Oil Prices - Cost of Gas

 FOOD FOR THOUGHT

 I would like this idea to fester... it might evolve into something useful.

We are in an economic war.  A real war, much like the war on terror, that is threatening the national security of our country.

This "Global" economy is killing us.  Why? Because we cannot possibly provide our standard of living to all 7 billion people on this planet at once.

The oil, natural gas, and coal under the ground in our country belongs to us, the U.S. citizen.

I propose thinking about our oil as ours; our coal as ours, our natural gas as ours.  It does not belong to the big, global energy companies.

So, here's my proposal.

Declare "economic war"

This means that we should focus on having our oil refined for us only.  Have our coal mined for us only. Have our natural gas tapped for us only.... FIRST.

Let the oil companies play on the global market and make their money.

But we should take care of ourselves (citizens) first.

Let our government search for oil on our own land and when found, invest in building U.S. owned refineries to supply our country first.  This should allow us to be energy independent and allow us (U.S.) to be free from the swings in oil prices due to speculation, global demand, or global conflicts.  We, as citizens can sell "our" excess oil globally, but only after our needs and economy are satisfied.

I hate the idea of getting the government involved in this but it is the Federal Government's responsibility to assure national security.  The only branch of the government I trust is the military and feel they should be the ones handling this. (Keep "Industry" out of this.)





One quick way to do this is to increase the strategic oil reserve to the point where we can control global oil prices. (i.e. make it too costly for the oil countries to overcharge for their oil.

We must have the ability to stabilize global energy costs.  If Iran threatens the oil supply, so what? We have our own to tap from.

The Fence

One of my best friends has a philosophy that the life you live has two choices.  One right, one wrong.

I differ somewhat in this philosophy because people interpret right and wrong differently; what's right for one person is wrong to the other, yet they both feel they are doing the right (good) thing.

We've all been on this earth long enough for us to chose a time and place where we were unjustifiably persecuted by an "enemy". Propagandist's can mold our beliefs by bringing back memories when persecution happened and make enemies of anyone they chose. They can twist the truth into all kinds of lies; half truths and  focusing on only one side of the story.

But, if Rio de Janeiro  slum statistics are representative of the percentage of all people who consciously chose the wrong path, 94% of the people on this earth want peace, want to pull their own weight and do not want to hurt anyone but live their life as honorably as they can. The other 6% has made living in the slum a living hell for the honest majority with drugs, gangs, murder, and fear mongering.

94% of the people want peace on earth.

The U.S. does not have a perfect record of doing only good.  It has done some nasty things to other countries for personal gain... but, the good the U.S. has done for the world outweighs the bad by a long shot.

Both friendly and unfriendly countries have many of the conveniences they have because of the U.S.  Every country has cars, cell phones, high tech medicine, cell phones, refrigerators, and telephones.  Where did the transistor come from?  Where did the home computer and television come from?  Where did mechanized agriculture come from?  From inventions done by people in the U.S. where they had the freedom to create with the promise that they could make and hold onto wealth.

So, dear enemies of the U.S. , count the blessings you have that came from the U.S.  Also, count the curses the technologies brought when used inappropriately.  Cars came first, then tanks which would not have been possible without the internal combustion engine.

My point in all of this is that any country can have a free and productive society if its citizens are allowed to pursue their dreams.

Rich citizens = rich leaders.

Unlimited Mattress!!!!!

Real Quick.....  If you understood my last two posts.

Do you know who has a mattress full of money with an unlimited supply?

You are right!!!!  It's the FED = (Federal Reserve Bank that is privately owned by rich dudes.)

Remember the story of the guy who went to California and bought up all the shovels. (He limited supply.)
He then sold the shovels for a very high price to the hopeful miners and ended up being a millionaire?)  Was that fair?  Was it fair to the miners? ....... You answer.

Back to the FED -- (I'm FED up.)

The FED steals money any time it wants.  All it has to do is print more money.  A nickel could buy a candy bar when I was a kid.  Now you have to pay at least $1.00 for a candy bar.  Thanks to the Fed printing money,  the nickels I saved back then are practically worthless.

So, the controllers of our money dictates and controls our lives, our savings, supply, demand, and our economy at will. We have no recourse.... (Not even gold can escape this strategy.... Gold is a commodity, has gone up and down precipitously in the past and many people lost their shirts counting on it.)


Now, if we could tax the unlimited mattress (privately owned) according to the rules laid out in my two previous posts, we might be able to put "money" back doing what it is supposed to do... move and provide jobs.

Eric

Do I Live in a World Full of PinHeads?

I'm watching the NEWS and the topic of the day is about
"TAXING THE RICH"

The Rich DO NOT PAY TAXES!!!!!!!!
(See my previous post for explanation.)

Since I'm also a pinhead, I assumed everyone would be able to think logically enough to expand on my previous concept.  Especially since I (a fellow pinhead) can understand it.

Let's expand on the concept of ECONOMY = MOVEMENT of MONEY. (Explained in my previous post.)

