I Made A Promise, And I'm Going To Keep It

Leaving California for Nevada was not easy.  I was born in Oakland, and lived in the general SF Bay Area my entire life - up until last July.

I made a promise to myself that I would do everything in my power to stop Nevada from becoming Californicated - becoming a socialist state.  I was too busy with work and raising a family - or so I convinced myself - to get involved.

That complacence bit me hard in the ass when I opened my bullion store in 2010.  The burden of the truly Deep State is suffocating.  As a consumer, you don't see it quite as vividly, because your cost of living just goes up a bit here and there.  As a business owner, I get a butt load of bills each year for shit I can't even begin to list.  Most have a comma in them.

No more.

This means I will give money to politicians and organizations with libertarian/conservative views and track records.  I will attend local political meetings when I see agenda items that support a welfare state.  And I'll write a shit-ton of letters.

For those of you who aren't aware of it, Clark County (Las Vegas) is California-East.  It's a shit hole of liberalism.  Most of the rest of Nevada is Red State (although Reno is getting more and more Blue State).

Our state legislators are in session now.  They only get together every other year for 120 days to pass all of the laws until the next get together.  Only the governor or a vote by 75% of both state houses can call a "special session" for emergencies and the like.

Well, some soft-headed state senator from.... guess from where?... Las Vegas, has just put through a proposed bill to make Nevada a Sanctuary City.

Fuck that shit.

Here's my letter to her, and to my state senator and assemblyman:

Dear Senator Cancela,

No On SB 223

I recently moved from California to Nevada - Gardnerville to be specific (which is why I've cc'd Senator Settelmeyer and Assemblyman Wheeler). I was born and raised (and raised a family) in what I genuinely believed was the best state in the nation - both geographically and (as importantly) economically. Over the past two or 3 decades, I saw the state start to rot from the inside. It is a cancer. Your socialist bill - dressed up as humanitarian outreach - will help to further point Nevada towards the economic cliff upon which California finds itself perched.

The short-term federal money Nevada would lose is a drop in the bucket when compared to the long-term rot and decay bills like yours would cast upon our state. It's the, "death by a thousand cuts" scenario - a little here, a little there and suddenly, you're economically supporting anyone who can steam a mirror. Not surprisingly, when you offer to "look the other way", or to give "free stuff" to people, they take you up on it!

Care to disagree? I suggest you take a trip to San Francisco or Los Angeles or any major California city, to see how this socialist "Welcome Mat" burdens the state to the point of fiscal insolvency. Or perhaps take a trip through California's Central Valley - try Fresno or Stockton. The shanty towns and encampments - full of the illegal aliens you want to shield - are a disgrace.

But there's no such thing as, "free stuff". California taxes are obscene, along with the license fees, carbon-taxes, add-ons and all of the other ways the state has to figure out how to keep the cash flowing. Businesses are tripping over each other to flee the state. Many are coming to Nevada (we were just voted "the best" by surpassing Texas). For the 12th straight year, California was voted "The Least Business Friendly" state in the nation. The overwhelming reason for this is because of the cost of socialist, "humanitarian outreach" bills such as yours.

Why would you want to challenge them for that dubious title?

Lastly, you swore an oath to uphold the laws of the United States and the State of Nevada. The presence of illegal aliens here in Nevada is, in and of itself, against the law. As a reminder:

 I, ........................., do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support, protect and defend the Constitution and Government of the United States, and the Constitution and government of the State of Nevada, against all enemies, whether domestic or foreign, and that I will bear true faith, allegiance and loyalty to the same, any ordinance, resolution or law of any state notwithstanding, and that I will well and faithfully perform all the duties of the office of ................, on which I am about to enter; (if an oath) so help me God; (if an affirmation) under the pains and penalties of perjury.

If you don't like the federal laws, work to change them. Until then, don't propose state laws that would force state and local law enforcement to ignore them.

Senator, keep your word. You swore an oath you would do so. Withdraw your bill from consideration.

Thank you,

I'm not holding my breath for a response from the Commissarina, but I'll update you if I do get one...

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BTW, I started the new business process in Nevada.  I had a fully registered and legal entity in ..... 45 minutes!  Serious as a heart attack.  Did it all online.  Another 30 minutes at the county clerk's office for the fictitious business name filing, and I was up and running.  I can now do business anywhere in Nevada - you don't need a separate biz license for each county like you do in Cali.

To put this in perspective, this process took well over a week's worth of time each time I did it in the past in California.

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Oh, and if California does secede from the nation, I'd like to propose a trade:  Nevada will give up Clark County in exchange for the State Of Jefferson in Northern California (look it up).

