Fallacy: government can control costs/inflation

My thoughts and prayers to the people of Chile….

The government cannot control what things cost.  All the government can do is put a temporary, artificial cap on things.  The market will decide what things cost, one way or another.  In this regard, the government is stunningly powerless and ineffective.

From time to time, governments have tried “wage and price controls”, and in the very short term, these things work.  But that doesn’t last long, and when the market figures how to maneuver around government controls (offshoring, outsourcing, providing benefits in lieu of wages, black markets, etc, etc) the costs always come back into overall, long term equilibrium.

So if anyone thinks that government can control health care costs, truly, get a clue.  At the moment, what appears to be government control is simply market distortion.  The government squeezes here, and the costs pop out over there.  Walk into a hospital with a broken arm and pay out of your own pocket to get it fixed.  Then compare that to what Medicare would pay the hospital.  The politicians think they’re cutting a fat hog in the ass, but all they’re doing is creating yet another cost bubble.

This works for now, because there are obvious and easy places for the health care cost bubble to pop out.  When the Administration gets its way and the government controls all health care in the U.S., the easy places for market forces to exert themselves will be sealed.  Cost pressures will build up in the system, and will be relieved in some way or fashion, yet unimagined.  Most likely will be that health care providers will leave the industry and go where their incomes are not capped by the government.

Don’t even mention Canada, England, France, or anywhere else with socialized medicine.  The comparisons are so completely irrelevant that merely making the comparison calls the observer’s judgment and intelligencer into question.  As I’ve said before, in France they will ban religious garb if they judge it necessary to preserve their native culture.  When someone here is willing to do that, then they are talking about a social and cultural environment that will support socialized medicine.  If not, please, simply leave it alone.

Hide and watch, no one in power will realize that government price controls won’t work until it’s too late.  We are living through a period of time that will be a classic example for history and economics students in the future.  It’s hard to believe that supposedly educated people can be so dumb.  I’m barely a high school graduate and I understand why the Soviet Union collapsed (and it wasn’t Ronald Reagan), gheeesh.

G’day all, and may God continue to bless America.

The talking is over

Yesterday’s health care summit at Blair House closed with a message that leaves no doubt that any chance of compromise on health care is over.  There will be no movement of either left or right toward each other.  This is probably good, both sides have gone as far as they can without trashing their core values.  The issue now moves to a plain, old fashioned, political power struggle.

This will be played out in public, in print, over the airwaves, on the ‘net.  And it’ll be played out in the backrooms of the capitol.  Whichever side rises to the challenge will prevail, it’s that close.  The politicians have made it clear that they are taking the gloves off, when that happens then the citizens can either do likewise, or buckle under and do as they’re told.

I don’t think that the politicians in Washington fully comprehend the genie that’s inside the bottle they just uncorked.  This is way bigger than health care.  This is about the fundamental difference between progressive and conservative: one sees the federal government as the solution, the other sees the federal government as the problem.

In politics, no fight is ever over.  All good fights get their nine lives.  So whatever the outcome this fight will resurface.

G’day all, and may God continue to bless America!

Nothing new in the world

Each day I try to come up with a thought worthy of a day spent on this Earth.  Sometimes I think I’ve come up with something new, but I will bet everything that I can’t do that in any meaningful way.  Because the realm of things that are new in the world is outside my mental grasp, as it is for most people.  The best that most of us do is see a situation, figure what piece of pre-existing human knowledge or wisdom fits, and then phrase it in a way that establishes that linkage.

Benjamin Franklin said that those who sacrifice liberty for security deserve neither.  This came to mind when I began thinking about what an acceptable failure rate in society is.  Of course, “failure rate in society” is a pretty vague term, but for this thought, let’s just think in terms of 1) homeless, or dependent on government assistance to avoid same, 2) in prison, 3) other similar situations where the person has lost control of their own destiny.

I’m pretty sure that the failure rate in a free society, like the bankruptcy rate in a capitalist economy, should be greater than zero.  If nobody is failing, then nobody is being allowed to make bad decisions, therefor the society isn’t free.  Because we know from history: left to their own devices, a certain percentage of society will make bad decisions.

I’m not sure where this thought came from, or what it relates to, but I think of it as something worth filing away.  Because some time or another, something will happen that will give me the chance to pull out my “failure rate in society exceeds zero” thought.  And there just might be some value in the general guidance that thought can provide.

G’day, all, and may God continue to bless America, even the California Sixth Congressional District.

Free and Independent – revisit

I may have commented on this before, I’m too lazy to search the archive.  But this is a new twist, context, perspective, so I’ll comment anyway.  I’m sure you’ve noticed how the “free” and “independent” go together.  There is no freedom without independence.

