New Record High $139

Dave, the way I see it there is no balance in anything anymore. I was satisfied when I lived in a neighborhood where everyone knew each other. If there was a death all of the people would bring food so the grieving family would not have to be cook so they could plan a funeral. Most people had a good relationship with the local gas station owner, and would support it. The reason people fled to the suburbs was pretty simple it was because of crime. First hand knowledge, I knew women were getting raped at our local supper market a few blocks from our house. As the old folks moved out new people moved in, parties would go on and the people would park in front of your driveway. My wife would say you better tell them to move their cars, my response was I’m not crazy! The guy that lived next door to me got shot and killed over a kids bicycle. My daughter was 3 years old and had asthma really bad, sometime in the middle of the night we would have to rush her to the hospital, the houses were so close if your driveway was blocked you didn’t have room to get out. In the 70’s people didn’t call an ambulance as they do today, and we didn’t have 911. We had a Mayor that made a new rule you could not have a for sale sign in your yard so you didn’t know what house was for sale until it was sold, and the u-haul was at the door moving the old out, and the new in. I feel like people have the right to live where ever they can afford but when it’s unsafe I’m not staying plain and simple.

I worked in mills that had toxins and if you choose to get paid you worked around the toxins. I worked in steel rolling mills, and when something would break, I, and others would have to fix the broken part so they could keep rolling beams, or channel. At times the only way to keep from burning up was to wrap a blanket around your self and it just happen to be asbestos.

The refineries, I worked there also, within a certain distance around the refineries there were people dying of cancer from the toxins. I believe it is North, Carolina a guy is ruining the country because of all of the hog farms he has. You can do a search and see what’s happing to that area. When people go out to eat ribs, they don’t care where they come from just how good they taste.

Chicken farms are the same way can’t just raise chickens for the area the people live in, they have to have chickens for the World but they are raised in some ones back yard, it’s always ok if it’s not our back yard.

You don’t have too many local farmer’s anymore you have one owner that has many, many farms.

A few people want to have more, and more never satisfied, how much money would it take to make a person happy, you can’t get enough.

As long as it’s not affecting a single person they pay no attention to the situation but when it does then they have a voice.

We still have a choice in this Country and my choice was to get out of the neighborhood that was being overtaken from crime. Most people do not have that choice or the means to get out and I feel sorry for them because most are decent people.

We could go on and on but the whole thing boils down to not having any balance.
Put the mills, and refineries in an area where people do not have to die from the poison being dumped.
Have smaller hog farms over a larger area.
Try to tell people they do not need a billion dollars to be happy.
Life was simple when we were just trying to keep up with Jones, now we want to be like the Hiltons.


In the 70’s, they said the same thing about being less dependent on foreign oil car pool drive less. Drive 55 turn down the thermostat to 68 degrees. People did that until it looked like things were ok again, then we went back too big cars using more oil. So the rich will get richer when they acquire all of the things the poor people can no longer pay for. I was afraid when the gas crunch hit back in the 70’s I had a 61 Corvette two 40 Fords, a 39 Ford, 55 Chevy plus the daily driver a new 72 Camaro. I thought these cars would really go down in value but I was wrong. The old cars I believe will always be worth money but fewer people will have them because we are in for some tough times ahead. I still say I feel sorry for the young people coming up today like my grandkids.


Richard

well said Richard.

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Originally Posted by hotroddaddy

Damn Dave, you got it pegged! And Dogtag< i know what you mean, i am willing to take any decent job! Never before have i been scared about work, ive always had any job i wanted, now its slim pickins.

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Man you think you are worried, I work for an automotive manufacturer.

It is normally my philosophy to be very positive about things..........I choose to see the upside rather than the negatives. However, I know recently I have started to sound like Chicken Little because of some of the problems I am seeing. I can't remember a time in my life when so many people are losing their jobs and homes at the alarming rate we are seeing right now. There is an overall feeling in this country right now where everyone is afraid to make any moves or hire any people.

What is sad about it is that so many people who have worked hard all of their lives are falling victim to circumstances beyond their control. There was just a story about cities that are setting up overnight parking areas for people who have to sleep in their cars. These aren't the usual homeless types, but some are folks who had good jobs and lost them and have been forced to take minimum wage situations and can't afford regular housing, or who are waiting on long lists for subsidized housing.

Food stamp recipients are at an all time high, and people who used to donate food to charities are now accepting food instead. When you see GM closing 4 plants we tend to see it as a statistic, but those plants were staffed by folks like all of us who have families, mortgages, car payments, and other obligations.

My Son Don recently ran an ad for a maintenance supervisor for one of the places he manages. He normally gets 3 or 4 applicants.........this time he had 46 before he pulled the ad, and some people were finding him even after that.

I know no one man can turn this country around, but the right leader can make a difference. It is just like any corporation, if the leadership is ineffectual the company suffers, if the leadership is effective the company will generally do well.

