seem all but inevitable.

Add to this the weakness of the Republican presidential field, and it’s not surprising that lobbyists are casting in their lot with the likely winners. But that’s not the whole story.

There’s also disgust, even in the corporate world, with the corruption and incompetence of the Bush years. People on the left often describe the Bush administration as an agent of corporate America; that’s giving it too much credit.

The truth is that while the administration has lavished favors on some powerful, established corporations, the biggest scandals have involved companies that were small or didn’t exist at all until they started getting huge contracts thanks to their political connections. Thus, Blackwater USA was a tiny business until it somehow became the leading supplier of mercenaries for the War on Terror™.

And the lethal amateurishness of these loyal Bushies on the make horrifies the corporate elite almost as much as it horrifies ordinary Americans.

Last but not least, even corporations are relieved to see the end of what amounted to a protection racket.

In a classic 2003 article in The Washington Monthly, Nicholas Confessore (now at The New York Times) described the efforts of people like former Senator Rick Santorum to turn K Street into an appendage of the Republican Party — not the other way around. “The corporate lobbyists who once ran the show, loyal only to the parochial interests of their employer,” wrote Mr. Confessore, “are being replaced by party activists who are loyal first and foremost to the G.O.P.”

But corporations weren’t happy. According to The Politico, “many C.E.O.’s” used the term “extortion” to describe “the annual shakedowns by committee chairmen with jurisdiction over their industries.” And now that Mr. Santorum is out of office, heading the America’s Enemies program at a right-wing think tank, the faint sound you hear from K Street is that of lobbyists singing: “Ding, dong, the witch is dead.”

All of this greatly increases the odds that the Republicans, far from establishing a permanent majority, will be out of power for quite a while. But it also raises the question of what Democratic rule will really mean.

Right now all the leading contenders for the Democratic nomination are running on strongly progressive platforms — especially on health care. But there remain real concerns about what they would actually do in office.

Here’s an example of the sort of thing that makes you wonder: yesterday ABC News reported on its Web site that the Clinton campaign is holding a “Rural Americans for Hillary” lunch and campaign briefing — at the offices of the Troutman Sanders Public Affairs Group, which lobbies for the agribusiness and biotech giant Monsanto. You don’t have to be a Naderite to feel uncomfortable about the implied closeness.

I’d put it this way: many progressives, myself included, hope that the next president will be another F.D.R. But we worry that he or she will turn out to be another Grover Cleveland instead — better-intentioned and much more competent than the current occupant of the White House, but too dependent on lobbyists’ money to seriously confront the excesses of our new Gilded Age.
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