Saturday, February 26, 2011
Black History Month
If you want to learn some Black history that you won't see or hear anywhere else, go here: http://www.nbra.info/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.main&
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Bloated Government In Washington Gets Even Bigger
Unemployment is stuck at 9 to 10%, and real unemployment (including those who have given up on finding a job) is more like 18%. Meanwhile, 200,000 bureaucrats have been added to the Federal Government in the last two years since Obama took office. Yes, not only have there been no cuts in the size of the Federal government during the financial crisis with the government running trillion dollar deficits as far as the eye can see, but 200,000 bureaucrats have been added!
Now Obama has taken to talking about how we must all live within our means. He wasn't concerned about Washington living within its means while running up a $14 trillion national debt, but now suddenly he is so concerned.
Let me translate. When Obama says "we" must live within our means, he means "you". He has no intention whatsoever of cutting the bloated Federal bureaucracy. What he is really saying is that you need to cut your family budget and corporate payroll (i.e., jobs) even more and send additional money to Washington to save the bureaucrats' jobs.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Astonishing Weakness From The Obama Administration
First there was Egypt, where Obama supported Mubarak, the didn't, then did, then didn't. Then Tunisia, and Obama said nothing. Next Bahrain, when he said, well, something memorable. Now we have Libya.
Gadhafi has been the thuggish dictator of Libya for decades. Now the Libyan people, inspired by the other freedom efforts in North Africa and elsewhere in the region, are demonstrating and calling for more rights. Gadhafi has had his security forces shooting unarmed civilians in the streets, hundreds have been killed, and he actually ordered two of his air force jets to bomb the protesters (the pilots, to their credit, refused and defected to Malta).
And what does the leader of the most powerful nation in the world have to say about the actions of this murderous thug in Libya? Why, Obama called on this dictator who is killing people in the streets to respect those people's rights. And Obama's Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, warned that we are watching events in Libya.
The guy ordered his air force to bomb the protesters, people are being gunned down in the streets, and Obama tells him that he really ought to respect his people's rights, and then sternly says that we are watching?!!!
This is pathetic weakness on the part of Obama. It would be comical if it weren't so dangerous to the U.S. Thugs and dictators, such as those in Iran and North Korea who are trying to build nuclear weapons, see weakness as an opportunity.
Gadhafi has been the thuggish dictator of Libya for decades. Now the Libyan people, inspired by the other freedom efforts in North Africa and elsewhere in the region, are demonstrating and calling for more rights. Gadhafi has had his security forces shooting unarmed civilians in the streets, hundreds have been killed, and he actually ordered two of his air force jets to bomb the protesters (the pilots, to their credit, refused and defected to Malta).
And what does the leader of the most powerful nation in the world have to say about the actions of this murderous thug in Libya? Why, Obama called on this dictator who is killing people in the streets to respect those people's rights. And Obama's Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, warned that we are watching events in Libya.
The guy ordered his air force to bomb the protesters, people are being gunned down in the streets, and Obama tells him that he really ought to respect his people's rights, and then sternly says that we are watching?!!!
This is pathetic weakness on the part of Obama. It would be comical if it weren't so dangerous to the U.S. Thugs and dictators, such as those in Iran and North Korea who are trying to build nuclear weapons, see weakness as an opportunity.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
More Uncivilized Behavior From The Left Wing Liberals
Do you remember the left wing liberals preaching about how we need to initiate a new era of civility in political discourse a short while ago? I guess liberal groups weren’t listening.
The libertarian-leaning Koch brothers (Charles and David) are industrialists. They host an annual weekend seminar, or retreat, that is attended by a couple of hundred leading conservatives and that has big name conservative guest speakers. This year at the event, about a thousand liberal activists protested, waving banners and signs with slogans such as “Quarantine the Kochs” and “Koch kills”. Greenpeace hired a blimp with pictures of the Kochs and the words “Dirty Kochs”. The Center for American Progress mobilized. Common Cause held a panel. These are all left-wing liberal groups. The thing that had them so lathered was a group of conservatives who had the temerity to get together and talk.
