Egg Producers Must Be Investigated

Yes, you heard me. I want a full and complete investigation from the top of those big egg companies all the way down to each and every chicken in the coop.

As someone who eats a lot of eggs (well, mostly egg whites, but I pay for the whole darn thing) I notice the change in the price of eggs, particularly at Costco. Not more than a few weeks apart there was a roughly 50% increase in the price. Ninety eggs went from around $5 to almost $7.50. It must surely be greed. Market forces have nothing to do with it. Supply and demand - forget about it. Someone is making money, and by golly, I don't like it, no sir, not one bit.

What we need to do, and fast, is tax those greedy, evil companies. They'll rue the day they ever made a dollar. They'll never know what hit 'em. Haha.


Think I have gone off the deep end? So have those yelling about oil companies and their "excessive profits." Increasing the cost of business on an oil company by raising taxes will not bring down the cost of oil. What real purpose would increasing the amount of money in the government coffers and taking it out of private industry serve? It does not serve any purpose, other than to those who like to hear themselves talk.

My Thoughts on Onions

I obviously have not blogged much lately. I had wanted to get back on track over the weekend, but an important demo for work took care of those plans, along with my plans to get some work outside done. As a guy I used to work with might say - I need to cut the grass something fierce.

While checking Bloglines the other day I noticed over at I'm Not Emeril a post that at first glance, for some reason, I thought was titled "My Thoughts on Onions." I suppose it would not be too far fetched since he is the VA blogosphere chef, but it turns out it was "My Thoughts on Unions."

Unions, one of my favorite subjects. As I posted on a while ago the union employees of AK Steel in Middletown, OH (where I grew up) are locked out and have been for over 50 days now. Maybe I am just cold hearted, but if I were running the company those guys would be lucky to ever set foot inside that steel mill again.

It reminds me of a project I had in college. The class was split into teams of three and our group had to negotiate with another on a union contract. Fortunately my group was the company side. And fortunately the other two in my group had the same feelings as I do regarding unions. At the end we reached an agreement and it was by far the best deal for the company in the class.

Something else from that class I will never forget is two union members coming in to speak to the class. They touted social security and public education as two products of unions. Two things that need serious reform (or abolishment). And I am not sure I believe unions are the reason for SS and public education. Maybe that is what "Mr. Hoffa" (as they called him) told them.

I was talking to a friend of mine a few weeks ago who still lives in Ohio and whose dad works at AK. He made a comment like "big business a-holes." I don't think he knows my politics and I decided it best at the moment to not go off on a rant. I do not think it would do any good. Maybe next time.

Anyway, back to onions. I like them when they are cooked, but not raw. There is nothing worse than biting into a piece of raw onion. And I have yet to meet a person who gets a bean burrito from Taco Bell with the onions. Do you?

Shad Planking

I made it to my first Shad Planking yesterday. Not a bad event. It would have been better if it had not been the veto session, but Senator Allen, AG Bob McDonnell, John Hager, Tom Davis, Randy Forbes, Steve Baril, Gil Davis, Jerry Kilgore, Harris Miller, James Webb, and probably others were all there.

Vince from Too Conservative was there and has a recap. It was good to see him again. Kenton Ngo and Ben Tribbett were also there also, but unfortunately I did not get the opportunity to meet them. Old Zach from SST was also there. The blogging community lost one of the best when he hung up his keyboard.

As others have mentioned Harris Miller's presence was next to non-existent. There were tons of Allen and Webb signs. Webb had far more little signs, but Allen outdid him when it came to the 4x8s. And Allen had the most supporters at the event by far. There were tons of Allen shirts, hats, and stickers.

One interesting thing is that there were one or two groups from outside Virginia passing out information regarding Sen. Allen. One flyer dealt with the 2nd Amendment. I should have picked one up, but from what I heard it talked about how he is not pro-gun, or maybe pro-gun enough. At least one of the people handing out that flyer was from Pennsylvania.

The flyer I picked up was from a group called "Rescue the Perishing" from Ocheyedan, Iowa. It is interesting that groups from outside Virginia felt compelled to come to the Shad Planking to tell us that Sen. Allen is not pro-life enough or pro-gun enough. They were not supporting Webb or Miller and the heading of the flyer said "Is George Allen the Presidential candidate you are planning to support?" To be out this early they must be concerned. I should have asked who they will support for President in 2008.

McDonnell was the keynote speaker and did an excellent job. Chad has a post up of some of his better quotes. A complete list is up at Bacon's Rebellion.

As everyone told me, the fish was not very good. Now I understand why it is used for bait. It was a good time and something I will do again, but next time I might stop and eat at the Virginia Diner before the event.

Cantor Advisory Council meeting

Made it to the Cantor Advisory Council meeting last night. It was very well attended. The Congressman did an excellent job covering a lot of topics. He talked about health insurance (focusing some on HSAs), immigration, the war on terror, energy, and taxes.

