diesel, electric powered car journal, some light politics, & other b.s..

1:57:03 PM EDT

yep, water.   good clean, fresh water.  a cheap staple of life and modern living in america.  this is the next thing that is going to cause your wallet and way of life, trouble.

this is nothing new if you live out west or in the s. east.  you already know there is drought conditions affecting certain parts of certain states.  the difference this time is an economy partially built on cheap clean water and being fueled by construction somewhat.  the more residents that flood south in search of new opportunites and an escape from the dead zone of the rust belt and michigan....the more problem this issue becomes.

the more recent event that has finally popped it's head into main stream media is the water shortages in atlanta and n. georgia.  this is an ugly situation.  it has many causes...but it boils down to a lack of proper leadership and overbuilding as well as generally lack of care by city dwellers. 

people i have to say this issue will not go away.  it's time for real leadership at the state and local level to address long term sustainable water plans.  georgia is not alone.  florida, alabama, tenn, even the carolinas are facing major water shortages.  the growth in the south is part of this problem, but it goes back to greed and money as most problems do.  the cities and state keep allowing building even though they know there isn't enough water to support the growth.  why would they do something so stupid, you ask?

well in their defense...it's a complicated issue.  in economics...just like in life....if you don't grow you slowly die.  so it's a battle between economic support and sustainable water.  the issue though is more to the effect of a general ignoring of water supply.  they build and after the fact figure a way to get more water if they need it. 

so here's what we need to do as tax payers and water users.  start conserving now before your area gets hit with a huge price increase and shortages in supply...because it is coming.  upgrade to low flow faucets and toilets, etc. you don't have to do it today, but when you get to the point to redo fixtures....look for ones that conserve water. fix leaky pipes immediately.  you would be surprised at how much water  is wasted on a slow leak.  if you are a renter...notify your landlord and demand that leaks are fixed.  plant only local and native plants when landscaping.  these plants through millions of years of evolution have adapted to your climate zone and rain fall levels.  you won't need to use any irrigation to support a beautiful, native yard.  this will save more fresh water than you can imagine.  i know firsthand, after i cut off my irrigation...aka sprinkler system.  i let what couldn't support itself on rainfall die off and have been slowly replacing it with native species of plants. 

on grass.  this is a touchy issue.  everyone loves a good lawn, but sit down and calculate how much money and time it costs you to pest spray, fertilize, trim and how much money to irrigate, etc, etc, etc.  it's a big chunk of time and cash.  my plan isn't to elimate grass, but rather to play to the various types that can survive by themselves without irrigation.  in florida....bahia does well in sunny areas, and typical rainfall will mostly keep it alive.  the issue is shady parts.  i despise st. augustine grass because of it's weakness to pest attacks and root structure being on the top of the soil so it needs massive water to sustain...but some varieties do okay in the shade.  so a mix match would do alright.  depending on where you live, my mix match likely won't work for you, but my point will.  so some reaerch on grasses and don't be afraid to mix varieties to make a sustainable lawn without massive irrigation.  like anything else, sometimes one won't suffice...so make it two, three or four until you get a nice green carpet that can survive without all the fertilizers and watering, etc. plus if you use a yard service you already have multiple grasses growing.  as the mowers pick up the seeds from seeding grasses and they fall back down on your lawn. so look hard and you'll see a few varieties already growing.  so don't be scared of mixing them.  your still gonna have to mow it though...but i got an electric mower...i've had it for years and i'd never go back to gas.

don't be afraid to cut back your use.  i turn the water off while brushing my teeth...used to let it run.  i cut my showers down to around 10 minutes..used to take 30 minute ones.  you can conserve allot just by thinking about it, while you are doig water use chores, etc.

lastly write to your local and state legislators and push for waste water redclamation for golf courses and other irrigation.  let them use the grey water not fresh.  push for mandatory cutbacks.  take action now before it's too late and the price of water makes oil seem cheap.

 

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1:33:12 PM EDT

great question.  unfortunately....the american public and the democratic super delegates picked the two candidates we have to pick from.  i don't care for either one much. 

i am like john kerry on this issue i change my mind almost daily.  i like barack obama.  he is young, energetic, a bit of an idealist.  the best speech reader i have seen since reagan.  in some ways much better than reagan.  then i look at his voting record.  i have to say imho it stinks.  it's much further left than i am...i am more in the middle with somewhat far right on economics.....and somewhat far left on social issues like gay marriage.  so i am unique in that no party represents all of my beliefs.  i picked republican when i was 18 because i followed my parents as most people do..same goes for religion.

then in college i became an idealist...and i switched to democrat as at that time they seemed to represent what i wanted.  then i grew up and i started to see mroe than ideals...reality set in.  i realized that during this republican revolution in the 90's...fiscal conservative came back in...and i looking at the unfair tax system and the wastewful spending made me convert back to the republican party.  wellthe republicans now are far away from the fiscal conservatives they once were.  they spend just like the democrats. 

john mccain....well john is an old timer.  he has been in the senate for a long time took over barry goldwater seat.  he isn't much of a republican in allot of ways.  he is considered and moderate...in some ways a liberal republican......more like an independent like joe liberman now is.  let's not forget his involvment in the saving and loans scandals.  he was a member of the keating five.  for those not aware of this scandal do some google searches.  so he has some bad marks on his record.  that aside his voting record  doesn't follow everything i'd like, but it's a little more middle than baracks far left voting record.