The bald hypocicy of left wing liberals as illustrated by these bulling tactics of some of their premier groups is stunning. But you can’t blame all liberals for the actions of a few, you say. After recently barking about Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, talk radio, Fox News, etc., etc., etc., have you heard just one prominent liberal condemn these uncivil, threatening actions by well-known liberal groups? Not -- a --- word.
Ghandi said that the way to fight injustice is to bring it out in the open for all to see. We are seeing over and over the intolerance and pure hatred of the left for conservatives. The outrageous actions of these left-wing groups at the Koch event and the silence of most other liberals afterwards leaves no doubt about their true nature.
The libertarian-leaning Koch brothers (Charles and David) are industrialists. They host an annual weekend seminar, or retreat, that is attended by a couple of hundred leading conservatives and that has big name conservative guest speakers. This year at the event, about a thousand liberal activists protested, waving banners and signs with slogans such as “Quarantine the Kochs” and “Koch kills”. Greenpeace hired a blimp with pictures of the Kochs and the words “Dirty Kochs”. The Center for American Progress mobilized. Common Cause held a panel. These are all left-wing liberal groups. The thing that had them so lathered was a group of conservatives who had the temerity to get together and talk.
The bald hypocicy of left wing liberals as illustrated by these bulling tactics of some of their premier groups is stunning. But you can’t blame all liberals for the actions of a few, you say. After recently barking about Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, talk radio, Fox News, etc., etc., etc., have you heard just one prominent liberal condemn these uncivil, threatening actions by well-known liberal groups? Not -- a --- word.
Ghandi said that the way to fight injustice is to bring it out in the open for all to see. We are seeing over and over the intolerance and pure hatred of the left for conservatives. The outrageous actions of these left-wing groups at the Koch event and the silence of most other liberals afterwards leaves no doubt about their true nature.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
How The Media Reports The News According To An Agenda - #1
Headlines In A Recent USA Today (Jan. 14, 2011): “Pregnant women rife with chemicals.”
As soon you read these headlines, you know that a fraud is being perpetrated. The statement is so outlandish and so sensational that you just know there’s a skunk in the woodpile somewhere.
When you take even a cursory look at the body of the article and a data table therein, it becomes even more definite that a fraud is being perpetrated. Here is the table:
“Pregnant women’s bodies are likely contaminated with dozens of toxic chemicals, a new study finds. Percentage of the pregnant women studied having detectable levels of the following chemicals:”
Perchlorate (ingredient in rocket fuel) -------------------------- 100%
BPA (used in plastics) ----------------------------------------------- 96%
Lead ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 94%
Mercury ----------------------------------------------------------------- 89%
Cadmium (toxic heavy metal) -------------------------------------- 66%
DDT (banned pesticide) --------------------------------------------- 62%
What?!!! All pregnant women have rocket fuel in their bodies?? How is this happening? After you become pregnant, does the doctor prescribe rocket fuel?
Ninety-six percent have BPA (plastics) in their bodies? Are plastic bags that much of a threat?
Ninety-four percent have lead. I know there’s a danger that the kiddies will eat old lead paint off of the windowsill, but pregnant women?
Mercury. Cadmium. DDT. What is going on here? After a woman becomes pregnant, does her body suddenly become a sponge for all of these chemicals? What’s a woman supposed to do, become a bubble-woman for nine months?
If you read the entire newspaper article, which most people don’t , you find the complete truth and the source of the deception, buried near the end of the article.
The newspaper article never actually tells us who performed this “new study”, but we are told that the results were published in Environmental Health Perspectives. Going on-line, I found the publication and the study results. The authors work for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and at the University of California – San Francisco in the Program on Reproductive Health. So it’s the usual suspects: the EPA and people in San Francisco.
I also found this very interesting quote from the abstract of the study results: “Conclusions: Pregnant women in the U.S. are exposed to multiple chemicals. Further efforts are warranted to understand sources of exposure and implications for policy-making.” The abstract also states that the level of chemicals found in pregnant women is the same as or lower that for all women.
