AND THE JOKE IS ON US

(VIA YAHOO MAIL)

Does anybody remember the reason given for the establishment of the DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY? The Department of Energy was established by President Jimmy Carter August 04, 1977. We have spent billion$ of dollar$ in support of an agency the reason for which not one person who reads this can remember. The reason, are you ready? It was very simple, and at the time everybody thought it very appropriate.

The Department Of Energy was established to LESSON OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL. Pretty efficient huh?

Now it is 2008, 31 years later, the budget for this "necessary" department is $24.2 billion per year, they have 16,000 federal employees, and approximately 100, 000 contract employees and look at the job they have done. OK, here is where you slap your forehead and say "what were they thinking?"

And now they are going to turn the banking system over to them? God help us!

for what it's worth.

SIMPLE BUT NOT EASY

Are you as fedup with greedy, bickering, self-serving politicians as I am? More in a moment.

Why does every new politician elected seem to forget who they are and why they were elected? Why,do they turn into instant self-serving, greedy bureaucrats? You want proof? Look at the current $700Billion BAILOUT that became a $1Trillion BAILOUT because of political pork and greed. I have three simple solution that would start a fix to all of that. These are not easy solutions, but they are simple ones.

1) Term Limits.

2) Line Item Veto.

3) No Lobbyists.

Let's tackle these in reverse order.

NO LOBBYISTS: Outlaw them. No lobbyists. There is no reason to add on dollars to bills that benefit lobbyists and the politicians involved. A penalty of censure must be given to anyone associating with a known lobbyist, and impeachment if caught for a second time.

LINE ITEM VETO: President Bill Clinton fought hard for the line item veto, and it was law for a short time, but in 1998 the Supreme Court outlawed it as unconstitutional, stating that it gave too much power to the President not intended by the Constitution. Currently a bill is either signed by the President or vetoed. It is an all or none process. So a popular bill that will be signed into law has all kinds of "ear marks", adding billions of dollars, unintended in the original bill. Because of the 1998 Supreme Court ruling there must now be an amendment to the Constitution giving the President the power of line item veto.

TERM LIMITS: Currently you can be elected as many times as you can. Keep bring home the pork, and you get re-elected. It should be three terms and your done. This keeps Congress and the Senate fresh with new blood and new ideas.

Unfortunately the people that need to make and pass these measures are the very ones that are in power. Doesn't seem just does it?

As I said, it is simple, but not easy, for what it's worth.


"Justice is what power chooses to make it." Frederick Nietzche 1844-1900

RETIREMENT?

DOW plunges another 400+ points, closing below 8000, the lowest in 5 years. More in a moment

I had a retirement fund once, and not that long ago. Oh I was not going to retire rich but it would have kept me off my son's doorstep. It would have kept me from working until I died at my desk, but that has all changed. I blame no one but myself and the politicians in control of the Congress and Senate.

I blame myself because I did not listen to what all the Wall St. pundits were saying, as early as 2 years ago they warned of this. I, like most, thought it would not end. Mostly I blame the politicians because they are and remain the big enablers here. They deregulated knowing, but seemingly not caring, about the future, only caring about votes and power. And they knew what was about to happen and warned no one. If anyone out there in the Blog-O-Sphere heard any warnings from the politicians let me know.

I do not blame the big corporate executive, because you and I would have done the same thing, they were paid to their contract and took what they could get. Greedy? Yes. broke the law? No. I do not blame the home owners because they were taking advantage of a lending market fueled by government deregulation. But I do believe there should be rewards for living up to a contract and consequences when you do not. Instead we are rewarding them.

I think they should have taken that $1,000,000,000,000.00 (that's 1 trillion) and wrote checks to all tax paying citizens and let them inject it into the economy. Imagine what we could have done with $10,000.00 each. (based on 100,000,000 individual tax payers.)

At this time I am not on my sons doorstep, but I'm in the driveway.

"hello son! Can you say multi-generational dwelling?"

HOW MUCH?!

WHAT'S ANOTHER TRILLION DOLLARS! More in a moment.

There seems to be no end to the bail out $$$. We have already added a TRILLION DOLLARS to the debt. I was told as a young boy that no nation can tax itself into prosperity, logicly then they can't spend there way out of a financial crises. Just a thought, for what it's worth.

$700 BILLION!

$700,000,000,000.00 Government bail-out! More in a moment.

There sure are a lot of fingers being pointed towards other people, directing blame for the near financial meltdown of our economy. No one wants to take responsibility. The reality is that the fault lies with all of us. Greed is the cause here, and we were all greedy, from the top to the bottom; that's from the president on down. CEO's, CFO's, bank presidents, all of us got greedy.

