Ugh. Am I being too cynical?

NOTE: You must read the prior post for this one to have the proper context.

"Detailing his vision for the biggest transportation investment since the Eisenhower administration, President Barack Obama said the U.S. can create jobs, ease congestion and help the environment by building a high-speed rail system between major population centers. 'Imagine whisking through towns at speeds over 100 miles an hour, walking only a few steps to public transportation, and ending up just blocks from your destination,' Obama said in remarks at the White House. 'This is not some fanciful, pie-in-the-sky vision of the future. ... It is happening right now, it's been happening for decades. The problem is, it's been happening elsewhere, not here.' The economic-stimulus package passed earlier this year included $8 billion over two years for high-speed rail, separate from the government's annual subsidy to the Amtrak passenger train service. Obama's budget proposal would add $5 billion over five years to a program for states to invest in high-speed rail. The White House says the money is a down payment on the system and a new direction for U.S. transportation policy. 'What we need ... is a smart transportation system equal to the needs of the 21st century, a system that reduces travel times and increases mobility, a system that reduces congestion and boosts productivity, a system that reduces destructive emissions and creates jobs,' Obama said. Obama said clogged and aging highways are costing the U.S. $80 billion a year in lost productivity and wasted fuel. The Federal Railroad Administration will begin awarding the first round of grants by late summer. The initial funds will upgrade existing infrastructure to boost speeds on routes from 70 miles an hour to more than 100 miles an hour."

To me this looks like another extension of government control. The ultimate beauty of car ownership is freedom to decide when I go where. If I'm dependent on "public transportation" then I am no longer making decisions for myself. I admit that I am dependent on the government(s) to provide the roads, but fuel (and other transportation-specific) taxes are available to pay for a lot of that.

I think I need a vacation

Just feeling kind of "meh" as my daughter would say.

Natalie and the girls went to Maryland for Spring Break. I stayed home because it was not a good time to take off work. I always enjoy the first couple days on my own. I can work on whatever project I want to, when I want to, guilt-free. This usually lasts 2, maybe 3, days. After that my selfish time is spent, and I'm ready for them to return. (Mostly, I got a lot of things done to the car that I've wanted to do for some time.) I also tend to cook in larger portions, so I end up eating the same 1 or 2 dinner meals for the entire time they're gone. This time it was grilled burgers and BBQ pork on the menu repeatedly (and alternately). I'm still refining my Carolina-style BBQ sauce (apple cider vinegar based "sauce"), but it is very good as it is. When everyone returned they worked HARD to finish the BBQ, and it did not last long at all.

I'm in the process of joining a band. One of my old band mates, Keith, has hooked up with some other fellows who are quite talented, as well as having similar music tastes. I think this will be fun. It will be nice to play out again. They were all suitably impressed with my home-built amplifier.

I may have a commission to build a small bass amp. That will be cool too.

On a larger-scale note, I am deeply dismayed by the direction our government seems to be heading. I fear for our economy, even more than I did 6 months ago. The amount of currency that has been put into circulation is staggering and unprecedented. Inflation (significant inflation) is the only reasonable result. Unless the Federal Reserve begins taking most of that money out of the supply (unlikely, especially given the scale of government spending that is proposed), and quickly, we are going to be hurt as a country and as individual families. The further reach of government into more and more aspects of private life, the "nanny state" if you will, is absolutely the WRONG direction, in my opinion. My wife and I continue to pray that we will always see God's hand in control of our lives, that our strength and trust will be in Him in every dimension. Right now that thought is taking me to the absolute limits of my faith. It does not feel good at all. I do not feel good at all. Ominous, dark clouds are all I see. Ugh.