well i was thinking who would make the best president to help curb spending and bring back fiscal responsibility.  i don't have that answer.  i know barack wants to do nationalized health care...which sounds great...but how much is it gonna cost?  most of the economists say we cannot afford it.  then we have to look at canada who has national health care.....if you have a cold or flu it works great...but for those who need cat scans and surgery...they have to sue the govt to get it before it kills them.  the canadians with money come down here to america so they can get the best care, that they cannot get in canada.  this is what scares me.  i want affordable health care, but i also want to be able to get it when i need it.  nationalized cannot deliver this. 

why is this a problem here in america out of reach health care coverage?  well there is allot of issues causing this.  one is trial lawyers.  the insurance industry constatly has to pay suits....this money comes from the money they take out of your check and from the money the business you work for pays.  this means the insurance company has allot less money to invest in the markets and make money on.  insurance compnaies don't really make money on your payment..they make it on investing that money and making a return.  well with markets not making the returns they were during the tech boom...they cannot make as much...so it drives up health costs.  you are supporting an entire industry of lawyers, who produce almost nothing.  they make huge money as they know it'[s cheaper for the insurance to settle under 100k than to fight in court and win, as it will still cost them 80k in legal fees they have to pay to their lawyers.  plus once they win, they don't get the money they paid to defend themselves back.  so economically it's cheaper to settle than to take it to court.  they lawyers know this and use it to their advantage.  call it legal blackmail.  until congress puts a stop to this practice and puts their foot down hard on the bar...this will never end. 

same goes for non stop medical visits.  the doctor cannot cure a cold or flu.  going just wastes money.  everyone visits constantly and it cause more money to be spent...hence higher insurance costs.people only need to visit the doctor once a year for a check up and only when problems arise that won't go away in around a week....time frame all depends on the issue...this is not doctor advice.  although use your god given common sense.  if you feel ill for more than a week...yeah you need to see the doctor.  if you get a sniffle and it goes away 1 day beofre your doctor visit you set up over the sniffle...you are just wasting your own co-pay money and the insurance companies.  

anyways, congress has allot of control on insurance costs....they can loosen up the constraints on them so they can compete better and lower costs.  we can help by not visiting when it is unnecessary...and they can stop making us support an industry of super rich people called trial lawyer.

 

 i came across ross perot's charts site....if you remember ross perot was the guy who cost geroge buch sr. his second term against clinton.  he was a billionaire guy who wanted to run govt like a business.  anyways he didn't get elected and ironically bill clinton and the congress at that time balanced the budget for the 4th or 5th time since 1968 and in fact brought in some surplus.....well that was short lived as we remember.  when you give govt surplus they will find a way to spend it.

well ross is back with his non partisan charts of govt spending...and it is well worth a look at his charts to see the disaster we are headed for.  we have spent far too much and we are going to collapse.  here is the link to his site......

http://perotcharts.com/category/challenges-charts/

hit the "next page" tag to go through the various charts.

well back to the candidates....

i think neither is gonna set things right.  the govt keeps spending more every year, and aprt of that reason is we keep electing the same senators and house members.  please it's time to clean hosue and send a message....we want leaders who will balance the budget...not through more taxes but better spending.  who doesn't want that?  what republican/democrat doesn't want less taxes, better spending that results in better govt?

to end with...if we dont' start balancing the budget and fast...our children and grandchildren will be crippled with this monstrous debt.  we are in the trillions....and it's not all from the iraq war...it's every year the hosue and senate pile on more programs we don't need and more money has to be allocated.  social security is failed...do not depend on it when you retire.  it will not be there for us.  same goes for medicare.  entitlement programs as well as p[iling on the debt faster and faster.  if the govt was a business...we would have been cut off from credit long ago and we'd have gone throuhg bankruptcy and all the assets woul dhave been liquidated.  this is a serious problem..not something we can wait to fix. 

so when it comes to electing forget about everything except who is gonna balance the budget and pay down our national debt.  this is now issue number one. well issue "1b"...since energy indpendence is still iasue number 1.

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6:06:33 PM EDT

i have been reading blogs and comments galore on oil stories and i constantly see calls for a boycott of exxon mobil or any gas station.  i have seen demands that we do sit in's at the pump and boycotts on the 4th of july, etc, etc.

well here's the problem with those ideas.  most gas stations whether a chevron or a independent are not owned by the oil corporation.  most of these stations are leased to use the chevron or what have you brand name.  so essentially a boycott would boycott an small business owner.  who by the way makes little profit of fuel.  after you figure in overhead costs and insurance....then credit card fees which can be around 3% and higher...there is almost no profit.  this is why you often see a "cash" price much lower than a credit card price.  allot  of the time they actually lose money on fuel.  why do they do it then?  good question. 

well they make profit on the beer, cigarettes, sodas, snack foods, etc.  they use the fuel as a loss leader to get people in the door to buy products they can make a profit on.

anyways....boycotts are a stupid idea. 

