Ah, February. Groundhogs, ice, snow and hearts of red, Valentine’s Day. To all, tell the ones you love that you love. And, if you really want to spice up your Valentine’s conversations, here are some topics to discuss.

Taxation Without
Representation

Nothing can get your blood boiling like good lovin’ and talk about that which the government usurps from us — taxes. Now that our governor and our federal folks are putting forth their budget proposals, Clarkston’s Henry W. called me a few years ago with an idea.
While shrinkage might not be a good topic of discussion on or around Valentine’s Day, it is a fact of life — shrinkage happens to everything except government expenditures (which comes from taxing). Here’s what Henry told me then (back in 2007).
“Don, everybody in government is looking for new things to tax. I have an idea.”
He proceeded quite simply it is time to tax political contributions. He thinks these types of contributions should be taxed at a rate of 10 percent. The money raised, he explained, goes into a trust fund for primary education.
“A win-win situation for everybody — we get more taxes and we help the children,” Henry said.
Funny, nobody on Capitol Hill has taken him up on the idea.

Romantic Interludes Out-of-Doors

It is the middle of February, but you and your loved one can still snuggle up next to the crackling fireplace, on that bearskin rug and dream of hot summer nights. And, if the conversation starts to wane, throw this into the mix.
“Honey, I love you . . . do you ever wonder about crickets chirping?”
If Honey says, “yes,” you’re in! Impress Honey with this information. Crickets are sensitive to changes in air temperature, and chirp at faster rates as the temperature rises. It is possible to use the chirps of the male snowy tree cricket, common throughout the United States, to gauge temperature.

The formula for this is to count the number of chirps in 15 seconds and add 39 to calculate the temperature (degrees Fahrenheit.) If there are 30 chirps in 15 seconds, the temperature should be about 69 degrees F. This formula is said to be accurate within one degree. A variation is to count the chirps in 13 seconds, and add 40.
After your stirring conversation about crickets, you could start chirping about age.

Insect sex

And, since we are all about VD, this was from a MSNBC.com story also from 2007, “Male-killing bacteria widespread in insects.” It portends an ugly end of all men, #GoodRiddance.
“A germ that kills males triggers a vicious cycle of increasing female promiscuity and male sexual exhaustion in a species of butterfly, scientists report. Male-killing bacteria known as Wolbachia are extremely widespread in insects, found in more than one-fifth of species. The germs can turn males to females and cause infected females to reproduce without males.

“Scientists had assumed these bacteria would profoundly alter the natural mating patterns of their hosts, but only had scant evidence of what these changes would entail in the wild. The researchers expected the fewer male butterflies there were, the less sex females likely would have. Surprisingly, female promiscuity actually rose.
“Greater numbers of female partners leads to fatigue in males. They start producing smaller sperm packages . . . . Unfortunately, the female butterflies instinctively know that the packages are smaller and that their chances of having been sufficiently impregnated after mating are lower than usual. This just makes them more rampant.”

Click here for more info.

One way or another, men’s time on this planet is limited. With the #MeToo movement sweeping the planet, this future may not be so far fetched.
So, now armed with all this info you can have a wonderful romantic time, anytime. (Hmm? No, wonder I’m single!)

  crickets, don rush, don’t rush me, wolbachia