What in the hell is wrong with Ray LaHood?

He just doesn’t get it. While America has moved to more energy efficient vehicles, a move most thought was a good idea. We are now poised to take it up the tailpipe. Conservation combined with a slumping economy has caused gas tax revenues to decline. These revenues are used for roadway construction and repair. So now they are thinking of other ways to raise revenue/taxes. This new revenue stream would require every vehicle to be fitted with a GPS unit to track the movements of the vehicle.

Does this mean that we all will be able to use the carpool lanes? After all, we will all have “Big Brother” along for the ride. And unlike a carpool buddy that usually kicks in a few bucks for fuel, or new riders only job will be to snatch dollars from us.

I drive a truck. Not a truck like SUV, which are mostly imposters, placed on a car chassis, but a real truck, on a truck frame. This extra weight causes my vehicle to get around 12.5 city 16.5 Hwy. This causes me to pay more in fuel taxes than everyone driving not only truck imposters, but also just about every car on the road. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fine with that, I love my truck. It’s not that I want to crush Prius’s, it’s just a side effect of being a Redneck. Whatever the circumstances, we like to come out on top. It’s all about survival. These people in tiny cars have made every effort to conserve resources for two reasons. It makes them feel good about the environment, and the government asked them to conserve. Now that they have complied with government request, they will be screwed for their efforts.

I look at this as an effort to get us all on “Mass Transit”, an option that for many trips actually cost more per mile than flying 1st class to the E.U., which is where they are trying to drag us. If you think a GPS on board is “Big Brother” in action, wait till you want to get to a public protest via “Mass Transit” only to find the government has restricted your movements.

Lower water consumption cost us, more?

We as Americans have not always been so wasteful. In fact, we used to recycle just about everything from scrap metal to wool and everything in between. When the first paper cup was produced and sold as a way to prevent disease from public water barrels with a common tin cup, most people were happy. Those who could afford them were thrilled to not share germs with the rest of the public. Others saw it only as a way for the affluent to avoid contact with the poor. When the first plastic cups used in vending machines were introduced, people had a tendency to keep and wash them. We had to be convinced that it was OK to throw them away, as that was the whole idea.

Today there is a shift away from disposable products and in general, we are more conservative with our resources such as water and oil. I find it interesting that fuel prices typically go up as consumption increases, while the opposite is true for water prices.

Here in South Florida we have been under water restrictions for some time due to the lower water levels of lake Okeechobee. There are two reasons for this. First off we have had below average rainfall for the past three years. Second, the levees around the lake need to be reinforced causing some water to be turned to tide to keep levels low to prevent possible flooding from a failed levee.

As a result we can only water our lawns twice a week, so less water is consumed. This has forced local water utilities to raise their pricing to make up for shortfalls in their budgets caused by, you guessed it, a lower volume of sales. As far as gasoline is concerned, there will be forced consumption by virtue of higher taxes to be placed on that commodity.

So that’s the message America, conservation of resources by either means cost us big time. It’s kind of like balancing the budget on the backs of the poor. Sucks to be poor.

Transportation for the angry masses?

Have you ever wondered why the government is so interested in the idea of “Mass Transit”? Why would a country that has large untapped sources of oil and gas be so enamored with such a concept? Lets look at a few things that our new government is up to.

First of all, they are trying to stifle the voices of opposition with the revival of the so-called “Fairness Doctrine” which really isn’t fair at all. By saddling radio stations with blocks of programming that they can NOT sell, these entities will be sure to go out of business. When this is achieved there will be only liberal/socialist ideas on the radio airwaves. This will amount to government indoctrination radio just like the drivel that is heard in communist countries. The stuff that the people in those countries don’t even listen to because they know it’s all propaganda. Do you think the “Fairness Doctrine” will be extended to TV? I think not, they are already overrun with socialist crap, much like a toilet of a public park they can’t seem to fix.