1. Time spent well, time wasted.
   
   A lot of time and money is spent on "Escapism".  Yes, people need to "decompress", but not 4 hours a day. 
   
   Money and time spent on escaping from reality is the same as opening the windows in the dead of winter... the only result is higher fuel bills.
   
   Complex government regulations are the same. They waste valuable time and resources because there are no products produced that provide value to anyone... just aggravation and fear..
   
   
2. Too much money is in the control of too few people. (No, not communist here.)
   
   There are super wealthy individuals, organizations and countries that have an excess of IDLE money. This idle money is used to leverage markets by  buying up surplus to get a higher profit on artificially rarified supply.  Taxing IDLE money would make it more profitable for these control freaks to put their idle money into investments that cause money to move. Only moving money creates more wealth.
   
   
3. Rich is not necessarily Evil.
   
   Just because a person is rich doesn't mean that this "rich" person is doing anything wrong.  Investments that provide capital to build more "money movers" is a good thing.
   
   
4. Stupid investments.
   
   Mistakes like making an Edsel when everyone wants Volkswagens is a waste of economy (money). Solyndra anyone?
   
   
5. Planned Obsolescence:
   
   Items made to fail to force consumers to buy new builds more poverty.
   
   Cash for Clunkers made used cars much more expensive for those unable to afford a new car. Working poor cannot afford new cars.
   Yet, the working poor are the ones that build items that provide value.
   
   * Safety considerations can logically force obsolescence.
   
   * Poor is a relative term. 
   (A friend of mine complained of making ONLY $25/hr back in the 60's.  He felt poor when the average wage was $6.25/hr where I lived.
   
   
6. Needs, then Wants
   
   Our main social structure must provide for the needs of all.
   Needs = food, shelter
   Wants help make life more pleasant.
   
   Focus should be spent on making needs less expensive so more money can be spent on wants
   .
7. Diversity
   
   New technology and new products would be very difficult to discover if we all thought the same way.
   
   
   
   
   Seen on Lib Wailing Wall...
   "We need more rich to suck money from"
   
   
   

An Exercise in Upside Down Thinking

 Let's Tax Savings

(Savings is defined as money that does not flow and assets that do not aid in the flow of money.. Savings just sits there.)

---- Everyone should know by now that ALL TAXES ARE PAID BY THE PURCHASER -----
(For those of you that don't know this, I'll explain.. All items sold has a "cost of doing business" added to the purchase price. The cost of doing business includes corporate taxes.)

Money in a mattress does no one any good except for the "owner" who sleeps on it feeling secure.

Our current tax system taxes the flow of money.  Taxing the flow of money  slows down the economy.

Let's think about doing something completely different... Let's tax all money and assets that do not promote the FLOW of money.

I'm not suggesting going whole hog at this... there has to be some savings, but how much?
I suggest a percentage threshold, below which savings and idle assets are not taxed; above which is taxed.

Let's assume there is an optimum balance between the amount of money in "savings" and the amount of money that is flowing (being spent).  If the right ratio of savings versus spending was found, a dollar would remain a dollar: no inflation, no deflation. Everything owned, both savings and money promoting assets could be passed on to heirs without any devastating results.

The optimum process would grow both sides of the equation.  Savings would grow as the economy grows.

Of course, this plan has all the trappings of complicating itself like our current tax code. But the change would promote the economy instead of  hinder it.

Who Votes?

Just watched the S. Carolina Republican Debates and listened to all the high minded logic that makes sense to me.  BUT...........

Who will do the electing?

Those who don't know who they are electing... plain and simple.

The largest majority of people who vote have no clue as to who they are voting for.

Their vote is based on.......

• He/She's COOL!
• "Gut Feel", 
• "Who do I Like?"
• "Who's Face do I want to see for the next four years?"
• "What's in it for ME?"
• "If my favorite celebrity, rock star, likes this candidate, I'll like him/her, too."
• My Church group told me to vote for.....
• "Who will make me feel SAFE"
• My friend is voting for.....

Nuff said.

Obesity Musings

Several pieces of trivia I've learned over the years seems to gel into an idea of why our obesity rate is high in the U.S. and other countries.

Here are the pieces:

• Hot dogs and Twinkies do not rot in landfills.
• McDonalds hamburgers don't rot.. according to two sources: radio program, conversation with friend.
• When cows are in the feed lot prior to slaughtering, they are fed corn which the cows cannot digest properly.  I was told their stomachs would perforate unless they are fed antibiotics.
• Antibiotics kill friendly bacteria in our intestines and a recent study associates antibiotics with obesity.

So, is it the bacteria in our intestines responsible for obesity?  Seems like the evidence is building up.

Now I have to see if there are any studies done on the bacterial mix in the intestines from different cultures, especially those cultures that do not have an obesity problem.

And, I'm wondering if the antibiotic resistant bacteria are killed by the two glasses of wine recommended by doctors for men, one for women?


Just thoughts,

Eric