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More of the same? Not me! Felt like rape!
By fred | June 19, 2008
I just got home a few minutes ago from Costco, drove up to get a tank of gas and when I was finished I felt like I had been raped. Maybe it is my age, could be that – I remember when I was in my early teens and my father was ranting and raving cause gas had went to .30 cents a gallon. He was so worried that the trucks we had for our wholesale business would break us with that high fuel cost. What would Dad think now at gas being over $4.00 a gallon, way over $4, and at Costco their prices are the cheapest there is in our town (Bellingham, Washington).
I was so pissed that I just had to sit down and bitch to someone, so you get to hear it. I had no idea in which subject area I would post this bitch so did it under “Political rants.
My youngest son Scott (my baby of 55 years of age) gave me a book to read that is something everyone should read, the title is: “Hostile Takeover” it is written by David Sirota. I wish it was a book slamming Republicans, not so, it relates the sins of both parties, the greed and the takeover of our national government by big business. It states the policies and those responsible. The corruption scandals and the steady decline in the quality of life for millions upon millions of Americans.
Yes, the Republicans are mainly responsible for this rape of our nation by big business. But the Democrats in Congress are equally responsible for being lead by the nose by lobbyist, accepting gifts, vacations, living the good life off the fat of the land, or rather fat cat big business rather than raising hell.
It seems in our nation that being elected to Congress, either the Senate or the House is like being crowned. Screw your fellow citizens. Wow, the book makes me so mad I want to lash out and hit someone, right now any politican in Washington D. C. would do – of either party. My buddy Dale sent me another of his messages, wish he had posted it here related to oil.
One thing I want you to remember. Clinton, with all his faults, damn near balanced the budget. IF WE STILL HAD THE CLINTON DOLLAR WE WOULD BE PAYING $62 A BARREL FOR OIL, LESS THAN HALF THE $135 A BARREL IT IS NOW, that would mean we would be paying around $2.00 per gallon for gas, not over $4.00. Think about that! The Bush administration by destroying the value of our dollar to half of what it was on world markets before he was elected, did two things. He made it easier for big business to sell their goods on world markets so their profits jumped by hundreds of percent – BUT destroyed what may be forever– the incomes and the lifes of our middle and poor class. His tax breaks made the rich so much richer and the rest far less so.
McClain saying we should endure, stay the course, bull, I want change, anything has to be an improvement. They say Oboma does not have the experience–I say “Experience for what?” He likely does not have the experience in screwing his fellow citizens – I am all for that lack of experience – it will be a refreshing change.
Uncle Fred
Topics: Political Rants | 7 Comments »
June 19th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
Dear Uncle Fred,I sure enjoy your essays and articles.Every one makes me think.Prior to the Vietnam war,almost every American family could have a car,a nice home in the suburbs,as many kids as you cared to have,and do it all on one adult income.Folks had tv’s radios,bikes,toys clothes and everything else all high quality and made right here in America.Everything changed after the huge spending on that very unpopular long war.The dollar fell a lot,inflation took off,and the incomes of middle class families took a terrible blow.Now it takes both adults working-two incomes-to support a family and you basically can’t have more than two kid’s because the cost of 3 kids in daycare wipes out one income-and you need two incomes to survive!!!So,after another hugely expensive and unpopular war,this time in Iraq,and another collapse of the dollar,what happens to the middle class now?Will both parents have to get two jobs,and the children be raised by babysitters?Will adult children have to drop the idea of marrying and move back home to provide a third income?How in God’s name did my beloved country go from riches to rags in the 47 years I’ve lived.God help us,and God help Senator Obama when he takes this mess over.Thanks for listening,Mark.
June 20th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Dear Mark, I read you loud and clear, and feel your pain. Because I always owned my own businesses most of my life, years of owning my own import/distribution company and later a volume restaurant I have no pension. For that reason I have used my writing and lastly my eBay store for income. It has got to be a living bitch to be married now and supporting kids, don’t know how folks can do that, gas to get to work, and the grocery bill! Wow, kids can eat! And the prices now have to kill a family.
My eBay store has been a ball, lot of work but rewarding and I enjoy the interplay with customers many are now on this BLOG, so that income has relieved the pressure on us so we do not dig into what we consider our sons inheritance money. I also cannot understand why a person would ever, at least in this election vote Republican.
I do have several friends that I know are still Republicans, one a retired three star general. For the hell of it I will send them a letter asking if any of them will step in and send me their reasons for still voting Republican. Would be interesting how they can defend what has been going on and what McCain means by “More of the same.” Hey, this is the land of free speech, so it should be interesting if any of my old buddies have the guts to step up to the plate.