Don

You Think A Gallon Of Gas (or nitro) Is Expensive? This might make one think, and put things in perspective.

Diet Snapple 16 oz $1.29 ........$10.32 per gallon
Lipton Ice Tea 16 oz $1.19 ......$ 9.52 per gallon
Gatorade 20 oz $1.59 .............$10.17 per gallon
Ocean Spray 16 oz $1.25 .......$10.00 per gallon
Brake Fluid 12 oz $3.15 ..........$33.60 per gallon
Vick's Nyquil 6 oz $8.35 .........$178.13 per gallon
Pepto Bismol 4 oz $3.85 ........$123.20 per gallon
Whiteout 7 oz $1.39 ...............$25.42 per gallon
Scope 1.5 oz $0.99 ................$84.48 per gallon

and this is the REAL KICKER......
Evian water 9 oz for $1.49 ......$21.19 per gallon.

$21.19 FOR WATER! ....and the buyers don't even know the source. So, the next time you're at the pump, be glad your car doesn't run on water, Scope, or Whiteout, or God forbid, PEPTO BISMOL or NYQUIL! Just a little humor to help ease the pain of your next trip to the pump.:LOL:

Itoldyouso/Don, As a person on a mostly fixed income I am certainly aware that the price of gas has far reaching effects and the situation does not look good, BUT, I was impressed with the recent interview of Sen. Clinton by Bill O'Reilly in which it was revealed that Sen. Clinton put the blame of the high price of gas on the Oil companies but O'Reilly pointed out that she had voted against drilling on seven occasions. In my opinion the combination of Democrats continuous opposition to Executive policies AND overzealous Environmentalism has caused this whole problem. Can you name a single CONSTRUCTIVE thing accomplished by the Pelosi crew since they took control of Congress? (Raising the minimum wage did not look constructive to my fixed income.) This blatant Democrat opposition and the unrealistic goals of Environmentalists has caused this whole problem along with the remnants of the devaluation of the U.S. dollar following 9/11. To me it looks very much like the Democrats take glee in damaging U.S. policy just so they can take over. Human nature can be nasty and takes it's most virulent form in politics! I hasten to add that some checks and balances are needed in terms of environmental control, but the bottom line is that human population generates human waste and so a sewer system is indeed needed but nevertheless the waste keeps coming! The lesson is that crap happens and so we need ways to get rid of it but it will still be a continuing situation. Nuclear plants generate hot waste and off-shore oil wells occasionally polute beaches but we can't just stop generating the waste and invoking NIMBY in every case! What make us so sure that change to a totally inexperienced leader will help the situation? Change for the sake of change should be accompanied by the question, "change to what?"

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Don Shillady

In my opinion the combination of Democrats continuous opposition to Executive policies AND overzealous Environmentalism has caused this whole problem. Can you name a single CONSTRUCTIVE thing accomplished by the Pelosi crew since they took control of Congress? (Raising the minimum wage did not look constructive to my fixed income.) This blatant Democrat opposition and the unrealistic goals of . Change for the sake of change should be accompanied by the question, "change to what?"

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

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Well, IMO the old political blame game hasn't accomplished anything and I don't see where it ever will....

The old game of the Democrats did this wrong, the Republicans did this wrong just doesn't seem to work anymore. The old Partisan politics haven't solved much in the last years other then lead to a stalemate on most issues........

Change to what??? Heck who cares? What we have hasn't accomplished much and it's doubtful it's continuance will accomplish anything either......

As I've said before, the politicians are the problem, why in the heck would they look for a solution???? Change to what? Well how about we start with a change to term limits and get the "good old boys" out of office and get some new blood in there that isn't owned by one faction or another.... Or how about a change to people taking personal responsibility for what is going on, and maybe a voter turnout larger then 40%????

Pointing fingers and blaming the other party is not going to fix anything!!!!!! IMO the current administration hasn't accomplished anything other then promoting a "the sky is falling mentality" and wasting 3,000 plus lives, and tens of thousands of wounded and crippled bodies and minds on a war based on nothing but lies!!!!! Remember the line of how the oil we could steal while at war in Iraq would cover the cost of the war????? Continuing on with this or any other such absurd course of action will accomplish nothing, either!!!

More of the same, with either party in power, is not likely to accomplish anything other then more of the same..... Change to what??? How about a change to representatives who will actually do something other the same old thing...and when they don't, replace them to... Until the government again becomes accountable to the people, we will change to nothing and continue along this course of destroying the country.....

More of the same, with either party in power, is not likely to accomplish anything other then more of the same..... Change to what??? How about a change to representatives who will actually do something other the same old thing...and when they don't, replace them to... Until the government again becomes accountable to the people, we will change to nothing and continue along this course of destroying the country..... Well said Dave.

