Why are Gas Prices so High?

A question that comes to my mind every time I stop at a station to gas up my car is why the hell are prices so high? Don't hand me that old supply and demand line because it seems to me that that's a little out of whack. Why just the other day I was on my way to work, late as usual, and even though running on empty I decided to wait until the afternoon and gas up after work. When I went to do so the price of gas had gone up ten cents a gallon. WTF! You mean to tell me that the gas that was in that tank somehow magically became more expensive in just a few hours? Isn't it the same gasoline that was selling for 10 cents less that morning? That just doesn't make sense to me. This article would imply that there is a great deal to the price of oil that is speculative. If that is so it would seem that our government could do something to lower the price. For that matter was the Iraq war supposed to provide us with a whole slew of oil? What is up with production there? It is lower than before the Invasion, can't we do something to help bring that up? I mean what good is it to be a capitalist imperial empire if we can't even run our occupied territories and exploit their resources? I mean c'mon for cryin out loud. If we could 'force' a little flooding of the market maybe the price would come down a bit. Of course that is only a short term solution. What we really need is to stop using as much oil, foreign and otherwise, as we can. This interesting solution is kind of cool. (Oops apparently a urban myth too. So much for my critical intellect.) I wonder why you don't see this all over the news? (Well it was on FOX but obviously their critical thinking is flawed anyway) Or how come our 'free market' hasn't made this readily available for the public? (I guess because it doesn't really work? Dang I hate it when the free market works the way it should :-) ! ) Could it be that our free market economy is truly only free for those who already have all the 'gold'? Something like this would probably cut into their profits eh? Ah now I am just being cynical. I really have to stop doing that.
Addendum:
Well the HHO thingy is a hoax, urban myth, whatever. Chemistry was never my strong subject. Anyway it doesn't change the fact that the amount of money the oil companies are making is so huge that they could cut the price of their product in half and still make an incredible profit. Since they have a monopoly on the product, for all intents and purposes, I think we (the government) should do something to force the cost down.

I can't help myself, What's Bush's excuse?

Yes, I know I wasn't planning on writing anything til after the new year but I really can't help myself. Especially when things happen like Bush signing spending bills and bitching about the democrats spending. You know it boggles my mind when this guy can sign legislation that gives him yet another blank check for his war and he has the audacity to complain about the pork in the bill? Hello? Anyone remember that Mr. Bush was handed a huge surplus by his predecessor? One that he quickly turned into a deficit by handing most of the wealthy a big tax cut. How about this quote from the Brookings Institute, "We are so numbed by large numbers that the once-in-a-generation significance of prospective surpluses of nearly $5 trillion over the next fifteen years is hard to appreciate." Hard to believe isn't it? Within one presidential term this potential surplus became the largest deficit in history. Thanks Mr. Bush. (asshole) And since we are on the subject of fiscal numbers did you ever have the feeling that things are just a little harder economically for you (us) middle class folks than they were for your Mommy and Daddy? Well they are harder! And here I thought it was my imagination, and I was just being irresponsible wanting to eat AND buy my prescriptions AND heat my home this winter. Heck I feel warmer already. But what is middle class nowadays? More than 40k? More than 100k? Who knows anymore. But fortunately we have tips on how to cope. What's most frustrating is that our wonderful 'christian' president has no idea what it's like to be crunched. He is in a world of his own. You gotta admit it is pretty ballsy to call the troops on the holidays and thank them for the service they are providing. Of course it's just a service to him. Mr. Bush, how many dead now? I know he is not a reader or anything, except maybe the sports page and his comic books, but maybe he should hunker down and read the Sermon on the Mount. I think there is something in there about the meek inheriting the earth and some other tripe about being kind to your neighbors and such. Maybe you're just another despot? I could go on and on but I will save it for another post at a later date. There is never too much to write about our pal George. Sadly for him not much of it is good.

