Before I was Just Pissed Off

...now I'm offended.

Senate Republicans proposed a $100 rebate check for millions of taxpayers Thursday to counter high gasoline costs, but linked the assistance to drilling in an Alaska wildlife refuge, assuring the measure would face stiff opposition from most Democrats.

We still pay for high gasoline, except we'll pay for it through our income tax and deficit. This $100 for millions of people has to come from somewhere.

Now if you really think about it they are bribing you with your own money to allow the oil companies, that bribe them, to drill on public land. Oh and the oil companies that are gouging you don't have to cough up one red cent. And the GOP plan doesn't even go after wholesale gougers.

They must really think American voters are stupid...half of you did foolishly vote for Bush...so maybe they have a point.

Why The Price of Oil is High In The US

I've heard a number of very uninformed people insisting this is a supply and demand issue and saying that if we open ANWR, get OPEC to pump more, or drill off shore where it is currently banned we can fix the issue and that's just NOT true. Crude oil supplies are at 8 year highs and demand is average for this time of year.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12280570/from/RL.3/

The problem has many causes but the monetary policy, refined supply and gouging are the main causes.

The monetary policy of the Bush administration has more to do with the high price of gas and oil than anything else. In other words the value of a dollar is the main cause of high gas and oil prices. Record defecits lead to inflation, lower currency valuations, and higher commodity prices.

Oil prices in dollars rose by 162 percent from their low point in January 2002, they climbed by less than half that rate measured in euros, 77 percent. At that rate, oil prices would have only risen to $34 per barrel in October 2004, instead of the actual $52, without changes in the dollar’s value.

A picture, as they say, is worth a thousand words.

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/bc?s=USDEUR=X&t=5y

As far as refined supply goes, you can pump your brains out but if you don't have the capacity to refine it, pumping more oil is meaningless. If that piece of garbage, corporate welfare, Energy Bill had fixed the refinery BOTTLENECK then this would be a short term problem. Since the GOP decided to take 4 years to create energy legislation that did NOTHING to fix the issue but instead gave energy companies HUGE tax breaks at a time they're making record profits NOTHING got done to fix the bottleneck in refining. A bunch of oil guys did get even richer though.

Anyone who voted for that piece of shit legislation should be voted out of office. Here are their names....

http://realityofitall.blogspot.com/2005/10/corporate-welfare-energy-bill-see-who.html

And yes, the oil companies are price gouging. You'd have to be pretty naive or awful foolish to believe otherwise.

i.e.
Valero Energy Net Profit 2003 = $617 MILLION
Valero Energy Net Profit 2005 = $3.6 BILLION

Exxon Mobil Net Profit 2003 = $21.5 BILLION
Exxon Mobil Net Profit 2005 = $36.1 BILLION

"When speaking to lawmakers and the general public, the oil industry highlights the small profit margins (typically around 8 to 10 percent) that are measured by comparing profits with total revenues. But when oil companies communicate with Wall Street and shareholders, they use a different measurement."

"For example, ExxonMobil's annual report states: 'ExxonMobil believes that return on average capital employed is the most relevant metric for measuring financial performance in a capital-intensive industry' such as petroleum. In 2004, ExxonMobil's global return on average capital employed was 24 percent; its U.S. profit margin for oil drilling was 37 percent and the company's American refining sector enjoyed a 29 percent profit margin. This shows that the company's biggest profits came in the American market, and provides sound footing to implement a windfall profits tax."

http://www.accuracy.org/newsrelease.php?articleId=1214

More demand in the last few years from China and India, oil speculation and of course the matter of a little war in Iraq destabalizing the middle east are some other more minor contributors to high oil and gas prices.

Fox News Anchor to Become White House Press Secretary?

The White House press office is about to become more fair and balanced. CNN’s Suzanne Malveaux reported last night that “Fox anchor Tony Snow is likely to accept the job as White House press secretary, succeeding Scott McClellan.” Malveaux added that Snow would announce his move “perhaps as early as within the next few days.”