The people running the federal government today are dead set on making as many people as possible, as dependent on the federal government as possible.  This establishes a new caste system.  It leaves the politcians, the wealthy, the corporations to decide for everyone else.  And the “everyone else” (workers, employees, union rank and file, etc) as the dependent class, beholden to the mighty and powerful in government.

Under this arrangement, woe be unto anyone who displeases the ruling class.  And all that is required to ascend to the ruling class is to figure a way to wiggle and squirm one’s way through the gate that separates the privileged from the dependent.

If all this sounds dramatic, have no fear.  It is my own poor literary attempt to paint a simple picture.  And that simple picture is this: whatever you depend on from other people places you under their control.  And although you may like those who are in control now, the time will come when you won’t.  So think carefully about what you wish for.

G’day all, and may God continue to bless America.

I promise to not break this promise

I’ll have something interesting (ahem, to me at least…) up tomorrow.  This evening we had an incredibly interesting “meet and greet” with Jim Judd, a Republican candidate for the Calif 6th District.  Jim and his campaign manager made a strongly positive impression.  It will be fascinating to see how this heroic effort develops.  Tomorrow we’ll be at a luncheon with Carly Fiorina.

It’s raining, so no ribs yet, but that’s still on the docket.

One happy outcome of this evening’s meet and greet was the chance to get together with a dear friend and former shipmate.  I won’t embarrass him by mentioning his name, but will say he’s one of the most astute observers of current affairs and recent history in my acquaintance.  He will continue to improve every ship he serves aboard and, if his employer has clear vision, he will one day soon be a Captain.

That is it for tonight.  More tomorrow, but until then, may God continue to bless America.

Off the tracks

As you know, a few days ago I announced that I was done with politics for a while, to introduce you to ways to perfect your Weber Propane Grill (WPG).  Well, I barely got through Phase I of that, then I got busy, and today is an almost total bust and I already know that I’m not going to get the “WPG as Smoker” article done.  I mean, that is a killer article and will be well worth your wait, if you like “low and slow, hickory smoked BBQ”, but I just can’t get to it today.

For one thing, a friend from my working/shipping days called for a ride, so despite a prediction of 50% chance of rain, we rode from Corte Madera to Fairfax, then the Fairfax-Bolinas Rd (over Lake Alpine and the shoulder of Mt Tam) to Highway 1.  We turned north, rode to Tomalas, then caught the Tomalas-Petaluma Rd east to Chileno Valley.  We took Chileno Valley Rd south, then back into Petaluma, to Hwy 101 south, and we parted ways in Novato.  It was a very nice ride, but cost me the whole morning.

So now here I sit, with no BBQ article to post, and a couple of very hot political topics to mention, for your consideration.  I hate to break my plan, but I’m going to throw these things out so I can get back to buckling down without stray ideas buzzing around in my head.

(Not entirely original, but cleverly reworded…) First, our democracy is teetering on the brink.  In my humble opinion, we are on the verge of a death spiral.  Once 50% of the voting population derives direct benefits, entitlements, remuneration of any sort, from the government, democracy is over.  The Getters will continue to vote themselves increasing largess until the Givers tremble and collapse under the burden.  We are at that point now, that is what you are seeing in the Tea Party Movement.  Now, there are plenty of “Big Givers” who don’t mind the situation at all, in fact clamor for more.  These are the super-successful and famous, folks who are wealthy enough (think celebrities and tycoons) to have an army of lawyers and accountants working their magic, and who have enough in any case that even if they are taxed to death, they’ll still be left with more than they can spend.  It is the proverbial middle class and small businessperson whose knees are buckling, and when that is lost, democracy in America is over.

(This one is, as far as I know, completely original)  Second, so how about that Scott Brown in Massachusetts, eh?  If he can take “the Ted Kennedy seat” then it’s likely to be a great year for Republicans, right?  Not so fast!  Here’s my original insight, and it is a doozy for Republicans.  Scott Brown won the race to be US Senator from Massachusetts primarily because that state already has universal, single payer health care for all residents. By Massachusetts enacting universal, single payer, they took that card out of the deck, which left Martha Coakley holding a busted straight.

As you know, I happen to believe that universal single payer is a huge mistake.  But doing nothing is a worse mistakes on two levels.  First/functionally, the medical industry is bleeding America dry.  Second/electorally, see my first point about 50% of the population being dependent on the government.  Unless you are running in a Red electoral area, you better have a plan for health care.  Please see my earlier rant about the benefits to California in backing SB810 (term limits, balanced budget requirement, local governance).