Comments on Today's Headlines

I felt that since I may not post again till the new year that I would just comment on some of today's current headlines. Hey, maybe I will post again but this seems like fund right now. Check this out, apparently if you have no insurance you are prone to dying from cancer! Duh. As well as a crapload of other things too, I bet. How about this, Ashlee Simpson is bummed Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant. But only because it overshadows her album release, as if anyone really cared anyway. And speaking of the Spears trailer trash kids, Lynne Spear's publisher apparently has put her book on hold. I guess a book on parenting by Britney and Jamie's mom wouldn't go over too well, who would figure? Ah, kids! They do the darnedest things. Maybe Ms. Spears should have let her daughters participate in Sex-Ed, recent findings show that those kids lose their virginity later.
On a political note it seems that dang Ron Paul keeps being a spoilsport and doing things like raising 6 million dollars in a day. Yikes! Mike Huckabee continues his meteoric rise. Personally I don't think I would be comfortable with some one who is a pastor being president. His past comments about women, winning the country for Christ, etc. Do we really need a Christian ayatollah of our own? Well at least Tancredo has dropped out. He didn't stand a chance anyway.
A funny note, the energy bill was delivered to the White House in a Prius. This apparently angered the michigan representatives. Well when the detroit automakers can make a hybrid a good as a Prius maybe they will be worth driving around in! Isn't that what our glorious market economy is all about?
Ah you got to love it when people complain because the capitalist market did what it was supposed to do. It's always puzzling when folks want the government to leave them alone, except of course when what's happening is affecting them and then by gorey the government aught to do something! Go figure. Well that's it for now. Merry Christmas and see you next year.

Economy OK! Thanks Mr. Bush I certainly couldn't have guessed.

Just in case you are one of those people who is finding it difficult to heat your home this winter because Heating Oil is around $3 a gallon. Or more expensive to commute to work as gasoline hovers around $3.06 a gallon. Christmas is almost upon us and you may be feeling the crunch from buying those requisite gifts. Maybe you're thinking you can do without that medication for a week or two so you can buy a little extra from the supermarket. Or maybe you're really feeling the crunch because you're one of those laid off as your jobs goes to China or India or who knows where, and your unemployment is winding down and you have yet to find a good job. But rest easy the Great Communicator once said, "Unemployment insurance is a pre-paid vacation for freeloaders." so you're getting a vacation, enjoy it! But you can truly rest easy because George W. Bush says the US economy is really safe and sound. There you have it, what more do you need to know?! Let's not forget that we have a war that our government continues to spend billions of dollars to wage. (We need to rebuild all that Iraqi infrastructure we blew the snot out of.) Consumer Confidence is at an all time low. As the housing market and credit crunch threaten to send the country into recession, our president goes into denial and says, hey all is well. Well of course it is for your ilk you idiot! You been raised never wanting for a thing, unlike the majority of us. I think we need some jobs programs. How about making education affordable? Bush says raising taxes would only make things worse, I suppose that depends on who you're raising them on doesn't it? I dare say some of your ultra rich buddies could probably afford a tax hike. Let's not forget this moron stole office with a huge surplus and quickly turned it into a record deficit. More than all presidents before him combined. Interesting article here on US Debt. It's one thing to use that debt to make improvements in your infrastructure and investments in your populace. It's another to throw it into military conquest and big breaks and payola for all your buddies. I am just glad to know that the US economy is safe and sound. Hey, George said so and we know it's just not in his constitution to lie right? Right?

To The Masquerade

I wouldn't normally do this but hey, it's my blog right? This is a band that I have become quite taken with. They don't have a CD out yet but they have started a buzz in the Boston area. They played most recently at The Middle East Upstairs in Cambridge, and they will be playing there again in january. Recently they got a little sponsorship from Rugby.com, which is a branch of Ralph Lauren. They played an acoustic show on the 15th of december at the Rugby store in New Canaan, Connecticut. I heard rumours that they may play Bill's Bar in Boston too. We'll see. Great bunch of Guys and really very talented. Check out these links,

Their MySpace page

To The Masquerade, still under construction but coming soon.

An Interview with Rugby.com's Inside Center.

Boston Phoenix profile

The Rugby Store Event, New Canaan.

