DadTalk

Will the Auto Industry Be Bailed Out Next?

First the federal government bails out the housing industry. Now it may bail out America’s auto companies, reports The Wall Street Journal.

What? Apparently, Congress authorized $25 billion in low-interest loans to high-risk borrows, and surprise! Detroit car makers are lining up with hat in hand. Only Detroit, never to think small – as in fuel-efficient cars – is not satisfied with a paltry $25 billion and wants to double the bailout.

So let me get this straight: Washington is putting up at least $200 billion for Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and up to $50 billion for the U.S. auto industry.

A few billion were already spent on rescuing Bear Stearns and the FDIC must put billions into rescuing failed banks. Despite the latter being a form of insurance, the FDIC will probably run out of cash and require taxpayer assistance.

I’m confused about capitalism. I’ve been told by so many entrepreneurs over the years that if only our government would stay out of business affairs, we’d all be so much wealthier.

I have an even better idea: if business would keep their hands in their pockets, taxpayers would be so much wealthier.

Trains Are Often Late, But They Always Arrive

Seth turned 6 in June, but we made our boy wait for his present until after arriving in Arizona.

When we were finally ready to order, the manufacturer of the train set we chose was out of stock. So we waited some more. Then the manufacturer delayed shipment by another two weeks.

About a week and a half ago, Seth’s Super City Elevated Rails finally arrived – four days before the first day at school! No matter, we set up the upper and lower tracks in about 15 minutes.

My wife wasn’t so lucky. Over last weekend, she and Seth built the fire and police station, which involved hundreds of little plastic pieces, copious amounts of glue and lots of patience.

The screen grab above is from video before Anne and Seth had assembled the building. Sadly, I’ve had little time for things like uploading video or taking better photos.

After a week of playing with the train set, Seth has decided he doesn’t like the freight cars because their doors open while in motion. And he doesn’t like the second deck because it’s easy to knock over, among other minor problems.

But clearly, Seth loves his new trains.

Made It ... Here I Go Again

After 10 more hours of driving on Sunday, I arrived in Scottsdale by mid-afternoon. I gave my family lots of hugs, had a bite to eat and then we started emptying the truck. Seth joined in but Gramma watched Lael.

Within an hour, some friends, who really sped up the process, arrived. It took a couple hours to get everything into the house.

Today I’m off again with the truck to Southern California to get the junk we have there. I will probably stay overnight at a friend's, then head right back home to celebrate Lael’s third birthday a day late.

My mom bought her a huge Barbie doll house. Not sure I’m a big fan of Barbie, and it remains to be seen if Lael will like dolls more than balls.

Monster and Prey

Why the prey think clustering closer together, rather than running away, as the lumbering beast rattles and wheezes closer and closer is anyone’s guess. By the time the giant predator is upon them, though, it is too late. Acrid black smoke immobilizes the docile, sheep-like creatures. Almost greedily, they inhale the toxins.

An outside observer might watch for a giant maw to open at the front of the boxy creature, but no, the mouth is small, almost petite, unexpectedly vertical. Like moths to a flame, the prey practically push over each other to enter the beast’s belly.

The mouth closes. Inside, the prey are mercilessly shaken up and down, left and right as the monster bounces over holes and berms while searching, ever craving, more victims. The monster repeatedly jolts to a stop, hoping to avoid battle with similar beasts.

Perhaps it’s the odd smell that keeps the prey silent. No baying or bleating or even murmuring. Perhaps it’s the monster’s ability to suck psychic power from forlorn victims. The feeding seems to take hours.

But just as the suffering becomes unbearable, hope unexpectedly arrives; the monster vomits a couple of victims. Every few minutes, more and more victims escape into the muggy, fume-filled morning air.

The monster is smart, though. Instinctively, it knows the victims will recover, regain strength and return in the afternoon for another feeding.

What a Moving Weekend

Did you go to the park? Did you grill? Did you meet with friends for the Memorial Day Weekend?

I did something a bit different. On Saturday, I drove alone from Chicago to Connecticut. On Sunday, I drove back. Then on Monday, my family resumed packing.

Why would I do such a nutty thing as drive 1,800 miles with gas prices higher than ever? To get our stuff out of storage. You see, my little family is was spread across three coasts: the Atlantic, the Pacific and Lake Michigan.

My mission in Connecticut was to retrieve boxes we inherited after my mother-in-law passed away in August. I would have loved to take the whole family, but this was more a military mission than vacation. With the kids, it would have taken a week.

Outing for Kids On Track

As a surprise for our track-obsessed son, we took our kids this weekend to National Train Day, which was sponsored by Amtrak at Chicago’s Union Station.