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Copyright 2017 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. Please note that in addition to owning Bison Risk Management, Chief Instructor is also a partner in a precious metals business. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com

Awesome: 6 Chile Chili con Carne

Been busy as hell on the homestead.  Will have some posts on a great homemade lox recipe, and one about a farmer's table/desk I'm building out in the shop.

But this one is about my World Famous (in my mind) chili recipe.  Although today it's a balmy 70 degrees, we just went thru a big cold spell.  A cold spell dictates one of two foods for me:  homemade soup or chili.

This really is good, folks.

Oh, and don't give me any lip about what real chili, or chile, or chilli has in it.  This is mine, I call it chili.  If you don't like it, buy yourself a can of Dennison's.

It takes two days - at least - if you're using your home prepped and stored beans.  By the way, the dried pintos I used in this recipe were dated 5/17/2008.  Yeah, they were nearly 9 years old.  They had been vacuum sealed with an oxygen absorber in the pack.

I added a heaping tablespoon of baking soda (as noted in the recipe) during the overnight soak, and they came out as tender as a Harvard student's psyche.  Well, maybe not that fragile...

6 Chile Chili con Carne

This chili has a bunch of heat, but won't blow the back out of your head.  Great, deep flavor, with a heat that dissipates fairly quickly.  No tomatoes were harmed (or used) in this awesome chili.

Ingredients:

(Lbs = pounds, C = cups, T = tablespoon, t = teaspoon)

2 lbs dry pinto beans
2 1/2 lbs raw ground pork or beef
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
4 C beef bullion
1/2 C Chile powder
1 T black pepper
1 T white pepper
1 T chipotle powder (powder, not the peppers)
2 T minced garlic
1 T cumin powder
1 T oregano
2 T kosher salt

1 t red pepper flakes
1 t cayanne pepper
1 t cinnamon powder


Preparation:

1.  Rinse the dry beans in cold water, and pick out any stones or other garbage.  Place the beans in a pot or bowl, and cover with at least 2 inches of water.  Let them soak over night.  If the beans are old, add a heaping tablespoon of baking soda to the water to help them rehydrate more easily. Supposed to help with farts, too.

2.  The next day, take your soaked beans, put them in a large soup pot, and cover them with 2 inches of water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer on medium heat until they are soft, but still intact - about 2 or 3 hours (it takes mine 3 hours since I'm at 5000 feet elevation).  Add water as necessary and stir (about every 30 mins).  Don't burn your damned beans!  After they're cooked, transfer the beans and the juice to another bowl.  Don't you DARE throw out the juice!

3.   Take your pork or beef, and over medium high heat, brown it in the large soup pot.  Do NOT drain the fat.  After slightly browned, toss in your diced onions and the minced garlic and continue cooking until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes.

4.  Toss in all of the rest of the ingredients - beans, bullion, spices - everything.  Bring this to a boil.  

5.  Reduce to a simmer at medium heat, and cook uncovered for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until it thickens considerably.  Check it regularly and give it a stir so it's not burning in your cheap-ass pots.

6.  Now here's the hard part:  Let it cool off to as close to room temperature as you can get it.  Hell, throw it in the fridge and eat it the next day.  You'll be tempted to eat it right away, but hold off for as long as you can.  It will be worth the wait.  When ready to eat, reheat it and serve with a pile of grated cheese, some onions and a dollop or two of sour cream.  I like mine with either flour tortillas or saltine crackers... or both.

Maybe a bit more than the 1 cup serving size....

Note:  If you're going to use pre-cooked canned beans, you'll need about 2 1/2 quarts of beans and juice.  I've got no idea how many cans of what size you'll need.  Do the math yourself.

Yield:  16 servings of 1 cup

Well, if you didn't screw up these simple directions, you'll end up with about a gallon of chili, give or take a couple of cups depending on how hot your stove cooks.

Home canning:  If I were to home can this, I'd only add 2 cups of the bullion, bring it to a boil, and pressure can it.  At sea level to 1000 feet of elevation, 75 minutes at 10 lbs weight for pints.  Adjust per the instructions with your canner for higher elevations.

Since the beans are already fully cooked, you're not going to lose much of the liquid getting sucked up into the beans.  Just make sure what goes into your jars has enough fluid so that the center of the jars gets fully cooked.

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I can attest that this is great over big ol' hot dogs with a healthy sampling of fresh chopped onions.


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Copyright 2017 Bison Risk Management Associates. All rights reserved. Please note that in addition to owning Bison Risk Management, Chief Instructor is also a partner in a precious metals business. You are encouraged to repost this information so long as it is credited to Bison Risk Management Associates. www.BisonRMA.com