Last point in closing, yet another interface with the current incumbent of the California Sixth Congressional District.  I wrote to her asking her position and plan for making the Social Security Trust Fund solvent.  I got a non-sequitur response.  So rode to her Marin office, found the locked door, peephole and “Please Knock” sign, and tapped on the door.  I heard some scurrying, then the door opened a crack and a tenuous young fellow asked what I wanted.  Once inside the office, although not offered a chair, I sat down nonetheless.  Glancing around, I found a very very nice suite of offices occupied by employees who appeared to be searching for something to do.  I told him I had an issue with Congresswoman Woolsey and needed an answer.  I described the situation, I made him read it back (he got it right), and he promised me an answer via email.  The second that the door clicked closed behind me, I heard the deadbolt lock slamming shut!

Two weeks have gone by and I have heard nothing.  I don’t know if Woolsey has put me on an “ignore list” or if this is just how she treats constituents who disagree with her.  But I will tell you this and mean every word of it: anyone who represents a Congressional district in Congress has a sacred responsibility to communicate with their constituents.  Break that trust, and you should be fired.

That is definitely enough for one day.  I hope you’ll check back to see how to turn out competition-quality ribs, pork shoulder, chicken, etc in your WPG.  G’day all, and may God continue to bless America!

Busy today

Today I’m pretty well booked up with this and that, so won’t get around to the next installment of “perfecting the Weber propane grill” (WPG).  What I plan to cover next, maybe tomorrow, is turning your WPG into a serviceable smoker.  BBQ baby back ribscoming up, I hope that’s enough to make you want to check back!

G’day, all, and may God continue to bless America!

Perfected Weber – outdoor propane oven

I will be describing this in terms of roasting a turkey, but it works just Jim-dandy for roasting most anything.  Although we’ll be using a Weber propane grill, there is nothing whatsoever “grill” or “bbq” about using this method.  With that said…

For grilling with smoke in the Weber Propane Grill, see this: http://captbecker.wordpress.com/2010/05/05/grillin-with-smoke-in-a-weber-propane-grill/

For BBQing in the Weber Propane Grill, see this: http://captbecker.wordpress.com/2010/05/03/using-wood-chips-in-a-weber-propane-grill-wpg/

American families have been wrestling with the question of what to do about the Thanksgiving turkey for as long as I can remember.  Which is quite a while.  A turkey is about the biggest single chunk of anything that most families ever cook in one piece, at one time.  It can turn the Thanksgiving dinner preparations into a “dance of the elephants”.  Last Thanksgiving I decided to take the whole thing outside, leaving the oven to wife, daughter, and son-in-law so they could do everything else.

In recent years, the outdoor deep-fried turkey has become quite the rage.  That option didn’t appeal to me for two reasons.  The logistics seemed like quite the effort, getting everything, getting it set up and ready, then disposing of the residue after the cooking was done.  The second thing that holds me back from deep-frying a turkey is the only experience I’ve ever actually had being served deep-fried turkey, it was burned to a crisp on the outside and raw/bloody in the middle.  And of course, there’s always the chance to burn down your whole neighborhood (I do believe that the Cajuns who started this lived in the country, far from their neighbors).  And some folks just like a traditional roasted turkey.

So I set about creating a suitable outdoor facility for brining the turkey overnight, and cooking the turkey the next day.  BTW, do not consider cooking a whole turkey unless you brine it!  The brining simply transforms the result.  The brining was easy.  A gallon of ice cold brine (salt, sugar, pepper corns, bay leaf, a little of this, a little of that).  A clean plastic garbage bag.  Ten pounds of ice.  And one of these:

I start the turkey in the brine 24 hours before show time.  Dump the ice into the cool, add cold water until the cooler is about half full.  Put the turkey into the clean plastic garbage bag, dunk the bagged turkey into the ice water.  Pour the brine into the bag, on top of the turkey, twist the top of the bag to semi-seal.  If necessary, add more cold water and ice to cover the bird.  Close the top of the cooler and give it 24 hours in a cool place, away from direct sunlight.  Check 2-3 times to make sure the ice is holding up and the temperature is staying down.

