The Time has Come

Obama, I am going to do whatever I can to prevent you from becoming president. I have seen the outcomes, the disasters your policies will cause. And it is time to point them out. With Clinton out of the race, you are now the only one the Democrats can hope to elect. Thus, you are fair game. I, like many other conservative bloggers stayed out of the fray, letting your party self-destruct on its own.

But Sun Tzu would scold us for continuing to ignore you. Thus, it is time to expose your idiocy to the world, and show them why naively clinging to ideals that can never work is an insane idea. They say that Idiocy is the act of trying the same things over and over and expecting different results, and thus, I call you, and the rest of the Higher-Ups in the party idiots.

More to come later. Gotta check your website to see if there are any updates or changes on your stances. But they will be mercilessly torn to shreds. Hell, I might even repost my "Crime of Nationalised Healthcare" piece again. What with your ardent support of that little Collectivist piece of crap.

Oil Fires, New Refineries, and a shift in the system

Well, Elk Point, South Dakota has the right idea. Recently, they voted to allow Hyperion, a Petroleum Company, to set up a fuel refinery in their city. The citizens of Union County voted in favor of the first new refinery in almost 35 years. It also means billions of dollars in the local economy in terms of construction and maintenance, and thousands of high-paying jobs. This is good news, as it will help to stimulate the economy and bring down rising fuel costs. Now, if we could just convince the citizens of the rest of the country to allow drilling and refining in more places, the world would change faster, and more money would flow into alternative fuel research. According to the Sioux City Journal, it would be using Tar Sands out of Alberta, refining 400,000 barrels a day. This will reduce demand for Iranian and Venezualan fuels as we shift towards more Iraqi sources.

On the bad side however, 2.4 million barrels of unleaded fuel where ignited in Kansas City last night after a set of wicked storms passed through. local price where at 3.90 a gallon at the time, leading to a loss of $9.36 million dollars. $9,360,000. That is a lot of cash lost. And that does not include the total stoppage by Magellan of all fuel flowing outwards, which meant a total cut off of fuel to the north, the shutting down of the factory, and the clean up of the area. It could have been a lot worse. Over in my house, we watched with fear, wondering whether or not two tanks nearby, each also holding a simil;ar amount of fuel would catch fire as well. Expect higher gas prices. At least it isn't as bad as the one time a squirrel got into an Oil Refinery and chewed up the wires in the control room. But it is still bad. Expect to see gas prices creep up as a result. Hopefully the news of a new refinery in South Dakota will help counteract it.

Meanwhile, news has hit Drudge that there are a group of highly organized Fuel Thieves who are going after Semi-Tankers full of Petroleum. This is gonna cause a rise in gas prices as well, and quite possibly the armed escort of fuel tankers, both on road and rails, to prevent such attacks. If you have perpetrated just such a robbery, remember, you are harming millions with these little antics of yours.

Just a warning folks, it is gonna get worse before it can get better. Petroleum Drills are only able to get around a third of the fuel out of the ground due to the nature of the drilling. this means an increased turning to the Tar Sands in Canada and the US, which are "Heavy" Crude, as opposed to the lower sulfur "Light" Crude that comes out in liquid form. As such, you will see higher refining and pump prices due to the need for extra refining to lower the sulfur content to meet current EPA Regulations on the formula of fuels.

Polar Bears and Oil prices

Alaska is going to be hurting people. With the Polar Bear on the Endagndered Species List (An Unnacceptable oversight due to the increase in population of Polar Bears since their discovery during the Early Days of American Exploration and the regular and precedented growth in population continuing at this time), all movements to expand the economy of Alaska, which is dependant on Oil Mining, are thus stopped.

No new oil drilling, no new pipelines, no new refineries.

Oh and if you don't believe me on this, just check the following link.
http://www.nationalcenter.org/NPA566.html

Oh, and don't say that I don't love Polar Bears because I disagree with this movement. They may not be my favorite species, that belongs to the Kodiak Grizzly and the Bald Eagle jointly, Polar Bears are not far below. I just don't fall for sob story scare tactics.

Must be the build-up of Cynicism in my veins. Gotta ask my doctor about that some time...

