If you ever go to Fairmont (WV)...

...you better walk right, to paraphrase the old song "Midnight Special." To be specific, you better walk right down to 300 Washington Street, home of Yann's Hot Dog Stand.

Admittedly, hot dogs in particular and food in general aren't usually a topic at Goat Rope. But I've been crisscrossing West Virginia lately trying to drum up support for creating a Future Fund from mineral severance taxes that would generate a long term stream of wealth for solving tomorrow's problems.

But even if you're trying to save the world, you gotta eat somewhere. And a campaign like this has been a great way for El Cabrero to sample the real taste of West Virginia.

On a recent trip to Marion County, that somewhere was Yann's, which is not just a hot dog stand but the undisputed kingdom of its proprietor, who reserves the right to serve hot dogs his way, which includes a nice spicy sauce a little on the hot side. By local tradition, said dogs are best eaten with chocolate milk to take a little of the edge off.

The dogs were great. And you take em like you find em. I pity the fool who asks for ketchup on a hot dog.

So if you're ever up that way, check it out and take what you're given. If memory serves, it's just a quick right turn from the courthouse down by the bridge. And speaking of the courthouse, inside it's the most beautiful one I've found in WV so far (and I've seen quite a few lately).

Note: I understand the hours at Yann's pretty much correspond to when the owner feels like being there.

HOW CAN YOU MEASURE LOCAL RACISM? Would you believe Google?

ZOMBIE LAND. This item asks what America's zombie mania says about us.

GOAT ROPE ADVISORY LEVEL: ELEVATED

The (hot) dogged pursuit of justice

West Virginians are sometimes said to be a proud people. There may be something to that, but we're not too proud to resort to a cheap stunt to make a point. In fact, we've done a lot of that this summer.


Back in June, on the 10th anniversary of the Bush tax cuts for the rich, we held a Bake Sale for Medicare and Medicaid with a bit of street theater. The idea was to highlight the injustice (and absurdity) of cutting Medicare and Medicaid to pay for more tax cuts for the wealthy.

As previously noted here, on August 14, the WV AFLCIO and allies held a series of hot dog sales around the state to celebrate the 76th birthday of Social Security. Donations of five cents per dog were requested (the 1935 price)in order "to reduce the debt of our nation while protecting the rich and tax dodging corporations."


On Thursday, the Parkersburg Area Labor Council, the WV AFLCIO, West Virginians United for Social and Economic Justice and the American Friends Service Committee rallied once more to defend programs for working people and to make the point that the only thing dumber than holding hot dog sales to save Social Security is cutting it to protect tax breaks for millionaires.

House Speaker John Boehner was invited, although he did not attend for some reason and we had to make do with a life size cardboard cut-out. I will make no comment on whether this was better than the real thing.

There was also a fat cat skit, which in all modesty El Cabrero must claim as his literary masterpiece.

A check with the proceeds of the hot dog sale was prepared to be presented to the US government to show that the working people of West Virginia are doing their bit to save the country. It was for $1317.00 and represented the sale of 26,340 dogs to pay down the national debt.

We then dutifully marched to the US Bureau for the Public Debt to make our contribution. Since rich folks and major corporations aren't, somebody has to, right?

But seriously, folks, as AFLCIO secretary-treasurer Larry Matheney told attenders, "This tongue in cheek thing got somebody's attention. We need to keep the ball rolling. We need to get in the streets to make our voices heard."

We just might need to think of a different stunt next time.

GOAT ROPE ADVISORY LEVEL: ELEVATED

Saving the republic, one hot dog at a time

Since the rich are unwilling to do their part to save American democracy, the labor movement does its part.

At about 10 locations around the state of West Virginia, the state AFLCIO and allies, including West Virginians United for Social and Economic Justice and the American Friends Service Committee, celebrated the 76th birthday of Social Security by hosting a tongue in cheek "Help the Really Rich Hot Dog Sale."

Larry Matheney, secretary treasurer of the WV AFLCIO, makes his pitch to help the really rich.

Hot dogs were on sale at 1935 prices of $.05. The labor federation sent a letter to House Speaker (and faithful servant of the really rich) John Boehner that read:

In support of your effort to continue millionaires’ and corporations’ outrageous tax cuts at the expense of destroying our nation’s social safety net programs (Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid) we are advising you of the West Virginia AFL-CIO plan to reduce the debt of our nation while protecting the rich and tax dodging corporations.

On the weekend of August 14, 2011 we will be having hot dog sales promoted by our Central Labor Councils, located in thirteen cities in West Virginia, in celebration of the 76th anniversary of the signing of the Social Security Act by President Roosevelt. We will be selling our hot dogs at the 1935 price of 5¢ with all proceeds being donated to the United States government. We hope you’ll recognize our effort to reduce our nation’s debt, could help you build a stronger case to continue protecting the rich and tax dodging corporations from paying their fair share of taxes.

The West Virginia AFL-CIO will present a check to the Bureau of the Public Debt, (200 Third Street, Parkersburg W.V.), on August 25th at 1:00 p.m. and request your presence as we award the proceeds resulting from our, “Help the Really Rich Hot Dog Sale”.

The serious point behind all this is the absurdity of proposing cuts to vital programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security while undoing Bush era tax cuts for the extremely wealthy are off the table.

The next act in this tragicomedy will happen on August 25th, when proceeds from the hot dog sales will be presented to the Bureau of the Public Debt in Parkersburg.

If you think all this is silly, you're right. The only thing sillier is a Congress that thinks preserving tax cuts for the rich is more important than promoting the common good.

GOAT ROPE ADVISORY LEVEL: ELEVATED

Wrong turn

The theme at Goat Rope these days is the current economic mess the US is facing and how we got there.

Installment one is here. It traces the roots of the Great Recession to 30 years of supply side economics, deregulation, tax cuts and privatization.

Installment two is here. It's about the inadequacy of policy responses such as TARP and the Recovery Act to counter the Great Recession.

Installment three is here. It's about how shifting the agenda from the jobs crisis to the deficit isn't going to do much good to either.

One problem with the current budget debate is that all the attention is placed on cutting programs rather than raising revenue. Another problem is that the right wing approach to dealing with the budget doesn't look at what really caused it to mushroom. The main drivers of current deficits are things like the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, other increases in military related spending, the industry-friendly prescription drug Medicare benefit, and rising health care costs.

There are realistic solutions to these deficits drivers: raise revenues, end the wars, cut military spending, redo the drug benefit law and implement health care reform. Unfortunately, these ideas aren't on the table. And the jobs crisis continues to be ignored at a time when 25 million Americans are either un- or underemployed.

Instead, we have a situation in which political ideologues are willing to inflict vast harm on ordinary Americans and the global economy to protect the interests of the very wealthy.

I believe the technical term for such situations is a goat rope

A REAL LOOK A DEFICITS can be found here.

IS ANYBODY LISTENING? Here's a look at what Americans really think about taxes, spending and budget cuts from a recent poll.

INEQUALITY, REAL AND IMAGINED. There's a big difference between what Americans think the division of wealth is, what they think it should be, and the way it really is. Here's a brief discussion of the difference and here's a more detailed look.

HIGHLIGHTING AN ABSURDITY. Here's how some of El Cabrero's amigos plan to save the good old USA, one hot dog at a time.

GOAT ROPE ADVISORY LEVEL: ELEVATED