Success was guaranteed, even though there were some hiccups. The worst moment came when Lael, who had been hanging onto the model train table, disappeared when I glanced at some of the freebies my wife collected. (Note the hats and whistles the kids have on the jump.)

One minute our little girl was there, and the next she was gone. I didn’t take my eyes off her for more than 20 seconds.

Anne and Seth found her in the care of a police officer. The whole incident took less than a few minutes, but it felt like hours. Lael recovered quickly though, as you can see in the picture.

The other hiccup was construction on the Elevated. While we were able to take the train in, repairs meant it was near impossible to take it back home, so we took the bus.

The kids seemed okay with that. All in all, a great day.

Dad Is on the Right Track at Least During This Outing

Like many boys, Seth has a deep love of trains. For more than a year now, he’s been begging us for an electric set.

We’ve said not until we move into a larger space. Our current apartment is just too small.

As consolation, I took our boy to a train demo at the Deerfield Library a couple of weeks ago. Apparently, the train club goes to libraries to show off their trains while the library benefits from the influx of visitors.

One of the train club members gave us every catalog known to man save one: Lego Trains. (I showed that stuff to Seth when we came home.)

At one point during the exhibit, Seth started to melt down. “I want a train set now,” he cried. I explained to Seth he had a choice: Enjoy the moment or we could go home. He snapped out of it and had a great time right until the exhibit closed.

Chicago Transit Is a Rip Off

Last week my Chicago Transit Card started to die. The card, which automatically deducts $1.75 from my credit card for every bus ride, was refusing to register without 3-4 swipes.

Actually, Chicago Transit makes interest off the $60 it deducts from my credit card whenever the balance drops below a few bucks. Then the agency takes $1.75 a trip from an interest-bearing account that benefits Chicago Transit.

Gee, $1.75 to ride on buses that pump diesel directly into the cabin. I’m paying to get lung cancer.

So I ordered a replacement card and Chicago Transit, in all it’s rip-off splendor, CHARGED me $5 for the new one. I paid that same amount for the original less than a year ago.

It’s not my fault those things are JUNK. Worse, Chicago Transit deactivated my card immediately. In other words, BEFORE the new one arrives. I guess I’ll be walking home. Oh wait, it’s 8 degrees outside.

Double bonus: it’s $2 for cash payers. Meanwhile, Chicago-Transit continues to make interest on the $60 they pulled out of my credit card the other day.

It’s hard to understand why the transit agency continually threatens to cancel bus routes; is it really running out of money? (Yeah, probably.)

Still, this is the third or fourth time Chicago Transit has scared the heck out of commuters since the summer. Talk about customer service.

If it didn’t cost $32 a day to park in the Loop, I’d drive to work and say to heck with the environment. My Toyota Echo, which is still in storage, puts out fewer fumes anyway.

Recalls Almost 1 Million Products Are Cited During Two-Day Frenzy

I hardly know where to begin, there have been so many recalls in the last two days. It’s overwhelming.

Before I get started, you might want to read this article by David Lazarus in the Los Angeles Times about how that city’s toy district is struggling with a huge drop in demand for Chinese-made products. Perhaps reduced business will finally win the attention of manufacturers and retailers.

On the other hand, Lazarus confirms what I feared:

While the nation’s big toy-related firms are retesting their products, the vast majority of unnamed companies are not:

Since the 1970s, the 12-block Toy District has been the city’s central bazaar for imported toy cars, action figures and other knick-knacks. Its wholesale outlets funnel goods to stores near and far.

Yet in a year that has seen millions of toys recalled for lead paint and other potentially dangerous defects, the Toy District highlights the difficulty, if not impossibility, of preventing unsafe goods from reaching kids under our current system of relying on overseas manufacturers to meet U.S. safety standards.

If anything, the Toy District speaks to a need for U.S. authorities to be more aggressive in inspecting the goods arriving on our shores – through increased random checks, if no other way – and for U.S. manufacturers and importers to be held accountable for any safety violations.

And now, the most recent round of recalls.

The death of a 19-month old child triggered the recall of about 138,000 Ameriwood entertainment centers, reports the Consumer Product Safety Commission.  The furniture can collapse if a back panel is not secured. Ameriwood Industries reports three other minor injuries related to the entertainment centers.  The American-made centers were sold from June 2000 through May 2005 at K-Mart stores nationwide. See the link for information on how to receive a free repair kit.

Overheard

“Excuse me,” the Chicago Transit bus driver said as we barreled down Lake Shore Drive. “My mirror fell off. Can you look down the right side of my bus so I can change lanes?”