Dreary - yet refreshing

Today's ride was moist. Started out only warm and humid - very calm. Took the Interurban Trail south across the Milwaukee River in Grafton. Once this bridge is built across Interstate 43, the Ozaukee County portion of the trail will be complete.

After reaching Grafton I turned north to Saukville along the western bank of the river. Started to drizzle, but still warm. The new bridge in Saukville is an improvement, but the traffic on Hwy 33 is still full of impatient drivers.

Headed further north on Cty W, now on the eastern bank of the river. Much of this stretch of Cty W was under water a few years ago. Not dry today, but above water. By the time I reach Mink Ranch Rd, the drizzle has turned to drops and the north winds have picked up. The temperature has dropped as well.

Turned east toward Port and called it a ride. As I took the last turn into Port on Cty KK, I remembered that this stretch - at 6:30am is not a comfortable ride. Simplicity workers from northern burbs use this as their private raceway. Without paved shoulders, there isn't much room for a bike, and at least one pick-up. We also have early departures from the third shift heading home.

101 days to the Door County Century - DCC.

Climate change may spur poison ivy growth

More of "The sky is falling", this from Reuters.com:

"'I'm telling people, every time you fill up the gas tank, think of poison ivy.'"

What's next, "Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together - mass hysteria."?

Bicycling

I know. It's the end of May. I am way late getting back on the bike this year. But, I'm on it.

It was surprisingly easy getting up at 5:30 this morning. Actually woke up before the alarm! Beautiful morning. Low 70's, calm winds, few clouds, sun rising on the horizon of the lake. I was amazed at how many people were up and out this early in the morning.

As for the people "out-and-about', I know it's early but, is there any reason why you can't acknowledge others on the road? Yesterday's ride was later in the morning and the same thing. You ride past another rider heading the other way or a small group and a quick wave and 'hello' is met with nothin'. C'mon folks. Lighten up. You should be enjoying yourself. Another rider is a fellow cyclist - regardless of how nice their bike is or whether they have the right gear on. I'll give the young guns a small pass due to maturity and an over-competitive self-importance, but you other middle-agers, get over it.

102 days to the Door County Century

A Question from Dr Roy Spencer

TCS Daily - So Now We're Holocaust Deniers:

"And how, exactly, do the media make the jump from 'global warming being real', to the warming being entirely manmade, to the warming being catastrophic, to the faulting of the U.S. government for not implementing policy changes (Kyoto, Domenici-Bingaman) that won't help the problem anyway? That wasn't a rhetorical question...I really do want to know the answer. Send me an e-mail if you happen to know."

Inconvenient Truths Indeed

Yes, there is a lot of criticism of the Al Gore movie as one would expect. This one from TCS Daily:

"'An Inconvenient Truth' is billed as the scariest movie you'll ever see. It may well be, but that's in part because it is not the most accurate depiction of the state of global warming science. The enormous uncertainties surrounding the global warming issue are conveniently missing in 'An Inconvenient Truth.' "

Most of us understand that temperatures have risen over a long (or short, relative to the entire history of the earth) period of time. The issue isn't whether it's warming, it's why. For me, I'm not going to believe that man is solely to blame - except that man has evolved to the point where we now can observe more than ever. The old adage, "a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing" holds true. I'd argue that "knowledge" should be replaced with "information".

Using 'fear' to sell an idea. It's okay if it's for the right cause!

An interview with Al Gore in Grist Magazine:

"Nobody is interested in solutions if they don't think there's a problem. Given that starting point, I believe it is appropriate to have an over-representation of factual presentations on how dangerous it is, as a predicate for opening up the audience to listen to what the solutions are, and how hopeful it is that we are going to solve this crisis. "

So it's okay to scare people, or exaggerate claims, if it's the "right" thing to do. It also seems very condescending.