Now let me get this straight...they're hiring a guy from FOX News to say whatever the president wants him to say.

[sarcasm on]
Gee, I wonder if he'll be able to get used to this "new" job.
[sarcasm off]

Fixing Illegal Immigration Is Easy

Put employers in jail for hiring illegals. Deport illegals one at a time as you catch them. No need to round up all 11-15 million all at once. Hire more folks as needed to catch offenders, use local law enforcement, IRS resources, Homeland Security and volunteers like the Minutemen. Impose heavy fines on any employer caught hiring illegals and make the law breaking employers pay the full price of deporting their illegal employees (on top of the fines) that way it won't cost the taxpayers (i.e. you and me) one red cent.

Also, put up rewards for turning these people in, paid out as a percentage of the mandatory fines collected from the employer. That should bring in bounty hunters which would easily remove the main offenders at little cost.

Also, no public assistance of any kind (except emergency medical care) without proper immigration papers. That includes putting children in public or private school. If emergency medical care is needed it should be granted but the medical staff should be required to verify citizenship within 24 hours for anyone not presenting a valid healthcare card. If the medical staff fails to do so they face fines and 30 days in jail for each violation. The hospital can verify your insurance within 24 hours so they should be able to verify legal status for those without insurance as well. It won't catch everyone but it will catch some.

Problem solved. No jobs, no illegals, no benefits for illegals, and no extra taxpayer dollars needed to fix the issue. It makes perfect sense and that's why the scum in Washington, D.C. will never do it.

Feel free to build fences if enough people think it's necessary with the $$$ produced from the fines. But if there are no jobs this problem is going to be very manageable with or without fences.

For Those Who Still Think Iraq Was A Good Idea

Annual war spending in Iraq is set to double since the U.S. invasion, having risen from $48 billion in 2003 to $59 billion in 2004 to $81 billion in 2005 to an anticipated $94 billion in 2006. The administration is now spending nearly $10 billion a month in Iraq and Afghanistan, up from $8.2 billion a year ago.

And while the US pisses money down a rathole...

Terrorism is increasing worldwide. “The number of terrorist attacks documented by U.S. intelligence agencies jumped sharply in 2005, crossing the 10,000 mark for the first time,” up from 3,192 attacks in 2004.

Who is Bush Trying to Fool?

No one with an ounce of sense can possibly believe this (so Bush Supporters definitely believe it.)


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush said on Tuesday he is "concerned" about high gasoline prices, and pledged that the U.S. government will keep a close watch out for profiteering.

"I'm concerned about higher gasoline prices," Bush said at a Rose Garden news conference to name new staff appointments.

"The government has the responsibility to make sure that we watch very carefully and investigate possible price-gouging, and we will do just that," Bush said in unprompted remarks about energy prices.

****MEANWHILE...

Exxon Mobil made a record $36.1-billion profit last year but Bush can't for the life him see anyone profiteering off of oil.

Someone save us from this moron.

Bush & GOP Obviously Have No Answers

The goal of the administration always seems to be to change the American public's perceptions of an issue, rather than to acknowledge reality and change what's actually happening. That is a sure sign these people have no answers to the problems that face this nation, they just don't give a damn, or both.

Iraq, Deficits, Medicare, Terrorism, Ports Deal, Bankruptcy Bill, Jobs, Katrina, Poverty, etc. etc. etc.

It's just one PR campaign after another, one failure after another. These people just don't want to deal with reality. Ignoring facts doesn't make them less true and the one fact that stands out most is Bush has failed to lead this nation in the right direction.

Ask yourself, in what way is the US better off today than before Bush and the GOP came to power?

Honestly, in what way?

Fiscally --- No, the government owes MUCH more money.

Foreign Relations --- No, most countries have a worse view of the US due to the torture, illegal wars, and arrogant US policies.

Environment --- No, Pollution controls have been weakened.