The newspaper article also quotes a person from the National Resources Defense Council, an environmental extremist group, saying how “disturbing” these findings are, and saying that the situation may be “even worse”.
And then comes the whole point of this manufactured scare piece. The newspaper article says that the findings should be a “call to action” to overhaul the main law that regulates chemicals.
Only near the end of the newspaper article does the writer come clean and admit that it’s a ruse, in order to avoid being outright dishonest, I suppose. Here at the end of the newspaper article it is stated that real experts in the field (American Chemistry Council), as contrasted with environmental activists groups, say that as part of every person’s daily life, as we breath air and drink water, minute traces of chemicals occurring naturally in the environment will come into our bodies, and that modern chemical testing techniques can detect exceeding small traces of such substances, traces that are far below any danger level. And we also learn, near the end of the article, that even the Center for Disease Control (CDC), says these findings are of no concern.
Nowhere in the newspaper article are we told that the study’s authors themselves said that more effort is needed before conclusions can be drawn regarding implications for environmental policies.
But yet, in spite of the disclaimers by the study’s authors and opinions from legitimate, non-biased experts that the study results are of no significance, we have the blaring headlines about those pathetic pregnant women’s bodies being so horribly contaminated with chemicals, and a call for action to fix this terrible problem via even stricter laws and regulations.
This article has given us a lesson in the methodology of the media as they report the “news” according to an agenda. First, they find some sensationalized, manufactured data or opinions from biased advocacy groups that are pushing an agenda. Next, they present this as legitimate news, complete with alarming headlines, and use it as a “call to action” for even more draconian governmental restrictions and regulations. Then at the end of the article, beyond the point where most people have stopped reading, they cite legitimate, objective experts that counteract everything said previously in the article about the disturbing findings and the need for a call to action.
As soon you read these headlines, you know that a fraud is being perpetrated. The statement is so outlandish and so sensational that you just know there’s a skunk in the woodpile somewhere.
When you take even a cursory look at the body of the article and a data table therein, it becomes even more definite that a fraud is being perpetrated. Here is the table:
“Pregnant women’s bodies are likely contaminated with dozens of toxic chemicals, a new study finds. Percentage of the pregnant women studied having detectable levels of the following chemicals:”
Perchlorate (ingredient in rocket fuel) -------------------------- 100%
BPA (used in plastics) ----------------------------------------------- 96%
Lead ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 94%
Mercury ----------------------------------------------------------------- 89%
Cadmium (toxic heavy metal) -------------------------------------- 66%
DDT (banned pesticide) --------------------------------------------- 62%
What?!!! All pregnant women have rocket fuel in their bodies?? How is this happening? After you become pregnant, does the doctor prescribe rocket fuel?
Ninety-six percent have BPA (plastics) in their bodies? Are plastic bags that much of a threat?
Ninety-four percent have lead. I know there’s a danger that the kiddies will eat old lead paint off of the windowsill, but pregnant women?
Mercury. Cadmium. DDT. What is going on here? After a woman becomes pregnant, does her body suddenly become a sponge for all of these chemicals? What’s a woman supposed to do, become a bubble-woman for nine months?
If you read the entire newspaper article, which most people don’t , you find the complete truth and the source of the deception, buried near the end of the article.
The newspaper article never actually tells us who performed this “new study”, but we are told that the results were published in Environmental Health Perspectives. Going on-line, I found the publication and the study results. The authors work for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and at the University of California – San Francisco in the Program on Reproductive Health. So it’s the usual suspects: the EPA and people in San Francisco.
I also found this very interesting quote from the abstract of the study results: “Conclusions: Pregnant women in the U.S. are exposed to multiple chemicals. Further efforts are warranted to understand sources of exposure and implications for policy-making.” The abstract also states that the level of chemicals found in pregnant women is the same as or lower that for all women.
The newspaper article also quotes a person from the National Resources Defense Council, an environmental extremist group, saying how “disturbing” these findings are, and saying that the situation may be “even worse”.