To The Masquerade at MusicNation.com

Stupid Media and Politicians

Hows about this? Buried on page 4 of my newspaper is a story about our brandy new AG Michael Mukasey refusing to give details to congress about the CIA interrogation tapes. In fact I couldn't even find the same story in the local online paper, I had to go to the New York Times. That seems a little like someone our senate shouldn't have approved to me. This is the guy who dicked around about defining waterboarding as torture. Huh? How can there be any question about that? On that note you may be pleased to hear that senate republicans blocked a bill that would require the CIA to adhere to the Army's field manual on interrogation, this is the manual that bans interrogation methods like waterboarding and mock execution and other 'harsh' methods. WTF!! Couple that with the story, also buried on page 4 that gives the president another gazillion dollars for his war with no time table and does anyone wonder why congress' approval rating is below the presidents? I couldn't find that story in the local online either, so here is MSNBC. What part of a 70% disapproval of that dickhead George does anyone in congress not understand? I am not sure what angers me more, not being able to see what should be real news on the front page or the fact that this is happening at all. What's on the front page you ask? Well we have to have a story about snow weather, and christmas decorations. The story on train subsidies I can see but geez louise, how is a responsible citizen supposed to react when the media local and otherwise won't provide the friggin news?! How about this? The United States should not torture people. We should punish those in our government who do or did. We should lose all the secrecy, too many damn secrets. Criminy
I am starting to think I just may support Ron Paul for President. No I am not saying what my newspaper is though you should be able to guess, since I live in Portland Me.

Just a small addition....

I am sitting and watching TV with my laptop in my lap. I like to veg out and unwind after a day of work with systems and such. You would think after working with computers all day I would be tired of them but I am not. I think these things are the new frontier. Anyway you may have guessed that one thing I am very upset about is our current commander in chief. This guy frustrates the hell out of me. He represents and epitomizes everything that I despise about our government and society. A rich kid who has never had to figure out how to get along on his own. He never has had to worry about paying his bills or whether he would buy food or medicines or heating oil this month because he couldn't afford all three. Yet he has the audacity to think that he is smart enough to be our president. Nothing could be further from the truth. He doesn't understand the 'internets'. Talks about 'true facts', as if there are any other kind. Doesn't know how to pronounce 'nucular'. Argues for the sanctity of life yet has no issues with executing over 150 prisoners in Texas, (as governor) or starting wars. Takes no responsibility for his or his administration's actions, even though the ultimate responsibility is his. This president is solely responsible for start a war that is likely to be illegal and solely responsible for the deaths of over 3000 of our soldiers. I have never been so actively angry at a politician in my life. Here as some links that I find interesting. We should all be scared shitless. A psychoanalysis. A Pile of Links. Impeach him!

This isn't the America I was raised in.

When I was young I was taught that we, America, were the good guys. We saved the world from Hitler and the Imperial Japanese. And, the Vietnam war not withstanding, we represented truth and justice. We the people meant it when we said that. We took to the streets to demand Civil rights for all Americans. We took to the streets to demand an end to the Vietnam war. And we did it. We the people wrought real change in the US. When Richard Nixon tapped phones and used the power of his office to twist arms we forced his resignation, it was either that or be impeached. And soon after congress implemented the FISA court, so you needed a court order to tap a phone and spy on a fellow american. Sadly since 1980 I have watched all that I was taught that America represented slowly disappear. Interestingly the first inkling for me was the elimination of the CETA program. Anyone remember that? It actually put people to work, gave them training and experience and a paycheck. Our buddy Ronnie Reagan got rid of that. Then he proceeded to create a bigger deficit than ever before. Mainly due to increases in military budget, and he cut basic useful programs; "Eliminate Social Security minimum benefits. Cap the runaway costs of Medicaid. Tighten eligibility for food stamps. Merge the trade adjustment assistance for unemployed industrial workers with standard unemployment compensation and shrink it. Cut education aid by a quarter. Cut grants for the arts and humanities in half. "Zero out" CETA and the Community Services Administration and National Consumer Cooperative Bank." Quoted from this article. Maybe we should be glad that this was all that was trimmed from the budget, because if David Stockman had had his original way we would have lost much much more. I am an ole time liberal socialist and I think that the country needed those programs. The gap between the richest Americans and the poorest Americans continue to grow wider. It was obvious from George W.'s tax cuts that they were meant to be aimed at the wealthiest. So Paris Hilton got a nice big tax savings and I saw an $8 reduction in my taxes. I think I would rather they keep my $8 and create a national health plan. How about lifting the ceiling on social security and medicare taxes so wealthier people are paying their share? Why don't we re-establish the estate tax and funnel that money directly into social security. And finally why not make the social security fund a separate, protected fund so it can't be stolen from as it has been for generations. Let's stop tearing down the New Deal and Great Society programs that have and had been working. Let's put them back and help close the gap between rich and poor. It's time, because I don't know about you but I have had enough.
Now under the current administration, the closest to fascism than ever, we torture our prisoners. We can disappear someone for no reason other than the government says you are a terrorist. Bush the younger lied us into a war in Iraq and rhetoric is spinning up for a war with Iran. The current administration used the disaster of 9/11 to make political hay and force laws down our throats that remove our liberties and threaten our republic. The ill-named patriot act and the military commissions act to name two. This is not the america I grew up in. I don't know what happened to it, but I wish it would come back.

