Economic Indicators Western Style

If you spend much time driving around Montana one of the first things you notice is that the highways, for the most part, follow the rivers as do the railroads. Because of this it is difficult to miss when freight traffic is down. The first indicator is when you just don't see trains. The next is when empty, out of use cars are mothballed on siding after siding.

We were over there yesterday and on our way home we passed a coal train - full. Car after car. What a joy to behold!

The fact that Warren Buffet recently spent a tidy $34 billion for the Burlington Northern Santa Fe might also be considered a hint things are looking up.

I wonder if there is a little Ayn Rand at play here. In 1957 she published Atlas Shrugged, her longest and last novel. It has an eerily familiar ring to it. A kind of deja vu in reverse. It tells the story of the collapse of our society as our government asserts more and more control over industry. The auto industry? The greening of America? The banking industry? Cap and trade? Health care "reform"?

Soon the minds that drive society and productivity begin to mysteriously disappear. It is hero John Galt's theory that without the rational and creative minds that drive productivity the country would be lead to total collapse. So, ever so slowly and ever so surely they simply (or not so) disappear!

The railroads reigned supreme in the days of the story. See what I mean about eerie? The ambition of the current administration is becoming more and more apparent. It is parallelling Atlas Shrugged.

This is not a situation where life imitates art, but where life is mirroring art. The prospect is frightening. What is even more so, to me, is that we have no John Galt!

Unfettered Talent

On a sweltering hot August day in the summer of 2007 I got a call from a neighbor asking if I could come over. Ready for a break for any reason, I obliged and was greeted by the entire family grinning and giggling. The reason was to present me with a water color of Bacchus done by their then eleven year old son. I was absolutely stunned.

Bacchus was beginning to get up in years and I knew I had a wonderful, personal keepsake that I would treasure forever. It hangs today in the kitchen next to the Swiss cowbell I toted all the way home from one of our excursions. I thought they were an appropriate compliment to one another!

I've written about this family before as being models for home schooling. All three of the youngsters are bright and talented and I miss having them in the neighborhood a lot. They had sheep and goats and alpacas and dogs that I loved to visit and often did. They were the type of neighbors that were always there if you needed them. They've moved on to property more akin to their lifestyle yet I still find myself craning my neck to see if any of the critters are out and about.

What I really miss, however, is keeping track of the kids' accomplishments. Especially the young water colorist. Being an artist of sorts myself, I have a soft spot in my heart for him. He has an immense talent and I admire the way his parents have handled his development. They see that he is getting the necessary training to hone his skills, yet keeping it controlled so that he can enjoy the freedom and joy of just being a boy.

Every once in awhile, a justly proud Mom will send me a photo of a new painting. I'd like to share the latest with you. The young man is beginning his teen years now. What a future he has ahead of him! And this is his dog. I see two kinds of love in this painting. That of a boy for his dog and that of a young artist for his medium. Having a work of his done especially for me is one of the highlights of having had our paths cross.

We Can Learn A Lot From Mother Nature

The photographs and video finding their way out of Haiti are devastating. One earthquake has nearly wiped an entire country off the face of the earth. We've seen it before - fire, tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, quakes. All compliments of Mother Nature.

There are those who profess to believe that such occurrences are God's way of punishing us for some specious deed. Like being gay or having AIDs. That, of course, is nonsense. God should not be equated with nature, yet in some respects nature, in it's deadliest form, is God-like.

Think about it. What else brings the world together regardless of race or creed than a natural disaster? Haiti is but the latest example. It matters not at all that it is the poorest nation in the world. It matters not that the people are predominantly black nor that their government is more corrupt than many. It matters not that the country will never, ever be able to repay the dollar amounts in aid that are pouring in. People are suffering and the world responds.

So what is it? What is it that makes one people hate another to the point of wanting to kill? What is it that makes one people turn a blind eye to the suffering ~ be it torture or starvation or slavery ~ of others? It would seem to be one of two things. Religion and/or politics. The divide is in evidence everywhere! Even in our own country!

