Truth is that I am a bit freaked out by what’s happening in America under Trump. I watched the stock market in horror, realizing how nuts the tarrifs really are. Wasted half the day at work today scrolling through Twitter and refreshing the New York Times account at work. It’s not that global commerce is not an all wonderful thing, our country is flooded with cheap China crap and slave labor and pollution isn’t great but as adults we accept some unpleasant realities for the betterment of society. I’m tired of the Democrats screaming bloody murder about all tarrifs when at least a moderate retardation of consumption of all that plastic crap would be good for all. I wish I was better at accepting things the way they are. Trump is so awful even if he makes some very legitimate criticisms of society today and I give him credit for his pragmatism.
Earlier in the week I started doing my net worth calculation but I never got all the data in. Doesn’t matter at this point, it’s just a number on paper and I’ve been buying more bonds lately. Still it’s scary even though I know Trump will be gone in a few years and the market will recover. Exposure to the downs means more growth in the future. I do watch the time fading so quickly and many of the people who I grew up with are sending their kids to college. And I’m spending my time watching videos of off gridders, farmers and homesteaders dreaming about moving back to the country. It’s really interesting watching those videos about people who build their own cabins. I really doubt my ability to build my own cabin, though like repairing the mountain bike I’m sure I could learn and hobble something together. One thing I never thought much about the loneliness of living in such a remote place, even if you are retired and don’t have to commute – or how few opportunities for work even at low wages are available in the deep rural places I so love. Healthcare options are also very limited in rural areas, though I think keeping your body in good physical condition is far more important than having a cardiac unit ten minutes away. The thing is if it’s the cabin in the woods, the burn barrels, pigs and cattle or even open carry state, I can get there eventually. That’s why I’m saving money.
Once again I thought about heading up to the woods for just one night to camp and have a fire. I think it’s wet enough and we are getting rain by early Saturday. I even thought about camping in the rain. Still the sun sets relatively early so I’d have to leave work early and I don’t have the vacation time I once had when I worked late nights and had tons of comp time. But the following weekend looks nicer and I could take off part of Thursday and all of Friday and head to the Adirondacks for a long weekend. Remember, I’m going to be stuck in Albany for the Easter holiday with Mom and Dad’s fiftith anniversary. It’s fine, it’s a special for them and I don’t know how much longer mom and dad will be around. Such a warm and pleasant evening tonight so I feel all the more bitter about staying home another rainy weekend. Tomorrow evening will be particularly painful to be stuck home.
Within a month I know I will traveling and camping at minimum at least two or three weeks each month. I look forward to having many fires and not seeing the papers and burnables pile up. Nothing like a cold beer, smoke some grass and maybe a Marlboro Reds, enjoy some good eats and look up at the stars. True at some point I really want to live out in the country but for now I can spend many nice weekends out there. Somehow it will make it less bad being stuck in New York State and in the city. Next weekend might be cold but at least hopefully that a sign it will be clear. I don’t mind a cold weekend in the wilderness – it’s been much too long now and it’s a good excuse for having a big fire. I might not have a place out in the country where I can burn anything I want but I still have good fires in the wilderness. Someday though when I own my own land, there won’t be weekly garbage collection and I’ll probably keep going to the transfer station but once a year lol. Or maybe just dig a deep hole with my tractor and back fill.
After two days of busing it in the bike is back on the road. I got the chain from Amazon today and installed the cassette. Both are oem so they should last for a while and now I plan to monitor chain stretch and hopefully replace the chain before needing to also do the cassette. Not that cassette was expensive – I got this one for $13. Brand new but not in the factory box but well bubble wrap. Rides great with the new, proper size chain and cassette. No more skipping and real tight gear shifts. Adjusted the front derailuer again. Truth is neither today or yesterday would have been good for riding – it poured this morning for the commute and last night was raining by the time I was done walking the Plaza.
See what you need is Better Help! You very sick individual with Trump Derangement Syndrome known as TDS. And I thought it was bad that I was a pyromaniac!
I was surprised that SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), the food stamps program is not like WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children) in that there is no requirement that foods be healthy. SNAP prohibits certain items like hot food, alcohol, and tobacco – but not specifically prohibit processed, unhealthy foods. There is no list of SNAP legal foods outside of those broad prohibitions.
Is there really much of a difference between consuming tobacco and alcohol, and eating a candy bar or drinking soda? Or eating hot pockets? While snacking on candy bars won’t get you into an immediate auto wreck this afternoon, it will lead to diabetes, heart disease, obesity and a shorter lifespan. I really don’t think the government should be using taxpayer resources to subsidize death and disease.
The USDA has been pushing back against Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s push on the use of food stamps to buy soda and other junk food. They say it’s difficult to technically implement but I would argue that’s not true if they can do it already for WIC. Why should processed foods be part of SNAP? They already ban hot foods, so I don’t see why they couldn’t ban most other processed foods and have a much more limited list of healthy, nutritious foods that support a healthy body.
Restricting food stamps to healthy foods only makes sense and would save the government money. It could also be used to increase food stamp allotments to individual recipients – if some people choose not to fully utilize their benefit – they could plow that into a higher overall allotment for all recipients, ensuring that people have more healthy food.
