Loan Centers and Gas Stations

Every time I pull up to the pump and say fill it up, I wonder when they will combine the banks and the gas stations. It won't be long before you will have to fill out paperwork for a short term loan in order to pay for it. I still can't believe the attendant will ask if it is cash or credit. If I don't pull in with a trailer you can bet it is credit. I payed over $53 for a tank of gas yesterday. It wasn't premium either.

Most of us wonder if the price will ever level off or (God willing) go down. I keep hearing all the hoopla about big oil and profit taking but nobody seems to be discussing the key problems. The problems are pretty simple, supply, regulation, taxes and alternatives.

Supply is only a problem because governments have made it one. If we didn't have to get the majority of it from the other side of the planet we could save a large sum of money. For you environmentalists, if you collect it closer to where you use it, it reduces risk of spill and decreases the amount used to get it to destination, saving on pollution. We have many capped wells and known supply sites that could greatly reduce our costs.

Regulations or laws that have been passed by our government have done the most to increase the cost. As long as we regulate and tax the industry to death we are going to pay for it at the pump. We need to stop cutting American business and production and start pumping oil. I keep hearing people demand self sufficiency but I don't see any laws coming out of Congress that would give us a shot at it.

Taxes are another big bite at the pump. For every $1 the oil companies make Uncle Sam and his family of taxers make $2.41. That is almost 2.5 times more then the oil companies. Here we have the pot calling the kettle black as they look to further tax this industry.

Alternative energy has once again come to the fore front of conversation. Has anyone noticed a major tax incentive that would encourage this. We have seen the ethanol debacle and I can't wait to see how this will turn out. We already know its going to be bad.

Nobody is talking about bringing nuclear back. Hey, Europe has been doing it successfully for years. You keep telling me how we need to be more like Europe. Start passing some laws to get more nuclear plants on line.

I keep seeing windmills going up. I really don't see this penciling out over the long haul. There are so few places that have a sustained wind.

Thomas D. Segel wrote a great article titled High Oil Prices - Blame The Government You Elected! Seems we are finally starting to get it.

Unfortunately, none of those getting it are in power or able to do anything that will help. This isn't going to be solved tomorrow but with our current crop of politicians we won't even get it started.

Kids Know Global Warming Is A Lie.

If children can overcome the constant bombardment of teachers and politicians about the effects of global warming, we still have hope for America.

Video created by children as a competition.

These are the first and second place winners of that contest.

Recognizing The Problem

In Just one year - - -
This post comes in three parts:

Part 1
In just one year. Remember the election in 2006? Thought you might like to read the following:
A little over one year ago:
1) Consumer confidence stood at a 2 1/2 year high;
2) Regular gasoline sold for $2.19 a gallon;
3) The unemployment rate was 4.5%.

Since voting in a Democratic Congress in 2006 we have seen:
1) Consumer confidence plummet;
2) The cost of regular gasoline soar to over $3.50 a gallon;
3) Unemployment is up to 5% (a 10% increase);
4) American households have seen $2.3 trillion in equity value evaporate (stock and mutual fund losses);
5) Americans have seen their home equity drop by $1.2 trillion dollars;
6) 1% of American homes are in foreclosure.

America voted for change in 2006, and we got it!

Remember, it's Congress that makes law not the President. He has to work with what's handed to him.

Quote of the Day........"My friends, we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world. I hope you'll join with me as we try to change it." -- Barack Obama


Part 2:
Taxes...Whether Democrat or a Republican you will find these statistics enlightening and amazing. www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/151.html
Taxes under Clinton
Single making 30K - tax $8,400
Single making 50K - tax $14,000
Single making 75K - tax $23,250
Married making 60K - tax $16,800
Married making 75K - tax $21,000
Married making 125K - tax $38,750

Taxes under Bush 2008
Single making 30K - tax $4,500
Single making 50K - tax $12,500
Single making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 60K- tax $9,000
Married making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 125K - tax $31,250

Both democratic candidates will return to the higher tax rates It is amazing how many people that fall into the categories above think Bush is screwing them and Bill Clinton was the greatest President ever. If Obama or Hillary are elected, they both say they will repeal the Bush tax cuts and a good portion of the people that fall into the categories above can't wait for it to happen. This is like the movie, The Sting with Paul Newman ; you scam somebody out of some money and they don't even know what happened.