Now, to convert your Weber propane grill into an outdoor oven suitable for roasting a 22lb turkey or other large chunk of whatever, first remove the cooking grates.  You will leave the “flavorizer” bars in place, so your grill now looks something like this (although probably cleaner and shinier, this grill is a 10 year veteran):

Next, you will need a couple of components to form the floor of the oven.  We are trying to even out the heat, prevent direct contact between the bottom of the roasting pan and the flame, and provide a stable working surface.  A 12X17 steel baking sheet and a perforated grill topper or other similar device will do the trick:

Assembled into the grill box:

And with the roasting pan and roasting rack added (ready for the turkey).  I recommend keeping 1/2″ or so or water, wine, or other liquid in the roasting pan throughout cooking.  If you want to make pan gravy from the dripping, you can time it so the pan dries out just as cooking completes:

I was going to buy a turkey, cook it, and get pictures for you, because I generally hate cutting corners.  But that is quite a fair bit of work, what with everything else I have going on.  So I’m going to post a cell phone camera pic I took of the Thanksgiving bird after two hours at 325 degrees.

After this pic, I rotated the bird and gave it another two and a half hours.  You’ll notice the remote read thermometer stuck into the thigh, we want to see 170 degrees on that (the FDA says 165 minimum, I give it an extra 5 degrees):

The foil on the wings is to keep them from turning to charcoal.  I actually did a “practise” bird the day before Thanksgiving, it came out so good that I sliced and kept the breast meat (the rest went into the stock pot).  The Thanksgiving bird was good enough that we really did need the breast meet I’d kept from the day before to feed everyone.

With a setup like this, you’ll be able to roast big stuff outside and leave the kitchen for the prep work.  Although I mentioned that this method of using the Weber really has nothing to do with grilling or bbqing, if you want, you can throw a small handful of wood chips onto the baking sheet and you will introduce some woodsmoke into the process.

I hope this helps someone out.  I’ll tell you that on Thanksgiving, several of the guys who were over with their families (we had 25 or 30 people) looked at this rig, scrunched their eyes, and looked at me like I was crazy.  But the results spoke for themselves.

G’day, all, and may God continue to bless America!

Missed the deadline

I had intended to have the first productive installment on “perfecting the Weber propane grill” up today.  But as you can see, I missed that deadline.  I will have it up tomorrow, and in case you haven’t figured your own method, you’ll then have a fantastic outdoor propane oven that you can use to unload the kitchen oven whenever you need the extra room.

What I did today was not much, but I stayed busy.  I got in my mile and two thirds walk, put in three hours volunteering at the library, got metal valve stem caps for my motorcycle, scoured the kitchen, and took my new car for its first “back road” drive.  Three hours at the library flat wore me out … why on Earth do they use that bottom shelf, where the books are basically at floor level?

So enough for now, tomorrow I’ll have the promised Weber guide up here.  G’night all, and may God continue to bless America!

Perfecting the Weber propane grill

I’m going to take a short break from politics for one simple reason.  It’s time to remind myself that there’s an awfully lot that’s right in this country.  And I can’t think of a better way to do that than to turn to backyard cooking.  So I ask myself, what can I do to contribute to this topic … is there anything I have to offer that might help someone?  Very humbly, I do believe so.

First, a real quick definition.  Grilling = hot, fast cooking over direct heat (for naturally tender cuts of meat).  BBQ = low and slow cooking with smoke (for naturally tough cuts of meat).

This has to do with the not-so-humble Weber propane grill.  As a grill (burgers, steaks, chops) it is really pretty awful.  As a smoker for BBQ ribs, pork shoulder, etc, it is just about tolerable, but nobody’s first choice.  So what can a person do?  You could get a charcoal grill, and if you really love this stuff, have the skill, and enjoy the time spent tending a fire, that is a great choice.  I’ve spent some time going the other way, trying to figure ways to improve the Weber propane grill so it will simply work better.

The first thing I’ll point out is that if you remove the cooking grate from your Weber propane grill, the “flavorizer” bars will now form the bottom of what has become a propane oven.  This has nothing whatsoever to do with grilling or BBQing, but if you need to simply roast something like a 24lb turkey, this is a fine option.

On the smoker end of things, you will need a way to produce smoke and a way to control the humidity in the cook box.  Both of these are pretty straightforward, and by using only the front burner you can do a decent job of BBQing.

For grilling, and this is where the Weber propane grill really is the worst, the solution is the GrillGrate product from here is without question the best, most cost effective improvement to outdoor cooking (grilling) you can make.  These things will absolutely transform the grilling performance of your Weber propane grill, I guarantee that the results will stun you.  Until I saw the results, I never would have believed that something so simple in design and execution could make such a positive difference.

So over the next few days, I’ll be describing in more detail how to perfect your Weber propane grill.  It is amazing how something thinking and tinkering can improve a product that does have some strong points, unfortunately just not in the area of producing good grill or BBQ.  But we can pretty well fix that!

G’day, all, and may God continue to bless America!