Why can't People just be logical or even consistent?

Here is something that I really find kind of irritating. This link talks about a young lady, Kristi Burton, who is a law student and has decided to push for making fertilized eggs, people, thus giving them certain rights. To be fair she is just pushing for defining when human life begins but the agenda is clear. Let's ignore the obvious problem with the fourteenth amendment to the constitution. You know the one where people born or naturalized in the United States have all the protections of the Constitution? See the obvious problem there? So let's say we give fertilized eggs these rights and protections. Once they are born, following the same logic, these people now have the right to be treated and raised in a safe environment don't they? How are you going to guarantee that? If we continue the same thought process, shouldn't people be assured that they will be able to eat, have shelter and clothing? Of course it goes without saying that capital punishment executions would need to be banned, since human life needs to be protected. And of course wars and armed conflicts need to disappear as well. The thing is that it would be wonderful if one could ensure that we as a society could protect all human life. We should. But this becomes a slippery slope. Until we can ensure the same general protections from womb to grave, for legal purposes human life begins at birth. Or at least if you are going to protect eggs and fetuses to the fullest extent of the law then that protection shouldn't stop once you're squished out into the world.

Socialism, Is it really the big Bogeyman?

Hello! If you grew up in the United States as I did, then you were probably indoctrinated very early on about the superiority of the 'free market'. Some of us as we grow older begin to question that wisdom. Especially those who may suffer at the invisible hands of Adam Smith's free market. Here in Maine the free market has pretty much demolished the paper industry. It could be argued that the industry didn't make the necessary capital investments, but not withstanding that, no one can argue that employee costs were more expensive and would have made it difficult to remain competitive in the global marketplace.
As I sit in traffic crawling ahead at an agonizing pace, I begin to question the free market benefit of the automobile as opposed to some other form of transit. I know from local history that at one time I could have gotten onto a trolley right in the town in which I live and not only could I have ridden from my town to my workplace, but I could have traveled to almost any major city. Right now my heating oil costs are ridiculously high and I wonder how I am going to pay them. I see that the price of the cost of a barrel of oil fell considerably from the almost $100 that it was. Then, not so coincidentally perhaps, a rocket attack occurred on an Iraqi refinery, and I seem to recall though I cannot find it an attack on a oil pipeline as well. I am sure that the price of oil will go up in response. So what's an average american to do? Why is the health system so damn expensive? Why is oil and gas so expensive? Why is Cuba, who we have blockaded for over 40 years, able to provide free health care for all it's citizens? Not only that but they send doctors to other countries to provide charity health care! Huh? Why does socialism have such a bad rap? Some would reply, okay but if we did all those things our taxes would go through the roof! I think maybe they would be higher but why then are those countries that people use for comparison all maintaining a higher standard of living for their citizens? Keep in mind that Social Security, which is undoubtedly the most successfully social program the US has ever had, is a socialist program. As is Medicare for that matter. In fact if we are to be particular, our police, firemen, and even our military are socialized programs. See, here is the thing. The free market does a good job in distributing goods and some services according to need based on perceived desire. But that being said there are other things for which a profit motive is not the best way to provide the service. The best example is the providing of health care. There are some instances where it is more profitable to let the patient die. However that is probably not the desired outcome in most cases. Suffice it to say a socialized health system is probably in our best interests. You see most of us have been indoctrinated and continue to be propagandized into believing that socialism = dictatorship and that just isn't true. The current idiot in office has done more to move us toward a dictatorship than any socialist program ever would. The important part is to keep the republic whole. Not to dislodge any rights, freedoms and liberties while at the same time being sure to 'promote the general welfare'. Right now that is in trouble and we have more to worry about becoming fascist than we do socialist. See this too. It's time we took a page from Canada and some Scandinavian countries and applied a little common sense. I am guessing it won't happen as long as we are essentially run by the corporations of america.