The moral flaws of Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth

This, from a supporter of Gore's: Gregg Easterbrook:

"This raises the troubling fault of An Inconvenient Truth: its carelessness about moral argument. Gore says accumulation of greenhouse gases 'is a moral issue, it is deeply unethical.' Wouldn't deprivation also be unethical? Some fossil fuel use is maddening waste; most has raised living standards. The era of fossil energy must now give way to an era of clean energy. But the last century's headlong consumption of oil, coal, and gas has raised living standards throughout the world; driven malnourishment to an all-time low, according to the latest U.N. estimates; doubled global life expectancy; pushed most rates of disease into decline; and made possible Gore's airline seat and MacBook, which he doesn't seem to find unethical."

Per the previous post, the more immediate threat is terror. Closely behind is famine (usually linked in no small part to terrorism - see Dictatorships). The undeveloped nations of the world should not be left further behind because we - the chosen ones - have decided that fossil fuels are the bane of all existence.

Al Gore and "An Inconvenient Truth"

TalkLeft: The Politics of Crime:

"He mentioned 9/11 a few times, but he always put the terrorist threats behind the environmental ones. That's reassuring to those (myself included) who think the Bush Administration is milking the terror threat for political purposes. Is there a terror threat, yes. But is it our biggest crisis or challenge? Probably not. "

Uh huh. Environmental threats are greater than terrorist threats. Why can the left - and especially the environmental left - place such conviction on the the power of man to wield such environmental destruction, but not recognize that the greater threat to man is another who doesn't value life as highly as the rest of civilization?

Gas pricing was legal, FTC says

JS Online:Gas pricing was legal, FTC says:

"Since the report did not find an industry villain, it was not likely to quell voter anger over the high gas prices. That is likely to add political pressure on Congress to take steps to lower prices or reduce the earnings of some oil companies. It could also provide some impetus for legislation, already adopted by the House, to outlaw price gouging and impose high penalties for violations.

The commission said it found 15 examples of pricing by refineries, wholesale companies and retailers that technically fit the definition of price gouging. (It defined gouging as a price increase in the month after the hurricanes that was not attributable to the additional costs caused by weather-related damage.) But it said that in nearly all of those instances, gouging probably was not involved because regional or local trends justified the higher prices."

But, Congress already disagrees with those findings. They didn't hear what they wanted to hear to make their jobs easier!

An Inaugural Address - But who's?

This is an excerpt from a recent (post WWII) President's innaugural address:

" Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.

This much we pledge - and more.

To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United, there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided, there is little we can do - for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.

To those new States whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view. But we shall always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom -and to remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside."

But who's?

Bush owed "no respect whatsoever"

Says a Dixie Chick:

"'I'd rather have a small following of really cool people who get it, who will grow with us as we grow and are fans for life, than people that have us in their five-disc changer with Reba McEntire and Toby Keith,' Maguire said. 'We don't want those kinds of fans. They limit what you can do.'"

Well, I think you may get your wish. Good luck with whatever you want to do!

Sick Leave Rejected - Good!

The city of Madison rejected a policy - for now:

"The policy would have given anyone who works at least 18 hours a week nine sick days a year.

Supporters say it would help families stay home when they're sick or their kids are sick."

Given the city's record, this will not go away. As for the details, 9 days a year! We're talking about part-time employees who work less than half a week getting more sick days than many people who work full-time!!!

Why any business would want to open in Madison is beyond me.

Port Wasington's 15-Minutes?

Isn't that special. Our little burg of 10k people made National news:

"Woelfel said that the Students for Unity's goal of trying to prevent harassment of all people with 'alternative lifestyles' is good but that the survey was not appropriate. The two teachers 'are very remorseful,' he said.

Some of the questions apparently were intended to make heterosexuals understand what it's like to be gay or lesbian. Those questions included: 'What do you think caused your heterosexuality?' and 'When did you decide you were heterosexual?'"

We're sooo pleased.

UPDATE: The local newspaper, Ozaukee Press, reports this week that the same survey was used in a class last year. Apparently it didn't get the reaction they wanted so they expanded the reach!

As a neighbor and friend commented, "When did the public schools decide it was their responsibility to teach my kids about sex? Were they present during labor? During the first fever? During the first bike ride? During the first scraped knee? Did they explain why grandma passed away? Or why the family pet is no longer with us? What gives the school the right to choose when and how to talk to my kids about sex?!"

