Early rant

Consider this an early rant. Since I don’t have full
custody of the computer I have to post when I can. We
were told it would take 3 weeks to put a new video card
in the wifes’ laptop. Until we get it back it may get a
little tricky posting, but we’ll get through it.

I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m getting tired of
being lied to by this administration. Even the president is
getting in on the act while on the campaign trail. Obama has
been blaming the Republicans for the hold-up on the tax cut
extensions. He claims the Republicans can’t come up with the
$700 billion to pay for the tax cut extensions for those making
over $200,000 a year.

But Obama also isn’t saying how Democrats will pay for the middle-
class tax cut extensions he favors. Mr. President, where will
the $3 trillion come from? Or is it like your health care reform
and we don’t need to know?

I do know that in a few short days some people aren’t going to
be too happy with his health care reform. Around October 2nd,
those who now have a Medicare Advantage plan will get a letter
telling them they are no longer covered. And of course, even
though Obama assured us our costs wouldn’t go up, our premiums
have. And don’t get me started on the taxes that came with this
reform to make health care more affordable.

Then we have the Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano,
telling Congress that illegal aliens won’t be deported, unless they
are criminals or a threat to our country. I have a real problem with that. The Center for Immigration Studies has a video out that says otherwise.

The video shows approximately $4 million worth of drugs being
smuggled into our country. The drug cartels know where there are
no fences or Border Patrol on the border and that is where they
sneak their drugs in. You can watch the illegal aliens carrying
50 pound bundles of marijuana on their back for 80 miles until
they reach the I-8 corridor where the bales are loaded onto trucks.
You can also see the kind of fire power the coyotes use.

I would really like for someone to explain to me how this isn’t
a threat. If that much pot goes through this corridor every few
days, I would say it’s a problem. Please don’t fall for their
fairy tales. We have to do our homework this election and vote for
whomever will do the best job of getting our country back on track.
Comments are always welcome.

A little update

The next two or three weeks should prove to be interesting.
The wife’s laptop is in the shop and we will share the
computer in my office. I hope they put a rush on the repair.

There has been a lot of campaigning going on, and not much
of it is worth listening to. Either they are bashing the other
candidate or lying about what they’ll do if they keep their
seat. We’re not really paying attention to either strategy.

To my way of thinking the politicians have already shown us
what they really think of us by not making the tax cuts a
priority. Of course they are campaigning on the platform of
making extending the tax cuts priority one, AFTER the election.
This is a promise they cannot keep unless they have an really
reliable crystal ball.

Since this sitting Congress slapped us in the face by having
time to listen to a comedy routine by Steven Corbert, but not to
debate extending the tax cuts I might once again advocate not
voting for any incumbent. I haven’t seen anything done by either
party to impress me during the current administration and believe
I’ll just vote against all of them.

This collective group of inflated egos have proven once again
that they can talk the talk, but they can’t walk the walk. They
have had almost two years to improve the economy, put people to
work, and work on the tax cut extension. And since neither party
has a record to run on they base their campaigns on lies, half-
truths, and innuedoes. They should just do their jobs.
Comments are always welcome.

Snap-On year marks and more

Recently I had a friend in Kenosha, Wisconsin, send me two
Snap-On charts for year marks. These cover the years the
first one did, but extend to 2029. I am assured that the
future year marks are real. The friend claims that Snap-On
has them figured out that far in advance.

So, if you like old tools, or plan to buy some in the future,
just click on the thumbnail to enlarge. They are left full
sized in case anyone wants to make copies. These two
chart will give you over 100 years of year marks.

At some point we’re going to do a history of Snap-On post
as it seems the interest is there. The rough draft is just
about done so hang in there.

We’re also going to list two events in this post. One is
going on as scheduled and the other has been canceled. The
one still going on will be first.

On Saturday, October 2nd, 2010, there is an estate auction
in Bozeman, Montana. I usually don’t list too many smaller
auctions, but this one has a catalog that just jumped out at
me.

Of course there are cars; everything from a 1924 Ford “Doctor’s”
coupe to a 1982 Cadillac. Toss in a Motorhome, a few Studebakers,
and a Nash Metropolitan and it gets interesting.

Along with the cars are a lot of parts, other motorized equipment,
magazines, toys, scale models, shop tools, petrolania, rideable
minuterature trains, and a juke box.
For a complete listing go here.

And now for a local event that has been called off.

The Polar Bear Regatta, scheduled for October 2nd, 2010, has been
canceled due to high water. The Lake Davenport Sailing Club has
determined it wouldn’t be safe to hold the event.
If you want more information, go to
the LDSC website.
Comments are always welcome.