He took very strong stances on all the issues. It was good to hear. I just wish there were more Republicans out there saying the same things. The hottest topic was illegal immigration. There were many questions on the subject.

The best statement was regarding taxes. Cantor said we should work to ensure that no American family pays more than 20% of their income in taxes. As much as I would like to see it, I have my doubts. Until those in Washington can control their spending we will never see that type of tax rate. I wonder what percentage of people actually pay more than 20% in taxes now. Seeing as how nearly 50% of people pay no federal taxes at all I doubt it is a very high number.

There was also the usual Fair Tax question. The Congressman does not at the moment support the Fair Tax. He certainly believes we need reform, but he is not convinced the Fair Tax is the answer. The 16th Amendment must be repealed before he will support the Fair Tax. As I stated last week, I tend to agree. Given the chance politicians will tax income, sales, and everything in between.

He also mentioned 527s and briefly mentioned the bill (HR 513) that was recently passed dealing with 527s. Many conservative groups have come out against this bill. Norm talked about it yesterday. The Congressman voted for the bill. I wanted to ask during the formal q&a about the bill, but did not get the chance so I asked him afterwards. He thinks it will even the playing field and make the big money guys, like Soros, play by the rules that the small guys have to play by. I disagree.

Only 18 Republicans voted against the bill so it appears I am among the minority, but I think it is another slide down the slippery slope. Quite frankly, if I have $1 billion and I want to tell the world I believe a politician is a fool, I should be allowed. I think the Congressman agrees, but, quite frankly, doing away with all the campaign laws is not a realistic option at this time. However, I do not think adding more layers of government is the best way to get to less government, but maybe that is just me.

Despite the one area of disagreement, I still believe Congressman Cantor is one of the better ones in DC. If all Republicans talked the way Cantor did last night and, more importantly, followed through with action that backed up the talk, I would have "REPUBLICAN" tattooed on my forehead. However, I do not think I will be shopping for a tattoo parlor any time soon.

TMG Meeting

Albeit a few minutes late, I made it to the TMG meeting on Tuesday. LG Bolling was there and was covering many of the same topics as the conference call. And yes, I was on the call, but when Norm (who was also at the TMG meeting, recap here) called my name I was in the process of fighting off an alien abduction..... or something like that.

I ran out of gas. I, I had a flat tire. I didn't have enough money for cab fare. My tux didn't come back from the cleaners. An old friend came in from out of town. Someone stole my car. There was an earthquake. A terrible flood. Locusts. IT WASN'T MY FAULT.

Really it was cell phone trouble.

I enjoy hearing the LG speak. I have to admit that every time I hear either the LG or AG McDonnell speak I can't help but think of 2009 and hope that it is not a bloodbath.

I also really enjoyed hearing Dan Mitchell from the Heritage Foundation speak. He talked about the Fair Tax and Flat Tax. He likes them both, but he supports the flat tax based on the fact that it is twice as popular with the public as the fair tax.

He also makes the same point as Congressman Cantor when it comes to the fair tax. The 16th Amendment must be repealed and replaced to ensure that that we do not have a sales tax in addition to income tax. I agree.

Unfortunately I think real tax reform is a long ways away. And it is only going to get more difficult as fewer and fewer people pay taxes.

Latest VBC is up at Below the Beltway

The latest VBC is up at Below the Beltway. Once again, Doug has done an outstanding job. Check it out.

Spent last weekend with my hero

Did not do any blogging last weekend because my parents and grandparents (dad's parents) were here from Ohio. My (as Grandma spells it) grandad is one of my true heroes. I feel extremely fortunate that three of my four grandparents are still alive. And although my grandpa passed away and could never be replaced, my grandma has since remarried a retired Marine. Three of the finest men I have ever known are my grandfathers.

All three served during WWII. Two Marines and one Army. Up until about six years ago I had no idea about what my grandad, who was here last weekend, had gone through in the service. I knew that he was a Marine during WWII, but not much else. During college an assignment during a history class was to interview someone about a historical event. The teacher was a bit looney, but this turned out to be the best assignment I had in college.

Not knowing who to interview I asked my grandad. I do not think he necessarily wanted to do it, but he, fortunately, said yes. My wife (wife to be at the time), myself, and two others went over to my grandparents house one evening. It turned out that he had not recounted any of his war stories to anyone, including my grandma (at the time they had been married 52 years). I knew he did not like to talk about it, but had I known that he did not talk about it all I would not have asked.

There were a few times when he got choked up, along with everyone else. One of his best buddies was shot and slowly died not more than a few feet from him. He also spoke fondly of a commanding officer who was always in the front, but eventually "got it." He did not go into specifics, but said the Japanese did some awful things. He had a hole shot in his helmet, but did not suffer any injuries. Went three or four days with nothing to eat but a chocolate bar and water from banana leaves.