so what can we do as voters to demand "change" in fuel prices.  not much, but we can use the one tool we have....our votes.  if everyone wrote to their elected leaders both house and senate and let them know how angry we are that we have no useful energy policy.  that we are pissed that we are not energy independent which was supposed to have happened around nixon's last term, before that ugly watergate affair.  if we all sent emails, letters, phone calls....it would spark some real "change".  the only thing a politican fears is being voted out of office. 

we should write and demand that we drill for oil in america everywhere there is oil.  that we start up the "nazi fuel" program of converting coal to diesel fuel...which by the way is such a great idea our own military is already doing it...the air force in particular.  at the same time push for longer term solutions like clean nuclear and solar panel development, etc, etc. let's not forget that uisng our own energy supplies creates american jobs that can't be outsourced.  it supports industry that supplies materials to these companies.  these new workers will be buying new homes near work, eating at resturants, shopping at malls, etc, etc.  it takes money we sent over to venezuala and the middle east and puts it back into american pockets.  we all benefit.

this isn't an all or nothing issue.  it's a transitional one.  the first step though is energy independence.    if congress truly wanted us out of iraq and the middle east they would implement energy independence from the middle east by drilling and using our own oil and coal.  this isn't rocket science.  we could give a big middle finger to the middle east  and venezuela and all the pain it has caused us once we are free from foreign oil and energy.

so let your legislators know you are serious and you want energy independence by means of our own coal and oil.  we could have this running in around 10 years.  i can see it now.....oh but 10 years is such a long time.  how is this going to help us now?.....okay fair enough.  yet if we sit back and do nothing.....what happens 10 years from now? cause this is what we are doing sitting back and doing nothing.  on the short term....if annoucements where made to the oil market that drilling and production would resume in the usa full bore....that would send shakes up the spine of oil speculators...instantly.  they would know that global supply would increase and that would make them think twice on betting up oil to raise in price rather than lower.  so from an specualtor view this would kill the rise in oil we are all feeleing right now.  so yeah it would help instantly.

what else can we do as voters.  well make sure the issue doesn't go away.  our legislators are like a kid with a.d.d not on medication....they only keep up with something if it is a hot button issue.  so keep it an issue even if the prices contract.....this problem isn't going to go away forever. we need time to develop and build solar and clean nuclear.  oil will slip eventually but supply is still an issue long term, if the technology isn't there yet or the infrastructure for clean nuclear and solar.  so make sure they know we care about energy, short term, long term, and every where in between.

just by writing, calling, emailing your legislator will do far more than any stupid boycott.  yeah it really is that easy...it just takes allot of us to get off our rears and spend the 10 minutes looking up your leaders and sending them an email.

i will save you 2 minutes....

find your u.s. senators......

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=FL

 

find your house members.....

http://www.house.gov/

top left corner it has a zip code plus 4 digit extension...to find your represenatitve....if you don't know your 4 digit after your zipcode...don't fret.  grab any bill or piece of mail sent to you and copy it from that. 

from there all you have to do is use the "email your senator" form to send your message.  do not be afraid to write your legislators.  that is what they are there for,  to help you.  be respectful and cordial, but don't be afraid to be firm and lay out what you want for this country. 

what better gift to the usa on it's fourth of july birthday than america emailing their leaders and demanding energy independence and use of our own coal and oil.  the fore father's would be so proud of us if we can accomplish just this task.

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3:54:09 PM EDT

as anyone who knows me even a little bit can verify i do love diesel powered cars.  the torque and the high mileage makes them a superior choice to gasoline, but even a diesel fan like myself needs to keep one eye on the future. 

for people who like me live within 10 miles of work....i am rethinking my strategy for work commuting.  the bus doesn't work where i live because it involves switching a few lines and long waits in between.  bascially for me to ride the bus to work..i would have to leave almost 1 hour earlier than the 30 minutes i need to get to my job on time.  i not saying it's not worth the extra time involved..for the savings i would get in fuel costs...but time is valuable as well.

now that the trial lawyer lobby in florida killed the light rail project(due to a cap on lawsuits to protect the tax payers) and the fed's took their money back...thanks lawyers...you really helped us on this one.  this leaves little options to get to work.

so i was reading an article the other day and it was like an eureka....an electric motorcyle.  the limitations is of course the price, and the distance you can go one a charge...but for a guy like me who only needs around 20+ miles a day to commute...with a few extra miles to hit the bank or lunch, etc.....it would be perfect.

so i did some light research.  i see "zero motorcycles" who is known for off road electric bikes is introducing a street version soon.  the price is still a bit high for my needs...but in a few years when better battery technology comes along, and demand helps drive the cost down......i think this is my personal solution for commuting. 

some links for those interested in electric motorcyles and scooters....

