Dear Dr. Babooner,
I’m very, very involved with my whole extended family. Maybe too involved.
I’m the de facto leader. They call me “The Power”. Everyone looks to me for making key decisions and being a fair referee. It’s like I’m the government or something. Of my whole family, which is, you know. Weird.
And while it’s true I have a bit of a problem controlling my spending, every dollar I drop goes to pay for a good thing that’s really important (to me). I do like to be a key player in a lot of things all at once. When I see that my brother or sister is hungry, for example, I buy lunch. Is that so wrong?
When our whole family gets together it can get pretty intense.
There are cousins who really encourage me to keep stepping in and being generous and taking control whenever things look even a little bit bad – they see me as a “safety net” for everyone else. And there are the cousins who say I’m always “in the way” and if I would just step back, it would free them up to do all the things they want to do and be who they really want to be – J.C.
That means “Job Creators”.
But I don’t see what’s stopping them. I think they’re just using me as an excuse. They might have slight delusions of grandeur and could maybe be a little bit jealous. I don’t mind. I’ve got bigger problems.
I’m about to run out of money.
I can’t ask the family to chip in any more dollars to tide me over. The complaining gets so loud when I do that, and everybody is already irritated. The cousins who have the dough don’t want to hand over any more. The cousins who need stuff want to camp out on my front stoop until this is resolved. I’m afraid I’ll have to step over their starving bodies before long. Ish. And I did promise grandma I’d help pay for her teeth. Nobody wants to watch her gumming fried chicken at the next reunion picnic.
Dr. Babooner, we’re a family! I know we can agree with each other if we try! It’s just the money that poisons the atmosphere. Or is it the power?
Sincerely
Uncle S.
I told Uncle S., that the money/power combination is usually at the heart of most arguments, and they are seldom separated. Some say the key to happiness is to give up both, but I say hang on and buy some earplugs.
But that’s just one opinion. What do YOU think, Dr. Babooner?
Trail Baboon 
Dear Uncle S,
Your heart is truly in the right place. A little organization in your budget will go a long way.
Your cousins are, however, all screwed up. They need to share with the rest of their family and stop saving money for yachts, Swiss bank accounts, and the myth that they are JC’s.
Gather together the toothless grandmothers, aunts, and uncles and shame these worthless relatives. Tell them there will be no more family reunions without some changes. Let all the toothless old people read the cousins the riot act until they change their priorities.
You need to start regularly listening to Marketplace money so you can learn to manage money better and get better support from your quiet relatives. You can do it U.S.-we’rebanking on you!
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This is a re-post of one i did on Jan 21, 2009. things don’t change, it seems.
“As usual, I’ll draw this down to goats. My little herd is a microcosm of our country and our world. The whole herd, boys and girls, are together in one big pen now, since breeding season is past. And they’ll be together until kidding begins in about two months. It took me 45 minutes to feed five goats this morning because there are greedy goats who want to hog everything. It’s not “survival of the fittest” out there; it’s “survival of the greediest” which does not select for good, kind, gentle goats. My good, kind, gentle goats have to defer to the greedy, forceful goats. If the greedy goats get run of the pen, they will get fat, will become infertile and die of bloat, and the kind, gentle goats will starve. No more goats. So I, as president of this goat herd, have to take the greedy in hand and try to guide them into sharing. For a week or so, feeding time will be pretty rough. There will be strife and butting. But, with just a set of guidelines and following these gently but firmly, the greedy start to behave. And pretty soon everyone is doing better, eating quietly and waiting patiently until everyone has had their ration. The herd will prosper, the president will have no more bruises, and it will be summer. President Obama is right to encourage volunteering, but the greedy goats, who probably are not sharing much, need to be taken in hand – firmly – for the good of us all.”
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bib, It seems that this country cannot get enough goat-herder logic. Have you considered running for office? I think you could find the nucleus of a campaign staff here on the trail!
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Ditto.
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you really thought you could be the leader of this mess? job creation is a joke eric paulsen sings the praises of the 175 million dollar clver leaf they are putting in at 494 and 169 in eden prairie because of the fact the dollars are coning form the federal budget and he is helping job creation. he has got to be kidding. a fist full of jobs pouring concrete for a single project is not fixing anything and paying for it with federal dollars doesn’t count. let me talk to the braintrust about economics. michele bachmann that s where id like to see cutbacks. that cousin is the idiot twit that we al have in the family reunion. she is s taken with herself that she doesnt realize we can all see she is an over the top blowhard. the only news she makes is that she makes the news. the money that ge saved on 100 trillion ta free dollars should be remedied, the moving of company headquarters to the tax havens of the grand cayman to put it out of the taxmans reach is unthinkable. the challange of dealing with a leaderless opponent is the real chore. the only answer to punt. the head of the majority in the senate wont talk to harry reid only the president? who made him god? good luck to all the leaders. the inmates have taken over the asylum. boehner should be crying now. tell him to take his cue. maybe that would work,
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We are building a bridge to nowhere here with federal $.
