So Who Won?

The conjecture and projections are thick, so who won the latest fiscal fiasco in Washington? It's as usual: the strong. While all the politicians and pundits bounce their ideas around - at a tremendous cost - those with the ability to survive, a strong willingness to win and the determination to survive won. Those that think they did only showed their underbelly. Exposed, the evisceration will happen, whether soon or further down the road.

If you don't know you can survive financial collapse, know how to hunt, know how to create a protective perimeter and believe any member of government is your friend, you lost.

Determination and a Fire Exinguisher

I posted about blistering paint in a microwave and went on to rant how we throw too much away.

Anyway, I searched high and low, looking for the right paint. Then I checked out manufacturers web sites and it was always the same answer: throw it away and buy another.

I'm not easily led to waste, so I bought some good high temperature paint for barbecue pits, some sandpaper and waltzed from the box store with an expenditure of less than ten dollars.

Using my pocket knife, I removed any paint that would flake away. Then, I used a 400 grit sandpaper to remove any loose paint and rust to where there was only clean steel.

Next, I placed a coat of paint on the bottom of the microwave at the exposed locations, waited 24 hours and applied another. After another 24 hours, I was ready for the test, with my fire extinguisher handy.

Placing a microwave safe glass filled with water, I tested the microwave at one minute, then two and finally for four minutes. The result? It's like new.

So, there you have it. I'm now an expert on fixing peeling paint inside a microwave, and you are too.

Do I recommend this? Not on your happy ass. I'll never recommend such a thing. If you think it's something to try, go ahead, but don't point at me as some kind of expert. I'll deny everything.

What Could Go Wrong?

If you took a typical neighborhood, with 10 houses and ten families, made six households work, at gunpoint, to pay for everything in the other 4 households, what could go wrong? I think the answer is obvious. Expand this scenario to the size of the United States, and you can see the problem. It's that simple and anyone that can't see this problem is probably living in one of the households getting all the free stuff.

Rump Roast

I like a good rump roast, although my last few attempts of cooking this roast were failures. Not that I didn't prepare the roast correctly; the meat was too tough or the flavor was substandard.

Anyway, I found a local grocer that doesn't buy like the national chains, has good meat and I've found their meat is of good quality.

So, I've seasoned it well, with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. (almost a rub) It's in the oven at 220 and I don't anticipate removing it until around 4:30 pm. It's a small roast, so that should be plenty of time to cook it to tender perfection.

I'll know in a few hours. I'm still debating whether to serve it with rice, or potatoes. That and steamed broccoli. I'll make a good brown gravy with the drippings.

It Makes Me Wonder

The EBT system hiccuped, which led some in 17 states without the benefit of swiping their card for free stuff.  That can lead to some bad reactions, but a comment at the bottom of the article made me wonder, which stated that the system software support was outsourced to India, where there's a severe tycoon in the process of wreaking havoc.

How about that? If this is true, the event can only be described as irony. Even if it isn't, the fact the government can deprive those with anything it provides has been driven home. If there's anything to be learned, it's that self-sufficiency, avoidance of government dependence and an unwillingness to allow such things to happen are best for any society. Those that aren't receiving their stipend are not victims; they're pawns and paying for it with their freedom.