The Parent Trap

Glenn Reynolds:

"Why should kayaking be more prestigious than parenting? Because parenting isn't prestigious in our society. If it were, childless people would drive minivans just to partake of the aura."

Good point!

Spring - at last!

For those of you in other parts of the country, ignore this. Yes, we've had warm temperatures in the last few months. Yes, the grass is green and the trees are in bloom. But tonight. Tonight in eastern Wisconsin, on the shores of Lake Michigan (yes- it is "cooler near the lake"!), it is the first "official" night of spring!

After forty-days and forty-nights of rain (ok. five.), the skies cleared, the sun shone, the temperatures topped 70 and I am able to sit on my deck at 9:00 in the evening, in shorts, with a glass of wine, and relax. The grass is harvested. The kids are in bed. And it is the most calm, peaceful 57 degree night this year.

Anonymous House Earmarks Continue

WSJ.com:

"WASHINGTON -- Despite federal probes and promises to change, the Republican-controlled House continues to draft spending bills setting aside billions of dollars for home-state projects without disclosing the sponsor.

Most are relatively small: $1 million in the Environmental Protection Agency's budget to match $2.8 million from the egg industry to study emissions outside laying-hen houses. Others are bigger: $41 million for a new Homeland Security Department data center coveted by the Kentucky delegation.

House Appropriations Committee estimates show that at least $2.4 billion in such earmarks have been included in the first five bills for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. But as the House begins floor debate this week on 2007 appropriations, the committee says it won't reveal the sponsors until Congress enacts the new requirements."

As a Conservative - rather than a 'lock-step' Republican - I find this unconscionable.

Choice, Liberty and Public Education

From Going to the Mat:

"Commandment Four. Thou shall remember that choice and liberty have a longer history as an American institution than public schools. The fact that we have public education shall not deny parents and students the right to vote with their feet if their school is failing.

We can choose our church, our elected representatives and just about everything else in life, but we can't choose our schools or choose to change schools when they fail? How purely socialistic is that? School choice is not a panacea to all that ails the education system in America but it will go a long way to solving many of the problems. Market forces produce improvement in all market participants--this is an economic fact long proved. Monopolies produce no improvements and actually deteriorate over time."

Read all the "Education Commandments". Good work.

It's All About The Kids!

From Madison and MSNBC.com:

"'It's time that we really pull together a program that made them legitimate and actually provide a way for them to be able to access benefits and not feel scared or not feel ashamed of who they are,' says Selwyn Swe. 'It's easy to forget we do have opportunities and we do have a voice and the kids do have a voice and its important to show them that now so they can feel empowered to do that in the future.'"

Uh-huh. It's all about the kids - the bennies aren't bad either!

What do Gas and Guns have in common?

We have a saying in the office: "The Stone Age didn't end because we ran out of stones."

Forcing market change through drastic intervention ($10/gallon artificial gas prices) won't speed up evolution. It will more likely cause more violence and result in more unintended consequences that these people never anticipate.

Perhaps some in this world need to have a bit more optimism and trust in our fellow man. We have done a decent job over the millennia adapting to the environment, finding solutions to problems and using the resources wisely. You may call me naive and think just the opposite. That man is the root of all that is bad in the world. However, when it comes to naivete and myopic thinking, the commentary from the EnergyBulletin.net via the SF Gate perfectly illustrates much of what is wrong with the other side:

"Another example: You know what would happen if guns -- all guns, everywhere -- were banned outright tomorrow? Well, right off, nothing much. Criminals would still commit crimes. Lawsuits would skyrocket. The NRA would shoot itself in the face in screaming protest. Crime rates would dance all over the map. It would be a little ugly."

