Food For Thought

Grover (drown the government in a bathtub) Norquist has his own unique take on how tax cuts are good for the costs of war.

Grover Norquist, a Bush adviser and anti-tax lobbyist, argued that the tax cuts have helped create millions of jobs and trillions of dollars in new wealth, which will ultimately make the debt easier to pay off.

"If you're going to finance a war, it's better to finance it through growth and higher revenue" than through raising taxes, Norquist said. "Would you be better off spending less money? Yes. But my argument is that economic growth that creates jobs is a fine policy whether we're at daggers drawn or at peace with the world."

Millions of jobs? Where, at Burger King?

Did you ever wonder why they used to play musical chairs in grade school? It was excellent practice for adult life lessons. People are beginning to understand that just because you study and get a degree, it doesn't necessarily mean that you will be able make a living at your chosen profession. This used to apply mainly to art, history, music and some science degrees. Not anymore. When I was in acupuncture school I realized (way too late, I had already borrowed enough that the only way to pay it back was to graduate and hope for the best. Silly me.) that it was all about the owners making money, not me making a living after I graduated. Some of my classmates would make fun of the teachers, not realizing that they were at least earning some money teaching what they had learned. I knew better than to fall into the school trap again, so as much as I love to cook, no culinary school for me. Besides, Anthony Bourdain has talked about how he would rather promote the dishwasher than hire someone who had just graduated cooking school.

The Early Girls, Mamma Mia and one Cherokee Purple have little tomatoes on them. It's so exciting. The beets and lettuces are growing spectacularly, bright and leafy. It turns out that this area was formerly swampland, not a toxic waste dump. I planted marigolds and California poppies next to the gate, it should make for a welcoming entrance. I have a shady area I would like to grow a vegetable or fruit in. Any suggestions?