I just don’t get it

 Off Topic  1 Response »
Sep 162008
 

Here it is 1:30 AM Tuesday morning, and for the second night in a row, I can’t sleep.

There are just so many things going on in my mind, the stock market crashing, and likely to go down significantly more, the Democrats and Obama are about to squander another opportunity to elect a president, and set this country on a different track, and then of course Edie’s upcoming transplant.

It’s like I have the weight of the world on my shoulders, and there’s nothing I can do about it.

In the midst of all the chaos going on in the US right now, a financial system on the verge of collapse, unemployment in excess of 6%, inflation (despite what government statistics might indicate) running rampant, it seems the American public is inclined to elect a third straight Republican, who wants to continue the economic policies of the past 8 years, and actually believes the US economy is still strong.

Talk about elitism, and being out of touch with middle America.

We’re about to elect a man, who believes we should continue spending billions of dollars fighting an unnecessary war, which has already killed over 4,000 brave young Americans, while our real enemies are growing stronger elsewhere in the world, and millions of Americans are ignored and neglected at home.

Here’s a man that believes we should give additional tax breaks to big business and the wealthy, to spur job creation, and then balance the budget on the backs of the sick, the poor and the elderly, by cutting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

Well John McCain, just what products are all the businesses going to produce, with all the employees they’re going to hire, as more Americans lose their homes, watch their savings shrink, and continue to cut back on the purchase of everything?

But what I really don’t get is why so many Americans seem more inclined to focus not on what is best for the entire country, or even their own pocketbooks, but rather focus almost exclusively on cultural issues.

Am I the only one who doesn’t get it?

Pressure’s off for another year!

 Edie, Life, Off Topic, Work  4 Responses »
Aug 132008
 

We made it through our AS9100 audit at work, much easier than I had expected.

This has always been the most stressful time of the year for me, so it shouldn’t take much imagination to understand how relieved I am the audit is over, and I can finally get back to my normal routine.

Anywaze, Edie came across some pictures of us when we lived in Ohio, which was over 30 years ago. I got a big kick out of looking at them, and they helped to relieve some of the tension of the past week, so I thought I’d share a few of them with the rest of the world.

It’s hard to imagine we were ever that young.

 Posted by at 8:56 pm

“Scotty” Lost in space

 Off Topic, Vacations  1 Response »
Aug 032008
 

Growing up when the original Star Trek series, starring William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, was being aired, and never having missed an episode, I can’t help feeling some remorse, learning the ashes of Montgomery “Scotty” Scott were lost in the failed launch of the Space X rocket Saturday.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, the ashes of famed astronaut Gordon Cooper and 206 other individuals were also lost.

And just when I was thinking, things couldn’t get any worse.

 Posted by at 7:31 pm

Life imitating art

 Health Care, Life, Off Topic  5 Responses »
Jul 122008
 

Just like the Visa commercial depicted below, the seemingly efficiently flowing checkout line, Edie and I were standing in at our local Costco today, came to an abrupt stop, when the couple in front of us, decided they would pay cash for a $900 Visio LCD TV.

Now while these people did not appear to be criminals or otherwise trying to evade paying taxes, non the less, when someone pays cash for a TV worth $900, it sure raises suspicion with me.

It obviously raised suspicion with the Costco personnel as well, since the cashier had to call for a supervisor to approve the transaction.  Not only that, but the cashier inspected each bill to ensure it wasn’t counterfeit, after which both individuals (the cashier and supervisor), counted the payment at least 3 times, to be certain of its accuracy. Then the cashier had to close his register, while the supervisor collected the cash to transfer off the floor, before reopening the register, to check out customers in what now had become a pretty substantial line.

Haven’t these people ever heard of a credit card? You get to use the banks money, at least for a little while for free, and many times you get points which can be exchanged for cash, trips and many other different things.

I just don’t understand why the government doesn’t mandate the use of debit or credit cards.

At a minimum, it would speed things along at the check out counter, do away with the underground economy, make the IRS’s job of collecting taxes much simpler, eliminate losses due to counterfeiting, and it would do away with the need for the US Mint, all of which would save the government countless billions of dollars.

It might even save the government enough money to provide health care for everyone living in the US [like in every other civilized country in the world].

 Posted by at 9:41 pm

Compassionate Conservatism

 Health Care, Off Topic  No Responses »
Jun 272008
 

Does it really mean what it sounds like, or is it just a euphemism for “it’s all about me, and to hell with everyone else?”

Today, the senate failed to muster enough votes to overturn a planned 10.6% reduction in medicare reimbursements to healthcare providers, forcing doctors to accept even fewer medicare patients, and ultimately leaving many sick and elderly without access to healthcare.