BUT, he goes on to say:

"But then something remarkable would happen. Over a short blip of time -- say about 10 or 20 years, as gun manufacturing ceased and the culture of gun violence died down and our favorite death object was less visible in the news and in video games and on TV and in every aspect of modern life, well, guess what? Guns would begin to disappear. From the culture, from the drug dealers, from the streets, from public consciousness. They would turn into a sad relic, like eight-track tapes, like the bubonic plague, like the Miami Sound Machine. Think 20 years is too long? It is but an eye blink, a twitch."

And the conclusion is? Nothing. That's it. Guns would just disappear.

My question is: "What does this solve?" I assume the implication from this rhetoric is that if guns disappear, peace would break-out everywhere. No one would kill another person. Nations wouldn't be able to go to war. Life would return to Eden.

Who's naive now?

The REAL Issue in Darfur

Mark Steyn explains Darfur brilliantly:

"I SEE George Clooney and Angelina Jolie have discovered Darfur and are now demanding 'action'. Good for them. Hollywood hasn't shown this much interest in indigenous groups of the Sudan since John Payne and Jerry Colonna sang The Girlfriend of the Whirling Dervish in Garden of the Moon (1938).

I wish the celebs well. Those of us who wanted action on Darfur years ago will hope their advocacy produces more results than ours did. Clooney's concern for the people of the region appears to be genuine and serious. But unless he's also serious about backing the only forces in the world with the capability and will to act in Sudan, he's just another showboating pretty boy of no use to anyone.

Here's the lesson of the past three years: The UN kills. "

Read the rest. A must read to understand the difference between 'talking' and 'doing'. If you don't read the whole article, at least read the following:

"In 2004, after months of expressing deep concern, grave concern, deep concern over the graves and deep grave concern over whether the graves were deep enough, Kofi Annan took decisive action and appointed a UN committee to look into what's going on. Eventually, they reported back that it's not genocide.

Thank goodness for that. Because, as yet another Kofi-appointed UN committee boldly declared, "genocide anywhere is a threat to the security of all and should never be tolerated". So fortunately what's going on in the Sudan isn't genocide. Instead, it's just hundreds of thousands of corpses who happen to be from the same ethnic group, which means the UN can go on tolerating it until everyone's dead, at which point the so-called "decent left" can support a "multinational" force under the auspices of the Arab League going in to ensure the corpses don't pollute the water supply. "

Why isn't Socialism dead?

TCS Daily - Why Isn't Socialism Dead?:

"The Peruvian economist, Hernando de Soto, has argued in his book, The Mystery of Capital, that the failure of the various socialist experiments of the twentieth century has left mankind with only one rational choice about which economic system to go with, namely, capitalism. Socialism, he maintained, has been so discredited that any further attempt to revive it would be sheer irrationality. But if this is the case, which I personally think it is, then why are we witnessing what certainly appears to be a revival of socialist rhetoric and even socialist pseudo-solutions, such as the nationalization of foreign companies? "

Something I believe gets overlooked is, true socialism would not require a "leader". We would all cooperate and do first, that which is in the best interest of all. As a human, and a realist, I understand that humans are not wired to operate that way. Even the strongest advocates for socialism seek or gravitate to a leader, someone who inspires them. Those leaders rarely reciprocate. They tend to demand the adoration and wield harsh consequences on those who don't "participate".

How does "Politics" help US?

WSJ.com - Veto Hallelujah:

"And speaking of toga parties, West Virginia Democrat Robert Byrd took to the Senate floor to deplore Mr. Bush's veto threat as an outrage that would deny money for all sorts of domestic disasters, including farm losses and coal-mine accidents. 'If the President wants to veto a bill that funds the troops, if he wants to veto a bill that funds victims of Hurricane Katrina . . . have at it,' he taunted.

As Mr. Byrd knows from his years in the Roman Senate, this is a time-honored legislative tactic: Load up a vehicle that the President wants with junk that you want, and dare him to veto. We trust Mr. Bush knows his Presidential manhood is being challenged here. The Senate's misbehavior only grew worse in the wake of his veto threat, as if the Members don't believe he can finally be serious. They loaded up with earmarks, such as the $700 million Mississippi railroad to nowhere, and some $4 billion in farm aid at a time when farm income is high thanks to soaring commodity prices."

