Random worries

• President Biden made an off-the-cuff remark in the Royal Palace in Warsaw, Poland that “That man (Putin) cannot stay in power.” That’s one of those things that everybody knows to be true, but there’s an appropriate time and place to say it – and this wasn’t it. The fact that the White House walked it back immediately though says something. One, that “the White House” does not mean the president’s staff speaking on his behalf anymore. Two is there appears to be a structure in place specifically to cover Biden’s gaffs.

• On Saturday I was in Windom, a rural town in Minnesota of about 4,600 people. It’s the largest town for about an hour’s drive around, and is the center of rural life for quite a ways around it. A local contact told me the town has briefly run out of gas at least twice lately. They’re having trouble getting deliveries it seems.

• Speaking of deliveries, I ordered an office chair from Wallmart, which apparently FedEx lost in transit. So Wallmart very nicely apologized and said they’d send another one, give me $20 off, and to expect it in three days. This is day four and still no chair.

• I have another order, a hand-made walking stick that is also overdue. I’m cursing myself for losing the order confirmation. I won’t make that mistake again.

• I’m really beginning to wish I’d kept my commercial drivers license current.

• Biden says to expect food shortages, “because of Ukraine.” Does that make any sense at all?

• Truck drivers proudly say, “If you eat it or wear it, it was brought to you in a truck.” I wonder how much of the cost of goods delivered in trucks is determined by the cost of fuel? What effect does doubling the price of fuel have?

• I do not recall ever in my life seeing unemployment at an official 4.5 percent, and help wanted signs everywhere.

• How about food production at the source? What effect does a rise in the cost of fuel have on farmers? And what does it say that I’ve never felt the need to ask that before?

• Where I live it’s mostly corn and soybean country. A lot of it is sold to China and quite a bit to ethanol plants. If America starts to feel the pinch, will we shut down exports to China?

• Will we close the ethanol plants? I wouldn’t mind that, it’s crummy fuel but then again it uses crummy quality corn.

• There are rumors of another Stimulus. If I get a gubmint check I’m going to spend it as quickly as possible, on preserved food and tools.

• On second thought, I might lay in stockpiles of coffee. Both to feed my coffee habit and as currency. Might look into peppercorns in bulk too. When I lived in Bulgaria during a ten percent per day inflation small shops used little packets of spices for change.

• When I had some work done on my car recently I asked the shop owner about shortages. He specifically mentioned tires.

• Last year I bought a used beater, 2005 vintage, as-is no warranty, because I needed something with some cargo space to move stuff across country. I vowed not to sink any money into it but to just drive it till it fell apart. I’ve reconsidered because the price of used cars is going up with everything else. Besides, it came with a set of new tires.

• Is this how a rich and powerful country falls apart, in a cascade of petty inconveniences?

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