Be good, Uncle Fred
June 21st, 2008 at 9:45 pm
The economy looks and feels like we are headed for a 1970′s and 1980′s inflationary cycle all over again. My brother is a contractor who does a lot of remodeling (kitchens, baths, basements, attic conversions, etc.) The price of gas is so high he won’t bid jobs over 10 miles from his residence. He says all of the trades are really feeling it. Anything involving trucks, whether it is a landscaping business, carpentry, plumbing, electrical – you name it – is being squeezed.
No matter who wins the White House, they are going to be facing a horrible economy. Part of the reason Clinton succeeded with the budget was the peace dividend following Bush (41)’s Gulf conflict.
If Obama could get the troops out of Iraq, maybe the focus would shift to a domestic agenda. We would certainly benefit from a lower defense budget.
Overall unemployment is still moderate in historical terms, but that could take a turn for the worse. A long recession, and in some areas a depression could follow. I look at houses and cars as 2 practical indicators of economic health and stability. Both are in the dumps with no sign of turning. GM and Ford said things will stay bad for a long time. We all know about the housing bubble. There’s going to be big trouble for another couple of years.
June 24th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
Dear Mike and Mark and the rest of you not saying anything but feeling ‘raped’ like the rest of us.
Being an old fart of almost 79 – can often be fun – not always – like when the bones creak and ache, etc, etc. but sometimes looking back, having buddies for almost sixty years, sharing their thoughts and lives can be interesting.
I happen to have a few Republicans in that group, how in the hell they can still be of that perswasion is unbelievable, but they are. All buddies that I played football with, and went to high school with – in the mid 1940′s, hey I was co captain of our Poly High 1946 season team. I have been president of many organized activities since but that I take pride in the most. Guys making you captain, having their respect was the greatest gift I ever received as a kid. What I am leading up to in a round about way is that we all have different views.
“Full Gale Dale” my football teammate has written a number of comments here. He will often send out fairly long e-mail that I love, expounding his views – the guy is a thinker and there are few of his comments/ views I do not agree with. HOWEVER – several of our old buddies do not agree with him. Anyway – for fun I am leading off with Dale’s letter to us guys and then following with some of our right wing Republican buddies comments, Hey, I think they are wrong but we should have all sides here. I think you will love Dale, he is one fiesty old bastard, crusty but smart as hell.
“FULL GALE DALE” SAYS:
Hi (again) Gang: The other day, I sent out a message with my “Critique”, about recent news items, and what I thought ought to be done about them.
I was, of course, expounding my own views on these and other subjects, as I am wont to do from time to time.
I didn’t really expect return messages of praise or disappointment, but in all truth, I have received many return notes, all but two were in the positive mode. (Must have hit a nerve somewhere).
Of the two negative messages, one suggested that I have too much time on my hands,( which is true, but after all the time and effort I put in during my “productive years”, I figure I have paid for the privilege of doing whatever I want, at this stage of the game).
The second, challenged some of the things I said,
while also confirming some of what I wrote.
I will try to answer what he asked.
As concerning, “Price controls”.
I remember, (for instance), when we had a real President, there was a dispute between the various Steel producing Companies, and the Steel Workers Union, and our President asked both groups to “back off”, as a raise in steel prices, and/or Union raises at that time would cause inflation to take a foot hold that would be hard to control.
He got them to agree, and they all signed an agreement to hold off
negotiations for (I believe two years).
About a week later, three of the Steel Companies going back on their word, and, in effect, stabbing the President, and Union Workers in the back, announced a raise in steel prices.
The President was not a happy camper! Nor were the men of the Steel Workers Union.
A truly sticky situation was avoided, when our President told the Steel Companies that he would see that none of them would be receiving “Government contracts” again, if they did not stick to the agreement made and signed by the parties as brokered.
They,( The Steel Companies”, saw the errors of their ways), and quickly decided to do as they had pledged, and “Wage and Price Controls” were installed that kept everyone on his best behavior, till the term agreed upon was up.
Of course the above confrontation was made workable due to a Democratic President, ( John F. Kennedy), and a mostly Democratic membered Union. It does make a difference!
During the War! You know, the one I’m talking about. We had price control, wage control, rationing, and what ever it took to get, and keep the wheels of defense rolling. Guess what? it worked then, it can work now.
The fellow below didn’t have that kind of success heading a wage price control in the State of California. I have no knowledge of what he was trying to do, but as he was working for a Republican Government, doubt he used the tried and true ways of our Democratic regulators. But I don’t know this to be true.