These "public servants" are out of control. When will we wake up and remind them that they are in the position they hold because WE PUT THEM THERE! Their job is NOT to get everything we want. They are there to negotiate for what we need and accommodate other's needs in the best interest, and within the budget, of the entire country.

What's wrong with this picture?:

JS Online:On a wing and a scare:

"Mequon's mayor urges residents to keep their distance.

Harassing eagles is a federal crime, and harming the birds in any way comes with serious consequences. Eagles are the most protected species in the United States, and even possessing a single feather from one of the majestic birds is unlawful."

DNR employees in a plane Wednesday morning spotted one of the eagles on the nest but could not determine if there were any eggs in the broad shelf of tree branches the birds created in the treetop, said Tom Isaac, a DNR wildlife biologist at Pike Lake in Washington County."

Oh, but a government agency flying planes over the nest site is less disruptive than a father an child looking up from a walking path to see these magnificent birds!

Rumsfeld and Lying

Early Warning by William M. Arkin - washingtonpost.com:

"The best reason for Donald Rumsfeld to step down as Secretary is that he has become the debate, a lightening rod who can no longer continue to perform this
important duty. America needs someone in charge of the military who can give candid answers without fear of having yesterday's candid answers thrown back in their face.

America also needs to give its leaders a chance to be wrong. The implications such intolerance to error is to push human beings up against the wall, a place where there is no good outcome."

So ultimately, who's to blame. How can any person succeed in a controversial role if we, the people who appoint them (including those in the role of the press), continue to look for every possible negative aspect of their performance and never give them the opportunity to be wrong. No one is perfect and mistakes are made - IN BOTH DIRECTIONS. What we must have are people willing to make tough decisions in the best interest of the country. Do we really want people who say "I voted for it, right before I voted against it" in these positions?

We ARE at war. We don't want to be, but unfortunately, the reality is, even if we unilaterally stop, our adversary has shown they won't. We can continue to view terrorists as criminals - like street gang thugs in our inner city - that need to be arrested, prosecuted and "rehabilitated". It's easier for us to see it that way. Nice. Neat. Civil. They, however, don't live with the same set of rules.

Strange Bedfellows and Still No Answers

"Opposition to America's first offshore wind farm seems a peculiar posture for the liberal lion of the Senate. The self-indulgent squires of Cape Cod likewise seem a strange set of friends for Teddy Kennedy. He is also joined in opposition by Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a Republican presidential prospect. Furthermore, Kennedy's key congressional allies against the wind farm are two senior Alaska Republicans who are reigning princes of pork on Capitol Hill, Sen. Ted Stevens and Rep. Don Young."

RealClearPolitics - Articles - Friends of Teddy Kennedy

Some bigger questions that seem to never get asked include: "If not there, where?"; "If alternatives energy sources like wind were truly the answer today, wouldn't you think the pilings would already be poured?"

The Absurdity of the Gas Debate

"First came the Democrats. For more than a decade their leading lights have extolled higher gas taxes, and hence higher gas prices, to pay for everything from school roofs to the development of alternative energy sources that would usher in the economic Shangri-La of 'energy independence' - whatever that is. 'Look how enlightened Europe is! Gas prices there are two or three times ours,' they'd holler. In 1993, when the Democrats controlled Congress and the White House and the economy was believed to be in much worse shape, Bill Clinton, Al Gore and the rest of the Democratic leadership pushed gas taxes as the solution to our woes. Now even Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) - who voted for gas tax hikes in 1982, 1990 and 1993 - believes that 'high gas prices are going to be the final nail in the GOP's coffin this year.' So the Democrats want to repeal federal gas taxes in order to bring the price down at the pump. They say the repeal would only be temporary. No kidding!"...

...But we should not blame Democrats too much for their opportunism, cynicism and populism. As the party out of power, they are expected to seize on GOP weaknesses like jackals upon a wounded fawn. And their party is dedicated to the proposition that the state should always meddle when it feels it can do "good," regardless of what it did last year or even yesterday.