And then comes the whole point of this manufactured scare piece. The newspaper article says that the findings should be a “call to action” to overhaul the main law that regulates chemicals.
Only near the end of the newspaper article does the writer come clean and admit that it’s a ruse, in order to avoid being outright dishonest, I suppose. Here at the end of the newspaper article it is stated that real experts in the field (American Chemistry Council), as contrasted with environmental activists groups, say that as part of every person’s daily life, as we breath air and drink water, minute traces of chemicals occurring naturally in the environment will come into our bodies, and that modern chemical testing techniques can detect exceeding small traces of such substances, traces that are far below any danger level. And we also learn, near the end of the article, that even the Center for Disease Control (CDC), says these findings are of no concern.
Nowhere in the newspaper article are we told that the study’s authors themselves said that more effort is needed before conclusions can be drawn regarding implications for environmental policies.
But yet, in spite of the disclaimers by the study’s authors and opinions from legitimate, non-biased experts that the study results are of no significance, we have the blaring headlines about those pathetic pregnant women’s bodies being so horribly contaminated with chemicals, and a call for action to fix this terrible problem via even stricter laws and regulations.
This article has given us a lesson in the methodology of the media as they report the “news” according to an agenda. First, they find some sensationalized, manufactured data or opinions from biased advocacy groups that are pushing an agenda. Next, they present this as legitimate news, complete with alarming headlines, and use it as a “call to action” for even more draconian governmental restrictions and regulations. Then at the end of the article, beyond the point where most people have stopped reading, they cite legitimate, objective experts that counteract everything said previously in the article about the disturbing findings and the need for a call to action.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
The Intolerance of the Left Overcomes Another Moderate
Virginia Senator Jim Webb announced yesterday that he will not seek re-election in 2012, after serving only one term. I'm sure this is due to my two blog postings on him. No, I can't take credit for this; the credit goes to the Democrat Party.
Senator Webb was a moderate who antagonized the left wing liberals who control the Democrat Party. He graduated from the Naval Academy and was a Marine in Vietnam. He served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs and as Secretary of the Navy in the Reagan Administration. As a Senator, he was a strong supporter of the military and veterans, a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, and critical of what he called "overly permissive immigration policies." Webb once famously remarked, while he was a Senator, that a rich minority kid from Northern Virginia should not be given preference in college admission over a poor white kid from Southwest Virginia, a position which enraged the Liberals but for which I was tempted to vote for him, regardless of his other positions.
As you can see, Webb was a moderate, but there is no place for moderates in the Democrat Party of today, so he is on his way out.
Yes, moderates do have a hard time of it in the Democrat Party. Just ask Joe Lieberman, who was in effect drummed out of the Democrat Party for supporting the war in Iraq while President Bush was in office. Other than his support for the Iraq war, he was almost entirely an orthodox liberal. But for this one transgression, he was challenged in the Democrat primary and lost. He became an Independent and won re-election anyway. He caucused with the Democrats, but even so they were thereafter cold to him. He has also announced he will not seek re-election.
Prior to the election last November, there were 54 so-called "blue dog" Democrats in the House of Representatives; now there are 26. Blue dogs are Democrats who are more conservative than most Democrats. Blue Dogs have an agenda which protects the interests of the vulnerable while also respecting traditional cultural values and keeping taxes low. The are called "blue dogs" because someone once said that the extreme liberals in the Democrat Party were choking them blue. The remaining blue dogs are ostracized within the Democrat Party, and Nancy Pelosi would no doubt git rid of them if she could.
My parents never voted for anyone other than a Democrat in their entire lives. But the Democrat Party of their day was nothing like the Democrat Party of today. In today's Democrat Party, if you don't tow the extreme left wing line of Obama/Reid/Pelosi, you are personna non grata. You might be allowed to hang around with the Democrats if you want, but you will not be accepted or welcomed, and certainly not embraced.You may even be targeted for defeat in the next election if the extreme liberal Democrat leadership thinks they can get you out and replaced by a more rigidly liberal ideologue.