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/03/19/zero-motorcycles-to-introduce-street-model-having-trouble-keepi/

www.zeromotorcycles.com/

anyways...i see lots of other companies making and introducing street legal electric scooters and motorcycles...i am not endorsing any of them or the zero...as i have no direct knowledge of the products and which are good or are crap, etc.

theprices are still, imho, too high and being new technology, sort of...i think it's best to sit back and wait until the winners stay alive and the rest close shop or move on to other things. 

of course the first thing i hear on any two wheeled vehicle is what about rain.  true, true.  but alas how many of us won't have at least one 4 wheeled vehicle for grocery carrying and the family, etc.  then i will take my 50mpg diesel vw tdi.  then the next argument i hear is what if it rains while your at work....well then i have two choices...i get wet or wear rain gear or i wait it out.  yeah i know it's not perfect...but it's something.  sometimes it takes a little sacrifice.  this is something i am willing to do if it saves money and helps curb combusted exhaust air pollution.    

 of course i advocate and i may be the only floridian who keeps pushing to reinstate the full face helmet law.  i believe that life is risky and riding certainly is, but being smart is worth it.  a full faced helmet will save lives and it's a minor inconvinence.  what's the annoyance of a helmet vs. your face being torn off by the asphault.  i see the helmet as worth it...i wish more riders had half a brain to protect with a full faced helmet, to see the common sense in wearing one.  that's another issue for another time though.

i also see some light on the horizon with gm....yes gm the people who helped kill off the best electric car...the ev1.  it looks like they are going to make admends on the murder of the ev1 with the chevy volt.  this is a car that interests me.  i like electric cars, but only really plug ins.  help gm see the light by emailing them and supporting te chevy volt if a plug in seems like something that you'd like to own.  beiieve it or not consumer feedback can help push things along with a company.

on another note...a co-worker just bought a harley davidson electro glide.....cool bike but talk about old technology and high priced.  he paid over 18k for it...and it only revs to 6000rpm...my 5 year old bmw 6 cylinder revs to 7000rpm, and the harley only gets 46mpg.  my vw tdi can get well over that in mixed driving. 

i know america loves harleys, but in my opinion they are high priced old technology.  once the novelty wears off and it will.....what will harley do?  suzuki, kawasaki, honda, etc are always pushing technology limits.  harley is sitting back and producing old bikes at super high prices. this is a model for failure in business.  not today or tomorrow, but certianly when this whole harley craze dies down and in allot of ways it already is dead.  somehow i don't see a bright future at harley.  a shame an american company with a chance and a market to produce something innovative, but instead they rely on marketing gimmicks to keep the sales rolling in...rather than a better product.  a real shame, imho.

last thing...hypermiling....this does actually work a little bit in my unscientific test.  i put my e46 bmw to the test.  using a proven formula to record mileage....i was getting pre-hypermiling strategies....18mpg mixed use.  after using a few of the concepts not counting the overinflated tires and low oil viscocity, and a few other long term economically questionable ideas...i was pulling in at around 19.5mpg.  not a huge increase i know, but just altering my driving habits to maximize mileage actually worked. 

ironically my biggest change was scaling back aggressive driving...and as an unexpected side effect my road rage went down massively.  as i went slower and more methodical without my usual make sure no one gets in front of me normal driving style.....i became calmer as a whole and i seem to understand different people's reactions on why they were doing something,......that never made any sense to me before.....who would have thought driving could become an exercise in understanding people, anger management and therapy.    the best part was a feeling of accomplishment.  just by getting a mile and half per gallon better fuel mileage made me feel like i accomplished something.  didn't help much in the wallet area, but alas every little bit adds up.

until next time.........

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5:20:46 PM EDT

i see more and more americans falling into the myth that the govt can fix problems. the truth is this just is not true.  govt historically and in modern history is not good at solving problems.

let's look at one small example.  education.  you hear all over that the reason education is getting so bad in the usa is because of a lack of funding.  you hear it from teachers and teachers unions.  you hear it from school board members.  you hear it from your local politicans, state, and federal as well.

well it turns out that we pay more per child in education that countries like norway, switzerland, denmark, etc.  i think we all know these countries level of education is far better than ours.  yet they spend less.  we could ship our kids over to these countries and they would get a better education and we could actually save money...but why can't we figure out how to do that here.  here is why?

govt stinks at running anything cost effectively.  there are many reasons for this, but it's pretty obvious.  let's compare it to your own private workplace.

if you don't show up, you get in trouble right?

if you do a bad job, you get in trouble, right?

if you don't accomplish tasks on time, you get in trouble, right?

if you recieve performance pay and don't do a great job, your income suffers, right?

if a project comes in over budget, you get in trouble, right? or it affects your pay or bonus?

if you are nasty to customers, you get in trouble, right?

if you don't put effort into your work, you get in trouble, right?

so any or all of these things and you end up fired eventually, right?

if times are slow and you are not the best employee you could get layed off, right?

where is the exceptions to these very basic rules of business....unions and govt jobs.

these people don't get fired, and hence they don't care if they do a good job or not.  no one can get them in any real job threatening trouble and no one can really fire them. 

so take this into account when it comes to doing an effective job on anything govt and think if the company you worked for had these exceptions.  nothing would get done, and if it did, it wouldn't be on time, or cost effective, etc, etc. 

there is no accountability for any govt employee. for example, if you call the irs and ask a legitimate question about if you are interpreting something correctly...they will not so gladly give you advice on what you can or can't do...but if they give you wrong information, they state very clearly that they cannot be held accountable.  if it turns into fines for doing it wrong, then you have to pay.  this to me seems like a problem.  congress makes up all these tedious laws and then the irs enforces them, but it's up to you and your accountant to make sure you follow these very vague, open ended, details and tedious laws that are written with very open interpretations....and they will give advice, but if they give you bad advice it's your problem?  anyone else see a problem with this system?