Some thoughts

Things are getting crazy in Washington and we don’t think
it will get better any time soon. Our Secretary of State
is on a mission to give 3rd World Countries “clean cook stoves”.
At a projected $50 million cost it does make one wonder. Do
these 3rd world countries have gas piped into their huts, or
are we talking environmentally friendly wood-burning cook
stoves? Either way, why didn’t an American company get the
contract to build the stoves?

And the fact that our lawmakers aren’t going vote on extending
the tax cuts until after their election bids is ludicrous. That
should tell us where the people who elect them rank in their
priorities. How about trying a new bill that states nobody can
campaign until the real business is done? And these are the
people who claim they’re held to a higher standard. On the
bright side, we guess they can’t cost us any more if they’re
not in session.

Just to show we can do more than complain, we’ll leave you with
an amusing email we received from a Doctor. It could be true, it
is humorous, and we’ll let you decide what you think of-

Doctors vs. Gun Owners

Doctors

(A) The number of physicians in the U.S. is 700,000.

(B) Accidental deaths caused by Physician per year are
120,000.

(C) Accidental deaths per physician is 0.171.

Statistics courtesy of U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services.

Now think about this:

Guns

(A) The number of gun owners in the U.S. is 80,000,000.
(Yes, that’s 80 million)

(B) The number of accidental gun deaths per year, all age groups,
is 1,500.

(C) The number of accidental deaths per gun owner is .000188.
Statistics courtesy of FBI

So, statistically, doctors are approximately

9,000 times more dangerous than gun owners.

Remember, ‘Guns don’t kill people, doctors do.’

FACT: NOT EVERYONE HAS A GUN,

BUT;
Almost everyone has at least one doctor.
This means you are over 900 times more likely to be killed by a
doctor as a gun owner!!!

Please alert your friends to this alarming threat. We must ban
doctors before this gets completely out of hand!!!!!

Out of concern for the public at large,

I withheld the statistics on lawyers for fear the shock would
cause people to panic and seek medical attention!
Comments are always welcome.

Worthless post

Sometimes we just have to have a little fun. The following
tidbits are for amusement purposes only and may or may be true.
In no particular order, here are some heavy questions, inane
observations, and other worthless junk.

Beware of the mechanic who says: I couldn’t repair your brakes,
so I made your horn louder.

If money doesn’t grow on trees then why do banks have branches?

A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at
kick boxing.

If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?

Life isn’t like a box of chocolates; it’s more like a jar of jalapeno’s. What you do today, might burn your butt tomorrow.

How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?

Every one has a photographic memory. Some just don’t have film.

The economy is so bad that Obama is now playing miniature golf.

The economy is so bad Exxon-Mobil laid off 25 Congressmen.

The economy is so bad a truckload of Americans was caught sneaking into Mexico.

The U.N. is a place where governments opposed to free speech demand to be heard!

Evening news is where they begin with ‘Good evening’, and then
proceed to tell you why it isn’t.

Prison inmates are treated to cable TV, hot meals and a college
education, while on the outside some people can only afford these
things through a life of crime!

How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it
would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?

We live in a society where pizza gets to your house before the police.

“POLITICAL CORRECTNESS”: Is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional,
illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end…”

“GUN CONTROL”: The theory that a woman found dead in an alley, raped and strangled with her own pantyhose, is somehow morally superior to a woman explaining to police how her attacker got that fatal bullet wound.

Just remember – if the world didn’t suck, we would all fall off.
Comments are always welcome.

Some car events

The weekend is here so we’ll list some events that
will be going on if it doesn’t rain too hard. The cruisin’
season is winding down and we have have a short time left
before the events go indoors.

Tonight, September 24, is the Classy Chassis Cruise Night
held at Sycamore Mall in Iowa City, Iowa. Not sure when
this one starts, but you can call 319-354-5830 to find out.

Saturday, September 25, is the Stillman Valley Fall Fest
Car Show held on the school grounds in Stillman Valley,
Illinois, from 9 am to 3 pm.

Saturday is also the 7th Annual Pumpkin Patch Fall Classic
Car Show & Swap Meet. We don’t have any more information on
this one either.

Saturday and Sunday is the 33rd Annual Fall Jefferson Show
in Jefferson, Wisconsin. This is a car show and swap meet
and you can get more info here.

Sunday is the 39th Annual Vintage Rods Car Show held at
Blackhawk College in Moline, Illinois from 9 am to 2 pm.
To find out more call 309-796-3090. The proceeds of this
show goes for college scholarships, and to the best of
my recollection it has never been rained out.
Comments are always welcome.

Health care cost rant

We keep hearing the recession is over and that Obama Care
is not going to add to the deficit. Some of us get a good
laugh from those two statements. But if you had to guess,
how many agencies, boards, and commissions would you guess
the Obama Care bill created? Would you believe 159?