Senator Webb was a moderate who antagonized the left wing liberals who control the Democrat Party. He graduated from the Naval Academy and was a Marine in Vietnam. He served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs and as Secretary of the Navy in the Reagan Administration. As a Senator, he was a strong supporter of the military and veterans, a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, and critical of what he called "overly permissive immigration policies." Webb once famously remarked, while he was a Senator, that a rich minority kid from Northern Virginia should not be given preference in college admission over a poor white kid from Southwest Virginia, a position which enraged the Liberals but for which I was tempted to vote for him, regardless of his other positions.
As you can see, Webb was a moderate, but there is no place for moderates in the Democrat Party of today, so he is on his way out.
Yes, moderates do have a hard time of it in the Democrat Party. Just ask Joe Lieberman, who was in effect drummed out of the Democrat Party for supporting the war in Iraq while President Bush was in office. Other than his support for the Iraq war, he was almost entirely an orthodox liberal. But for this one transgression, he was challenged in the Democrat primary and lost. He became an Independent and won re-election anyway. He caucused with the Democrats, but even so they were thereafter cold to him. He has also announced he will not seek re-election.
Prior to the election last November, there were 54 so-called "blue dog" Democrats in the House of Representatives; now there are 26. Blue dogs are Democrats who are more conservative than most Democrats. Blue Dogs have an agenda which protects the interests of the vulnerable while also respecting traditional cultural values and keeping taxes low. The are called "blue dogs" because someone once said that the extreme liberals in the Democrat Party were choking them blue. The remaining blue dogs are ostracized within the Democrat Party, and Nancy Pelosi would no doubt git rid of them if she could.
My parents never voted for anyone other than a Democrat in their entire lives. But the Democrat Party of their day was nothing like the Democrat Party of today. In today's Democrat Party, if you don't tow the extreme left wing line of Obama/Reid/Pelosi, you are personna non grata. You might be allowed to hang around with the Democrats if you want, but you will not be accepted or welcomed, and certainly not embraced.You may even be targeted for defeat in the next election if the extreme liberal Democrat leadership thinks they can get you out and replaced by a more rigidly liberal ideologue.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
More Deception About Health Care
After the Senate vote to repeal Obamacare, California Senator Barbara Boxer said, “We should not go back to the days where 62 percent of all bankruptcies were linked to a health care crisis and 45,000 people a year died because they could not get access to health insurance.”
These statistics are pure fabrications; they’re just made up.
No one in this country has died due to lack of access to health insurance, because no one is denied health care. Emergency rooms are required by law to treat everyone; no one is turned away. There are also free clinics that will see anyone, and other resources. No one who needs healthcare is denied treatment when then seek it. But here Ms. Boxer is trying to make you think that masses of people were dying in the street, like the black plague, until the government took over health care. Others pushing Obamacare used the same deception. It’s just a complete lie.
And those bankruptcies, well, it’s another one that’s just made up. Sixty-two percent of all bankruptcies cause by a lack of health insurance? Oh, no, it’s due to a “health care crisis”, whatever that is. If it’s referring to a situation where someone gets serious ill, is laid up for an extended period, can’t work or something, and as a result gets into some financial problems, the issue of health insurance is irrelevant. Government run health insurance will not affect those cases in any way, so it’s a blatant deception to claim that “health crises” are a justification for the government take-over of healthcare.
This is what is so telling about many of those pushing Obamacare. They can’t make their case honestly and with legitimate, logical, clear data, so they just deceive and make stuff up, all the while trying to whip up hysteria and fear. Thousands of people dying in the streets, no health insurance, children, bankruptcies, the sky is falling, the sky is falling, the sky is falling, blah, blah, blah.
Enough is enough. These people need to go.
These statistics are pure fabrications; they’re just made up.
No one in this country has died due to lack of access to health insurance, because no one is denied health care. Emergency rooms are required by law to treat everyone; no one is turned away. There are also free clinics that will see anyone, and other resources. No one who needs healthcare is denied treatment when then seek it. But here Ms. Boxer is trying to make you think that masses of people were dying in the street, like the black plague, until the government took over health care. Others pushing Obamacare used the same deception. It’s just a complete lie.