this kind of nonsense applies across the board in govt.

same goes for elected officials.  when's the last time an old fart of a senator got booted out for doing stupid things?  they have no fear of the voters throwing them out.  no mattter what stupid things they may do, they will just blame the other party as the one who got in the way of their progress. 

what is the solution?  i don't know...you won't hear any politicans ever say that.  you know why it's the truth and politicans won't speak the truth, and they know people don't want the truth.....they want to be patted on the back and told we are going to bring "change" and fix everything.  the truth is they aren't and they won't.

one thing i do suggest to help govt is to implement some accountability.  hold screw up employees responsible and fire them.  run it more like a business.  make wise economic decisions..not based on how much is our budget, but how much do we really need to run this department effectively and efficiently.

mark my words if govt was run more like a business...you'd see and get allot more bang for you tax buck.  

 

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5:52:53 PM EDT

it has an appealing name doesn't it.  climate, is nice we want nice climate a bill called the climate bill has to be good, right? wrong.  and here's why...

this is the cap and trade bill...it is designed to allocate so much carbon output on indistries and if they can curb their output they can sell their extra to companies who need more.  sounds good doesn't it...until you look at the details.......

the biggest corportations love this idea as does the federal govt.  the reasons are the biggest coprorate empires have lobby groups who will get them higher caps then they really need.  then they can turn around and sell them to smaller industries who don't have lobbyists.  this is basically free money and huge money at that for doing nothing other than calling in govt favors to get larger caps than you really needed.

the govt loves this as it will be the biggest expansion of govt since the civl war.  it will bring in 6.7 trillion dollars, per the govt accounting office.  of course the govt loves bigger govt and more tax money to waste.  this is what they live for.

here's what it will do to you....

higher prices on everything you buy.  food, clothing, electronics, you name it.  higher electric bills, and predictions that it could increase gas prices another $1.85 a gallon.  in oklahoma the govt figured it would cost each citizen somewhere in the range of 3000-3500 dollars a person per year. 

this is a tax increase no matter how you look at it.  i don't know about you, but i don't have another 3000 bucks to spend on the groceries,  fuel, clothing, electric bills, etc a year?

the senate republicans filibustered it and it's about damn time the republicans did something for the working man.  normally they don't do anything to help us, but for once they did the right thing.  you can thank them for actually looking out for us for once.

do not be fooled by democractic and environmental propaganda.  this bill would have costs us all way too much right now in this economy.  it was the wrong time and the wrong way to curb emissions.  they should encourage emmissions curbing by industry with tax incentives.  there are so many ways to fix problems without stealing more money from the tax payers in this country.  i am all for reducing energy useage.  i don't believe mankind is causing global warming.  what we do doesn't hurt the earth, the earth is fine.  it can fix itself.  we are awfully arrogant to think we can actually hurt/destroy the earth.  that assumption and belief is in the relam of a god disorder. what we do is hurt ourselves and i propose we stop saying save the earth, and change it to save ourselves. 

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5:27:27 PM EDT

who isn't hurting from high fuel costs whether is $3.89 a gallon of gasoline or $4.80 a gallon of diesel(maybe higher depending on where you live)?  i have been watching the oil market intensly and i have seen something that makes me very suspicious and makes my blood boil.

goldman sachs and today morgan stanley have been pumping out predictions of $200 a barrel by years end.  morgan stanley said today oil would hit $150 a barrel by july 4th.  then the market opened up and what happened?  oil jumped up to yet another record high of $139 a barrel. 

the last time goldman sachs pushed something so hard was during the sub prime mortgage boom.  without going into massive details, but feel free to do your own research, but i warn you when you do it will crumple your view of america, the free market, and pretty much everything we have been led to believe.  anyways...they knew they were worthless, not right away but they knew they would fall apart...and so they bet they would fall apart.  when they did...they brought in billions.  hence the bust we are now all in.

ironically ben bernanke and paulson are goldman sachs alumni.  so goldman seems to have friends in high places.  that can't hurt, now can it?

now it appears the same geniuses are doing the same thing with oil.  using a whisper campaign to predict insanely high oil costs and capitlizing on the weak dollar, they are pushing investors into pumping money into oil and driving up the price higher and higher. 

now it appears that morgan stanley decided to get a piece of this action.  so far their whisper campaigns are wroking and very well.  i only have to wait until this bubble pops and we'll see if they betted it would and how much they bring in.  then we will know this wasn't just good luck or chance.  it was good old fashioned manipulation...maybe not illegally done, but these guys are smart and know how to find the loopholes...but between you and i...it's no different than good old fashioned market manipulation.

then we have to look at what else helps drive this oil craziness. these oil countires always seeem to have attacks and kidnappings at oil prodcution plants constatnly and they use this as a reason to drive prices higher, since supply is in "crisis" constantly.  now it seems odd to me that with all the money in the world flowing into oil production one way or another they cannot seem to stop troublemakers from trying to blow up oil producing areas.  even more interesting is somehow when these troublemakers do try to blow something up, they get close but never really do any real damage, that never actually stops production ...yet it's enough for the media to spread it and scare these investors into thinking oil supply is going to fall apart and drive up the price.  conspiracy...maybe...but i am getting suspicious in my old age.  knowing how and what people will do to make insane amounts of money. 