Of the 48 republicans in the senate, only 7 voted with the democrats in favor of the bill.  John McCain didn’t bother voting.  I’m sure he was more concerned for the welfare of the people of Iraq, and the war, than the poor, sick and elderly citizens of America.

The bill was opposed by many senate Republicans, and President Bush, because it

would partially offset the cost of the bill by cutting some bonus payments to private Medicare Advantage plans

In other words it would cut subsidies to the health insurance industry.

And as if that wasn’t enough, President Bush is proposing even greater cuts than last year, in the growth of Medicare and Medicaid, in his new budget plan.

Thank you President Bush, for not compromising on your principles, by considering raising taxes, or ending the war in Iraq, which would save far more than your proposed budget cuts. Balance the budget on the backs of the poor, the sick and the elderly.  After all, they’re not productive segments of society.  They’re only a drain.

Besides why should you care? You and you’re family are healthy [and wealthy], and should you get sick, you’re guaranteed access to the best medical care available, for the rest of your life, all at taxpayer expense.

Are we doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past?

 Off Topic  5 Responses »
Jun 192008
 

Living in California, I can’t help but be amazed at the direction the debate over the US energy crisis is taking.

Hey America! WAKE UP!!! Have we learned nothing from the past? Is what occurred 8 years ago, completely forgotten now? Are we doomed to repeat the same mistakes again.

For me, the debate surrounding the reasons for high energy prices in the US, including blaming environmentalists for blocking off shore drilling, and drilling in environmentally sensitive areas, sounds all too reminiscent of the debate waged during the California energy crisis, of 2000 and 2001.

And what did we learn from that mess?

We learned the crisis had nothing to do with a lack of electrical generating capacity, as many tried to make us believe, but rather was a deliberate manipulation of the energy market, by speculators and energy producers, principally Enron and Reliant energy.

[NOTE: While there is no evidence to date, supporting the theory of market manipulation by the big oil companies or other speculators, as the reason for the huge spike in energy prices, that theory should not be discounted just yet.]

We also know it was the electrical generating companies that were instrumental in blocking the development of new power generating facilities, not the environmentalists.

It is true that no major power plants were built in California from 1986 to 1998. But this was the result of the investment decisions of California’s utilities and independent power generators, not environmental restrictions.

Environmentalists were actually promoting the development of new, more fuel efficient, natural gas fired plants.

If there is any blame to placed, it should be directed towards the citizens of the US, and our elected representatives in congress.

While the other major powers of the world were encouraging conservation, and greater use of alternative energy sources, the US has been doing exactly the opposite. As a result, Europe produces cars getting nearly twice the gas mileage of cars produced and sold in the US, and they have made significantly greater use of alternative energy sources, e.g. France produces 80% of its electricity from nuclear energy.

Instead of trying to place blame, where none exists, offering nothing more than politically expedient solutions, and doing the bidding of those who have a vested interest in our continued dependence on oil, we need to start adopting policies that will reduce our dependency on oil, by encouraging conservation, and the development of clean, environmentally friendly, alternative energy sources, i.e. wind, solar, electric and yes, even nuclear. That’s our only true path to energy independence.

Drilling for more oil in the US, won’t reduce prices. Any benefits that may result from drilling for more oil, won’t be derived for at least 5 years [and more like 10], and in the mean time, prices will continue to rise.

The fact remains, the world is running out of oil, and there are no quick and painless fixes. All the easy oil has been found, and with the costs for drilling and finding new fields increasing as fast as the price of oil, the only sound policy is one that will wean ourselves off our dependency on oil altogether.

Windfall profits taxes won’t do anything either to reduce our dependency on oil, except maybe to make matters worse, as it will likely increase prices further, and discourage investment in alternative energy sources. It’s not the oil companies, or the refiners that are benefiting from high energy prices, it’s mainly the Arab countries, along with Russia, Venezuela and a few others.

[NOTE: Has anyone ever considered this as an attack on America by terrorists? The terrorists don't have to hit us physically, they can destroy us through our pocketbooks?]

Elimination of the $0.184 federal gasoline tax (which incidentally I support, since I own a number of shares of Tesoro, which I’m currently in the hole on), will do even less, except to increase the profits of the oil refiners, who are currently losing money at these prices.

The last thing we need in the US are lower energy prices. What we really need are higher energy prices!

But if I still haven’t convinced you where the true blame lies, and what we should be doing to solve the problem, then fine, drill for more oil.

Big Sur California Coastline

I have no objection to drilling for more oil off the gulf coast. I have no objection to drilling for more oil in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, or other midwest states. And I have no objection to the production of oil from the vast resources of shale deposits in Colorado, Wyoming, and Nevada.

Just don’t be drilling in my backyard.

 Older Entries  Newer Entries