Stop Pulling the Wagon

LET ME SEE IF I UNDERSTAND THIS CORRECTLY.

OUR GOVERNMENT HAS HALTED  NEW DRILLING FOR OIL IN THE GULF OF MEXICO FOR AT LEAST SEVEN YEARS.

CHINA, VENEZUELA, CUBA, MEXICO, BRAZIL AND OTHERS ARE STILL DRILLING AND PLAN TO EXPAND DRILLING IN THE GULF OF MEXICO.

SINCE THE UNITED STATES WILL NOT BE DRILLING WE WILL CONTINUE TO HAVE AN OIL SHORTAGE.

TO FILL OUR DOMESTIC NEEDS FOR OIL WE WILL NEED TO IMPORT OIL.

I BELIEVE IT IS SAFE TO ASSUME THAT WE WILL HAVE TO PAY FOR THIS IMPORTED OIL.

NOW FOR A QUICK REVIEW TO MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND THIS CORRECTLY:

1. WE AMERICANS CANNOT DRILL FOR AND GET THE OIL OURSELVES.

2. OTHER COUNTRIES, NOT ALWAYS FRIENDLY TO US, CAN GO AND GET THIS SAME OIL FROM THE SAME SITES WE ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DRILL IN.

3. THESE OTHER COUNTRIES CAN THEN SELL THIS  OIL TO US AT A PROFIT.

4. THIS ALL MAKES SENSE.

NOW I GET IT.  GUESS I WAS JUST HAVING A PROBLEM WITH GOOD ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL LOGIC.

BOB

TO ALL MY FRIENDS AND THOSE WHO FOLLOW MY POSTS.  I’M BACK.   WELL AT LEAST MOSTLY BACK.  I APOLOGIZE FOR MY ABSENCE.

MY LAST POSTING WAS IN SEPTEMBER AND I HAVE BEEN “UNDER THE WEATHER”.   NO STITCHES TO SHOW YOU.  NO  BORING STORIES TO SHARE.

MY LIFE WAS AT NO TIME IN DANGER, ALTHOUGH THERE WERE A FEW DAYS WHEN I FELT I WOULD HAVE TO SHOW SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT  TO BE WELL ENOUGH TO DIE GRACEFULLY.  FOR THE MOST PART, AND ON MOST DAYS, I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FUNCTION AT A LEVEL, THAT WITH SOME HELP, I COULD SORT OF DO THE MINIMUM AMOUNT OF WORK (MY POOR WIFE DOING THE REST) TO KEEP THINGS GOING.  BUT, THIS BLOG, AND SOME OTHER THINGS HAD TO “GO TO THE BACK OF THE LINE”.

THANK YOU TO MY WONDERFUL WIFE AND DAUGHTER WHO SHOWED ME MORE SUPPORT AND GRACE  THAN I DESERVE DURING THIS TIME.

THANK YOU TO ALL MY FRIENDS, INCLUDING THOSE AT MY CHURCH WHO HAVE KEPT ME IN THEIR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS.

IT HAS BEEN A PAINFUL AND HUMBLING EXPERIENCE.  YOU SEE, I AM A LOUSY PATIENT.  FOR MOST OF MY YEARS I HAVE BEEN DISGUSTINGLY HEALTHY AND I GUESS I GOT SPOILED.

WHILE  NOT AT DEATHS DOOR (AT LEAST I DON’T THINK SO) DURING THESE WEEKS, THIS EPISODE HAS CAUSED ME TO LOOK ANEW AT MY OWN MORTALITY,  AND WHILE I SELDOM TAKE MYSELF OR LIFE TOO SERIOUSLY, I HAVE HAD PERIODS WHEN I FOUND MYSELF WONDERING IF I HAVE MADE SUFFICIENT EFFORT TO TRY AND DO SOME GOOD ALONG THE WAY.

ENOUGH WITH THE SOAPY, MAUDLIN STUFF! LOOK AT ALL THE GREAT MATERIAL I HAVE MISSED THE OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT ON IN THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS!  THE ECONOMY!  THE ELECTION!  LIFE IN GENERAL!  SO MUCH GOOD STUFF!

