Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Ron Paul Makes Bernanke Look Foolish

I asked last week where we can find an American counterpart to Nigel Farage. When Nigel takes the floor of the European parliament, he harpoons all those knuckle-draggers that are blatantly causing the downward economic spiral in the E.U.

Much like watching an old John Wayne movie, Farage tells the bad guys exactly what he thinks of them and that they'll get what's coming to them. Bad guys never win in the long run...at least not in a John Wayne movie. I'd like to see the same outcome for the malaligned governments and crooked bankers of the world. But who is going to take them down?

Well, today's tongue lashing came from none other than our own Repulican from Texas Ron Paul. In a monetary progress report to Congress, Bernanke attempted his usual diatribe regarding how profitable the Federal Reserve has been in the past two years ($125 billion in profits) and how the Fed doesn't "spend" money, it "loans" money. Sounds like "the rich get richer" to me.

Paul points out from the onset that consumer spending makes up 2/3rds of the American GDP but yet the Fed keeps printing money and giving it to the "too big to fail" companies. This doesn't help consumer spending at all. It simply puts more profits back into the pocket of big business (again, rich getting richer).





Paul even points out that if the Fed had wanted to boost consumer spending and spur the economy, the $5 trillion that went to big business could have been giving directly to the citizens of our country to the tune of $17,000 PER CITIZEN. Who in their right mind would argue that the citizens woulnd't have spent the $17k on consumer goods and services? That would have been a HUGE boost for the economy. Instead, we saw minimal job creation and massive bonus increases to CEOs (who also didn't pay corporate taxes: hello General Electric?).

Bernanke, clearly taken aback by Paul's comments as noted by his long pause of silence, let's it be known that he doesn't think gold is money. Really? Perhaps this gives an insight into what Ben thinks money is. Since he can't double or triple the gold supply, therefore devaluing everyone else's gold while causing inflation and printing more gold for himself...gold can't be money...at least in his world.

So I'd like to thank Senator Paul for not only interupting Bernanke at least four times and making Ben look like an ass, but for also standing up to these cretons and letting them know that we are all aware of the shenanigans they are pulling and that their time is coming. I will be donating to Paul's campaign today as a thank you for his efforts.

The answer to 1984...Pilgrim...is 1776.

~OJD


If you just came out from under a rock, here's a quick comical tutorial on our government:



.

Stay Informed on the Issues

Whatever your political leanings, staying informed matters. A few resources worth having on hand:

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THE Authority in Bug Out Vehicles: The Marauder

As an Amazon Associate, Orange Jeep Dad earns from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links.

My next car purchase:



...as soon as I can afford $300,000 Euros.

Upgrades Worth Considering for Any Bug Out Vehicle

Whatever rig you end up with, a few upgrades make it noticeably more capable. An off-road recovery tow strap is cheap insurance for getting unstuck without help, a mounted vehicle fire extinguisher is worth having within reach, and a 12V portable air compressor lets you air down for off-road traction and air back up again without needing a station. Small additions like these are what actually make a bug out vehicle ready to use.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Follow up: Oh no! Its here. What would YOU do?

Last week I published a post about Jennifer Jones, a public speaker, who was arrested at her own town hall meeting while trying to exercise her 1st Amendment.

This story has exploded nationwide. I found it on Alex Jones' site:



It an interesting turn of events, the Quartzsite Town Council held an emergency PRIVATE meeting whereby all council members voted unanimously to put the town in a "state of emergency" ie, evoking martial law.

This means the town Mayor, who out ranks the police chief, is now cut out of the loop of town administration. During martial law, the police chief is in charge.

Here is a comment left on Jones' blog:

"I do not want to see you get hurt there & they will come if they declared a state of emergency saying that you are inciting riots. It is only a matter of time until they come to arrest you & during a state of emergency, I do not think you have any rights before summary judgement is issued, and God forbid there is a sentence of death by summary execution. There is no playing around under martial law. As far as I know, immediate public executions for failure to instantly or accurately comply with orders are acceptable. Marital law/States of Emergency are no laughing matter-even the Constitution is suspended including a writ of haebus corpus is suspended meaning you are guilty because you are charged & no evidence can exonerate you."

This makes my skin crawl! I hope there are some guys in white hats coming soon...

