Tire Drama Update

You may or may not recall a recent rant featured here on this very blog, "Has the Automobile Tire World gone Mad".  You will recall that a number of tire dealers gave me trouble for wanting them to install 5 new tires on bead-lock wheels.

On the phone, it was easy for these people to be dismissive of me. Having been dismissed, I pulled the locking ring from the tire and the tire deflated. As I suspected, a dry rot situation. These things happen. The tire is shot and needs to be replaced. It's not rocket science.

There is something else to be considered. The rear two tires (older) are showing signs of the same problem and if I pull the locking rings and they deflate, it's going to be a P.I.T.A. for me to get everything to the tire store. It's do-able but it's also easier for me to drive the FJ there and have them pull the tires.

Realizing that it's much easier to be kissed off the phone instead of in person, I drove to Big O Tires (not the place that gave me crap earlier - however they did tell me on the phone that they wouldn't do bead-lock wheels) and spoke to the manager this morning. The tires are going on the bead-lock wheels, no extra charge, we love to have your money and your business Mr. LL.

So the Nitto Terra Grappler 305/70/R17's will be replaced by Nitto Terra Grappler G2 295/70/R17's. The G2 is a different version of the TG and I'm dropping one size to reduce some of the rubbing issues that oversize tires give me in tight turns. (Still a 33" tire, not quite so wide)

That means that the time I budgeted for pulling locking rings without an air-wrench, can be devoted to more frivolous things like having lunch!

Numbers and Chalk Talk

Fresh from the Trump Campaign Rally at Costa Mesa, CA, I checked the polling for Donald Trump in the key state of Indiana. Real Clear Politics (average of recent polls) have him at +6 over Cruz.   The most recent poll has Trump up by 9% over Cruz and he appears to be gaining strength going into the Tuesday Primary.  Gov. Pence endorsed Cruz, but praised Trump...strange.

I learned not to trust polls implicitly. The last time that I did that, I ended up owning Mr. & Mrs. Adrienne a dinner (that I still have yet to make good on).

The latest polling for the June 7th Republican Primary shows Trump +27 in New Jersey and the Fox News Poll has Trump +27 in California. Which means that those states, rich in delegates - likely to swing even more heavily toward Trump in the coming month, should put him over the 1237 mark, destroying the GOP elite's dream of a contested convention where they can nominate Mitt Romney or Carl Rove as a "white knight" to save the Party from the likes of Trump and Cruz. 

Kasich has Ohio to offer, but at this point, I doubt that Trump cares.

Here are a few politicians that I really like and who would make excellent people to be elevated in a Trump Administration. Are you listening Donald? (crickets)

Col Martha McSally

Congresswoman Martha McSally (R-AZ) USAF Academy Graduate, Retired USAF Colonel, Fighter pilot and squadron commander. She's a woman who is very tough on the border, understands defense issues and is very smart.

She has limited political experience but is trustworthy and takes no prisoners. Secretary of Homeland Security?

Capt. Tom Cotton

Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) US Army, Captain,  combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, Harvard graduate, very smart, a very fast study and shares conservative values. He was a congressman and now he's a junior senator but he is one to watch. Tom Cotton will likely be president some day. You heard it here first. He's be an excellent vice president to Donald Trump.

Major Duncan Hunter

Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA) (the younger) is a major in the Marine Corps Reserve with two or three combat tours under his belt. He succeeded his father in representing the 50th Congressional District. He was the first member of congress to endorse Donald Trump. He is beloved of the West Coast SEAL Teams, and is a true patriot. 

While I think that he's doing an excellent job in congress, I think that it's time for him to move into a senior slot into the Defense or State Department. We need more combat veterans in leadership roles in the executive branch of government.