As for this President being responsible for the present Gas crunch. I didn’t say he was, just that he has done nothing to relieve it. (No Virginia, asking Congress for permission to drill for oil in Alaska, California coastal waters, et al. will not relieve the situation, for at least three or four years, and then not at all, if we ship it to Japan and other Countries).(But more of that, later).
My detractor below, cites several Congressional bills proposed by Republican Congressmen and Women, that would seem to alleviate some of our problems, that have been blocked by Democratic opposition. I have no reason to doubt his word, but as most anyone knows, “there are bills, and then there are bills”, (definition), Bills to regulate or explore new venues for most any objective, may be “loaded” with “Pork”, I.E. (riders, of specially designed legislation to give funds to a given area of this Congressman, or that, to aid his own constituency). Many of these are so outrageous only an idiot would pass them. (Unfortunately, there are more than a few Idiots voting on these proposals.
Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba. I had never heard of this guy till last week. It seems, (according to the papers),this guy has been investigating (for four years), the alleged mistreatment of prisoners, vis a vis, the middle East Wars, and has found many violations of the Geneva Convention rulings, all the way to the White House.
This is not my “pipe dream”, this is a report by a Maj. Gen. of the U.S. Army.
What should we do? Ignore it? Is this the kind of Government we really want,(or need)?
I think we can excuse our elected officials for some things that may be useful, necessary, or even whimsical at times, but there are points beyond which they,(or anyone), should not pass. Our reps. may have gone beyond that point now.
As to the greed of the Oil Companies.
Come on fans! Think back! About four years ago, Oil was priced at about $21 and change a barrel. There are 42 gals. in a barrel of bulk crude. This works out to about $.50 a gal. Now it has to be transported to the Refineries, and “refined to the various end products”, I.E. Gasoline, Diesel, Kerosene, Heating fuel, Asphalt, Tar, Heavy Bunker fuel, additives to make Plastics, etc. When they got through “refining”, all that was left was a little Sulphur, and a little mud.
And Gas cost, (at the pump), about $1.00 a gal.
So what has changed? Our pumps are still pumping crude oil, this oil is still being delivered to Refineries. Our Refineries, if anything, have been improved to where it is actually cheaper to make the various products than it was before, and they have even found a way to market the sulphur, (to Ammo manufacturers). So why are we not paying $1.00 a gallon for Gasoline? Oh! That’s right! We are dependent on Foreign Oil! Lets see, that last figure was, I believe, under 20%. But wait! We are exporting Oil from Alaska to Japan and other Countries Oil that we produce, don’t refine, but can still charge $135,00 or thereabouts, a Barrel
Why do we do this? We are not a member of OPEC. We could use the Oil our selves, so what’s going on?
Could it be that by selling our oil to other Countries at OPEC prices negate a like amount of oil coming in from OPEC Countries thereby canceling out each other so that we are actually getting our “Foreign oil” for near nothing, but still charging OPEC OIL prices at our pumps, and blaming it on the Rag heads? Ugh! I think you could call that “GREED”.
Getting a bit tired of all this writing. I suppose this will get a bit of comment from a few of you at least, if so will be glad to answer any and all pertinent returns.
Take care “Gang” …Dale
PS Don’t know why this guy dislikes the word “Gang” I’m not exactly John Dillinger.
PPS I think FDR did a great job and am enjoying some of his fore sight still today.
FROM OUR RIGHT WING REPUBLICAN BUDDIES:
Dale: Kindly provide evidence that price controls work….I managed the wage, price stabilization program for California and have difficulty identifying “it worked” part of your message…
Dale: Just returned from a week long motor trip (yes, cost of fuel is high) and found your message….Hope I am not too late to add some facts to your mythology…Blaming the cost of fuel onto President Bush is like blaming the great depression on Herbert Hoover, nearly all knowledgeable historians know he had nothing to do with the depression, his failure was being unable to find a solution…He was followed by FDR who didn’t find a solution but applied socialist practices that provided short term relief and long term dysfunctional government that exists to this day…..I am glad you suggested your correspondents contact their Democrat congressmen, they would be going to the right place….
The problem is and always has been that supply doesn’t meet demand….Incidentally, you failed to inform your “gang” that even at the high cost we pay for gasoline the US price remains far below most industrialized nations….Prime Minister Brown, UK, just this week challenged OPEC to increase production to satisfy demand…China, also suffering supply problems have initiated a subsidized fuel program which will impact their production costs for goods and raise export costs… To be seen the result upon costs to foreign consumers…..Their competitors, India, Bangladesh, Korea and Japan, South America will become more attractive to US consumers….
