Some Odds and Ends

For a long time I have been reading the columns authored by economist Dr. Thomas Sowell.  His most recent two of them, I think, make for some interesting reading.

In this link, he accurately comments on the Florida smear campaign engineered by the Republican Establishment.  Although I'm no fan of Newt Gingrich (I have reservations about him) the Republican Establishment has proven beyond any reasonable doubt that their character is much worse than that of Newt Gingrich.

In today's column, he discusses the planned high speed rail link being proposed in California.  I wasn't aware that the People's Republic was thinking about a bullet train, although it's possible I heard about it and then quickly forgot it.

What strikes me as ludcicrous is the notion that people in Bakersfield want to go to Fresno, and that the people in Fresno want to go to Bakersfield.  The only logical explanation is that Governor Moonbeam wants to give some union workers employment so as to thank them for their support.  But why can't he instead widen I-5 to four lanes between L.A. and Sacramento?  That freeway was built in 1968, and even though California's population has more than doubled since it was built the interstate remains fixed at two lanes.

I think I know the answer to that.

Widening I-5 isn't "green", but building a bullet train is.

Bullet trains make sense in Japan, where I used them when I was there, but the bullet train that the Governor wants isn't going to take traffic off of I-5 or CA 99.

He has to know that, but he doesn't care.

If such a train were really a good investment, then Wall Street would be involved with asking permission to build one.  Believe me, they would be forming a consortium to provide this, with Donald Trump and Bill Gates bankrolling the effort.

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I recently renewed my passport, and decided to also apply for a "passport card", in case I resume making visits to the border town of Nogales.  The State Department on their website suggested that it might take four to six weeks unless I wanted to pop a few more shillings to expedite it.  I declined.

The new passport arrived two days ago, some two weeks after mailing in the renewal.  My old passport and fee went to a P.O. Box in Philadelphia.  The new passport was mailed to me from Portsmouth NH.

There was no passport card, nor my old expired passport.  Instead there was a flyer telling me that both of those would come separately, and likely in two different mailings.

I don't know if I can call this efficient.

It's like getting the combo meal at Burger King, getting your Whopper first, and then having to make separate return visits to the counter to get your French fries and your drink.

(if you think that's bad, wait until the government takes over your health care......)

* * * * * * *

I had PT today, and the news is good.  I am making a good recovery and they've now got me squeezing a tennis ball.  I'm still shuttling between three different splints.  My range of motion is continuing to improve and I'm getting my strength back.

I may get to cut down to one visit per week beginning next week!

* * * * * * *

I'm going to pass on watching the Super Bowl this year.

I just  flat out don't care who wins this one.

I suppose I'm curious as to whether or not there's going to be a set of commercials between each down, thus lengthening the game to six hours, but I don't think I'll turn on the tube to find out.

* * * * * * *

Finally, I'm gong to admit that I was in something of a funk over Kathleen's passing this past weekend.  The memories were especially hitting me hard Saturday night.  We sure had a lot of them together, though not for well over two years.

I have received several condolences, for which I am grateful.

She got away from us too soon.