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Good morning to all,
You are in a dificult position, US. Is there any way you can get your relatives organized or educate them? Things might get worse before they get better or maybe there is no solution. Time will tell. Just try to do the best you can and hang in there. That’s all you can do.
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If I open my mouth, there’ll be no stopping the rant, so I had better bite my tongue. Don’t get me going on a perfectly good Saturday morning. Aaargh!!!
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Oh, families are so complex and hard to change, especially large extended families like Uncle S’s! I think Congressman Beachly needs to put forward a goat herd finance bill today. It may be the guidance we are all looking for.
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The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.
– Franklin D. Roosevelt
Uncle S., you sound like a pretty progressive guy using Roosevelt’s yardstick.
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Like.
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UC – Power corrupts. … and:
The Love of Money is the root of all evil.
Take your pick,
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I meant U.S., of course.
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i wonder what Paul Wellstone would say?
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No kidding! I was just thinking the same thought yesterday!
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Something fiery, eloquent and exactly true, I’m sure.
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He had a signature quote – “We all do better when we all do better” – that appears on the walls of the rotunda at Neighborhood House, translated into several languages.
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speaking of power and money (not), if you are anywhere near the Free Range Film Festival Barn, this afternoon at 2:10 pm. is the screening of “Lumber Jill” with our own Cynthia in Mahtowa as the “Creepy Old Woman” – also “Madtown” by Mike Schulz – film about the sit in at the capitol in Madison this year.
see details at http://www.freerangefilm.com
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Greetings! It’s a slow day on the Trail, so I’m going totally OT. I just have to share this great recipe I found — sort of like individual servings of veggie lasagna, but very simple. My boys loved it — even the fussy one!
Cheese & Spinach Stuffed Portobellos
Ingredients
4 large portobello mushroom caps (or 6+ smaller ones)
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, divided
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup finely chopped fresh spinach
½ cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
2 tablespoons finely chopped kalamata olives
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
¾ cup prepared marinara sauce
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Place mushroom caps, gill side up, on the prepared pan. Sprinkle with salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Roast until tender, 20-25 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, mash ricotta, spinach, ¼ cup Pamesan, olives, Italian seasoning and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Place marinara sauce in a small bowl, cover and microwave on high until hot.
4. When the mushrooms are tender, carefully pour out any liquid accumulated in the caps. Return the caps to the pan gill side up. Spread 1 tablespoon marinara into each cap; reserving extra sauce for on top. Mound a generous 1/3 cup ricotta filling into each cap and sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup Parmesan. Bake until hot, about 10 minutes. Serve with the remaining marinara sauce.
This is a simple dish that looks fancy enough for company! Enjoy!
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yummm
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Thanks, Joanne! I could probably grate up some yellow squash (which is starting to come in spades) and throw it in, too, huh?
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Even better — bake and stuff the zucchini (or yellow squash) instead of the portobellos. Although it’s hard to improve on those meaty mushroom caps!
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wow, YUM! but i’m lame at portobellos, J – do you leave the gills in or take ’em out? i prepared them once and didn’t remove the gills and there were some crunchy, little thingies in there…. is that usual?
thanks for the recipe
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I don’t know about the crunchy thingies, Barb — didn’t notice any in mine. This was the first and only time I’ve made and eaten portobellos, and you leave the gills in. Not sure how you would take them out, really. I bought them at Coborn’s with 4 in a package. Now that I’ve had them, I’ll definitely have them more often.
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biB and JiBL, some recipes call for removing the gills, which is easily done using a spoon.
Just returned from the Roots Festival at Mears Park. Great evening of music cut a little short by approaching thunderstorm. Greg Brown and Bo Ramsey in fine form together, had a really nice time. tim, were you there?
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Thanks for setting us portobello mushroom newbies straight!