And those bankruptcies, well, it’s another one that’s just made up. Sixty-two percent of all bankruptcies cause by a lack of health insurance? Oh, no, it’s due to a “health care crisis”, whatever that is. If it’s referring to a situation where someone gets serious ill, is laid up for an extended period, can’t work or something, and as a result gets into some financial problems, the issue of health insurance is irrelevant. Government run health insurance will not affect those cases in any way, so it’s a blatant deception to claim that “health crises” are a justification for the government take-over of healthcare.
This is what is so telling about many of those pushing Obamacare. They can’t make their case honestly and with legitimate, logical, clear data, so they just deceive and make stuff up, all the while trying to whip up hysteria and fear. Thousands of people dying in the streets, no health insurance, children, bankruptcies, the sky is falling, the sky is falling, the sky is falling, blah, blah, blah.
Enough is enough. These people need to go.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Timeless Wisdom From Ronald Reagan - In Honor Of His 100th. Birthday
"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States of America where men were free."
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Virginia Senators Warner and Webb Thumb Their Noses At The People - Again
Virginia Senator Webb voted against the repeal of Obamacare yesterday (Feb. 2), and Virginia Senator Mark Warner skipped the vote altogether. The vote count was 47 for repeal and 51 against repeal. If Misters Webb and Warner had followed the will of the people and voted for repeal, the bill would be on the President’s desk. Yes, he would veto it, but wouldn’t that be a grand spectacle.
Warner and Webb have once again thumbed their nose at the people. Every poll that has ever been done on Obamacare has shown that most people did not want it passed in the first place, and most now want it repealed. But Warner and Webb don’t care what we the people want; they care about forcing their extreme left wing agenda on us no matter how we feel about it. They think they know better than we do what is good for us. They think they are our rulers, not our representatives.
We have an opportunity to explain some things to Warner and Webb in 2012 (Webb) and 2014 (Warner). George Allen has announced that he will seek the nomination to run against Webb, and another good candidate will no doubt emerge to take on Warner. You know what to do.
In the meantime, you can call their offices and let them know how you feel:
Senator Mark Warner: 540-857-2676
Senator Jim Webb: 540-772-4236
Yes, it is worth while to give them feedback even though the vote has already happened. They need to hear form you; there is always a next time.
Warner and Webb have once again thumbed their nose at the people. Every poll that has ever been done on Obamacare has shown that most people did not want it passed in the first place, and most now want it repealed. But Warner and Webb don’t care what we the people want; they care about forcing their extreme left wing agenda on us no matter how we feel about it. They think they know better than we do what is good for us. They think they are our rulers, not our representatives.
We have an opportunity to explain some things to Warner and Webb in 2012 (Webb) and 2014 (Warner). George Allen has announced that he will seek the nomination to run against Webb, and another good candidate will no doubt emerge to take on Warner. You know what to do.
In the meantime, you can call their offices and let them know how you feel:
Senator Mark Warner: 540-857-2676
Senator Jim Webb: 540-772-4236
Yes, it is worth while to give them feedback even though the vote has already happened. They need to hear form you; there is always a next time.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Punxsutawney Phil: There will be an early Spring this year
Punxsutawney Phil, the world's official groundhog, lives in a burrow on top of Gobbler's Knob just outside of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Every February 2nd. he comes out of his hole early in the morning and looks around. If he sees his shadow, he is startled, which makes him run back into his hole, meaning there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he does not see his shadow, he stays out poking around for awhile, meaning there will be an early spring.
Today, as they do every year, members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle donned tuxedos and silk top hats, then marched up to the top of Gobbler's knob to receive the official prognostication from Phil. At exactly 7:20 a.m. EST, the club president spoke to Phil in Groundhogese and was told that he (Phil) had not seen his shadow and therefore Spring was on the way soon.
