Two weeks in pie making (Feb 6-20)

Last week: Maria's Carmel Nut Custard Double Crust Pie
This week: Butterscotch Nut Custard Pie

Quite a lot happening these past two weeks. In general, it's been a tough time for the current international system, as the governments surrounding the major resource choke-points suddenly find themselves facing populations that doubt their rulers' legitimacy. This is going to get a lot worse before it gets better, as unemployed young people facing rising food prices have very little too lose. Crushing despair and a growling stomach make batons, tear gas and even bullets not seem like such a bad idea. Eastern Europe had the promise of the EU and (for better or worse) hundreds of millions in aid to help them transition from Soviet Satellite to productive member of the global economy to give populations hope and leaders focused. Today's fledgling democracies were governed by clients of a system that has not fallen, and at least the French have powerful and lucrative ties between their top levels of government and recently toppled leaders.

On the domestic front, the great battles over state budgets have found their focus: Wisconsin. There's an interesting question here about the difference between public and private sector unions, although the President's recent push for manufacturing (and Rahm Emanuel's expressed view on the subject) suggests that at least some Democrats are looking for life after the SEIU, which, they hope, will look a lot like life before them. Best of luck! Someone needs to build the ovens and pie plates, and given the choice between organized labor or a planned economy, your pie maker will take the former.

Speaking of, it looks like your pie maker was wrong. In December, especially after the passage of a very iffy tax compromise, it seemed that the GOP had effectively agreed to stasis and would focus on social issues while conceding to a few minor program cuts. This could be very interesting, as injecting effectively $61billion in losses into the various government contractors and lenders to gov't employees around the country will have rippling effects. It's unclear how or if the private labor and finance markets would absorb such a loss. If it leads to the government actually exercising its resolution authority for a major bank, your pie maker will brew a cup of earl gray in tribute. However, the Democrats are hoping to replay 1995, and the biggest impact will likely be a two week vacation for your pie maker in March.

If that happens, expect to see the traveling rolling pin on the back of a bicycle, or maybe a kayak, as the rush to GPS-dependent NextGen is about to collide with GPS-jamming G4 wireless service. Tough times for the System, indeed.