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didn’t make it. i had chores in the morning that took me to 330 in the afternoon and i was toast by then so i made the executive decision to stay home, invite some friends over and
did a margaritta and bbq night. glad t hear greg and bo wer good i really like that pair
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Dear Uncle S – there is a saying about you can never please all of the people all of the time…frankly, I’d take a page from our gentle goatherd and lead some of the greedier members of your family by the collar until they share a bit better. They will not understand, they will fuss about giving up what they have earned, they may try to bite you. But they will never ever understand the potential for their own bloat and demise until it is too late. Ask everyone to pitch in as they are able. If the rich ones fuss, throw a little religion at ’em and explain how there isn’t anything in the Bible about how the rich shall inherit the earth or that being greedy is approved in the 10 Commandments – on the contrary, my (admittedly dim) recollection of Sunday School had more about sharing in the abundance…if they don’t buy into Judeo-Christian teachings, the same is reiterated several different ways in other traditions as well – if it’s been around for a couple thousand years that we’re supposed to share and help those in need, there must be something to it.
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Evening–
OT – Thanks to PJ for the Billy Collins poem yesterday. It’s been in my head all day because that’s what I do with poems; Tie it to a chair because it doesn’t make any sense to me. Although I’m working on that. A friend has been trying to help me much like all of you are.
So thanks. Now I have a folder on this computer HD of poetry.
Even more random; I heard Hume Cronyn read a poem in an interview and it had to do with being scared. A teacher and a student maybe? The teacher kept asking if the student was ready and the student always has excuses. The last line is something like ‘…and he pushed me. And I flew.’
Anyone know what I’m talking about? Those pieces have been in my head for years…
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Nope – but it’s worth looking up, I’m sure. I heard Maya Angelou speak years ago and she said that everyone should memorize poetry – keep at least one in your head, doesn’t matter what it is, serious or no. She told a story of her son reciting “Invictus” over the phone with her when he had to lie on his stomach for a period of time, getting some medical procedure done (it may have been getting a spinal draw or something like that). He recited the poem over the phone with his mom to keep his mind off what was happening (and corrected her when she skipped a line). Not sure “Jabberwocky” would work as well for that.
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God Pushed Me and I Flew
Lisa Rogers
God said, “Come to the edge.”
I said, “But I might fall!”
God said, “Come to the edge.”
I said, “But I’m scared!
God said, “Come to the edge.”
I went to the edge, He pushed me, and I FLEW!
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Oops. Just “God Pushed Me.”
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Thanks Clyde – grand poem.
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Thank You Clyde; I had a hunch you would know… Thanks!
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Relax Ben, it’ll come to you. Glad the Billy Collins poem made you think, he’s marvelous that way. Here’s a link to one of his readings, enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EjB7rB3sWc&feature=relmfu
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Little Miss Muffet
Little Miss Muffet
Crouched on a tuffet,
Collecting her shell-shocked wits.
There dropped ( from a glider )
An H-bomb beside her–
Which frightened Miss Muffet to bits.
Paul Dehn
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Also grand, but funnier. 😉
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and has a more contemporary feel to it.
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Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water.
Who digs a well on TOP of a hill?
No one ever oughter.
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Snort!
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Bachman, Bachman, quite contrary, how does your ego grow?
With rantings and ravings to which the media can never say no.
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Little Jack Boehner sat in the congress
Eating his self-serving dish,
He stormed off in a huff, told the country to stuff
And said “The president my ass can kish!”
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Like you Clyde, I’m no fan of Jack Boehner. But I suspect that when the history of this dust-up is finally written decades from now, Boehner will emerge as one of the heroes of the moment. I think he is risking more and working harder than just about anyone to make sure the crisis is averted. He is the titular leader of a bunch of angry fools.
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I thought as I watched myself post this that I would regret I did so.
It is rather tasteless. I apologize.
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It is hard to have anything to say about how our top politicans are operating without sounding a little tasteless. Most of the time I keep my opinion on the political scene to myself because I can’t find the right words to say what I think. I personally think that what you said about Boehner is not tastless, Clyde, and I think Steve’s defense of Boehner is also good. More discussion about this kind of thing is needed.
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tasteless is in the eye of the beholder. boehner is in the spokesman role for a group of tasteless jokes. i like yours better.
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No, no, no, no! Not tasteless! And I cringe at the sound of Boehner’s voice, for he is so wrong on so many issues. I’ve written snarky political comments I later regretted more than you should regret this one.
But let’s leave a little room in our hearts for people who are wrong a whole lot but who still can rise to the occasion at times with moments of courage.