Know Your Rights and Stay Prepared

Uncertain times call for staying informed and ready. A few resources worth having:

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Monday, July 11, 2011

Back to School or Homeschool?

Where did this painter get educated?
As we near the end of summer, the thoughts of sending our girls back to public school is on the forefront of our minds. We've discussed homeschooling for a few years now.  To be completely honest, we just aren't sure we're confident enough in ourselves to do it.  We've read numerous blog post replies of encouragement from folks who are homeschooling their own children. Kudos to you folks. I am truly amazed at the responsibility you have undertaken.  Educating our children is such an important task, I just don't want to screw it up.

Possible results of my inadequate teaching?
I don't know of a much more noble cause than to take on the responsibility of making sure your children are educated in literature, mathematics, science...well, you know...knowledge.  Wifey and I have talked about several things that get under our skin, so to speak, regarding our local public school system.  For starters, we're peeved at how much time is wasted in the public school system.  Just the time lost to changing classrooms between subjects is staggering. Ten minutes between classes multiplied by eight class subjects is an hour and twenty minutes LOST every day just walking around. Don't forget the 30-40 minutes for lunch.  Oh, and the commute time is a big loss. I insist on taking my girls to school. Not that I have anything against riding a bus but this is good communication time I get to spend with my girls. An hour before school every day is priceless, whether we're talking, listening to music, or studying up on some last minute test questions. Wifey usually picks them up. But it is this nonproductive waste of time that makes us wonder just how much time is actually spent teaching and learning?

Which leads me to one of my gray areas in regards to homeschooling: I can't tell how much time would need to be allotted for teaching. The easy answer is "how ever long it takes" but I am the type of person who needs a schedule. Is it possible to teach a junior high or high school student all the proper subjects in say...five hours? Could we have an 8:00a-1:00p schedule with the remainder of the day available for free study? Now that I have a more manageable work schedule (working three 12 hour shifts per week gives me four days off) I could actually teach my girls two to three days during the week. 

Math is my strong point...
Having the ability to teach half the week means Wifey would have the other days.  This presents problem number two: what does she do with the little ones while she teaches the older ones? How do you keep toddlers occupied for several hours a day in order to focus on teaching your older kids?  I'm sure I'm not the only parent who has a toddler which possesses the potential to destroy planet Earth if left unsupervised. My three year old Chloe is such a toddler. She gets into so much trouble, I've considered writing a weekly post called Chloe's Calamities whereby I document all the things she's done the past week. Unbelievable this kid. But that's for another day.  How to juggle the little kids during home school hours is the question.
My last concern about home schooling is the end result. My research has shown me that there are numerous ways to home school. From full-on lecturing to 100% self study from manuals and guides. I would prefer to have a mixture of the two. I don't want to spoon feed or ramble Bueller Bueller Bueller all day. Just provide the meat of the subject, make sure the topic is understood, then allow for individual self study to expand on the topic and further investigate. So back to my question on the end result.  How is the quality of what I have taught going to be evaluated and who is going to do the evaluation?

Upon successfully completing whatever final exam comes with the study package I choose to teach from, does my child then go take a public GED exam from the state? Once the GED is successfully completed are we then free to apply to college? Do I have to show evidence to anyone that my child completed a home schooling course? I'm just wondering if all you home schoolers out there keep homework like bank records. You know, in case some authority figure from the state comes along and demands a paper trail that your child actually was being educated and not just goofing off?

One thing I am NOT concerned about is extracurricular activities. My girls have plenty going on outside of school that there is no need to worry about socialization skills nor staying busy. I've read the lame perspectives that home schooled children are maladjusted socially and I don't put an ounce of credence into such claims.  Heck, the last set of statistics I read showed home schoolers were more likely to score higher on college entrance exams than traditionally schooled kids.

Any thoughts? Were you homeschooled or are you homeschooling your children? What was/is your schedule like? What curriculum worked best for you? Did an organization help you along that you can recommend?

Disclaimer: I was raised an only child. I now have six daughters. I can use any help I can get :-)

~OJD

Homeschool and School Year Essentials

Whichever path you choose, a few supplies help make the school year go smoothly:

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Time Flies

My motto for the past week.