During his time in the Pacific he was in Guadalcanal, Guam, Bougainville, and I think others. He returned to the States before the end of the war and served as one of the Marines who worked along side the Secret Service and followed FDR. He was at the "Little White House" in Warm Springs, Georgia when the President died.

I have always looked up to my grandparents, but hearing what my grandad went through really cemented in me that he is a hero. Two years ago my wife and I took my parents and grandparents to see the WWII memorial in DC. He was thankful to see it. He said he did not expect anything and figured there would never be anything done for WWII veterans. It is really a shame it took so long and that so many who fought never had the opportunity to see it (including my other grandpa).

My hat goes off to all veterans, but if you, like me, have a grandparent (or parent) who served during WWII, tell them thanks. Sadly, we are losing more heroes everyday and they should know that younger generations appreciate their sacrifice.

Mercury in vaccines

Shaun has a post up about the uproar regarding mercury in vaccines and the idea that it may cause autism. I have not read much about the mercury in vaccines, but I have done some reading about mercury in fish. To be honest it does not seem like a good idea to have mercury in vaccines (and it has been removed), but I highly doubt some of the claims by the "conspiracy theorists."

One interesting thing from the AJC article Shuan links to is this:

"The loss of public trust in one of the most extraordinary institutions in the world. I'm not quite sure how that has occurred, but it has, and that's one of the unfortunate consequences," Myers said.

I think people do not trust this "extraordinary institution" because it is part of the government.

It is not related to vaccines, but the post by Shaun made me think of getting my mercury tested. My uncle eats a lot of fresh fish - mostly salmon, tuna, and swordfish. It has been about two years ago that he went to get his methylmercury tested. It came back soemwhere around 48 micrograms/liter. I cannot seem to find it now, but I thought anything over 15 was considered high. Although, right now the only thing I can find says that the EPA and National Academy of Sciences recommend keeping the whole blood mercury level < 5.0 microg/L (from an NIH site).

At the time I was eating a fair amount of fresh fish also, not nearly as much as him, and also a can of white albacore tuna a day. So I decided to get mine tested as well. It came back at 19. The doctor suggested I not eat fish for six months. I am not sure where he came up with six months, but that is about what I did. The half life of methylmercury in the blood is roughly 70 days. In the brain it is around 200 days. From what I have read there is no reported cases of methylmercury poisoning from eating fish. The highest recorded test result I have heard of is close to 90 and I believe the person is fine.

I gave up fish for a while, but I am back to eating tuna about three times a week. Most people think I am crazy, but I love a can of albacore tuna with Montgomery Inn barbecue sauce. The chunk light is like cat food. Once you make the change to albacore there is no switching back.

McDonnell conference call

I decided to join in on the fun earlier and call in to the AG Bob McDonnell conference call. A big thanks to the Attorney General and Tucker Martin for putting this together. I hope there are more of these in the future. I think it is a terrific idea.

Others in "attendance" were Norm from One Man’s Trash, Flora from United Conservatives of Virginia, Vince from Too Conservative, and Not Larry Sabato from, well, Not Larry Sabato.

I asked about why he thought other elected officials were not reaching out to bloggers and local talk radio like he has lately. Outside of Delegate Chris Saxman are there others who blog? And how many send out regular emails about what is happening? I would like to know.

Maybe elected officials do not feel the need to communicate regularly with constituents or give their views on topics. I suppose it all stems from the fact that there are not really many people involved in the political process, or so it seems. Every event that you go to you see the same handful of people. And trying to get people to do work to help out is like pulling teeth.

Anyway, back to the call. Norm had some excellent questions - get that man a job at the RTD. I thought the AG did a good job answering the question about 2009. It was nice that he did not dodge it. The best question though was about meth labs and how it affects the ability to purchase cold medicines. Like Norm, I don't think we should assume cold and allergy sufferers are running meth labs. I wonder what percentage of cold medicine that is sold is used for the production of meth. The inconvenience may be slight, but is it worth it for whatever that percentage is? (Every time I hear about amphetamines I always think of Airplane! - "Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit amphetamines")

Vince from TC also asked an excellent question regarding illegal immigration. I thought the AG did an excellent job answering the question. Check out Vince's recap for more info. It was refreshing to hear him say that we should expect people to obey the laws - including immigration laws. The one area I am not sure about is when it comes to a guest worker program. I admit that I have not read up on it completely, but if we institute a guest worker program what is to stop an employer from still hiring an illegal? Won't they still be cheaper?

Flora asked about the Boy Scouts case. The AG, once again, did a good job answering the question. I believe it is tomorrow that the case will be heard in Chicago. Here is an article about it.

NLS asked about how he and the Governor get along. He said they have been working well together, but that there are basic philosophical differences. The AG did mention the ruling he came out with regarding the non-discrimination order. Outside of that he said they work to find common ground.

All in all the AG did an excellent job. I was very impressed.