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Well US, I think it would be a good thing if all of your more prosperous cousins to take a good long honest look at how they really got all their goodies.
In some cases, they got a leg up from some of their cousins for no better reason than how they look. In a LOT of cases, the family as a whole made sacrifices and did without to provide them with a safe environment to grow up in and the education that now nets them a bigger chunk of the pie. Some of the very cousins, aunts and uncles they now deride as lazy and overpaid are the same family members who took the trouble to care that they learned to read and do math.
Sadly, the lesson that No Man is an Island either didn’t get taught or just didn’t take. All those cycles and circles that show how each action results in other actions that affect the whole-were those cousins so busy scheming during class about how to grab as much as possible that they just didn’t that by piling everything up and sitting on it, they were gumming up the system?
Or is the problem that for too much of their lives they have been told they are just so precious and special and smart that they now believe their own press and think they just deserve it all, and their less well off family members are just inferiors who would be best off serving them?
Sorry folks, I haz rant.
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Tax rates for the wealthy are at a low point in recent history compared to the rest of us according to what I have heard. We are told that the wealthy will use their money to create jobs if we give them tax breaks. The unemployment rate is not going down and remaining high. I heard a smart sounding economist say that actually the wealthy are using the money they are allowed to keep, due to not being taxed, to make loans to the government and we are paying them interest on these loans. The wealthy are also using their money on massive lobbying of the government that serves to keep their taxes low.
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I am reminded of the role Mandy Patinkin played in Elmo in Grouchland, in which he runs about putting a big MINE label on everything, whether he needs it or not. Even toddlers are taught that greed and selfishness are wrong, dragons in legends who just sit on all the treasure they accumulate are the villains, not the heroes. The definition of greed in this country now encompasses only those who desire to make a living wage by their labor. It seems impossible that an Investor (let the angels sing) could ever be greedy.
“Money is like manure; it’s not worth a thing unless it’s spread around encouraging young things to grow.”
— Thornton Wilder (The Matchmaker A Farce in Four Acts)
or, for those who don’t care for the arts and think only business matters:
“Money is like manure. You have to spread it around or it smells”.
J. Paul Getty
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Here’s a link to a well-reasoned analysis of progressive vs. conservative thinking on taxes: http://mondaymorningeconomist.com/wordpress/?p=18
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Thanks, Linda. I don’t pretend to understand all that the article mentioned, but it makes a whole lot more sense than the Tea Bagger gas bags. There was a link at bottom of article to another one by Robert Reich that was also informative.
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I like your rant, MIG. Your point that No Man is an Island is wonderfully apt in this occasion. One of our problems is that so many people who enjoy every advantage in life are so cruel about shutting the door on others and taking unwarranted credit for their own status. I love the wit of Anne Richards of Texas who said of George Bush, “Poor George . . . he was born on second base, but he can’t stop thinking he hit a double!”
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Some of them Texans sure had a way words. Molly Ivins was another. Too bad they’re both dead, I could use some of their wacky sense of humor right about now.
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Yep, I still miss Molly Ivins.
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I met Molly at a party on the Saint Croix during that period when she tried to be a Minnesota columnist. She was an impressive woman when you met her. Molly never fit the Minnesota culture because we don’t produce the sort of lovable crazies she loved to write about. But she became deeply fond of MInnesota and often came back.
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isn’t there a poem, I think by Robert Lowell, that goes “The light at the end of the tunnel is a light of an oncoming train”? I hope this isn’t a description of the situation when they come up with a budget bill. Happy Sunday morning, Baboons.
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celebrate the showing of the emporoer new clothes. the dems are not smart enough to show the gop for who they are but have no fear. the gop are such egomaniacs that they tell us who they are in spite of the obvious fallout. maybe when we lose the headlock the gop has had with the no tax mantra we can go forward. kansas can go back to a blue state. minnesota too.
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There used to be a time when Minnesota could be proud of statements made by our politicians. I think HHH was thinking of baboons when he said this:
“When people generally are aware of a problem, it can be said to have entered the public consciousness. When people get on their hind legs and holler, the problem has not only entered the public consciousness — it has also become a part of the public conscience. At that point, things in our democracy begin to hum.”
– Hubert Humphrey
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Nice quote.
And how about this one:
“We’ve gone way overboard in thinking taxes are evil or that government is flagrantly wasteful. Taxes are the way people join hands to get good things done. That’s the tradition of Minnesota.”
Elmer L. Andersen
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Sadly, that doesn’t seem to be spirit here anymore.
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