Mother Nature is not selective. When conditions we cannot control come together in certain ways, disasters happen. What can be controlled is the response. She brings out the best in us. Differences are put aside for the good of those suffering. If that isn't God-like I don't know what is. Yet in the name of God, tomorrow we will again hate and kill or slander or denigrate. To me Mother Nature is less a mystery than God and more a mirror of who we can be rather than what we are!

Our reaction to each is what puzzles me most. Maybe it's because one can be manipulated and the other can't. Whatever the answer, I wish we'd pay more attention to the lessons Mother Nature teaches us about ourselves. We're a far more attractive entity when we do.

I'm Shocked, Shocked That Steroids Have Been Used!

It's a who's who of major league baseball. The list of stars who turned super after tasting the fruits of steroids. Jose Canseco, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez and now (gasp) Mark McQuire! How many others I can't recall?

Strange. I thought the swarthy tell all Conseco was the most vile of the lot because he ratted on the others. Now it would seem he's the only one who told the truth!

Strange. All these healthy, talented young men putting their health, reputations and yes, actually, their lives at risk just for a line in the record books. What terribly flawed thinking.

Strange. That they'd believe we'd buy their innocent denials when they'd bulked up beyond reason and began preforming beyond reason.

I had to laugh at the "news" about Mark McQuire as he bared his soul to Bob Costas last night. The angst. The teary eyes. The difficulty of having to tell his wife and family and former teammates that he had, indeed, lied. Gosh. Who knew?

Of all the nonsense that is presented to us as news this was possibly the least newsworthy ever to have come out of the world of sports.

I'm beyond being shocked or even disappointed by these stories anymore. It's the youngsters I worry about. One more fallen "hero". The victims that loom largest, however, aren't the fans or the owners or the men who play by the rules.

It's the children of those who do not. Be they girls or boys, how shattering must it be to learn your Dad isn't the man he said he was? That Dad was not a man to be looked up to. That when asked who was the greatest influence in their lives it won't be Dad.

Beyond strange. Sad.

A Fox For FOX!

"All good things come to he who waits." You betcha! It had to happen. Word is out that Sarah Palin has signed on as a contributor to FOX News.

Wow. Just when I've started viewing selective FOX programming. What a bonus! Sometimes I think FOX News Sunday has some merit. That is until Brit Hume suggested Tiger Woods would do well to forgo his Buddhist beliefs in order to redeem himself in the eyes of his public. FOX News Watch also grabs my attention unless FOX contributor Douglas Kennedy is on. He of little knowledge and large opinion. Yesterday he insulted fellow panelist Judith Miller then talked over the entire panel for the remainder of the program trying to right his wrong. The Journal Editorial Report (Wall Street) is another one I try to catch. Not bad for a network I distained as being far too right wing for years.

Of course, during the Bush years I listened the MSNBC. It was probably my imagination, but at the time I thought they at least made an effort to stay the middle. No more. They are so far left you'd think Obama taught them how to write. You know, left leaning script as left handed writers tend to have. Maybe that's too much of a reach.

CNN seldom gets a listen any more for no better reason than I don't particularly care for it's personalities. Networks are now a "recap of the day's events" which means if it isn't breaking it isn't news. So it's catch as catch can.

Back to Sarah. We all knew it was going to happen. We just weren't sure where or in what format but FOX would have been a good bet. Had I been her agent I'd have pushed for a talk show. Lack of knowledge is more easily concealed; hosts depend on their guests to provide substance. Being a contributor would indicate you have something to contribute. I'm not convinced Ms. Palin does.

No matter. It keeps FOX at the top of the heap for "fair and balanced". To be fair, they have some balance. They have their right wingers, the family values group which will now be Palin along with Huckabee - and everyone else including their token liberals. I can't think of anyone else that comes close.

As for my concern that as a contributor Ms. Palin may be expected to contribute, it could be a negative should she decide to try for office again. For that reason alone. She'll need to do better than reciting talking points. On the other hand, if the going gets too rough she can always do as she has been known to do before. Quit. For the good of FOX News!