Healthcare --- No, we spend more than any other country in the world and by most measures we've fallen behind.

Border Security --- No, 11 to 15 million undocumented people walking around this country. The unsecured ports, chemical plants, and nuclear facilities compound this issue to one of poor safety and failed national security as well.

Wages --- No, real wages have declined.

Energy --- No, energy costs have skyrocketed.

Moral Values --- No, 81% of the people surveyed in a recent Gallup poll say things are getting worse.

Seriously how are we as a nation better off? What positive things have been achieved here with Bush and the GOP Congress? It looks to me like the GOP (you know the guys allegedly in charge) have FAILED the American people. The results and the 29% approval ratings speak for themselves.

Dust off the GOP Election Plan

There's an election coming up and it's the same old tired nonsense...

1) War Monger - We can't wait for a mushroom cloud with Iran.

Iran is NO THREAT and even thinking about a war with them is just plain foolishness. There's no money, no troops, and no support for such an action. Dubya used all his chips on Iraq and lost.

2) Divide by Fear - A bunch of brown people are going to take your job.

The GOP has been in control of the federal government for 10 years and it's been almost 5 years since 9/11 and they haven't done shit to control the ports and border but now that it's an election year, the GOP has approval ratings in the 20's and we're suddenly supposed to believe this is a priority for them...even after they went on vacation leaving the immigration bill to collect dust?

And let's face it, the immigration bill with amnesty and a guest worker program is a ridiculous piece of legislation that will ensure further wage erosion for AMERICANS and legal immigrants. Put employers in jail for hiring illegals and fine them heavily. Problem solved. If there are no jobs there will be no illegals.

3) Paint the Minority Party as Obstructionist - We can't get anything done because of the Democrats.

Having seen the results of the bad ideas Dubya and the GOP have gotten through (Energy Bill, Medicare Bill, Iraq, Deficits, etc.), anyone that can save America from GOP incompetence should be praised...

But let's face it folks the majority party (GOP) can do pretty much anything they want because they have the votes. The guys allegedly in charge (the GOP) blaming the minority party (Democrats) for the GOP's inability to govern effectively is just sad and ridiculous.

4) Support Nonsense Issues to Pander to the Right Wing Base

Let's not forget such "important" issues as flag burning and gay marriage being made the primary issues...yet again...in an election year. The GOP has got to pander to that right wing base that NEVER gets what they're promised by the GOP but the right wing base keeps falling for the same trick every election. How many times can these people be lied to before they catch on?

Most Who Voted For Bush in 2004 Were Actually Not ''Stupid''

I've actually given this phenomenon quite a bit of thought. Stupidity is just a small part of the reason for the election results in 2004. When people do strange and ridiculous things from my point of view I attempt to understand their point of view so I can answer the hardest of all questions "WHY?"

There is a fairly significant portion of the population that doesn't care about REAL issues that effect them (Jobs, economy, crime, immigration, fiscal responsibility, etc) and only care that gays can't get married and women can't get abortions (code named: "moral values"). To these "moral values" people, this is all that an election is: And it is both sad and tragic that these "moral values" people are so VERY concerned about such things that have NO EFFECT on their lives but virtually ignore the things that DO effect their lives. Once you understand that you start to understand 2004 a bit better. I wrote about it in my blog and if you check out polling report you can see the numbers.

http://realityofitall.blogspot.com/2005/11/what-was-and-what-shall-be.html

http://www.pollingreport.com/2004.htm

There are some scary stupid people living in this country, there is no doubt, but there are even more of our fellow citizens that have their priorities so screwed up by religious dogma, willful ignorance, bigotry, generational voting habits, lack of intellectual curiosity, stubborn close-mindedness, uninformed selfishness, misinformed greed, black and white world views, or some combination of the above they vote against their own personal interests without ever a moment of reflection to re-evaluate their obviously bad choices.