The biggest problem I see is that we are going to put $700 BILLION in the hands of political bureaucrats. Isn't that letting the inmates run the asylum? They can't manage the money they have. This is such a Democratic thing, and I mean that in the political sense. Let's throw a huge sum of money at it and see if it goes away. That's the same formula I used to keep the big, mean neighborhood dog away, but the dog kept coming back and wanting more, pretty soon all my lunch was going to the dog. THERE IS NO FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY. (big surprise huh?) So why do you think it will start now?

The politicians are at great fault here. They were elected to be watch out for us, to spend our money wisely, instead they were watching out for themselves. All the Wall Street pundits have been warning of this for 2 years. We turned and deaf ear and a blind eye, all in the name of greed.

There is a bible verse ; Timothy 6:10 (KJV) " For the love of money is the root of all evil." I think a great deal of loving has gone on.

GOT RACISM? GOT BIGOTRY

RACISM; It's not just for whites anymore. More in a moment.


You would think that the only people who are racists and bigots are white people. Every time I hear the word racism in the news it seems to be directed from blacks to whites, from Hispanics to whites, from Asians to whites, etc. When Bill Clinton brought up the idea of Barack Obama playing the race card against Hillery, I know I heard a huge gasp as if to say that blacks are not racists, and how could he even think such a thing. Wake up America! Racism is not just a white issue.

I have literally been around the world, I have walked on five continents, and I have seen racism and bigotry direct at me, I have seen black on black, he or she is not "black" enough, white on white; he or she is not "white" enough. "Oh they're Italian" or "well what do you expect they're Jewish." It is everywhere, and directed at everyone. No, this does not make it right. it, but it is a fact, and it has always been.

I remember an old Star Trek episode, "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" 1969. The late Frank Gorshin played the half white faced and half black faced police commissioner Bele, he had been hunting another half black faced, half white faced, Lokai for 500 centuries. However, one was black on the right side and was was black on the left side. and they were fighting to the death over that difference. Now I know it was to illustrate how absurd and trite it was but the fact remained that their hatred and fear of each others differences destroyed their entire civilization. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_That_Be_Your_Last_Battlefield

Many say that racism and bigotry stem from ignorance. I know many well educated people that are racist and bigots, and they are all colors and creeds. What I have leaned from my 50 plus years of observation is this; you look different then me, you think different then me, I fear that difference. As long as we do not understand those differences there will be racism and bigotry. And our current form of entertainment; movies, T.V. and video games, does nothing to show us any thing different, and in fact may exacerbate it.

So who is the racist, who is the bigot?

"Yeah, I love being famous. It's almost like being white, y'know?"

Chris Rock

Rodney Dangerfield

I get no respect. The way my luck is running, if I was a politician I would be honest.

Rodney Dangerfield

SARAH PALIN, small town american

Sarah Palin a small town American. More in a moment.

Sarah Palin, the current governor of Alaska, a virtual unknown in the national political ring has been thrust into the national spot light by being tapped as the 2008 Vice Presidential nominee for the republican party. What can a first time governor possibly know about national and foreign policy? What can she possibly bring to the table of serious political thought?

I consider myself a well informed individual when it comes to political issues, and I have very strong opinions on all of them. They are based on knowledge, small town values, and god-given common sense. I do not agree with all "right wing" thoughts nor do I disagree with all "Left wing" thoughts. I make up my own mind. I am a product of "small-town America", as is Sarah Palin.

Small town America, where you can leave your doors unlocked and your car running on a cold winter day with out fear of it being stolen. Small town America; where neighbors watch out for one another. Small town America; where going to church is OK. Small town America; Where they still say the pledge of allegiance, and God is not a dirty word. Small town America where it is taught that all things are possible. As the small business is the backbone of our economy, the small town is the backbone of America.

Sarah Palin brings to the national political arena her life's knowledge of small town America, and the sense of right and wrong that comes with that upbringing. Between the megalopolises of the East and West Coasts of America there are tens-of-thousands of small towns, and all have these values. They/we, are the silent majority. We are educated and informed. We know the difference between feels right and feels good. We know there is no gray area; it is right or it is wrong. We take responsibility for our action. Sarah Palin is what we would do if we were her. We are small-town America.

OH MAMA VOTE OBAMA

"O-BA-MA, O-BA-MA, O-BA-MA."

It's a sound that now sings through this great nation of ours. Old and young alike are singing his name. The great senator from IL, our savior to bring us out from the "Bush's" and into the light, or so they believe. But, who is this man? More in moment.

I only know him for what I see and hear on television and that is only what he wants us to know. So far I see a lot of flash but not much substance. He, like all the candidates are promising us all kinds of things, Obama says the "big corporations" will pay his $800 billion price tag for social programs as does "Billery." McCain says we all will pay.