GUESS I BETTER GET BUSY AND MAKE UP FOR SOME LOST TIME.   GET READY!       …….BOB

WOULDN’T IT BE FUN!

Just for fun, sit back, close your eyes and daydream about (fill in your choice of Congress man/woman – Senator or member of the Administration) appearing before Judge Judy and answering five questions you would like straight simple answers to.  Not the usual Washington “Speak” or “Spin” we get when these same folks are asked similar questions by the media.

For my part I will propose five questions I would like Judge Judy to ask them.  Your own questions might be different.

1.  Madam Speaker: Tell me exactly what did you mean when you said we needed to pass the Obama Health Care Act so we could find out what is in it?

2. Mr. President:  You promised that the $787 Billion Dollar Stimulus Plan would keep unemployment below 8%.  It is now 9.6%.  Without blaming the previous administration, please explain why this promise was not kept. 

3. Congressman Frank:  When tighter regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac was proposed by the Bush Administration in 2003 you stated that “Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were not facing any kind of financial crisis”.  Your saying this is well documented.  You were wrong.  Why do you now deny making such statements?

4.  Mr. Vice President:  Los Angeles was given $111 Million Dollars to create and save jobs.  With this money they “created” or “saved” 55 jobs at a cost of over $2 Million Dollars per job.  Please explain in simple terms where that $111 Million Dollars is today.

5. To various spokespersons for the Administration:  In January 2007 the Democratic Party took control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.  The Deficit for 2007, including the cost of the war in Iraq, was less than $200 Billion Dollars.  For 2008 the deficit increased to over $400 Billion Dollars.  For 2009 the deficit just about tripled to more than $1.4 Trillion Dollars.  2010 numbers are not yet finalized but are on a path to be around $1.4 Trillion Dollars.  With both houses of Congress under Democratic control since January 2007 and the Presidency in Democratic hands since January 2009,  please tell us again who drove the economy into the ditch?

These questions are posed to the current administration but equally interesting questions could be posed to an administration of another political party in power in Washington.  The fun would be in watching Judge Judy verbally disect the person being questioned when they try to use “talking points” instead of straightforward, honest answers. 

I believe that many/most members of both major political parties are just as dysfunctional as many/most of the people who appear before Judge Judy airing their “dirty linen” before 20 million people in endless re-runs for the next upteen years.     

I often discipline myself with the thought of “what would I do in this situation if I knew I would have to explain my actions to Judge Judy before millions of people?”

Just for fun…..                                Bob

In 1961 East Germany built the Berlin Wall to keep East German citizens from escaping the tyranny of Communism in the East to Freedom in the West.   

When they built this wall the East Germans lost any credibility they might have had to extoll the virtues of Communism.  No one would believe them because they had to keep their citizens isolated behind walls from opposing ideas. 

Credibility is a fragile thing.

Now we have an Islamic Cleric – Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf – who wants to build a Mosque within rock throwing distance of Ground Zero where the Twin Towers were brought down and more than 2,700 people were murdered by Radical Islamic Terrorists on September 11, 2001.  

The Imam says he wants to build this Mosque as an outreach in the name of  Peace and Understanding.  He states his goal is that Christians and Jews can learn to accept Islam and we can all live in mutual tolerance and harmony.  

I have a question Imam Feisal Adbul Rauf.  To build credibility for your stated mission, will you support the building of Christian Churches and Learning Centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Amman, Jordan?  How about within a few hundred feet of your Holy sites in Mecca and Medina?  That way Muslims could learn tolerance and understanding of the Christian faith.   

I am told Islam does not allow Christian Churches in Saudi Arabia or Jordan.  What is your position on this? 

It seems to me that Islam has built something very much like the Berlin Wall around many Islamic countries and won’t allow its citizens to even look at a Bible or discuss Christianity.  This begs the question:  Is Islam afraid of its followers learning about Christianity? 