Big Oil is NOT too Blame

That's right, I said that big Oil is not the problem here. It is the Senators and Representatives who have caused the following problems

Mandatory Reformulation of Gasoline during the Summer Driving Months: This more than anything, is a huge factor in the jump before, during, and after Memorial Day Weekend, as the Oil Companies are forced to shut down their refineries, reformulate the gasoline to match with current summer formula laws, and then start them back up. During this time, they take major losses as they try to make up for the loss through rushed production of fuel.

Ban on Refinery Construction: Since 1976, there has not been a single new Refinery built in the United States. With demand for Gasoline from the Middle East increasing (The United States refines Light Sweet Crude into Unleaded Gasoline for the Middle East due to a lack of refineries in the home countries of that oil.), Other refineries shutting down (100 since the 1980's), and problems in the currently operating ones (Rodents chewing on wires, fires, breakdowns, etc.) the price of Oil is forced up in case of losses.

Distance of Oil Refineries from Points of Distribution: Due to Environmental Laws, in the United States, Oil Refineries are often located far from Urban Zones. This means increased amounts of overhead for transportation from the ports in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to the Ports in Texas and Lousianna, increased rail transport from the ports to the refineries, and finally, increased rail and shipping costs to get them from the Refinery to the gas station. The longer the logistics route, the more money that is spent on Logistics, and thus, the higher the price of the gasoline when it reaches you at the pump.

Lack of Intensive Drilling in the United States: Though you may see the pumps in the Mid West in the middle of a field, or the oil Derricks out in the gulf, much of the Crude Oil lies untapped. Throughout the Mid West, Pacific Northwest, Deep South, and Alaska, there are large reserves of Crude Oil that could power the United States for Decades to come. By drilling in these locations, we would be able to reduce the logistics overhead of getting the oil to the refineries, and pull the US out from the Shadow of the Organization of petroleum Exporting Countries. This would lower prices, reduce the number of American Oil tankers passing through the Straights of Malacca and near the Somali Coast (Both hotspots of Piracy, that drive up the overhead again by forcing Oil Companies to hire Private Military Contractors to help defend their ships), and help to cut off our reliance on Foreign Oil, while freeing up Middle Eastern Oil for China and India, further cutting costs across the board.

Ethanol Contents: As the Lawmakers on Capitol Hill increase the amount of Ethanol mandated in Gasoline Blends that produces two things. First: Less effecient gasoline. Ethanol will always reduce the efficiency, due to it's habit of reducing mileage by a fifth. This will increase demand for Gasoline and thus further drive up prices. Second: As the demand for gasoline increases, so does the price of Ethanol, which makes the overhead rise again for the Oil Companies, which they pass on too you, the consumer.

Note that these do not include things like the Splitting of Palestine, the Lebanese Civil War, Iran's incessant Saber Rattling, past strikes against Oil Refineries and Shipping Ports, Continued Threats against the Refineries and Ports, Hurricanes, Hostile Governments using Oil Prices as a Defensive Weapon (I'm looking at you Iran and Venezuela), Disputes between Russia and the Ukraine over Oil Derricks and Supplies along the border, Earthquakes, worries of Peak Oil Production, Inefficiency of Current Mining Technologies (Leaves about a third of the Oil in the ground), Market Speculation in the Commodities Markets over Oil Futures, The failure of Canada to properly mine their Tar Sands for "Heavy Oil" Deposits, Lack of new wells in the OPEC nations, Turbulence and Civil Unrest in Venezuela, the Media's constant talking up of increasing oil prices, and much much more.

The best thing we can do is wean ourselves off of Crude Oil in all its forms, be it Natural Gas, Plastics, Gasoline, Fertilizer, Diesel, Kerosene, Jet Fuel, Asphalt, Rubber, and much else. Synthetics for these that do not require Petroleum are being researched, and proccess is coming along. Until then, keep recycling your plastics and rubbers. Because otherwise, you will only help further push up oil prices.

The Coming Recession

Start stockpiling people, the world is getting very interesting. After months of refusing to fall in with the people I thought of as Chicken Littles, I have to admit, a Recession is in fact coming, and is already present here in Kansas.

As grains like Corn and Wheat rise in price 8% a year, with Rice and Wheat up 13%, Dairy up 10%, Eggs up a record 30%, and Meat up between 4.8% and 5.4%, the signs are clear. Rationing is coming back to this country. In fact, two major retail stores, Sam's Club and Costco, have already started rationing Rice and Wheat as people go out and stock up because of perceived food shortages.