Next they will try and ban our guns! It seems they understand the constitution well, especially the 2nd amendment, they just don’t like it. The first step in subjugating a populace is to disarm them. Just look at Turkey, Russia, China, Germany, and Cambodia for just a few. For numbers and results please read my entry from 2/17 on HR-45 below.
Once our guns are gone, that will leave us with nothing but public protest.

Time for “Mass Transit” or lack there of. After they jack the price of gasoline through higher taxes, and get most of us (NOT ME) into small fuel efficient cars incapable of transporting more than the driver, how will we get ourselves and or signs to the protest? “Mass Transit”? If we know where we are supposed to be you can damn well bet the government will know too. How many of you think the trains and busses will run that day? Here’s a tidbit I’ll bet most don’t know. Even if you have a concealed weapons permit, like I do, you can’t carry it on “Mass Transit”. Lets just all line up waiting for the train with shirts that proclaim us “victims” and wait for the local punks to rob us, all corralled like sheep. They’ll have guns.

Bottom line is, I’ll keep my guns, my truck, and my voice, and you can keep the change!

Back in the U.S.S.R.

Why is it that the liberals that claim to know how to fix the problem, fail so miserably at history? Have these people learned nothing from the U.S.S.R.? When people are working for the government their production is reduced. There is no incentive to produce at a level that is good for anyone, let alone themselves.

In an environment where you know what you tax burden will be, before you fill out form one, how do you respond? You have one of three choices. Option one, pace your self. If you are self employed you might want to limit the amount of work you contract to do. You may only work four, or maybe three days a week. How does this help the economy? It doesn’t. Option two, you could always take off one or two months from your job and lose that productivity. How does this help the economy? It doesn’t. Option three, keep working at full speed creating as much wealth as possible while giving an ever increasing amount to the government. Only a fool would do that.

Lets examine the results of these options. Option one. By pacing yourself you may not be able to satisfy all of your customers needs. These customers may feel neglected, as they may not share your desire to limit your tax liability. They may feel neglected enough to shop elsewhere. Option two. If you decide to take one or two months off, your current clients as well as perspective clients may think you are out of business. That would be a reasonable assumption given the current economic environment. Option Three, why even go there.

Back in the U.S.S.R.? This may be an over simplification of a very complex issue, however. Do we not already grow too little food right here? Do we not already outsource too many jobs?

The Beatles may have had a big hit with this tune, but the only hit that we will see is a hit to our already struggling economy.

We have lost,, our way!

How did we get here? Let me count the ways, or better yet, let’s have Obama do it for us. “We spent too much money”. That’s a reasonable observation. But Obama has spent roughly $36,000,000,000 every day since he took office. We’ll talk more about that tomorrow. We did spend too much, on houses with prices that were spiraling out of control caused by banks that were financing people incapable of paying the loans back. Giving easy money was the main activity that fuelled the housing bubble. Why did the banks do this? The banks were actually encouraged to do so. And who would do such a thing? The government, in it’s effort to get un-credit worthy people into affordable housing. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, they were told, would buy these worthless loans from them. Why? For the real answer to that you would probably need to waterboard Christopher Dodd and Barney Frank. It’s about the only way you’ll ever get a straight answer out of either one of them. Its no wonder Obama has banned the procedure.

So here is part of the cure. Refinance Americans homes so their payments are more affordable, so that they can spend more money. Arrr, I thought that’s how we got here. While this seems reasonable to some, many Americans that acted irresponsibly, would need to have their mortgages re-worked to make this happen. This type of action will only feed the class envy/warfare that liberals feed on so well. If you can’t afford the neighborhood that you live in, GET OUT. It’s just not right expect your neighbor to warm to the concept that he/she is paying “a full boat note” for you to have the privilege of being their neighbor. At present there are plenty of rental property units available to these people at much lower rates than their current mortgages. This would give those people more money to spend. Is my house worth less than I owe on it? Yes, but you don’t hear me crying and bitching about it. Real estate should not be looked at as an investment in anything other than your own stability. Can’t deal with the ups and downs, then you should rent.