PART 3:
You think the war in Iraq is costing us too much?
Read this:
Boy, am I confused. I have been hammered with the propaganda that it is the Iraq war and the war on terror that is bankrupting us. I now find that to be RIDICULOUS. I hope the following 14 reasons are forwarded over and over again until they are read so many times that the reader gets sick of reading them. I have included the URL's for verification of all the following facts.
1. $11 Billion to $22 billion is spent on welfare to illegal aliens each year by state governments. Verify at: http://tinyurl.com/zob77
2. $2.2 Billion dollars a year is spent on food assistance programs such as food stamps, WIC, and free school lunches for illegal aliens.
verify at: http://www.cis.org/articles/2004/fiscalexec.html
3. $2.5 Billion dollars a year is spent on Medicaid for illegal aliens. Verify at: http://www.cis..org/articles/2004/fiscalexec.html
4. $12 Billion dollars a year is spent on primary and secondary school education for children here illegally and they cannot speak a word of English! verify at: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.0.html
5. $17 Billion dollars a year is spent for education for the American-born children of illegal aliens, known as anchor babies. Verify at http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html
6. $3 Million Dollars a DAY is spent to incarcerate illegal aliens. Verify at: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html
7. 30% percent of all Federal Prison inmates are illegal aliens. Verify at: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html
8. $90 Billion Dollars a year is spent on illegal aliens for Welfare & social services by the American taxpayers. Verify at: http://premium.cnn.com/TRANSCIPTS/0610/29/ldt.01.html
9. $200 Billion Dollars a year in suppressed American wages are caused by the illegal aliens. Verify at: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0604/01/ldt.01.html
10. The illegal aliens in the United States have a crime rate that's two and a half times that of white non-illegal aliens. In particular, their children, are going to make a huge additional crime problem in the US . Verify at: http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0606/12/ldt.01.html
11. During the year of 2005 there were 4 to 10 MILLION illegal aliens that crossed our Southern Border; also, as many as 19,500 illegal aliens from Terrorist Countries. Millions of pounds of drugs, cocaine, meth, heroin and marijuana, crossed into the U. S from the Southern border. Verify at: Homeland Security Report: http://tinyurl.com/t9sht
12. The National Policy Institute, "estimated that the total cost of mass deportation would be between $206 and $230 billion or an average cost of between $41 and $46 billion annually over a five year period." Verify at: http://www.nationalpolicyinstitute.org/pdf/deportation.pdf
13. In 2006 illegal aliens sent home $45 BILLION in remittances back to their countries of origin. Verify at: http://www.rense.com/general75/niht.htm
14. "The Dark Side of Illegal Immigration: Nearly One Million Sex Crimes Committed by Illegal Immigrants In The United States ." Verify at: http://www.drdsk.com/articleshtml

The total cost is a whopping $338.3 BILLION DOLLARS A YEAR. Are we THAT stupid? If this doesn't bother you then just ignore this post.

If, on the other hand, it does raise the hair on the back of your neck, I hope you forward it to every legal resident in the country including every representative in Washington , D.C. - five times a week for as long as it takes to restore some semblance of intelligence in our policies and enforcement thereof.

Special thanks to my Mom for forwarding this to me.

Bionic Eye

This is incredible news. The technology to restore site has finally come to the present. The joy and hope that this will restore is understood by so few.

'Bionic eye' offers grandmother the chance to enjoy a view of the future

By Lyndsay Moss
A PATIENT has spoken of her joy after having part of her sight restored by a "bionic eye".
Linda Moorfoot suffers from the eye condition retinitis pigmentosa, which causes blindness.
But now, thanks to technology being developed in the United States, she has been able to enjoy watching her grandchildren dance and play football.
Scientists have also revealed their latest development – a tiny camera which they hope to actually insert into the eye within the next five years.
The current technology tested by Mrs Moorfoot uses an external camera worn on a pair of dark glasses.

Read the rest here

This story has personal significants to me. Some of you know that I was blind for a couple of years. I was young and lucky to be living near the top eye surgeon in the US at the time. Two years, several surgeries and many years of therapy has restored my vision to a level that makes me functional. People wouldn't know I have a vision problem watching me in action. The highlights of my vision are, double vision, right eye has limited central vision with excellent peripheral and both eyes see things in different colors. I have learned to do everything anyone with normal vision can do plus a few things that can totally weird people out.

