Dakota Today

*** Clunkers of Today and Hot Rods of Yesterday

On public radio, I heard one of the Billions talking about the cars they sold as a consequence of the clunker stimulus. Probably their best sales days ever. Billion may also have told the truth about clunker problem cars traded in, but in some areas and at other dealers, better cars are being dumped into the clunker program than many of us drive and many of them get better mileage than other cars on the road. Destroying the better "clunkers" seems like a terrible waste of affordable transportation and energy used to shred and resmelt, etc.

I suggest a two-tier system where the better "clunkers" turned in can be repaired and sold by government (or agent/dealers of the Gov't) to people with vehicles that are even worse in order to get the really clunker cars off the road. The worst cars are most likely being driven by people who cannot afford the new vehicles of today even with a $4500 gift to the big auto manufacturers as down payment. Trading the better "clunkers" traded in for even worse cars in Such a two-tier system would get the very worst vehicles off the road.

Also, it seems that some minimal repayment of the clunker credits should be made. Perhaps $25 per month for up to 10 years with no interest or no continued payments if vehicle is wrecked, etc. If such an additional $25 per month payment will kill a deal on a new car, it is a deal which should not be made to begin with no matter how much it benefits dealers or the environment. In short, a lot more bang for the buck.

Less serious, but perhaps more interesting and fun to many readers may be the car video and associated car music from the 50's and 60's at link below. Flash required.

Link as text: http://oldfortyfives.com/CarsWeDrove.htm

Old Forty fives and cars of the time

*** Stay tuned. Hope that gives you something to both think about and enjoy-- Doug Wiken

** "Biggest Loser in Winner, SD" music from the "Spanish Channel"

I am a bit surprised with my rather jaundiced view toward ethnic specialness and the illegal alien invasion from Mexico, that anybody from the "Spanish Channel" would decide to push a song and video via Dakota Today.  But, give a listen to "The Biggest Loser in Winner, SD" anyway.  Below is a copy of the e-mail I received with a link to the video and music.

---

Hi Douglas,
I was stumbling through blogs and came upon yours. I like how you are not afraid to state your views!
 I know it's a little off track of your normal beat, but I wrote a song about the rancher in Winner, SD who won all that money last week. Here's a video if you care to post it:
        http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64oRxEPMZjY
        "Biggest Loser" video and Music
If you do, we'll be sure to give your blog a prominent link on our website as well.
 Thanks! Jaime
 -- The Spanish Channel 617-429-1812 myspace.com/TheSpanishChannel
 sonicbids.com/TheSpanishChannel reverbnation.com/TheSpanishChannel
twitter.com/SpanishChannel

---

Winner, SD. has more biggest losers than this guy could ever imagine and Neal Wanless is really from Mission, SD and bought the winning ticket at Winner Ampride instead of Lil Feller, but guess there has to be a bit of poetic license allowed for singers and guitarists. Anyway, if you actually even sort of enjoyed the music, let the singer Jaime Garamella know.
 *** Stay tuned even if this isn't the day that the music died --- Doug Wiken

**Pleasant Surprise last night...No Cover No Minimum

I really have a very low tolerance for "music" mumbled or garbled with strange vocal qualities and lyrics comprehensible only if TV captions are on and which seem to be a common denominator of the trash hyped on most CBS morning shows and unfortunately with most late night TV shows.

 Having seen nearly every Lawrence Welk show a half dozen times by now, even bubbly music sung clearly has gotten old.

 But, last night on SDPB was a pleasant surprise. The group East of Westreville was on SDPB TV "No Cover, No Minimum" show. Good lively and crystal clear with what sounded to my aged and less than perfectly tuned ears to be beautiful harmony and always understandable lyrics. Take a look at what is apparently their web site.  Better photos there than those I took of the TV screen.
 Comfort Theater -- East of Westreville
If you did not hear the show or even if you did, you might want to buy their CD.

 The regulars..apparently Brian Bonde, Kaija Bonde, Boyd Bristow, and Al Slaathaug were joined on a few numbers by Owen DeJong of SDPB classical music playing "fiddle" and Bruce Preheim playing harmonica. Most of the songs were familiar or of the kind you could sing along with if one does not mind embarrassing oneself in the privacy of one's own living room.

 I was surprised to hear that Norma Brick Samuelson was Kaija Bonde's mother and her grandfather was Norman Westre of you guessed it Westerville. It has been around 50 years ago that I and a childhood friend decided we should ride our old balloon tire bicycles about 7 miles to Westerville to buy some firecrackers around July 4. I think our 4-H club may have played a game or two of softball in that area. My parents, grandparents, and some uncles are buried in a nearby cemetery now.

And, after all these years I finally put the family name "Westre" together with "Westreville?"  even though "Westerville" shows up on SD maps. I wondered as a child what it was "wester" of anyway. The 1985 Wakonda Centennial Book has a few stories or articles about Lodi and Westerville and also the cemeteries near there. The "Norma Brick" and "Bob Samuelson" names perked up my ears since they were involved with Democratic politics back in the days when I did a little more than just bitch about politicians here at Dakota Today.

 

**Stay tuned even if you can't carry a tune--- Doug Wiken