Today, as they do every year, members of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club Inner Circle donned tuxedos and silk top hats, then marched up to the top of Gobbler's knob to receive the official prognostication from Phil. At exactly 7:20 a.m. EST, the club president spoke to Phil in Groundhogese and was told that he (Phil) had not seen his shadow and therefore Spring was on the way soon.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
North Dakota Leads The Way
I am on the Empire Builder train from Chicago to Seattle, through North Dakota and Montana. It’s the only way to travel. We have our own private room, toilet and shower facilities, great food from a menu served in the dining car at a table with a table cloth, wine tasting in the afternoon, an observation car, a lounge car, and – as they say – much more.
I didn’t know there was still so much open space in this country. Going through North Dakota and Montana, I saw vast expanses of snow-covered flat land. There is nothing but snow and a very occasional farm house for as far as the eye could see. And one could see a very long distance since the land is flat and there are almost no trees (due to the harsh climate, I guess). You could even see the curvature of the earth by looking off to the horizon from left to right. And we just kept rolling along in comfort. I wonder how the pioneers made it ---- ?
On the way, I read in a local North Dakota newspaper , the Minot Daily News, that North Dakota is now the third largest oil producer in the U.S., after Alaska and Texas. I didn’t know that, did you? Third largest oil producing state. As a result, North Dakota has a recession-proof economy. All through the economic crisis over the last three or four years, unemployment in ND never got above 4.4 %. Meanwhile, unemployment elsewhere in the country peaked at 10% and still is stubbornly high at 9.4%.
Thank you environmentalists.
Development of oil resources is demonized and fought vigorously by that crew. Obama even used the Gulf oil spill (which is completely cleaned up already) as an excuse to put a moratorium on new off-shore oil drilling at a cost of tens of thousands of jobs. Yes, he has now lifted it, but he is still blocking new oil development by means of over-regulation. No new federal permits for off shore exploration or drilling are being issued; ANWAR remains locked; don’t even mention oil shale.
Development of these resources, which can be done in an environmentally responsible way, would create hundreds of thousands of high paying jobs thereby helping hard-working American families and the economy; it would increase tax revenues thus boosting state and federal government budgets dramatically; the trade balance and national security would be improved by reducing our dependence on foreign oil; and this is just for starters. Ask North Dakota.
I guess there in North Dakota the authorities put the well being of the economy and the state budget and people above appeasement of sanctimonious environmental extremists.
I didn’t know there was still so much open space in this country. Going through North Dakota and Montana, I saw vast expanses of snow-covered flat land. There is nothing but snow and a very occasional farm house for as far as the eye could see. And one could see a very long distance since the land is flat and there are almost no trees (due to the harsh climate, I guess). You could even see the curvature of the earth by looking off to the horizon from left to right. And we just kept rolling along in comfort. I wonder how the pioneers made it ---- ?
On the way, I read in a local North Dakota newspaper , the Minot Daily News, that North Dakota is now the third largest oil producer in the U.S., after Alaska and Texas. I didn’t know that, did you? Third largest oil producing state. As a result, North Dakota has a recession-proof economy. All through the economic crisis over the last three or four years, unemployment in ND never got above 4.4 %. Meanwhile, unemployment elsewhere in the country peaked at 10% and still is stubbornly high at 9.4%.
Thank you environmentalists.
Development of oil resources is demonized and fought vigorously by that crew. Obama even used the Gulf oil spill (which is completely cleaned up already) as an excuse to put a moratorium on new off-shore oil drilling at a cost of tens of thousands of jobs. Yes, he has now lifted it, but he is still blocking new oil development by means of over-regulation. No new federal permits for off shore exploration or drilling are being issued; ANWAR remains locked; don’t even mention oil shale.
Development of these resources, which can be done in an environmentally responsible way, would create hundreds of thousands of high paying jobs thereby helping hard-working American families and the economy; it would increase tax revenues thus boosting state and federal government budgets dramatically; the trade balance and national security would be improved by reducing our dependence on foreign oil; and this is just for starters. Ask North Dakota.
I guess there in North Dakota the authorities put the well being of the economy and the state budget and people above appeasement of sanctimonious environmental extremists.
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