they keep spouting china and india...and yes they are growing rapidly and yes their thirst for oil has increased dramatically.  this can't be written off, but is it enough to justify the amounts we are seeing or being used strategically to help push an agenda that is making big money?

oil refineries.  the rest of the world is building them non stop...including evniromentally sensitive europe.  then we look at america.  we haven't built one in 30 years.  in fact we have cut production from the exisiting ones year after year.  are these cuts voluntary?  who knows...but i can say it helps drive gas prices higher.

then we look at our own congress.  these politicians are elected with lobby money and "527"'s which translates to special interest groups aka lobbies who are allowed to spend to help elect their favorite pick which is usually the guy or gal who will give them the most favors. some examples of 527's are the moveon.org, and the infamous swiftboat campaign that helped bump john kerry's presidental bid.  don't trust these 527's they are looking out for their own interests not yours. as far as senators go.... they all take oil money..democrat and republican.

they somehow won't allow more refineries to be built...but who knows if it's special interest like super enironmentalists who want us to live like cavemen again, or the not in my backyard group, or the oil people themselves to keep fuel prices high, or all of the above?  hard to say and no one is ever gonna come out and tell us.   

so then we constantly see media leaks about some refinery shutting down to 60% capacity because of manitenance or some issue due to its age.  this helps drive fuel prices up yet again. 

then we have china now drilling for oil 50 miles off of key west and horizontally.  that;'s right they are going after the florida's coasts rich resources that for some bizarre reason my own state and federally govt won't take for ourselves?  doesn't make a whole lot of sense does it?

there are so many other factors involved...but in the end, doesn't it make you wonder what is really going on?  it's all very confusing and super complicated, but i know when it comes to big money, expect anything and disregard nothing.

so yeah i have touched on some conspiracy issues...but are they conspiracies?  i dont know, but i do know the whole thing stinks to high hell to me.

 

 

 

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6:13:00 PM EDT

today congresss did yet another staged dog and pony show where they called in top oil execs and demanded that they explain their record profits and pretend to try to make them lower the fuel prices.

i am going to be honest with you here folks.  not many others will.  this is all staged and nonsense to make us the voters all feel better.  these same senators who pretend to grill these oil execs take contributions during their campaigns from them.  i mean both parties dems and repubs.  once again not a party issue.  this is a if you want to be a senator you need oil money to get elected. 

after the dog and poney show...these same senators are back stage with these same oil execs thanking them for playing along and for helping them to be re-elected term after term.  that's why these oil execs sit there grinning. 

i'd bet they go to lunch together and laugh at how they duped the stupid american voters.  mark my words no dog and pony show will ever lower fuel prices.  it's all b.s..

people the politicans think we are stupid.  let them know you are not.  when voting always take the time to see who is donating money to their campaigns.  if you see lots of special interest (code word for big money industries) then pick the candidate who doesn't take as much.  the truth is if you take their money it's the same as okaying favors once your in office.  if you don't pay back those who helped you get elected they will make sure you are not re-elected...because they know american voters are lazy when it comes to research and these people are very smart.  they know they are smarter than most of us, but not so smart you can't fight back and make a difference. 

the first step is to abandon party loyalty.  you can stay registered as whatever party you are so you can vote in primaries if your state is set up that way...but when it comes to voting for the general election...do your research.  a president is no more important than a senator, or a house member, or even a judge.  they all yield power.  it is crucial that we stop electing the same do nothing, business as usual, keep our buddies rich while we are in office elected officials.

i have never apologized for being a republican...but i am sorry i voted g.w. bush the second term. alhtough in my defense the dems didn't offer up, imho, a good candidate like a liberman or someone who represented close to my beliefs and values.  i am also sorry i voted for b. nelson a democrat, my senator.  nelson has done nothing good for my state, but played politics.  we don't need politics played we need change.  not obama socialism change....i mean real common sense change.  i am also sorry i didn't boycott my party when they left me behind.  i didn't change they did.  the same goes for you democrats.  you didn't change your party did and left you behind.  the dems aren't the party of the people anymore.  they are the elite socialist revolution now.  what the communists who joined the dems back in the mcarthy era said they were going to do, they have done. turned it so far left it makes no sense now.  they still keep themselves wealthy and their friends, while you the backbone of america makes the same money and loses benefits almost daily.  the dem controlled congress has not helped you or me.  the republican leadership in the president office has not help you or me either. 

be honest with yourself.  has any congress whether dem or repub made your life any better?  same goes for presidents.  when good things happened in your life it was you who helped yourself and the market forces.  same with when things went bad.  don't discount yourself so much.  you and your choices are the biggest factor in your life when it comes to happiness, income, etc.

anyways the reason for this is the parties are all b.s..  they do what they always did.  get people to vote all party candidates like kool aid drinkers from jonesville.  as well as business as usual like protecting the interest of themselves and their buddies and those who got them elected like big business, big oil, big farm, big construction, you name it.  they have all forgotten that we can vote them out at anytime if we wake up and put a stop to the madness.