Wow, time really flies sometimes. I've been posting daily for over three months (many times more than daily) and all of the sudden, I look at my blog and I haven't posted anything in three days!
I should've planned that better but the problem is...I didn't plan at all! Starting last Friday, I stayed busy with several projects around the house:
  • added more shelves in Wifey's craft room.
  • added more shelving in my garage (more tools have a home now).
  • did some church service Sunday after church (amazing how good that feels).
  • made the trek to Ikea again (looking for more home improvement ideas).
  • and the usual mundane stuff: haircut, gasin' up the cars, yardwork, etc
So, time to start firing up some blog posts. I have at least three days worth of blog reading to do from all the blogs I have subscribed. 

Don't forget there's a few days left in our contest so if you haven't clicked "Follow" or "Like" yet, don't miss out! There's some terrific prizes up for grabs.

Capture the Moments

Time really does fly with a busy family. A few things that help capture the memories:

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Thursday, July 7, 2011

Cheap Food Prep Item: Kraft Mac & Cheese $0.65 per box + Free Ship

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Cheap Food Prep Item: Kraft Mac & Cheese $0.65 per box + Free Ship

Hasn't changed it 100 years ;-)
It may not be the healthiest food on the planet but I have fond memories of making Kraft Mac & Cheese as a kid. I'm also amazed at how long this stuff lasts in the pantry without changing the flavor or consistency. Pretty basic food item and about as easy to make as it gets...especially for kids.

So, this deal popped up on my radar today and I jumped on it.

The Kraft Macaroni & Cheese 15-Pack is currently $9.76 if you use subscribe & save. (You choose Subscribe & Save simply for the cheaper price. Once the item ships, you go back and cancel the Subscribe & Save "subscription"). I use the SS option to save money frequently, never had an issue canceling it.

Kraft Macaroni & Cheese

This is among the cheapest I have seen for it. Comes out to $0.65 per box.   It sells for at least $1.00 per box at Wallymart AND you have to spend gas and time to go get it.

This deal has free shipping on orders over $25. I ordered 5 units (75 boxes total) for $48.79.



Item(s) Subtotal:
$57.40
Shipping & Handling:
$0.00
Promotion Applied:
-$8.61

-----
Total Before Tax:
$48.79
Estimated Tax To Be Collected:
$0.00

-----
Grand Total:
$48.79


Hope this helps someone prep with some cheap and easy food. If you have a recipe to make it yourself, for cheaper than this (or equivalent), please share :-)


~OJD

Product Review: Sentry Safe Gun Safe

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Product Review: Sentry Safe Gun Safe

Sentry G0135 Gun Safe
Time to review my new Sentry Gun Safe. Specifically, it is the G0135 black five long gun safe.  It surfaced on my radar as a Survival Deal a few weeks ago and I jumped on it for $151. It came with free shipping and was hand delivered right to my front door. The driver was nice enough to roll it into the house for me on his dolly. It now sells for $249.99 + shipping.

At 76 pounds, it isn't the hardest safe to move but you won't be getting it out the door easily.  It comes with mounting hardware to secure the safe to both wall and floor.  I particularly like the eight lever, double-bit security key. Reminds me of the old "skeleton keys" from the old days but this one has a shiny chrome finish. The safe comes with two keys and instructions on how to obtain more if the originals are lost. In short, it requires $12 and a notary letter with proof of ownership.

Fully stocked, pic from Amazon.
The solid steel door has two hidden hinges on the inside of the safe and is roughly 2mm thick. The outside dimensions are 55 x 12 x 11.5 inches and the inside measures 53.5 x 11.8 x 9.5 inches (H xW x D) inside to deliver a capacity of 3.5 cubic feet of carpeted storage space. 

The slotted gun rack holds up to five long guns and has a convenient shelf at the top for ammo, cleaning supplies, etc.  While the rack holds up to five rifles, if you have larger scopes on them you should count on only fitting three comfortably.  If you have a 24" barreled rifle, you may want to modify the top shelf and move it up a bit.

It has a near 4 out of 5-star rating on Amazon (51 votes) and is brought down mostly by buyers who received their safes without keys. Let's be honest though. For $150, you can't expect a 300 pound Liberty safe.  This will, however, keep my shotgun out of reach from my little ones.

Thumbs up from me!

~OJD

The Art of Shaving

In my dream world, I shave about as often as a Roberts man in all my Duck Dynasty glory. In the real world, I have a job that requires me to...