Morning reading

Most of this is h/t Instapundit:

• A clear and cogent explanation of the scope of moral hazard introduced into our financial systems by the GSE's Fannie, Freddie, and FLUB, by Shannon Love
  
• A potential Congressional threat to farmers' markets in the name of "food safety," introduced by a Congresscritter whose husband has Montsanto as a client
  
• And finally, a snarky look at the failout by Chris Muir
  

In other news, Atlas Shrugged outranks both of Obama's books on the Amazon best-seller list -- or at least it did yesterday.

UPDATE: This parody made me laugh until I splorked!

Legislate in haste, repent at leisure

There's some indication that the stoked-up anger at the AIG bonuses may blow back on an administration that ramrodded through the bailout legislation with the AIG bonus loophole in it less than 24 hours after the 1,000-plus page bill was made public.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aXZwBisa10zk&refer=worldwide

There's a factoid rattling around in my head and I must chase up a citation. Said factoid says that some banks were strong-armed into signing on to the bailout even though they didn't need the funds, to keep "weak banks" from being stigmatized. Additionally, the bailout provides horrendous penalties for early paybacks.

Now we are looking at the prospect of all kinds of conditions being imposed, after the fact, on banks that accepted bailout funding, even those that didn't want that particular government cheese in the first place.

Seems to me that at the very least the clown club currently making our laws should afford the healthy banks the opportunity to give back the money and go about their business.

Writer's Block: Divided Self

[Error: unknown template qotd]Alas, no. I'm just as outspoken and snarky in real life, which gets me into trouble more often than I care to admit.

Spring is coming...

090318_01nopalxochia_plant
Originally uploaded by lb_philly.

It's a warm day. When I went downstairs for lunch, I got my first urge to start sweeping up the winter's layer of birdseed hulls and generally tidy up.

The peach, maple, and crabapple are all budding. I will need to contact my daughter-in-law so that she takes the peach tree off to what is sure to be a better home before it gets rolling.

I felt around in the peony pot and am reassured that there are new shoots on the way.

It's warm enough that I set out my three small pots of rosemary and my bay tree so they can get a little more light this afternoon. I will have to bring them in last night.

In a move I will probably regret next spring, I attempted to pollinate the Trader Joe amaryllis with pollen from the Pathmark amaryllis. If that works, I'll be shoved out of house and home by the things.

I saw three fungus gnats in close proximity when I went down to look at the coleus. I don't like that. It means that there is fungus gnat romance in the air, to be followed by directly by a fungus-gnat population explosion. Biological warfare will be called for: I hope that the bacillus thuringensis stuff I've got is still potent. Double strength doses all around!

Next week I think I'll start some basil, and perhaps a couple Supersonic tomatoes.