i am still a registered republican..cause my state won't allow primary voting unless you are a dem or repub...but in truth i have been relooking at what i believe in and i realized i am more of a libertarian.  we don't need socialism.  we don't need the status quo.  we need less govt, and more freedom to get things done on our own. 

what made this country great was the founding fathers and their core set of principles.  over the years govt after govt has piled more b.s. on and now nothing works.  i don't have to prove it.  you've been to the dmv, the courthouse, dealt with the irs, etc, etc, etc. 

it's your country too and those who know me know i am open to other's beliefs and ideas...but at the same time...i don't want to bust my rear working hard to hand it over to the govt and have them piss it away by awarding contracts to friends businesses and paying far more than the market does, carving an indian out of a mountain in s. dakota.  handing it over to elite colleges like harvard, yale, etc that have billions in tax free endownments, and yet they keep asking for tax money from us. absolute nonsense.  the list of waste goes on forever. why you ask?  cause govt isn't run like a business. if it was we could get allot more for allot less.  there is no accountability for employees or management.  they never lay off people in a downturn economy.  they never fire a useless employee.  they pay far too much and provide far better benefits than we get in the private sector. they have no system to force those govt workers to treat us like the customers we are.  we pay their overinflated salaries...you'd think they would treat us better than we get treated at a mcdonalds, but they don't.   hell they are making 30k and up and the mcd's employee gets minimum wage and they are more repsectful than any govt employee.  that speaks volumes.  it's b.s. plain and simple. it is time for change.

common sense.  that is all i ask when you go to vote in your next election.  do some research...it is not a waste of time.  the more of us that wake up the more the govt will start to fear it's people and that is a core principle we should never ever forget from the founding fathers.  govt should fear it's people...people shouldn't fear their govt.

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4:30:01 PM EDT
Feeling Worried

i have gone way far off my love of diesel powered cars idea for a journal...but there is some troubling things going on and i feel our elected leaders have their heads buried in the sand.  as well as allot of us as well.

this isn't a george bush is evil or ted kennedy(my sympathies to ted and his family on his recently announced illness) is evil issue...this goes far beyond parties.  this is about the status quo and all the harm it is doing to our future.  this is about energy policy and what we are not doing...and no one is talking about.  just getting rid of geroge bush isn't going to fix this problem.  trust me.

our entire lifestyle, economics, jobs, food, you name it is based on oil.  we have many problems and too many to list and discuss...but what we need to do as voters is send a message to both houses of congress and both parties, both state and federal.  we need to do some things fast to turn the ship(with no life boats, think titanic) of our future from hitting the iceberg that is directly in front of us.

short term ideas....drill in alaska and the coasts.  i know it's an emotional issue.  i love the environment more than most activists.  i know i love animals more than most activists...but unless we want to stay under the thumb of foreign oil, we need to move and move fast.  there is a middle gorund.  norway is far ahead of us on the environment and protecting it and guess what they have figured out a way to drill for oil in sensitive areas and on the coasts.  we can do it as well and we need to.  it's the rich people on the coasts who don't want to see ugly oil platforms from their gorgeous beach front view in their multi million dollar beach home, but this goes beyond what the rich want it is about staying alive.  the uninformed environmentalists have teamed up with the rich to stop coastal drilling.  these same environmentalists want us to live like lincoln did by candlelight.  piss on them.  we can drill safetly and still protect the environment. 

middle term ideas....coal to oil.  we have more coal than saudi arabia has oil...and we can convert it to oil for around $45 bucks a barrel...at least this is what the govt says we can do it for.  i see no reason to not get this rolling and fast....as well as promoting better fuel efficient cars and trucks, etc. we don't have tos top conserving by any means, but we do need fuel.  we can eat our cake and have it too if congress will get out of way and let the free market do what it knows we need done.  maybe even help the free market stay sensitive to the environmnet and encourage foreign energy freedom.

long term ideas....more nukes and solar panels on every rooftop in america.  we can do this.  we only need maybe 800 more nuke plants to keep us powered.  we need congress and local and state govt's to get out of the way and allow more nukes to be built.  look nukes are emotional as well..but let's be honest france has done it and i know france is far ahead of us on evironmental sensitivity and it's safety for it's people.  if we can slowly convert to true electric cars, shipping, and trains.  we can maintain the lifestyle we are used to living.  i don't know about you but i am willing to give up allot of power use in the name of global warming, etc., but i am not willing to just give up all the progress we have made over the last 200 yeasrs in this country and go back to farming and hunting to survive.  we can do better and work smarter not harder.  we can save and lower carbon output, without giving up everything.  piss on the anarchists who use our internet and cellphone techonology to organize and spread propaganda...they are hypocrites of the worst kind.  i love the people of this world.  why should we suffer in life like our ancestors did.  we can do better and be cleaner in our use of power and still live well.

with solar panels we can power the lights and computers at work and recharge our electric cars while we are working.  we can power hot water at home and the a/c and stove, microwave and tv, etc.  we can accomplish this if we demand our leaders pull their head from the sand and let go of the status quo and just do things a little bit differently.  we need more "clean" power and solar, wind and yes even nukes are the way to energy independence from foreign producers  who hold all the cards like venezuela, iran, and the entire middle east. 

