Scones and tea for Cinco de Mayo

Hey, counter-protesters! Celebrate Cinco de Mayo this year with scones and tea. Show your support for the English liberties that made the United States the place immigrants come to succeed and not the economic mess they run away from.

This week, as you listen to politicians in Washington criticizing the profits of U.S. oil companies, remember that Mexico's oil company, Pemex, is a government-owned monopoly, and with oil above seventy dollars a barrel the country is still a basket case. Iraq's oil is also controlled by a government-owned monopoly. So far all it's produced for the Iraqi people is a bloody fight for control of the government.

It may seem that life would be fair and wonderful if only the U.S. government would take the "excess" profits from private companies and distribute the money to people in need.

But it just doesn't work that way.

That's because people need a reason to do unpleasant things, like work and invest and muck around in petroleum in some hideous climate. Free governments protect your right to the wealth you create with your own efforts. "Fair" governments grab the wealth, and... um, that's pretty much the end of it.

Here's the recipe for freedom and prosperity:

Private property, not government-owned property.
Individual rights, not group rights.
Limited government, not a giant ravenous monster seizing wealth and throwing crumbs.

And here's a recipe for scones:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1-1/3 cups heavy cream

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and add the cream, mixing with a spoon until you have a sticky dough. Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, knead once or twice and pat the dough into a circle about an inch thick. Cut into twelve wedges (a little flour on the knife helps). Sprinkle the wedges with a little granulated sugar, place the wedges on a greased cookie sheet (or on a baking sheet covered with non-stick aluminum foil) and bake 12 minutes, or until the scones just begin to brown.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!


Copyright 2006

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