As China and India demand more food to feed their people, and fuel companies continue to divert food away from the dinner table and into our gas tanks, prices will continue to rise. While I cannot call shame upon India and China for feeding their people, I have to cry shame on another group.

Shame on TIME Magazine for their recent cover replacing the Flag with a Pine Tree in the historic Iwo Jima picture. Shame on them and all the rest of Al Gore's friends for continuing to push Ethanol though it has been shown to be less efficient, more expensive, and even carcinogenic. Shame on those who have pushed the Global Warming agenda even as the data swings away from them and toward the Helions.

If we do not stop this, we will see a further 100 million people in the developing world pushed into poverty, and Food Riots like those in Haiti, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, and the Philippines will spread further, and might even reach the United States in Worst Case scenarios.

Kansas, California, Nebraska, Florida, and Minnesota are all sliding. The Stock Market is sliding, with Berkshire Hathaway A having slid down a full 1,000 points. My friends and readers get ready. If we fall into a full blown Depression, it will be a slow slide, not the sudden collapse seen in the infamous Black Thursday.

At least I have Clinton v Obama to entertain me.

The True Story of the Economy

Okay folks, time to get some facts straight. First of all, 40% of this
nation made money off of the Income Tax. That's right, the bototm 40% of
this nation got more out of the Income tax than they paid into it. and
the bottom 50% paid in a grand total of 3%. If they where to stop paying,
then the governmetn would notice almost nothing. This is for one
important reason. The top 1% pays 40% of the taxes, and the top 10% pay
70% of the taxes.

That's right, the top 10% pay 70% of their taxes. Is it any wonder that
they create tax shelters? Is it any surprise that the top 1% store their
money in those fabeled "Swiss bank Accounts?"

No. It isn't. If we keep up this "Tax the rich" theory, then we are
going to see the rich leave as their income tax reaches 80% to 90% of the
taxes paid into the government. Once they leave, then this country will
go down the shithole. We need to scale back spending, scale back taxes,
and try to motivate that lower 40% to make more money.

One of the best things I can come up with is this. Voting based on
taxation. Corporations do this, and it has worked well in the past, in
which the more money you have invested in the government, the more you say
in how to run this nation. If you pay more money into the government than
you get back, you get one vote. then, for every $25,000 you pay into this
government you get another vote up to a maximum of five votes. This way,
those who have more money invested in this government get more say in how
it is run.

Now, some will hurl epithets at me, but it actually makes sense for one
very important reason. A democracy can only last until people discover
that they can vote money out of the public treasury and into their own
pockets. By allowing those on welfare to vote, then you will continue to
see money sapped away by people who vote themselves more money.

Look at the sheer amount of waste being spent on by the government.
Archaeological studies on how ancient Americans washed their dishes, a
bridge to nowhere in Alaska, subsidizing wild blueberries. The sheer
bueracracy of the government in general wasts tens of billions.

And then, you have that Feel-Good nonsense with Minimum Wage. Numbers
from the Department of Labor shows that 90% of those on Minimum Wage
actually spend less than a year on minimum wage. When you increase the
wages of minimum wage, then all you do is cause those who are on Minimum
Wage at the time to face job loss. Last hired, first fired. On top of
that, you cause hiring slow downs, because a company now has less money to
spend on hiring people.


And, before you start hurling epithets my way, just know, that under this system, I would have no vote. On top of that, I would not benefit from these minimum wage hikes, though I would be more likely to get a job without them.

The Right To Smoke

Well, this has become a hot button topic in my world, mainly because Kansas City has banned smoking in bars and restauraunts. Now, while I can see where the health advocates are coming from on this, I must whole heartedly disagree with them on this.

There is a major reason for this. It sets a dangerous precedent. You may be asking me what I mean by this, I have a few examples. For example, in Golden, Colorado, it has recently become illegal to smoke in private residences by order of the Home Owner's Association. In Ontario, it is illegal to smoke in a car if there are children present. And in Britain, there is currently a debate over wether or not to ban smoking period without a liscence from the government.

So, what is the future of the united states in general if we ban smoking in public places? We have already banned it is public establishments, so what is next? I say, be careful people, because every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Cause and effect.

And thus, you have to be careful as to how you vote, because every action, every theory, has a logical conclusion, and that logical conclusion is usually considered extreme at the time, though with 20/20 hindsight it all makes so much sense.