i have faith in the american people and our ingenutiy.  i know we can beat this problem.  i know if our leaders don't get off their hands we will throw them out of office and tell our parties to f'off.  enough of the party warfare..this is beyond democrat and republican.  stop being a party loyalist.  start by emailing your local, state, and federal legislators and demand they take actions to help curb foreign energy dependence and the status quo.

let's be leaders to be looked up to in the world once again by demanding common sense energy policies and a future of clean electric nuke power so we can go on living the comfortable lives we are used to and be able to afford to pay the power bill.

please even if you are a casual reader or someone new who found my collection of worthless writings...this one is important.  please email your legislators.  the future and our way of life depends on it.  the only thing stopping us from accomplishing our goals is ourselves.  i know we are all busy and this seems like somehting that won't do any good, but please prove me wrong in my bet that no one will do anything until it is too late.  please help change our future.  the future is in your hands...what you do with it is up to you.  i have spoken the best i can, and done all that i can by myself.  now it's up to you the voters of america to take charge and change our course from disaster.

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6:10:23 PM EST

yep, it's an election year.  so far it's been it's been a wild one.  i wasn't going to write anymore politics, but i think this is important in an election year.

so i am calling this politics 101.  i am gong to keep it real simple, but mention things i think everyone forgets about and get's marketed to death with these crafty marketing campaign managers working on your emotions to get you to do what they want...not what you want.

first off the president.  this job is typically given all the credit or all the anger when something goes right or wrong.  in reality, the president submits a budget. he/she appoints ambassadors to other nations and the un.  also appoints federal judges, supreme court judges, and other nominees as they pop up under the term.  although they have to get senate confirmation.  he/she also addresses congress once a year with the state of the union address.  works with congress to introduce legislation and get it passed, but cannot introduce legislation him/herself.  most importantly he/she is the commander in chief.  head of the armed forces, yet cannot declare war without congress approval.

legislation, that starts in the house and gets stripped down and things added and if passed it gets passed on to the senate this is where allot of the trouble comes from. they tack on pork barrel packages that have nothing to do typically with the any of the legislation.  they rewrite things and alter things so much so the original meaning gets lost. they do this to keep those big money donators that got them elected happy as well as their voters by funneling money to their state.

then the president can either sign it into law or veto it. so the president has veto power to keep the legislative branch of govt in line.

so the president has some power, but not the control everyone assumes they do. it's a three party system the legislative, executive, and the judicial.  it keeps things in balance.  even though polticians like to make the president the scape goat of all things.  the legislative branch writes the laws that affect your daily life.  the president either vetos or signs it into law.  if he/she veto's then the senate can try again and if they have a 2/3rd's majority in both the senate and the house in attendance of the revote, it passes anyway. if things are bad,blame your senator and the senate, your house rep and your state and local govt.  they have much more influence in your daily life than any president ever has. 

the president is more of a figurehead of sorts. they pick a cabinet and let them get to doing stuff.  if they pick a good cabinet then things usually go good.  if not then they don't and they get the blame as they picked them, etc.  he/she meets with other world leaders and gets them to help us and vice versa.  this means whoever you elect should have the best personality and be someone who can work problems effectively and be strong on benefiting the usa over anything else.  being a world economy now a days, it's even more important than ever that you pick a leader who is strong, but has charisma, and the know how to pick a good cabinet..

there has been lots of marketing on the current candidates.  most of it has some basis in truth, but the way it is presented to you, the voter, it typically is out of context and meaningless in allot of ways.

let's review the current leaders in each party(my observations/ feeling on each..your's may differ and that is okay.)...dem's first...

obama - smart guy.  good speaker.  passionate.  lots of charisma.  the kind of guy you'd like to be neighbors with. young.  some one who would impress world leaders.  not much senate experience. says we need change, but no plans given as to what he will do to change anything.

hillary - very smart.  not so great as a speaker.  cold as ice.  a women who you respect, but wouldn't want to live next to or piss off. fairly young as world leaders go. married to a two term president who most liked.  not much senate experience.

the repubs.....

romney - smart guy.  good speaker.  charisma.  someone who would impress world leaders.  young and energetic.  governor experience in mass. 

mccain - smart guy.  drab speaker.  not much charisma, but he does have some slight charm(not much though). senate experience. old, very old, may die before being sworn in.  not gonna impress world leaders much.  maybe too moderate and indecisive.

so there you go.  in my observations not based on poltical platforms, i see two clear possbilities.  obama on the dems and romney on the repubs.

i also see the straw polls and primary results from states who are done even my own state, and i see america disagrees with me highly.  they like mccain and clinton.

anyways, poltical platforms are important as well, but do not forget we need a strong well liked figurehead of a leader in the world market.  someone who is gonna make friends with the right people and put the wrong ones in their place so it benefits all of us...the american people.  make sure you go and register to vote for the general election, and if your state's primary hasn't happened yet and you are eligible...then get out and have your say.  our forefather's sweat, blood, and tears went to make sure you could vote.  there is no excuse to not to, no matter what.  do not let the rich people and old people(who always vote) decide who is gonna run things.  put your say in as well.  do it for yourself first, but also do it to honor our ancestors who worked much harder and sacrificed much more than most of us to make sure we could have a better life than they did and get equal say in electing offcials to run things.

until next time........

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