When you demand that we allow you to build a Mosque in the name of  tolerance while Islam  denies the same tolerance to Christians and Jews,  you lose your credibility.      

This is not about hatred, and we do not hate peace loving Muslins.  This has everything to do with the small percentage of Muslims who are determined to impose their own violent image of Islam and Sharia Law.  They don’t want to co-exist in peace.  They have one non-negotiable demand:  Accept their view of Islam or die.  

It also has to do with credibility, Imam.  When you demand to build your Mosque knowing it will further divide people,  we just don’t believe your motives are to promote peace and understanding.  

In this matter Imam, you have no credibility with the majority of Americans.

………Bob  

The Simpsons Movie - 20th Century Fox - Matt Groening

I ask the question metaphorically as I do not advocate violence. 

Still, what does the citizenry do when government will not listen to the clear voice of the people?

Federally run and mandated Healthcare – We don’t want it!

Amnesty for illegal aliens – No! 

Porous and open borders – No!

Bailouts for poorly run Corporations and States -No!

Bankrupting our children and grandchildren with deficit spending – No!

Micro-manage every aspect of our lives – No!

Tax everything and every part of my daily life – No!

Leave me alone, get out of my way and stay out of my wallet – YES!

Are these people so self focused on their own failed ideology and so oblivious to the will of the American people?  Have they no eyes?  Have they no ears?  The American people are fast approaching the point of open rebellion.  The anger is building day by day.  Revolution is in the wind.  They have taken our America and trashed it. 

Pray that it will be only a peaceful rebellion and confined to the ballot box.                         …..Bob

Yesterday was our day to go to the State Fair.   My wife, myself, our daughter and one of her friends.  We planned the day so that  after we all had enjoyed  the animals, county exhibits,  some food and bought a few souvenirs, my wife and I could find a shady place to sit and people watch and the girls could go off to the fun of the Midway and the Rides.  It was a pleasant day with a light breeze and we found a bench in the shade and just rested. 

Relaxing there on that bench I remembered something I heard on the radio a couple of days earlier.  It was a news report that in preparation of implementing the new Government Run Health Care Plan, the Administration has issued instructions and guidelines on a new data base to be built.   Over the next couple of years they plan to collect information on each of us as individuals.  This will include our name, address, height, weight,  body mass index (BMI), whether or not we smoke, consume alcohol, etc. etc.  

The plan is that with this information they (the government) can develop healthy living plans for each of us.  Are you scared yet?

After “people watching” (and  looking in a mirror to include myself), I came to the conclusion that there was a whole bunch of  us folks that might not meet the governments guidelines on the Body Mass Index charts for “ideal” or “normal” weight to height ratio.  This applies across all age, racial, ethnic and social lines.

Coming home and doing a little on line (Google)  research I found a whole lot (too much) information and charts on the Body Mass Index (BMI) but I will include here one of the simplest to understand charts that I could find.  Keep in mind that what these indexes attempt to do is develop an “ideal” (and narrow) weight range based on height.  The ones I found do not take into consideration the fact that some people have smaller/larger  bones and body frames than others.  

Looking at this chart I realized that the only time in the last 25 years that this chart would not have considered me on the upper end of overweight or obese was after I discovered that I had a serious health issue.  Among other things, I went on a very strict diet to the point  that my doctor directed me not to lose any more weight and my family and friends told me I had become  emaciated and looked like an escapee from a concentration camp.  I didn’t believe them until I got my new drivers license picture and realized they were right.  At that lowest weight point, based on the BMI Chart, I was still a couple of squares into overweight  category and the government would have considered me still “fat”. 

I am not positive but I would guess that a whole lot of us Americans are going to get really “ticked off” when the “Feds” come knocking on our door and tell us that we are too fat and since “they” will be paying for our health care,  “they” have the right and the power to tell us what and how much we can eat and drink. 

I don’t know what kind of approved government foods I could have eaten at the State Fair.  I didn’t see any food vendors offering  boiled Rutabaga stew.

Now,  are you scared yet?                                          …….Bob