If you ask someone why they voted for a candidate and you don't have to sit down to hear their answer because it is so short...they're very likely one of these "moral values" people and no matter what you say, no matter what evidence you give, no matter what irrefutable facts you give them you'll usually find you can't change their mind. Sometimes it's just the inability on some people's parts to admit a mistake or admit their own ignorance other times it's just because they don't care enough (apathy) about this county to try to do what is right for the country. It's ALWAYS worth trying to persuade them to try to re-examine their views but it can be as frustrating as Hell.

http://realityofitall.blogspot.com/2005/09/like-talking-to-wall.html

An Interesting Question

I had someone ask today: Why is it that the media in the United States is so afraid of Bush?

This was in response to the fact I pointed out that the press sat on their ass for 2 months in regards to Libby telling people Cheney and Bush authorized him to leak information in regards to Plamegate.

I wrote about this in February but really nothing much was reported in the main stream media until April.

So my reply to his question of: Why is it that the media in the United States is so afraid of Bush?...

The main stream media actually isn't afraid of Bush. The main stream media is working with Bush. Take a look at who owns the main stream media. It's owned by a handful of very big, very rich and very powerful companies. (i.e. the big three TV networks ABC, NBC, and CBS are owned and operated by Disney, General Electric, and Viacom.) Every piece of major legislation put forth by Bush has HURT Main Street to HELP Wall Street. Bush IS the CORPORATE PRESIDENT. From the day he was elected he has ALWAYS put CORPORATE interests above those of "the people".

Corporations are getting huge benefits from having Bush in power so why would they turn the main stream media they own loose on him? Do you think it was a coincidence that Colin Powell's son was put in charge of the FCC and they immediately passed legislation removing limits on the amount of media one company can own in a market. The press is now "controlled" because there are a handful of corporation that own and control it whether anyone wants to acknowledge that or not.

For Instance: If the FACT that the NY Times knew well BEFORE the 2004 election that Bush was authorizing illegal warrantless wiretaps and sat on the story for A WHOLE YEAR before reporting it doesn't make one question who exactly it is the media is looking out for then there is really no help for that person.

Without DeLay

Please take note of the 63 members of the House Republican Conference who confirmed voting in November 2004 to rewrite the rules to allow Tom DeLay to remain in leadership after being indicted by a grand jury.

Remember their names on election day and vote them OUT OF OFFICE.

Robert B Aderholt AL
Joe Barton TX
Bob Beauprez CO
Marsha Blackburn
Roy Blunt MO
Henry Bonilla TX
Jo Bonner AL
John Boozman AR
Kevin Brady TX
Henry E Brown Jr SC
Dave Camp MI
Eric Cantor VA
John R Carter TX
Tom J Cole OK
Ander Crenshaw
John Abney Culberson TX
Randy "Duke" Cunningham CA **IN PRISON**
Jim DeMint SC
Tom Feeney FL
Mike Ferguson NJ
Vito Fossella NY
Trent Franks AZ
E Scott Garrett NJ
James W Gerlach PA
Wayne T Gilchrest MD
John Phillip Gingrey GA
Kay Granger TX
Sam Graves MO
Mark Green WI
Melissa A Hart PA
J Dennis Hastert
Wally Herger CA
Darrell E Issa CA
Sue W Kelly NY
Peter T King NY
John Kline MN
Jerry Lewis CA
Frank A LoBiondo
Frank D Lucas OK
Thaddeus G McCotter MI
Howard P "Buck" McKeon CA
John L Mica FL
Anne M Northup KY
Ron Paul TX
Thomas E Petri WI
Jon Porter Sr NV
Adam H Putnam FL
George Radanovich
Ralph Regula OH
Michael Dennis Rogers AL
Dana Rohrabacher CA
Jim Ryun KS
Jim Saxton NJ
Pete Sessions TX
Lamar S Smith TX
Mark Souder IN
John E Sweeney NY
Thomas G Tancredo CO
William M Thomas CA
James T Walsh NY
Dave Weldon FL
Gerald C Weller IL
Don Young AK