We’ll name a few; Committee to review administrative simplification
standards, Program of risk corridors for individual and small
group markets, Federal coordinated health care office for dual
eligible beneficiaries, Medicaid demonstration project for global
payment system, Interagency working group on health care quality,
and the Program for use of patient safety organizations to reduce
hospital readmission rates.

Now just imagine 153 more. Before any Liberals jump me, I’ll point
out this list came from a Conservative website. It was also the first,
and only one I noticed, that addressed my search protocol.

And of course, we have been assured that Health Care Reform is
going to make our health care more affordable. But how can it be
cheaper if everybody is getting, or going to get, taxed more too?

I’ll start with the taxes already in effect; the tax on innovator drug
companies started January, 2010, and is projected to amount to $2.3
billion this year. The excise tax on charitable hospitals is in
effect and it allows a $50,000 fine per hospital that fail to meet
new rules set by HHS. Then the Blue Cross/Blue Shield tax hike went
into effect January, 2010 which changes deductions. Then we have the “black liquor” which is a tax hike on a bio-fuel. The tax on indoor
tanning services began in July, 2010 which added a new 10% tax on
anyone using an indoor tanning salon.

The codification of the “economic substance doctrine” is something
everyone should watch very closely. It allows the IRS to disallow
completely legal tax deductions just because the IRS deems that they
lack substance and are only intended to reduce taxed owed.

Now, in January, 2011, the employer reporting of insurance on W-2
will begin. Also January, 2011 is the HSA withdrawal tax hike from
10 to 20 percent.

Starting in January, 2012, the corporate 1099-MISC information
reporting will begin and will put a burden on small business.

2013 will be a busy year for the IRS. In January, the surtax on
investment income for those making $250,000+. And of course, these
rich people will also a hike in Medicare payroll tax in January, 2013.
And January, 2013, will also ring in the flexible spending account
cap-aka “Special Needs Kids Tax”. Of course the tax on medical device
manufacturers also goes into effect in January, 2013. January, 2013
will also see a raise in the medical itemized deduction for 3 years
only. January, 2013 is also when the elimination of tax deduction for
employer-provided retirement Rx drug coverage in coordination with
Medicare part D starts.

I could go on, but I believe you see my point. How is all this tax
and new agencies going to help lower anyone’s health care cost.
This isn’t even all the taxes, that would be book length. For
the information on the taxes go here. and here.

I’m getting tired of being lied to and treated like a fool. The only
thing wrong with our form of government are the people running it.
Comments are always welcome.

Politically correct cowboys

Lately it seems we’ve lost the freedom of speech. Just saying
one is Democrat or Republican can get the fight going. We men
can’t give a woman a compliment without being called sexist
pigs, and if we say we don’t like a candidate who is black we’re
automatically labeled a racist.

But how bad has it really gotten? We now try to weigh our
answers so as not to offend, and almost everyone is worried about
being politically correct. But I now feel this has gone too far.

If you grew up in my generation watching black and white TV,
your heroes were probably either cowboys or soldiers. Now even
the cowboys are changing their ways since the movie ‘Brokeback
Mountain’ came out. There are things they can longer say, even
among friends. Some bunkhouses have a list tacked on the wall.
Here’s the list-

Top Ten Old West Phrases That Will Never Sound The Same After
That Damned Gay Cowboy Movie:

1. “I’m gonna pump you fulla lead!”

2. “Give me a stiff one, barkeep!”

3. “Don’t fret—I’ve been in tight spots before.”

4. “Howdy, pardner.”

5. “You stay here while I sneak around from behind.”

6. Two words: “Saddle Sore.”

7. “Hold it right there! Now, move your hand, reeeal slow-like.”

8. “Let’s mount up!”

9. “Nice spread ya got there!”

10. “Ride’em cowboy!”

It’s a sad day indeed.
Comments are always welcome.

Worse bills

Sunday I did a post about the government being at war
with rodders. The title of all the articles we have seen is
‘Can They Kill Hot Rodding?’. Our hobby is small and not
all of us keep track of what the government is trying to
do to us. SEMA SAN has done so since 1997.

As a longtime member of SAN I have contacted local, state,
and federal legislators with concerns. And have seen some
horrible bills defeated with the SANs help.

In this post I will list the 10 worst bills of the last
legislative session. You can make up your own mind as to
how harmful these bills could be.

California A.B. 859 would require smog check inspections
every year for all cars 15 years old or older. Currently
they are checked every other year. The bill would also
use the money raised to fund for scrappage.

Colorado S.B. 95 would require emissions testing for all
vehicles from model year 1959. It is now 1975 model year
and newer.