I can remember growing up with the Bionic Man and The Bionic Woman on prime time TV. They could do incredible things but it was the visual enhancements that I longed to see come true. To be able to see has got to be one of the greatest gifts bestowed on mankind. To restore that gift to those who have suffered through the loss, is the greatest miracle of all.

Putting a Billion in Perspective

I got this in an email. You may have gotten it too, but did anyone get the point?



The next time you hear a politician use the word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about whether you want the 'politicians' spending YOUR tax money. A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of its releases.
A. A billion seconds ago it was 1959.
B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.
C. A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.
D. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.
E. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it.

While this thought is still fresh in our brain, let's take a look at New Orleans. It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division. Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu (D), is presently asking the Congress for $250 BILLION to rebuild New Orleans.
Interesting number, what does it mean?
A. Well, if you are one of 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every man, woman, child), you each get $516,528.
B. Or, if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans, your home gets $1,329,787.
C. Or, if you are a family of four, your family gets $2,066,012.

Washington, D.C... HELLO!!! ... Are all your calculators broken ??

Save XP

I have several computers around the house. Most are running XP with the exception of one on Vista. I have them all networked and take time to interact with each of them. Each of my family members have a computer to use and I get feed back from everyone if the slightest problem comes up.

The ones running XP give me all the problems, well, most of the problems. You are probably asking yourself, if XP is giving me all the problems why would I want to save it. The truth is, everyone uses the XP machines and the Vista system doesn't get much use. It doesn't run half the software we use. I am not at rich as Bill Gates so I can't simply buy new software for everything or have it tailor made to suit my needs.

The problem with Vista comes in three forms, Size, Function and Usability. In order to run Vista successful you need a gig of RAM plus additional RAM to actually do any real work. If you are a major data cruncher like me, Vista is a RAM hog. It doesn't function in a logical progression. This failure to be intuitive to the user makes it awkward at best.

Finally there is the fact that no one has written software patches for all our needs. I have purchased Office 2007 but I am not going to purchase updates for every other software application I run. If there were any.

Instead of forcing all of us to buy thousands of dollars in software let us make every effort to force Microsoft to keep supporting our operating system until they get it right. XP is as close as they have gotten and Vista has many areas to catch up. We don't want to have less function.

Sign the petition to save XP.

Thanks Texasfred for reminding me about this important issue.

'Governmental Reliance Syndrome'

Bobby Eberle hit a home run today. His article clearly points to the problem its source and how we are being manipulated. Let me give you a short taste.

Americans Afflicted with 'Governmental Reliance Syndrome'
Posted By Bobby Eberle On April 8, 2008 at 6:25 am

Each time a major event happens in American, whether it happens to be a hurricane, rising gas prices, some housing foreclosures, you name it, the first reaction of the media is "Now that Event A has happened, what is the federal government going to do about it." They expect America's tax dollars to bail out people who spent too much on a house, to be used to artificially change the price of goods, and to "stimulate" an economy that naturally has ups and downs. The problem is that the more the media speaks, the more people listen, and it is becoming alarmingly clear that too many Americans expect government to "solve problems" rather than stay out of the way.

A new survey by Rasmussen Reports shows a shocking level of Americans (63%) feel that "the federal government is not doing enough to address the troubled U.S. economy."

Only 19% hold the opposite opinion. The economy goes up and down, yet nearly two-thirds of Americans believe the government should jump in and try to fix it? This is most disturbing. Why should tax dollars be spent to "fix" something that will fix itself? Why should America borrow money and go into further debt to "stimulate" an economy that is the strongest in the world?

Go Read the Rest.

We need to start taking responsibility for our actions. We/I don't have the funds to bail out every poor decision maker in America. If you make bad choices the consequences can be pretty horrible. This goes for both individual and business decisions. It is part of Freedom.

We don't need more welfare based programs that waste more money then they distribute. If we need to help people than help them succeed at meeting their needs. Teach them to fish as the verse goes.

You Need A Fish Tank

Do you have a good way to de-stress? I find watching fish to be very relaxing. I have a pretty nice fresh water set up to help me.

I have a large variety of active and colorful fish that will capture your attention and lighten your heart.

This is a picture of mine.

How Could We Know?