George Bush is an Idiot

Yup, that's right he is a total bozo. The guy has no intellectual curiousity and shouldn't be where he is. (anyone remember, "The President is not a reader"?) He has no empathy and probably would qualify as a psychopath. One quote that spoke volumes for me was this one from Ronald Reagan Jr.
"And chances are your America and George W. Bush's America are not the same place. If you are dead center on the earning scale in real-world twenty-first-century America, you make a bit less than $32,000 a year, and $32,000 is not a sum that Mr. Bush has ever associated with getting by in his world. Bush, who has always managed to fail upwards in his various careers, has never had a job the way you have a job—where not showing up one morning gets you fired, costing you your health benefits. He may find it difficult to relate personally to any of the nearly two million citizens who've lost their jobs under his administration, the first administration since Herbert Hoover's to post a net loss of jobs. Mr. Bush has never had to worry that he couldn't afford the best available health care for his children. For him, forty-three million people without health insurance may be no more than a politically inconvenient abstraction. When Mr. Bush talks about the economy, he is not talking about your economy. His economy is filled with pals called Kenny-boy who fly around in their own airplanes. In Bush's economy, his world, friends relocate offshore to avoid paying taxes. Taxes are for chumps like you. You are not a friend. You're the help. When the party Mr. Bush is hosting in his world ends, you'll be left picking shrimp toast out of the carpet."

See the whole article here. Boy ain't that the truth. How did someone like that convince so many people that he was fit to be President? I think I can safely say that the 2000 election was stolen. It should never have happened that way and George Bush was definitely not the nations choice. Not only that but It seems to me that you could argue that he didn't really win the 2004 election either. This time it was with the complicity of the media. If you didn't go out and look for it you would never have found out about the voting problems in Ohio, the state that went to Bush and cost Kerry the election. But really it should have been all over the news. I guess it must be that liberal media again huh? Now if you ask me it's time for Impeachment. This guys administration has done more criminal acts since Richard Nixon. It's time for We the People to act. I just don't see it happening too soon, and it's a damn shame.
Finally the man is just a damn idiot.
George Idiot Bush - The most popular videos are here

A Change of Things and Direction.

Well. Here I am again. I decided to change my blog to just a free association of thoughts. I hadn't touched this for many months and I felt I wanted to revisit it. I was initially quite taken by the book 'The Secret' and I thought this was a great way to achieve success. But it seems the best way to achieve any success using those methods is to become a motivational speaker. I can't help but think of Chris Farley's motivational speaker Matt Foley. But it seems to me the only people getting rich from any 'Secrets' are the motivational speakers and teachers. I guess I am pretty disillusioned by all that hype. I used the 'Secret' site to send email to a 'teacher' who never ever emailed me back or got in touch in any way. I know they are probably busy, but hey if that is the case then don't sell yourself as a teacher. Cause ya know teachers have to actually talk to their students at some time. Sheesh! I really do believe in the Law of Attraction, even if it isn't a law, it just feels right. But golly why does it have to be surrounded by such charlatans! There are definitely some logical issues with it too. But I do think that somehow we all interact on an atomic level of thought somehow. I guess I need to find my own way.
I am also hoping that writing my thoughts about anything no matter how bizarre will help relieve some of the anxiety I feel throughout my life. But that's a topic for another post. I will see if I can't be a little more religious about posting entries as well. Hey! Religion is another good topic too. Anyway that is my brief explanation of this blog and what I have been thinking.