Having the big corporation pay sounds so good, and to some, so right, there's nothing out of my pocket, how wonderful. But let's examine that theory. We all work, have worked, or have some dealings with BIG BUSINESS. I don't care what you do for work this is a true statement. Knowing what I know about business and if it were my business that was going to get a huge tax increase I would be passing it on, in one form or another to my consumers, because my investors whether it is me or my stockholders are not going to stand for a reduction in profit or dividends. So who pays in the end? We do of course. So you must decide which is better.

Some say that Obama is not electable. Inexperienced, color, are just some of the reasons being said. Regardless, it is a lose-lose situation. We, as a nation lose if he is elected, lose money out of your pockets in higher taxes and a bigger welfare sate. If he is not elected all "whites" will be branded as racists making the racial divide in this country the size of the Grand Canyon. What to do?

Listen to the facts, Remember, in politics like divorce there are two sides to every story and then there is the truth. We must search and dig for the truth. Don't vote your heart, the heart can be deceived.

ENERGY: WHO'S RIGHT?

It is said that the United States uses 24% of the worlds oil, but produces only 10%. Why? More in a moment.

Using more than twice the oil we produce has been a problem for some time. How is this possible in a country that has billions of barrels of oil waiting to be drilled for and pumped? Some blame that environmentalists, some blame big oil, some blame OPEC. Who is right?

They/we are all at fault, liberals and conservatives alike. We need and energy policy that allows us to use all energy resources available, and until we all agree on this we will be energy dependent, always relying on others to get us the energy we need. We live in an energy dependent society, and an energy dependent economy. And the price of that dependence is high.

So, until we are willing to tap all energy resources available; solar, wind, geothermal, nuclear, and fossil fuels, yes ALL because there is not ONE solution; we have no right to complain about the price of a gallon of gasoline. Complain, instead, to the law makers who pander to the special interest groups instead of doing there elected duty, which is watching out for this countries best interests. Just a thought, for what it's worth.

FIXING MEDICARE

You want to fix Medicare? More in a moment.

Fixing Medicare seems like a monumental task. How can you repair such a monstrous bureaucracy? To me it is so very simple.

Do you know that none of our nationally elected Senators and Congressmen are required to go on Medicare when they turn 65? They are exempt. Let me repeat that. NONE OF OUR WASHINGTON SENATORS OR CONGRESSMEN MUST GO ON MEDICARE WHEN THEY TURN 65. When you and I turn 65 we must go on Medicare, we have no choice. Well that is not true, we do have a choice of NO HEALTH COVERAGE. But our elected officials get "golden healthcare coverage" paid for by the government (that's our tax dollars) until they die.
How can you expect them to fix something that they have no vested interest in?

Call your Washington Senators and Congressmen and ask them why they do not have to go on Medicare when they turn 65. How fast do you think Medicare would get fixed if they had to go on Medicare?

And as a side note. Do you think then they will have to go on National Health Insurance when they pass that?

Just a thought, for what it's worth.

HAVE AND HAVE NOTS

What do you have and have not? More in a moment.

I have my life.
I have seen life lost.
I have my children.
I have seen children lost.
I have my God.
I have my demons.
I have love.
I have lost at love.
I have my job.
I have lost a job.
I have my health. (see RECIPE FOR LIFE NOV 2007)
I have happiness. (see above.)
I have been unhappy.
I have been lost.
I have been found.
I have freedom.
I have seen no freedom.
I have done right.
I have done wrong.
I have lived!
Life is good!

What? You thought I was going to talk about "STUFF"?

PERSPECTIVE

What percent of your income do you spend on gasoline? More in a moment.

While complaining about the high cost of gasoline to my better half, she made a very profound statement. "Put it in perspective." And then she began to throw figures at me. When you started working it cost you, what? $2.50 to drive one hundred miles. (based on .25 cents for a gallon of gasoline, at 10 mpg in my auto of the time) and I was making $50.00 per week, so the gasoline cost me 5% of my income. Today, with gasoline at $4.50 per gallon, that one hundred miles costs me $22.50. But, with my current income and the fact that my current auto averages 20 mpg , that is 2.25% of my income.

Perspective! For what it's worth.

SOB

My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch.

Jack Nicholson

Jack, I don't think you are alone.

ANWR / ANWHERE? A PRIVATE SURVEY

ANWR? More in a moment.

When shown a winter picture of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) 99% of the people shown the photo had no idea what they were looking at. Some thought it was a photo of Mars (not the candy bar). When asked what ANWR was 90% of those asked had no idea. Some said it was where we are fighting in the Middle East.