I didn't know! You didn't know! How could we know?
Did you know that 47 countries' have reestablished their embassies in Iraq ?
Did you know that the Iraqi government currently employs 1.2 million Iraqi people ?
Did you know that 3100 schools have been renovated, 364 schools are under rehabilitation, 263 new schools are now under construction and 38 new schools have been completed in Iraq ?
Did you know that Iraq 's higher educational structure consists of 20 Universities, 46 Institutes or colleges and 4 research centers, all currently operating?
Did you know that 25 Iraq students departed for the United State s in January 2005 for the re-established Fulbright program ?
Did you know that the Iraqi Navy is operational ? They have 5 - 100-foot patrol craft, 34 smaller Vessels and a naval infantry regiment.
Did you know that Iraq's Air Force consists of three operational squadrons, which includes 9 reconnaissance and 3 US C-130 transport aircraft (under Iraqi operational control) which operate day and night, and will soon add 16 UH-1 helicopters and 4 Bell Jet Rangers ?
Did you know that Iraq has a counter-terrorist unit and a Commando Battalion?
Did you know that the Iraqi Police Service has over 55,000 fully trained and equipped police officers?
Did you know that there are 5 Police Academies in Iraq that produce over 3500 new officers every 8 weeks?
Did you know there are more than 1100 building projects going on in Iraq ? They include 364 schools, 67 public clinics, 15 hospitals, 83 railroad stations, 22 oil facilities, 93 water facilities and 69 electrical facilities.
Did you know that 96% of Iraqi children under the age of 5 have received the first 2 series of polio vaccinations?
Did you know that 4.3 million Iraqi children were enrolled in primary school by mid October?
Did you know that there are 1,192,000 cell phone subscribers in Iraq and phone use has gone up 158% ?
Did you know that Iraq has an independent media that consists of 75 radio stations, 180 newspapers and 10 television stations?
Did you know that the Baghdad Stock Exchange opened in June of 2004?
Did you know that 2 candidates in the Iraqi presidential election had a televised debate recently?
OF COURSE WE DIDN'T KNOW! WHY DIDN'T WE KNOW? YOUR NEWS MEDIA REFUSES TO TELL US!
Instead of reflecting our love for our country, we get photos of flag burning incidents at Abu Ghraib and People throwing snowballs at the presidential motorcades.
Tragically, the lack of accentuating the positive in Iraq serves three two major purposes of the liberal news media:
1. It is intended to undermine the world's perception of the United States thus minimizing consequent support, and:
2. It is intended to discourage American citizens And erode their support for the war.
3. It is intende to help the Democratic Party gain More power in the next elections.

---- All the above facts are verifiable on the Department of Defense web site." http:/// < http://www.defenselink.mil/>
Pass it on! Give it wide dissemination.

Barack Hussein Obama - Wrong for America

We are witnessing a political phenomenon with Barack Obama of rare magnitude. His speeches have inspired millions and yet most of his followers have no idea of what he stands for except platitudes of ‘Change’ or that he says he will be a ‘Uniter’. The power of speech from a charismatic person truly can be a powerful thing. Certainly Billy Graham had charisma and both his manner of speech and particularly the content changed millions. On the extreme other hand, the charisma of Adolph Hitler inspired millions and the results were catastrophic. Barack Obama certainly is no Hitler or a Billy Graham, but for many Americans out there feeling just like a surfer who might be ecstatic and euphoric while riding a tidal wave, the real story is what happens when it hits shore.

Just Some of What Defines Barack Obama:
– He voted against banning partial birth abortion.
– He voted no on notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions.
– Supports affirmative action in Colleges and Government.
– In 2001 he questioned harsh penalties for drug dealing.
– Says he will deal with street level drug dealing as a minimum wage affair.
– Admitted marijuana and cocaine use in high school and in college.
– His religious convictions are very murky.
– He is willing to meet with Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Kim Jung Il and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
– Has said that one of his first goals after being elected would be to have a conference with all Muslim nations.
– Opposed the Patriot Act.
– First bill he signed that was passed was campaign finance reform.
– Voted No on prohibiting law suits against gun manufacturers.
– Supports universal health care.
– Voted Yes on providing habeas corpus for Guantanamo detainees.
– Supports granting driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.
– Supports extending welfare to illegal immigrants.
– Voted Yes on comprehensive immigration reform. Would result in 20 million instant citizens never having paid SS, many refusing to speak English, immediately sending for their 40 to 50 million extended relatives telling them not to wait and obey the laws, the once mighty USA is theirs for the taking.
– Voted Yes on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security.
– Wants to make the minimum wage a ‘living wage’.
– Voted with Democratic Part y 96 percent of 251 votes.
– Opposed to any efforts to Privatize Social Security and instead supports increasing the amount of tax paid.
– He voted No on repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax.
– He voted No on repealing the ‘Death’ Tax.
– He wants to raise the Capital Gains Tax.
– Has repeatedly said the surge in Iraq has not succeeded.
– He is ranked as the most liberal Senator in the Senate today and that takes some doing.

