Musings Written A Monday Evening, -- December 1, 2014; To Be Posted On A Long Tuesday

I linked to a similar story some days ago (about the proposed refinery on the reservation being put on hold). Here's an update with a bit more information. I particularly enjoyed the last paragraph:

The tribes broke ground for the Thunder Butte Petroleum Services project in May 2013. It is planned on land about 2½ miles west of Makoti, in southwest Ward County. It would be the first refinery in the United States in more than 30 years, according to the federal Interior Department.

".... the first refinery in the United States in more than 30 years." And that's the problem with the Federal government; can't even keep track of new refineries (one) in the last 30 years, and that was west of Dickinson supposedly ready for business this week. Maybe I misread something. If I did, I will correct it. Maybe they meant the first new refinery in Ward County, North Dakota, in 30 years. Whatever.

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Just for the fun of it. Flashback to 2011, and then flashback to 2008.

Yellow River, Christie

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I knew that the O'Bama administration was out of control with regard to spending, but I never checked in to see how bad "my" condition was in. Wow, zerohedge is reporting the US debt has increased 70% under Barry.

My hunch is that if Hillary can get herself re-elected, she will simply hit the re-set button and bring US debt back to zero (on paper). I don't know how she plans to do it, but what does it matter? One way to do it, would be to "re-label" US debt as something else, maybe "long-term, on-going American investment" chits (LTOGAI chits) -- pronounced "left to go" chits.

Speaking of "left to go" chits, it looks like Trump's Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey, doesn't have much time "left to go," either. Unless, Carl Icahn, like a deus ex machina, can step in at the last moment, it's sayonara. It's hard to say exactly where the blame lies (note, the US economy was not mentioned). Certainly the 800-lb gorilla sitting in the casino's lobby didn't help prevent this trainwreck:

Trump Entertainment has been in talks with its union and state officials on ways to save the casino and its 3,000 jobs. They hinge on the union withdrawing its appeal of a court-ordered cost-cutting plan that terminated the contract with Local 54 of the Unite-HERE union, freeing the company from costly health insurance and pension costs.

 Did y'all notice that The Donald bailed early; only "owns" ten percent of his eponymous casino?

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Hoods and Hammers

"Hands Up, Don't Shoot (HUDS) -- pronounced "hoods." With the cold-blooded killing of a young man in St Louis, it won't be long until we have "Hoods and Hammers." 

 

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Speaking of train wrecks, there was another BNSF derailment -- sit down; this derailment a) did not occur near Casselton, ND, derailment capital of the Peace Garden State; and, b) did not involve Bakken crude oil. When you read the article note that emergency responders were on-scene, making cotton candy (spun sugar). Not really (I made that part up), but had they had the training they could have. If this had happened in the south, they would have had sweetened hominy grits for breakfast.