When asked if we should protect the caribou from drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge most said yes. When asked why we needed to protect the caribou most said:
"Because they are endangered, right?"
When asked what happened to the caribou heard after the Alaska Pipeline was built most said they did not know.

The caribou is not endangered, the heard that migrates around the Alaskan Pipeline went from 60,000 to 300,000.

With that in mind, and unless we want to be ass deep in caribou, we should not drill for oil in Alaska. And the same goes for fish around the oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, unless we want the ocean full to the top with fish we should outlaw those floating coral reefs we call oil drilling platforms. Just a thought, for what it's worth.

Nunov T. Above

What do you do when you are in the voting booth and none of the candidates deserves your vote? More in a moment.

When you go do your civil duty and vote and you feel that not one of the candidates deserves your vote, what are your options? You can not cast a vote for that particular race, but that is actually a vote for the incumbent. The best thing to do is a "write in" and my favorite "NONE OF THE ABOVE" But you have to make it look like a real name, so my suggestions are:
Noneov T. Above
N. Oneov Theabove
Nunov T. Above Sr.
Noone Atall
Noone A. Tall
And my favorite:
U.Gotta Bekiddnme
You get the idea. Be creative, make it fun. Happy voting. For what it's worth.

SUCCESS & FAILURE

SUCCESS IS NOT FOREVER, AND FAILURE ISN'T FATAL.

Don't get a big head when you win or get down in the dumps when you lose. Keep things in perspective.

FATHER'S DAY/ A REFELECTION

As I approach sixty years of age I find myself reflecting back on my life, as I suppose most do. Some reflect for memories sake, some reflect to learn from mistakes. I know that I reflect to review my life history; you see, it's a way for me to see my successes and failures.

I remember the day each child was born. I remember sleeping in the recliner with each of them until their colic was better. I remember the times in the hospital worrying if they would be alright. I remember their first steps, their doctor appointments. I remember our first fishing trip together. I remember all the gym time all the miles driven for sports. I remember the girlfriends, the proms, their loves won and loves lost. I remember helping with homework and school projects. I remember the pets and the the pet funerals. I remember the life lessons learned, some easy, some hard. I remember their love. I remember all this and more.

Children; thanks for the memeories. I have learned so much from you.

HERE'S A THOUGHT /ENVIROMENTALISM AND TERRORISM

Is it possible that the terrorist situation in America and the world is in large part the result of our own strict environmental energy policies? More in a moment.

We can not drill for more oil, we can not refine more oil, we can not build more nuclear power plants, we can not burn coal and in some areas, where it is available, we can not use wind power. With that in mind, does that not, by itself, make us very dependant on foreign oil? And being that dependant on foreign oil puts billions of dollars into the pockets of our enemies, which they can use to attack us.

Just a thought. For what it's worth.

"BIG BROTHER" IS US!

Who would have thought that George Orwell's Big Brother in the novel 1984 would turn out to be the people and not the government? More in moment.

With almost everyone having a cell phone, and all those cell phones with cameras there is no longer a place on earth that is private, and we only have ourselves to blame. I heard no protest, I saw no marching in the streets, we have accepted it. Not only do we accept it we live for the time when we can capture that one event that will give us our 15 minuets of fame.

I remember when we all feared the outcome of Orwell's book, 1984. We feared it because it was the government taking away our freedom, snooping where they did not belong. Well, as it turns out, we have nothing to fear but the people around us. So lock your doors, tint your windows and keep your mouth shut, because we are out to get us. Isn't democracy wonderful ? Spying of the people, by the people, for the people?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four

HOPE FOR THE BEST

I always wondered what I would do if I heard my doctor utter that freighting word; "tumor". More to follow.

I did not want to hear "The lack of pain could suggest a tumor." More tests are needed. Of course I am preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. But, what irritates me more is that I have to wait 30 days for the "more tests" part. Because I work in the medical world I realize how over crowded they are with far too many patients and far too few doctors.

As I get closer and closer to "senior citizen" status I find I want a doctor who I do not have to remind of tests that are needed because I'm on a certain medication or because I am of a certain age and it's time to do certain things. I'm big on prevention, so I do remind my doctor. But it would be nice to believe that he actually reads my chart before he steps into the room to treat me. It would be nice to know that he actually knew my history. But that is the world we have created. With the looming possibility of national insurance, that's where the tax payers pay for the neighbors that do not have health insurance, I can only seeing that world growing and the pool of doctors becoming more and more shallow.

I have no solution only a warning. Any time you let the government manage anything it becomes mis-managed. It becomes fat and lazy, demanding more and more resources, and as always, that is money.

My test date is still one plus weeks away and my consult with the doctor is two plus weeks away, I shall remain in a state of readiness to accept what comes but, as always, hope for the best.

*Post Script: All turned out fine.