It is the congressional GOP that should be booed and shamed from the public square for the harlot it has become. Before the pyre of pandering even ended, the Republicans launched their fire sale, offering to sell off their remaindered principles at bargain basement prices. It was almost like they were paying voters to take their intellectual integrity off their hands. ("We're practically giving it away!")

Running on empty on gas prices - Los Angeles Times

Political Prisoner May Face Death Penalty

(New York, May 4, 2006) " Libya's most prominent political prisoner, Fathi al-Jahmi, faces a possible death sentence for slandering Libyan leader Mu`ammar al-Qadhafi and talking with a foreign official, who may be a U.S. diplomat, Human Rights Watch said today. "

(Human Rights Watch, 3-5-2006)

Just think if the US were really "just as bad as the other guys". There'd be a long line on death row filled with many in this country if all it took was slandering President Bush.

UAW Calls for Strike Vote at Delphi

WSJ.com:

"DETROIT -- The United Auto Workers asked its members to authorize a strike against Delphi Corp. in preparation for an expected showdown with the auto-parts maker, a dispute that could hurt loss-plagued General Motors Corp. if it
devolves into a walkout.

Delphi, which filed for bankruptcy protection in October, next week is planning to seek court approval to cancel its contract with the UAW. Yesterday, UAW Vice President Richard Shoemaker told local union leaders to seek a vote by May 14 that would give senior union officials authority to call a strike."

And we wonder why our automakers are losing money and Toyota is gaining market share? While we're busy 'managing' employee demands, they're responding to the market.

Our friends - the French!

"The French government is offering Zacarias Moussaoui the consular protection he deserves as a French national, but so far the al-Qaida conspirator has not asked for it, the French Embassy said Wednesday. "

Hat Tip - The Corner via JP

Archer Daniels Midland Profit Rises 29%

WSJ.com:

"The Decatur, Ill., company reported profit of $347.8 million, or 53 cents a share, for the period ended March 31, up from $269.1 million, or 41 cents a share, a year ago. The prior-year results included a one-time gain of 11 cents a share, from the sale of a business."

Where's the outrage over these profits? Is it because ADM's revenue numbers aren't as big as Exxon?

Global biodiesel business continues to grow around the world, particularly in Europe and Asia, the company said. The business is just getting started in the U.S., but the company expects more government programs to bring biodiesel in line with ethanol. ADM will open its first biodiesel plant in October.

But of course they expect it. They wouldn't contribute to any politicians campaign if they didn't expect it!

A Solution to ALL Our Problems?

TCS Daily - No Money, No Problems:

"So, what really can be done about illegal immigration? Well, maybe we need to do what Time magazine said we should do about another problem -- global warming. The writers and editors there suggested at the end of their Global Warming Report: 'Maybe we can begin by living a bit more like the average Chinese or Indian -- before they start living like us.' There you have it: The only way to turn the corner on energy use, and thus greenhouse gas emissions, at least in the short run, is to make us all poorer - a lot poorer."

George Clooney's Darfur Dilemmas

"Hypocritical? Inexcusably hypocritical, but all too typical of the Hollywood left and their elite media pals. The parallels between Sudan and Iraq are striking and informative. Substitute Sudan's Darfurian tribes for Iraqi Shias and Kurds. The international forces in Darfur are hapless African Union peacekeepers, who spend their time trying to avoid ambushes. In Iraq, the United States and Great Britain tried to protect the Kurd north and Shia south with air patrols -- it didn't work. Saddam's terror contacts among secular and sectarian terrorists were numerous. Sudan harbored Osama bin Laden. As for the WMD, recall the Clinton administration's strike on the Khartoum pharmaceuticals plant suspected of producing nerve gas. Former Clinton SecDef Bill Cohen still defends the attack. He didn't want to run the risk that terrorists would acquire WMD from a rogue tyranny. The Bush administration didn't want to run that risk with Iraq."

Austin Bay via RealClearPolitics

Common sense and consistency mean nothing to left. It's all about how they feel today and whether their side gets credit. It has nothing to do with working together or cooperation - especially with the evil Bush.