My opinion, without facts, is that the Middle Eastern oil producers are purposefully holding down supply to influence political decisions in the US… Far more comfortable for them to exist without an aggressive US president willing to exercise power and influence to cause regime when it best meets US interests….As I said, I cannot prove (at this time) my theory, but wait….
Now back to fuel costs….There have been several congressional investigations and hearings relative to the matter, of course with petroleum industry leaders being charged with greed… Subsequently, bills to constrain profits failed in congress, they couldn’t even get Demo support… Simply, political rhetoric…The hearings clearly identified congressional actions of the past as contributors to the situation….Congress has been the darlings of conservationist and their efforts to legislate prohibitions to a variety of energy sources that would have relieved the current supply shortage….Nuclear and coal come to mind…..
Since 1991, the Senate has voted a dozen times on allowing limited exploration in a small portion of the National Wildlife Refuge. A Demo president vetoed it and Demos have blocked it every single time since. At the time, gas at the pump was $1.o6 a gallon.
Last year, the Senate voted on proposals to expand refinery capacity, invest in coal-to- liquid technology, and open up more domestic reserves, Demos blocked each one.
Last year, Republicans proposed allowing Virginia to go forward with deep sea exploration off its coast – the Demo governor of Virginia wants… Demos in congress said no.
Republicans have tried to allow the use of oil shale from Western States as an alternative to foreign oil….Demo have imposed an oil-shale ban in last year’s Appropriations Bill.
Last month, Republicans tried to increase production of American energy again, along with an increase in support for clean energy technology and plug-hybrid vehicles… Demos said no…
Just last week, the Republicans offered an amendment to ensure that if the Boxer climate tax bill caused gas prices to rise, it would be suspended… Demos blocked that effort…
Dale, I hope your “gang” looks beyond you advice, there is much you have chosen not to tell them….Yes, Alaskan oil is being sold to Japan, tell them why, it is a marvelous story of self inflicted pain….
The matter of food costs needs exploration….I will look into it later… What comes to mind is subsidies… If a farmer is being paid for not producing, why produce??? More on this..
General Taguba did a very thorough investigation into the Iraq prison scandal of several years ago, not GITMO….None of your allegations have been confirmed our even related to GITMO….
I will return…
BACK TO UNCLE FRED
Price controls – may not be a bad idea for a time under the present conditions. I am not in favor of price controls normally but Dale is right I think they should be in effect now – call em war time controls.
Of course the stupid jerk in our White House, giving massive tax breaks to folks making hunreds of thousands of dollars when we are paying for a war – no wonder our economy is in the toilet – taxes breaks when we are at war and spending billions – no wonder our dollar has sunk to half of the other nations of our world’s currency.
How many times do I have to say it? “If we had the Clinton dollars – oil would be about $62 dollars a barrel – not $135 – and the price of gas would be around $2 a gallon NOT $4 to 5 a gallon.” It is not rocket science. God help Oboma, he has a heck of a job, God willing we as a nation have the brains to elect him – instead of more of the same McClain.
Gotta run, thanks guys for contributing to Chipping from the rough!. Uncle Fred
June 25th, 2008 at 10:46 am
The difference is 60 years…
What a difference 60 years makes!!!
I know everyone has a different opinion on the war and our current President. But, this article makes a lot of sense, and I hope you will take 2 minutes and read it and give it some thought. I have never seen the “situation” expressed any better in words! Recently I was talking to a friend about the upcoming election and the candidates. As we ended our discussion he said “the only decision you have to make is who you want sitting in that seat in the White House when – not if – when we get hit again and millions of American lives are put at risk!”
This is from : “You ain’t gonna like losing.” Author unknown.
President Bush did make a bad mistake in the war on terrorism. But the mistake was not his decision to go to war in Iraq
Bush’s mistake came in his belief that this country is the same one his father fought for in WWII. It is not.
Back then, they had just come out of a vicious depression. The country was steeled by the hardship of that depression, but they still believed fervently in this country. They knew that the people had elected their leaders, so it was the people’s duty to back those leaders.
Therefore, when the war broke out the people came together, rallied behind, and stuck with their leaders, whether they had voted for them or not or whether the war was going badly or not.
And war was just as distasteful and the anguish just as great then as it is today. Often there were more casualties in one day in WWII than we have had in the entire Iraq war. But that did not matter. The people stuck with the President because it was their patriotic duty. Americans put aside their differences in WWII and worked together to win that war.
