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Monthly Archives: November 2012

What A Load of C_ _ p!


ST. LOUIS (AP) – A coal producer owned by a longtime critic of President Barack Obama’s energy policies will lay off nearly 160 workers at Illinois and Utah mines, blaming the freshly re-elected president for a “war on coal.’Ohio-based Murray Energy Corp. said in a statement supplied Friday to The Associated Press that it would give pink slips to 102 workers at its West Ridge Mine in Utah and 54 at its underground mine in the southern Illinois town of Galatia. Both mines are run by Murray Energy.

The above excerpt indicates the racism in America. This mine owner would rather lay off workers and devastate families than make an effort to produce coal. The president has never said “stop using coal”! The Presidents aim is to use renewable or green sources of energy. At this time we are years away from the everyday use of these sources, meanwhile it would be prudent for this mine owner to keep mining coal and possible looking into more efficient production. It is not a stretch to think that this owner is probably anti union and would if possible remove all safety measures to save money.  This is the type of business man who would blame a mining accident on the workers. If Mr. Romney had won the Presidency would he have fired his workers? If not then his actions are racist.

 

How We Are Handled.


A recent story about the upswing in firearms and ammunition sales is pure manipulation by any one of several factions in the firearms industry. There has been no talk of the President doing anything to curtail, change or  alter current firearms and ammunition laws. When the President first ran for office there were factions asserting that the current firearms laws were going to be altered. these alterations ranged from restrictions on purchasing firearms and ammo to high-priced licensing. Many of the restrictive laws having to do with firearms are mandated by individual states and municipalities. As an example Kennesaw , Georgia has a law mandating that residents have firearms while NYC has a strict ban on ownership. The surge of sales and subsequent price raises in firearms and ammunition has nothing to do with the President but more to do with the manufacturers taking advantage of  long time low prices and slow sales. There certainly are proponents and anti’s for  firearms and ammunition  ownership, yet some folks cannot get beyond the issue of Race and politics to see the full picture. We are handled by using our  personal biases and misinformation to skew the truth. There is no specific truth in what a political party thinks about the control or regulation firearms and ammunition beyond the available public (and private) support from being pro or con. How do we avoid being handled? We all need to read more and not rely on well known talking heads in  the media who often run with an idea without determining its merits or lack of.

Buskers In Congress


The big push against the millionaires tax has been a big deal in Congress possible because many members are millionaires. The people we have elected to protect and serve are doing just that but not for us . This tax  cut would affect people making over 250,000 annually but it would also affect many in the Congress providing an incentive to keep it in effect. There are many in the lower level of these cuts who would be affected but in order for Congress to maintain theirs they put the onus on the people on the lower end. This also covers the major contributors to many Congressional campaigns. Now that this election season is over what will we think of the also rans who so prominently entertained us with the shouts of eliminating the “Affordable healthcare Act”? Congressman Ryan who was featured  publicly in the run for the office now has to decide what he needs to do, should he do what should have been done such as make the Affordable healthcare better instead of starting from scratch? Will the other participants in the Congressional play do what is right instead of appearing in and on the media as opponents of everything? What will Mr. Romney do now, I am sure with his wealth he has no reason to be unhappy except for possibly  having let his backers down. The last word on this election was had by the voters, who recognized the misinformation and sometimes lies put out by the Party. Everyone enjoys Buskers except when they are Congressional members.

How To


I recently made some repairs on my microwave, I had to replace the latching mechanism and waited several months for the part. Having replaced it and had all parts working again, I thought about the “public” and “work” microwaves I have encountered. The common factor in these units is that no one takes responsibility for the cleaning of these units. Occasionally someone will attempt the cleanup but more often than not they go uncleaned after spills. While I do speculate on the folks who do not do any cleanup after themselves in this instance, I am more concerned with the life of the unit and the inconvenience of its demise to others. Basic maintenance of a microwave is this: After use wipe the side walls, top and bottom and the plate. Use a mild soap solution but be sure to follow  with a clear rinse to remove ant sops film. The final stage is to wipe the door, the door ledge and door gasket. Doing this will extend the life of the unit and prevent an early demise. Two last but important points are to insure the vent (s) are not blocked by being placed near a wall or in some cases a cabinet (if the cabinet has an open back, it is usually OK) and cover what you cook or heat, I use a wax paper under a lid if available for the cooking utensil. Microwaves are not tremendously expensive any  more but why buy one when you can extend the life of the one you have.

I feel Great!


60 minutes yesterday gave me a boost. Morley Safer interviewed two long time Congress members (Mitch McConnell and Harry Reid) about the malfunctioning Congress and that interview showed clearly why we are in such trouble. Each of these gentlemen had little to say that was substantive to why Congress has been dysfunctional aside from the fact that they disagreed and tacitly wanted to  blame the other guy. I have been advocating the changing of the guard in Congress for years and now my point has been made on national television. We need to vote in new people who will make some changes such as term limits, salary and retirement  reforms that reflect the country. We have allowed the Congress to stay in office past their ability to be useful. The opportunity to change needs to begin with a new Congress that has folks of all types who are willing to do what is required to move us forward. This means addressing  the idea of retired Congress members becoming lobbyists for some people whose interests  are not the interests of  the people. We must remember that the founders all had jobs aside from Congress and were in essence part-time but got work done and were paid only expenses for time spent in doing the work of the people. Thank you 60 Minutes.

Preckwinkle 2


CHICAGO (AP) — The top official in the county that encompasses Chicago said Wednesday that she will drop plans for a controversial nickel-per-bullet tax but will continue support for a $25 tax on firearms.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle had said the ordinance was more about addressing gun violence than raising money for the nation’s second-largest county, which faces a budget shortfall of more than $260 million.

But there were questions about whether Preckwinkle had enough support for the tax from members of the board, who will vote on a proposed budget Friday.

Cook County Commissioner Edwin Reyes told the Chicago Sun-Times that Preckwinkle’s office is, “trying to figure out what to do. They don’t have the support for it.”

In addition to pulling the bullet tax, Preckwinkle said she would create a $2 million anti-gun violence fund that will be overseen by an advisory committee.

The proposed tax angered gun-rights advocates, who predicted it would drive business from Cook County and to neighboring Indiana and Wisconsin.

The Chicago Tribune reports the bullet tax was expected to raise $400,000 and the firearm tax $600,000.

Preckwinkle proposed using proceeds from the tax for various county services including medical care for gunshot victims. Law enforcement officials would not have to pay the tax, but Preckwinkle’s office had said it would apply to 40 federally licensed gun dealers in the county.

So let me get this right, the proposed tax on firearms of $25.00 is only in Cook county and not applicable to law enforcement while only applied to the 40 or so licensed firearms dealers. This is expected to raise 400,00 to 600,00 dollars while the County shortfall is 260 million dollars. It appears there is a contradiction or at least the appearance of one. How do these uninformed people get into office? What this appears to be is another witch hunt on the backs of the people who follow the law and pay for Fire arm ID cards. We wait as long as 6 months for these ID’s to be issued due to the backlog and extensive background checks, this is not to mention the checks done when a firearm is purchased along with the mandated waiting period. The County board President needs to get a real agenda for her funding source that does not include pounding the folks who follow the law.