It would be impossible to comment on Obama’s entire state of the union address without writing a book. Even though it would be easier to read than the “stimulus package”, that the senate did NOT read. We’ll take a step-by-step look at these other issues starting tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Do you really own your home?

Why is it only called bi partisanship when we hang them up? Do they not get the concept of principal? Enough of this.

When the government owns your mortgage, do you really own your house? Or is the government merely your landlord? New York city bans trans fats and wants to put a tax on sodas with sugar in them. But remember, it’s all in an effort to protect you from yourself. Personal responsibility is something we are not allowed to exercise, or be held too.

I choose not to smoke, but I also choose not to tell anyone what they can and can’t do to their body. You can’t smoke within twenty feet of an entrance to a building, and that’s fine. But how long will it be before your governmental landlord tells you that you can’t smoke in your own home. Would you be able to smoke within twenty feet of your front door? If you have a condo, that could place you within twenty feet of your neighbors door. And forget about smoking on your balcony, too close to the door.

Bottom line is government won’t do anything that doesn’t benefit government. So watch out when the government say’s “We are here to help”.

Response to Eric Holder's insult.

Eric Holder our nations first black attorney general has called us all out. Yes indeed, we are all cowards, that’s right cowards. His reasoning is that there are no frank and honest conversations about race in this country. He must mean “White America”. And why is that? I’m guessing it has something to do with the fact that we don’t have a counterpart to the esteemed Rev. Jeremiah Wright out there spewing outrage and hate against “Black America”. While his perspective is defended almost as a earned right we as “White Americans” are forbidden from sharing our personal experiences and the opinions formed based on said experiences. When we share opinions based on facts witnessed with or own two eyes, they are belittled as merely being “stereotypical”. HOW DARE THEY!! Anyone that tells you, that that your eyes are lying to you and that your personal experiences are racist, might want to take a look in the mirror.

Frank discussion begins here. So Who’s the first one out of the box on this one? James Clyburn (D) SC calls four southern governors, all republicans, racist. He must think the (R) stands for racist when it really stands for responsible. Why are all of these liberal democrats so willing to sell our children into decades upon decades of “Financial Slavery”? Is it effort to strike back at long since dead whites that enslaved them? Will slave reparations be next? I do not begrudge anyone anything that they have worked for. Redistribution of wealth is flat out socialism.

We as Americans have changed a lot of our behaviors. We used to sit on our front porches and gab with our neighbors. That was before TV and long before Twitter. The following effects come courtesy of Jimmy Carter and his “ Community Redevelopment Act” In an effort to prevent redlining of some borrowers. I feel this was all about forced integration and was the beginning of the end for the current banking collapse, and was accelerated by Bill Clinton right before he left office. This bill allowed the US government to inspect bank loan records and judge their “portfolio diversity” If they wanted anything from the government they had to carry a large amount of loans to un-creditworthy clients. As our neighborhoods started to fill with people that received better interest rates, (courtesy of Acorn) we just got pissed. Some people saved thousands on their mortgages while others got hosed. I’m not going to talk to that person cause it’s just going to piss me off more every time I do. The following observations courtesy of Jimmy Carter and his “ Community Redevelopment Act”. neighborhood decline. While some blacks take better care of their houses that some whites, I’m on the local code enforcement board and here are my personal (racist?) observations. Most whites are brought in for building w/o a permit while most blacks are there for the upkeep (lack of) their property. While this may not be a valid cross section of the city as a whole, these are the people that are called to court. This begets backyard conversations about the people that won’t pick up or paint, but still enjoy their run down front porches, and why I joined the board. I have lots more on this subject but it would just seem like a rant if I continued.

Enough frankness, now it’s time to sit back and start collecting my race cards. Bet I get a full house.