I think that if everyone in power was reduced to the income of the common working man, and had a savings account like mine, they just might think of a solution much quicker. They are all well off financially and do not understand what its like to walk in our shoes. I say shame on all of them for letting this continue as they sit laughing as they count thier money. The money they are raking in because they all have stocks in oil, you can assure that. And I hope karma plays a role in thier lives real soon. Unfortunately a million more people will be bankrupt and homeless before that day. As far as I am concerned our government is not taking very good care of its own people.

also gulfcoastgasser, you forgot that printer ink is 5000.00 a gallon.

Ross, Perot {my not have his name spelled right} but you know the guy with the funny ears was the first independent to get a few people to listen to him in the beginning but the he went for his own self-interest. Ross's soft ware business where he was pushing for NAFTA IMO that was the beginning of bad things to come.

If we could find a good guy maybe a former/current hot rodder say like Dave, to run as an independent I believe CHR would vote for him.:toocool:
The lobbyists are the people that’s helping to ruin this Country IMO they should not have assess to any politician.

I was at the my Doctor's office Friday and heard a pharmaceutical rep, asking the desk person for a list of names taking a certain medication, is this any of their business or are we being watched by everyone. My wife went our post office yesterday; they wanted to see her driver license we have had the same P.O. Box for 13 years. When the Dr. updates his records they want your driver’s license, do they think someone may come in for a colonoscopy {butt} you know what I mean that is someone pretending to be you. Maybe the sky is falling!!!:eek:

Richard

As I recall Ross Perot was AGAINST NAFTA, predicting it would produce "a great sucking sound"! Yes, it is sad and revealing that the Republicans betrayed their trust on several occasions and I agree one of the strange strengths of our system is the ability to have change every so often, but the uncooperative partisanship is so unproductive. Often you vote in some local person based on character and record but then he/she becomes part of partisam politics and falls to the temptation to some scheme to get rich somehow so change is the only way to get fresh people. Still, why can't some get together to look out for the country instead of letting one party fail so the other can come in. It just seems to me that one candidate has demonstrated on a number of occasions his willingness and ablity to cross party lines and reach compromises that bridge partisan lines. For this he has been labled a "Maverick" but in fact that is exactly what is needed to get things done in the land of gridlock. The other candidate makes promise after promise but has only a record of partisan activities. Hey, according to our system I will vote my choice and then have to live with the outcome but I sure wish someone in the Congress had the sense to get oil drilling going again AND building nuclear plants and refineries. I thought it was interesting in a recent interview the Gov. of Montana said he doesn't want the Federal government meddling in the affairs of development of the Bakken oilfields that cover parts of Montana, North and South Dakota and Colorado as well as extending up into Saskatchewan. I don't really know how they do the horizontal drilling but maybe, just maybe the Bakken field will save the U.S. economy long enough to get some more nuclear plants built and allow us to switch over to cars that are electric with gas/diesel on-board charging units like the Aptera. Meanwhile I will keep my eye on that Aptera and hope they build a lot of them and lower the price just a little! I wonder how they handle in a cross wind?

http://www.aptera.com/

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Well, here's my wish list:

Term Limits

Accountability

90% Voter Turnout

Merit instead of Party affilitation

More states' rights

Less Federal intervention

Cut foreign aid by 50%

Bring the troops home

Close the borders

No deficit spending

At least one more political party (or none at all?)

The "system" has created the problems, don't count on the "system" to fix itself!!!!

Is it just me, or do other people think we should not have lobbyists? Why should they get favors or could we all go and sit outside the chambers and hook a politicians 's arm and ask for whatever we need?

Richard

Nope, not just you.......IMO lobbyists is just a form of legalized bribery..... Elected officials should listen to their constituients, not PAC's and special interest groups.....

I think it's time to try another party these two sure have screwed us pretty good I think we ought to give someone else the opportunity. Three is too much power in a small amount of people. Three sides or opinions should be better then two anyway.

I've tried to stay out of this one, but you guys finally hit my hot button.

Lobbying is a protected, constitutional right (a ligitimate one, unlike almost all forms of "entitlements" and other B.S. implemented in the past 75 or so years). If you send a letter to your congress person asking that they consider a proposal you make (like drilling in ANWR) you're a lobbyist. If a business entity is trying to keep congress from disadvantaging them by unfair and unnecessary legislation (like the phony "windfall tax" proposals) that's lobbying. The real problem isn't anyone/thing asking the government representatives to do or not do something, it's the representatives choosing to accept a "bribe" (large campaign donations, a house, a boat, cash, some favorable real estate deal, or anything else that benefits them) that is the problem. It's the voter's duty to fire the theiving bastard the next election............not condemning a constitutional right.

While we're on the constitution some of you need some more refresher. The President is not a unilateral powered dictator, the Congress and the Supreme Court are there to keep him/her in check.........and they do often, both correctly and incorrectly. Congress, not the President do the spending, all the President has is the power to present a budget and approve or disapprove budget and spending choices of the Congress. There's more that this whole thread has ignored about constitutional authority, but I've blown off enough steam for now.