Monday

Miscellaneous Rambling

Happy spring. Yeah, I know. I'm jumping the gun, but I've optimistic. The ten-day forecast is gorgeous.

Of course, these next two months are the bane of weather forecasters, so I shouldn't be so optimistic. As I've complained on previous occasions, weather forecasters are simply terrible in the spring. So even though I'm preparing to plant my first in-ground crop tonight, it's going under a portable cold frame. I've had the cold frame on the spot since Friday afternoon, warming the ground. I tilled the spot yesterday. I'll broadcast lettuce seeds after work tonight.

I'm not a Trump fan, but I'm stunned at the establishment's panic. There's something wrong about it that I can't describe. Case in point: Heavy (heavy!) criticism that he has allegedly backed off his immigration stances and is merely saying whatever he has to in order to get elected. Well, when the heck did that become a big deal? Americans long ago stopped expecting candidates to fulfill their campaign promises. And moreover, Trump hasn't really backed off (which, actually, disappoints me, since I think his stance is far too extreme). All he's said is, "All things are negotiable. You have to be willing to negotiate." And for that the establishment's media pawn is excoriating him. There might be something wrong with Trump, but there's something far more wrong with the panic.

Funny Kimmel from last week: "If Mitt Romney is the big gun the Republicans sent in to stop Trump, they're in a lot of trouble. It's like sending a meter maid in to break up a prison riot."

You wonder why I'm a bit freaked out at the possibility that the government could outlaw cash? Then read this article. It lays out the tyranny behind such a thing. Key point: "[T]he excuse given for banning big bills is that it combats crime. And maybe it does. But in the end the rationale is simple: if there are no more physical banknotes, people have no economic autonomy. Let's say consumer spending is stagnating. No problem, take rates to -20%. We bet they'll start spending then - either that or see their deposits haircut by 20%. In short, no cash means no effective lower bound and with no lower bound, the economy can be completely centrally planned - for all intents and purposes. Consumers not spending? No problem. Just tax their excess account balance. Economy overheating? Again, no problem. Raise the interest paid on account holdings to encourage people to stop spending."