If your political choices are consistent with Barack Obama’s and you think that his positions will bring America together or make it a better place, then you will probably enjoy the ride and not forward this email. If you are like most Americans that after examining what he stands for, are truly not in line with his record, it would be prudent to get off the wave or better yet, never get on, before it comes on shore and undermines the very foundations of this great Country. We have limited time to save America or the Supreme Court as we know it. Inaction is action.

If you agree this is important, pass it on…. The mainstream media will not do it for you!

Hat Tip to TexasFred who provided this piece.

Are you willing to let America fall to this level? Every political season we seem to find ourselves with choices of worse and worse candidates. Obama's stand on so many issues could make him the worst choice for America ever. We need to promote the best and the brightest into public office. Right now if we were to filter the body politic to the populous they serve we could probably reduce the office holders by 80%. This is our vote people. We are providing the opportunity for our own destruction. Choose wisely.

Identifying the "Victim" Class in America

The key to the success of the Democratic Party is victim-hood. They can paint every American Citizen as a victim and then jump into the room with their cape on and announce they can help. People have started to identify as victims more and more over the years and the government has been creating more and more programs to bail them out.

As for America’s economic victims, Democrats will most often describe these people as “working Americans,” or ‘working families,” or “middle-class Americans.“ This is absurdly broad, and is almost as silly as singling-out “breathing Americans.” Given adequate physical capacity, most Americans breathe, all on their own. Similarly, most able-bodied Americans work - - regardless of our race, socio-economic status, family history, religion, or education - - and most of us are middle-class as well.

But the Democrats’ use of this broad, far-reaching terminology sets-up an interesting political paradigm. By implication, it implies that there are some participants in our American economy who don’t “work” - - they just “get rich” off of other people’s toil. And who would these people be? This leads us to the Democrats’ second category of economic terminology, the “victimizers” category.

One need not follow Democratic politics too carefully to hear who the bad guys are. They are often singled out as a specific class, with the phrases “wealthy Americans” or “the wealthiest of Americans.” This happens most frequently when Democrats, refusing to acknowledge that taxes were cut earlier this decade for all Americans (the poor and the middle class included), decry the so-called “tax-cuts for the wealthy.” But the assailants are also described in other broad, collective terms and phrases, and here‘s a brief list: “corporate America;” “business owners;” “big oil;” “Wall Street;” “executives,” “pharmaceutical companies;” “CEO‘s,” “companies that outsource jobs;” and “mortgage lenders.”

The most subtle, and perhaps the most damaging outcome of this rhetoric, is that ignores the human toil, risk, sacrifice, discipline, and determination that is required for a person to become a business owner, or an executive, or to operate a pharmaceutical company or be a mortgage lender or to participate in global trade. Call it “class warfare,” or “the politics of envy.” It is the left’s most acceptable form of “hate speech,” and it is turning the discontent and fearful in our society against the people and principles that enable economic opportunity for all.

This plays on our lack of responsibility and our increasing need to blame someone else for our own failures. No matter what decision we make one of the bad guys influenced us in some way and they should have to pay for it. The victimizers are simply ourselves. Over one third of Americans own stocks, more than 20% have their own business, our these the people that are plotting against you? Do we really need Big Government Democrats to come to our rescue? How many of you could afford the house you are in if you didn't have a mortgage lender?

We need to stop buying into this America defeating slogans and start asking our politicians and leaders to take steps to strengthen business and increase our ability to be rewarded for a hard days work. We don't need more taxes and more welfare programs. We need the government to back off.

The blue type is a quote from an article found here.
Thanks to Austin Hill for putting it in such clear words.