The mouse that ROARED!

[Ron43xMOS]

I know, right?

[BeanCounter]

@Shamrock

And as you pointed out most of my limited spare cash has to go to my expensive ammo habit:)

Gun show this weekend and my spare change is torn between ammo and pistol.
I guess I’ll distract myself by going to the range.

@Eugene49

They’re just one fixed election way. Just like my state of Indiana.

Didn’t expect to see it in your lifetime?

[Shamrock]

@BeanCounter

I guess I’ll distract myself by going to the range.

Sounds like a good coping mechanism! Though I suspect it is still likely to lead to more ammo and a new pistol at some point in the future;)

[Ron43xMOS]

That’d be my diagnosis as well. Seen these symptoms before.

[Eugene49]

No I didn’t

[Dave17]

@Shamrock

Out of a box no less

We used to drink some boxed wine. Some of it makes an okay table wine, and if it is just one person drinking it, or just a glass or two, or need to add some to a recipe, boxed wines can fit the bill. Their selling points are they are usually drinkable, can last at least several weeks after opening, and are usually less expensive compared to bottles of wine of similar quality.

@Shamrock

But at $90 plus per bottle I just don’t think even the good ones are that much better than my cheap bottles or boxes to be worth the added expense.

Very true, many expensive wines are not worth the money. And as you stated, how much better is it? Even with wine, there is that point of diminishing returns. Most of my “expensive” bottles are $20-$30, which frequently are far better than most of the more expensive ones we have tried. Most of our table wines are in the $8-$12 range.

I do also have bottles over $30, but not many, as I just don’t typically find the quality worth the extra cost. There is that rare exception, but the cost of finding them is quite high. I can get good table wines for $8-$12, and finding those good ones is far less expensive. We drink wine with dinner daily, so I just don’t want to spend that much on a daily basis.

I drink Scotch, but that is on a rare occasion, but I like variety with my Scotch, just as with my wine. I have space for 10-12 cases of wine, and try to keep that stocked, so as to have a good variety. But even with that number, I usually have only 30-50 different wines, as I like to get cases of some of our favorites.

[Dwayne34]

I heard it said and read it when I was coming up" that every great nation has fell from within," and I can see that happening here maybe not in our lifetime but it’s coming.

[Ron43xMOS]

@Dwayne34

maybe not in our lifetime but it’s coming

Without a DRASTIC intervention I believe it will happen VERY soon.

[Shamrock]

@Dwayne34

every great nation has fell from within

If you look at pretty much all the great empires throughout history they tend to decline rapidly or completely collapse within a decade or two of reaching their peak. Usually due to a combination of economic, military, resource availability and corruption factors.

I would argue that the U.S. peaked sometime back in the early to mid 90s. Since then all our growth has been from debt inflated bubbles. Every time one bursts the government has patched it up and reinflated it with more debt making the balloon more fragile each time. I would say we are already in the collapse phase right now. But it is hard to say how it will all play out. The Roman Empire hung on for a few centuries in significantly diminished form after falling from it’s peak. That may be the best case scenario we can hope for. Most of the other collapses were a lot quicker and more complete.

[BeanCounter]

@Shamrock

But it is hard to say how it will all play out.

I look at the former USSR.