WSJ.com - Mexican Wave

WSJ.com - Mexican Wave:

"What would happen to Mexico if we were to suddenly cut off the escape valve provided by immigration to the U.S.? Unemployment and underemployment, already major problems, would increase dramatically. Remissions from immigrants, which total some $18 billion per year and are the lifeblood of many rural communities, would dry up. The widespread frustration felt by the population caught between rising crime and diminished economic expectations -- which fuels the populist presidential campaign of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador -- would almost certainly become more acute. There is no scenario in which these developments would be positive for Mexican political and social stability. And there is no scenario in which a politically and socially unstable Mexico is in the interest of the U.S."

A bigger question than how we stop illegal immigration from Mexico may be, what pressure can be put on the governement of Mexico to join the 21st century and develop an economy for the masses, rather than the priveledged?

Hmmm?...

"President Bush says that it is 'unrealistic' to think that we can deport 12 million illegal immigrants. It is also unrealistic to think that we can catch all murderers, but does that mean that we should de-criminalize murder? Or turn loose the murderers we do catch?"

Thomas Sowell - Random Thoughts

Break up "Big Oil"?

This article in TCS Daily discusses - and refutes - the recent proposal by Sen. Schumer, et al to break up the "monopoly" of the big oil companies in the US:

"The problem with this way of thinking is that the oil majors are not as all-powerful as their critics assert. They certainly do not hold a monopoly position in the marketplace. Big Oil is indeed big -- ExxonMobil, for instance, is the 6th largest publicly traded company in the world, and enjoys the highest revenues -- but it is not that big when compared to the entire world petroleum market, which is gargantuan.

The real giants are the state-owned oil companies in Saudi Arabia, Russia, Venezuela, Nigeria, and other OPEC nations. Compared to them, Big Oil seems like small fry. As Red Caveney of the American Petroleum Institute noted, 'Nearly 80 percent of the world's reserves are owned by these national oil companies and a mere 6 percent are controlled by investor-owned companies.'"

It's always hard to justify 'feel good solutions' when the facts get in the way!

I'm not happy about it, but...

This article addresses the under-reported fact why people aren't in a panic over higher gas prices. We're complaining - like we always do when we don't get what we want - but not panicking:

"According to the Bureau of Economic Affairs (see chart here), American consumer
spending on energy as a fraction of total personal consumption has declined considerably since 1980. Whereas 25 years ago, one in every ten consumer dollars
was spent on energy, today it's one in every sixteen bucks. In other words, what it takes to heat and cool our homes and drive to and from our jobs and vacation destinations is relatively less costly than it once was. "

Since there isn't a crisis, maybe we can address the fundamental problems this country faces with it's energy policy. Nah. That won't happen when there's political hay to harvest.

How We Got to $3 Gas: SOME of the reasons

This Newsweek article points out some of the reasons:

"Whatever happens, the larger question is how Americans build on this episode. It may feel good to vilify the major oil companies and the oil cartel. But that won't help. We now import 60 percent of our oil; large imports will continue indefinitely. So far, we've escaped a true calamity. We may not be so lucky in the future. We could minimize our vulnerabilities to supply interruptions and price increases. We could open up more acreage (including Alaska) to drilling. We could orchestrate -- through tougher fuel economy standards and a gradually rising energy tax -- a big shift toward more-efficient vehicles. Once again, we've been warned. Will we continue to ignore it?"

As I stated in another, recent post, how we address the long-term energy policies this country should have, is far more critical than what we do to "fix" gas prices today. Taking politics out of the policy is a great start, but don't hold you breath. Remember, there's a strong lobby (environmentalists) who begged for this day. High gas prices would force us out of our cars. Force us to mass transit. Force us to urban planning. They just didn't think it meant the same for them!

Another pet peeve

John Stossel makes a great point in Accommodating the Victim Mentality:

..."Is that a coincidence? Or does being in the 'victim business' make you susceptible to becoming a victim? I think it's the latter. Servicing victims all day encourages you to focus on things being wrong."