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29 Sep |
My faith in Republican’s has been restored Off Topic
Comments (4) |
Sorry for being so political lately, but I actually believed Republicans would do the right thing today, and vote in favor of much needed legislation, providing liquidity to the US financial system, and helping home owners, who got caught up in the American dream of home ownership.
But will wonders never cease, the Republicans today (and admittedly some Democrats as well) reaffirmed my belief the Republican philosophy of I’ve got mine, who cares about anyone else, still reigns true, by helping to defeat the proposed legislation.
And to think I almost believed John McCain, when he said he would change the way Congress works, and would reach across the isle to work with Democrats in a bipartisan fashion. But after hearing John McCain’s speech today, I now realize his calls for reaching across the isle, were simply to make it easier for him to stick a knife in the back of Democrats, when they weren’t watching.
Hopefully the American public will wake up in the next 36 days, and see the light, before it’s too late.
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16 Sep |
I just don’t get it Off Topic
Comments (1) |
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?
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27 Jun |
Compassionate Conservatism Health Care, Off Topic
Comments (0) |
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.
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19 Jun |
Are we doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past? Off Topic
Comments (5) |
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.
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.
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.