Everyone from every strata of society, from young to old pitched in. Small children pulled little wagons around to gather scrap metal for the war effort. Grade school students saved their pennies to buy stamps for war bonds to help the effort.
Men who were too old or medically 4F lied about their age or condition trying their best to join the military. Women doubled their work to keep things going at home. Harsh rationing of everything from gasoline to soap, to butter was imposed, yet there was very little complaining.
You never heard prominent people on the radio belittling the President. Interestingly enough in those days there were no fat cat actors and entertainers who ran off to visit and fawn over dictators of hostile countries and complain to them about our President. Instead, they made upbeat films and entertained our troops to help the troops’ morale. And a bunch even enlisted.
And imagine this: Teachers in schools actually started the day off with a Pledge of Allegiance, and with prayers for our country and our troops!
Back then, no newspaper would have dared point out certain weak spots in our cities where bombs could be set off to cause the maximum damage. No newspaper would have dared complain about what we were doing to catch spies.
A newspaper would have been laughed out of existence if it had complained that German or Japanese soldiers were being ‘tortured’ by being forced to wear women’s underwear, or subjected to interrogation by a woman, or being scared by a dog or did not have air conditioning.
There were a lot of things different back then. We were not subjected to a constant bombardment of pornography, perversion and promiscuity in movies or on radio. We did not have legions of crack heads, dope pushers and armed gangs roaming our streets.
No, President Bush did not make a mistake in his handling of terrorism. He made the mistake of believing that we still had the courage and fortitude of our fathers. He believed that this was still the country that our fathers fought so dearly to preserve.
It is not the same country. It is now a cross between Sodom and Gomorra and the land of Oz. We did unite for a short while after 9/11, but our attitude changed when we found out that defending our country would require some sacrifices.
We are in great danger. The terrorists are fanatic Muslims. They believe that it is okay, even their duty, to kill anyone who will not convert to Islam. It has been estimated that about one third or over three hundred million Muslims are sympathetic to the terrorists cause… Hitler and Tojo combined did not have nearly that many potential recruits. So… We either win it – or lose it – and you ain’t gonna like losing.
America is not at war. The military is at war. America is at the mall.
June 25th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Dear Mike, I am afraid your friend is another Republican like a couple of my friends. That is total BS about who is in the White House when a terrorist attack is made. I said “when” as I believe it is more than likely. There is more to life than fear itself.
The current administration is destroying our lives, he is destroying the middle class, another four to eight years and we will be on our way to being a third world nation in many respects. Is that what you want? Does the fear of an attack of any nature scare you so that you want our entire nation to be a third world nation.
They say that being president makes the man. I truly believe Oboma has the right stuff, he will make the right decision, your friend is filling you with total bull shit.
His saying the ONLY MISTAKE BUSH MAKE – Ha!! My God, the word “ONLY” where has this man been the past seven and a half years? Burying his head most likely! Bush, – his man, if you wish to call him that, I call him a lying snake. Lied to us, again and again, secrets, unbid contracts of billions of dollars – outright actions to cause his buddies to get rich — lies to frofill a private agenda.
This administration has effected the lives of our children and our children’s children. They will be less fortunate, less educated, less healthy, infrastucture of our nation will be needy, we will have more polution, less of everything due to the gross stupidity and underhanded actions of this administration. Your buddies world “ONLY” scares the hell out of me, he must be an idiot.
Now if that is what you, and your friend wants, fine with me, but to fear – fear and to elect more of the same because of being fearful -is crap – Americans I fully believe are better than that. They overcame fear to land at Normandy, on the Pacific Islands, if we are a fearful nation we are doomed. I believe we are a nation of people that want to improve our lives, not hide because of a boogy man in the closet.
You only die once, I am not afraid of that, but our people, our nation to pull itself up, to stop money being poured into a deep hole like Iraq with no benifits to our people, that is dumb.
I hope you send a copy of this to your buddy, if he is that scared of a terrorist attack that he will let our nation be destroyed by bleeding to death, then that is his life, I do not see it as mine or most of the rest of any thinking person in this formerly great land of ours. A land that can with wise, caring leadership in the next twenty years will overcome the total rape of our nation the last seven and a half years.
I pray on my hands and knees that your buddy gets some backbone and elects some change, God knows we need it.
All the best, Uncle Fred
July 30th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
In the first place God made idiots. This was for practice. Then he made Democrats
With apologies to:
Mark Twain 1835-1910, American Humorist, Writer