Hawaii H.B. 1878 would basically allow your neighbor to
sue you if they think the inoperable vehicle in your drive-
way lowers their property value, or does any harm.

Michigan H.B. 5897 would take a process that allows you
to register and operate a historic vehicile for $30 every 10
years and raise that to $300. This is regardless of miles driven.

Nebraska L.B. 688 would give the state to remove any
abandoned vehicle from your property if left unattended
for 6 hours! An abandoned vehicle is described in this bill
as being without valid plates, title, or permit, or that
are inoperable, partially dismantled, wrecked, junked, or
discarded. I read that as parked.

New York A.B. 1235 would make it illegal for hobbyist to
use any automotive refinish material marked “for professional
use only”. No more paint jobs at home.

New York A.B. 2800 is a “gas-guzzler” bill that would charge
higher toll and registration fees based on your vehicles weight,
emissions, and fuel-efficiency rating. So much for buying the
vehicle of our choice.

Virginia H.B. 462 makes it illegal to run any exhaust system that
produces “excessive or unusual noise”. This would make it illegal
to run an aftermarket exhaust.

Washington H.B. 2059 is a scrappage bill providing tax incentives
for vehicles 15 years old or older that don’t meet emissions
standards. All vehicles would be destroyed with no exemptions for
collector cars, or restoration projects.

West Virginia H.B. 3087/S.B. 456 is another exhaust noise bill.
This one concerns vehicles whose exhaust are deemed disturbingly
loud in the definition of “disturbing the peace”. What is really
crazy is that violation of this crime carries a fine of up to
$1,000 per occurrence, six months in jail, or both!

Now you can say; this doesn’t apply to my car, I don’t live in
those states, or even who cares. And you would be within your
rights. Not all bills affect all older vehicles, none of the
bills mention here are from Iowa or Illinois, and if you don’t
get involved others of us will. Just remember, they can’t take our
hobby away from us unless we allow them to.
Comments are always welcome.

Coyote threat?

Recently someone asked me if I thought we should be concerned
about coyotes in urban areas. Since I knew that only 2 human
deaths have been recorded due to a coyote attacks in North
America, I didn’t really see a problem.

One death occurred in Glendale, California, when toddler Kelly
Keen was attacked by a coyote. She was rescued by her father but
died later in surgery due to a broken neck and blood loss.

And in October 2009, 19-year-old Taylor Mitchell died from injuries
received during an attack by at least 3 coyotes while hiking the
Skyline Trail, at Breton Highlands National Park, in Nova Scotia.

In the attack on Miss Mitchell, she made the mistake of running.
Hikers ahead of her and behind her on the trail, raced to her aid
and called for help. She died later at the hospital. If you run
you are considered prey, if you yell, throw rocks, or shoot at
them you are considered a threat.

5 coyotes were shot and killed after Miss Mitchell’s death, and
after analysis of the coyotes stomachs it was determined that 3 of
the five had attacked the young woman. Tests and research proved
that the coyotes weren’t rabid or diseased, and hadn’t been guarding
a kill at the time of the attack.

There is a lot of lore concerning the western coyote, making them out
to be lovable rascals know for their mournful howling. In the Great
Plains and western United States gray wolves(Canis lupus) won’t breed with coyotes(Canis latrans), and they are considered different species.

In the Northeast and Canada the remnant population of eastern wolves(Canis lycaon) will breed with coyotes. It is believed the coyotes that attacked Miss Mitchell were hybrid coyotes. These coyote/wolf hybrids have longer more powerful jaws, are physically larger, and hunt in packs.Coyotes are now found in all of the lower 48 and in every providence of Canada.

Western coyotes have been know to take down prey as large as a white-tail deer, while eastern coyotes have been know to kill a 1,200 pound Moose. All coyotes are intelligent, they watch us, learn our routines and they remember their mistakes. They are also adaptive; an abundant supply of food results in larger litters and if hunted or killed off, the female coyotes decrease their age of first breeding.

Coyotes have been spotted, trapped, and moved, here in Davenport, and have a growing population in Chicago and a lot of other cities.
The pattern is usually the same as coyotes first appear in yards and
streets at night, possibly drawn by the odor of pet food, compost piles, and landscaping that harbors rabbits and rodents. Then coyotes move on to attacking unleashed pets, then they start chasing joggers and bicyclists, then to children’s play areas and like places during the day, finally to attacking adults.

While some mistakenly think of them as pet dogs, if not scared off the
attacks escalate. Some people ignore them or even feed them. Don’t forget they learn our routines by watching us, and if not scared off or shot at they grow bolder. If coyotes are killed after an attack it stops this cycle of learning and the attacks stop.

After thinking it over I’ve decided there is definitely a problem and I
really hope someone comes up with a solution.
Comments are always welcome.