Just as gasoline prices jumped in California due to refinery shut-downs, the fuel prices on the East Coast will jump in the after-math of Sandy.
We all understand short supply. Refineries shut down and no trucks have been able to deliver gas. However, why the increased prices? How does paying more at the pump enable refineries and delivery trucks to deliver? When the storm is gone there should be no increase, but we don't live in 'the land of should'. We live in the land of giving the consumers the shaft.
Recently, many articles (and there will be more to come) have been printed to inform us that oil independence has nothing to do with what we will pay at the pump. The response to those articles should be: we have the solution. A federal law prohibiting the export of any fuel products until gasoline prices (including taxes) is at $2 per gallon. Such a law would cause a glut of gasoline in the USA and prices would tumble.
Our number one export is fuel. Let the oil barons take care of their country.
In the meantime, get out your wallets. Your gasoline will be more expensive because of Sandy.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Hurricane Sandy
Tomorrow we will know the truth about Hurricane Sandy. We already know the truth about the media and storms predictions.
The national weather service is our best source for storm information, not the overblown and deliberately exaggerated news media predictions. The media cherry picks from the National Weather Service, throws in some adjectives and adverbs to frighten us and creates new phrases to further panic the population. The media twists and uses facts to create an immediate sense of danger.
The storm is barely at hurricane strength and is very wide. It could make landfall at one of a hundred places, so the media reports that New York City may be a target. They also write that cities in the Carolinas, Virginia and all across New England may be the target. They include stories about past storms (or they would only have a one paragraph story) to further create panic.
Many people live for these kinds of stories. They love playing the victim and they love telling everyone how worried they are about the certain disaster that might be heading directly for them. Many people are genuinely panicked and rush out to buy everything imaginable.
The media is gleeful! They've created panic and now have a new story about the people running around in panic.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service downgrades the hurricane to a tropical storm.
The media reports this information with emphasis on a lot of what-ifs. The storm could merge with another storm and result in snow. The snow could cause school cancellations. Heck, if the storms merge it is possible that damages will be over 1-billion dollars.
When the National Weather Service reported that the wind increase to barely reach hurricane strength, the media was elated.
We should always be prepared for extreme weather. People that need to rush out and buy batteries, canned food and bottled water should have those items in their homes for an emergency. It is not complicated. I buy bottled water, batteries,and canned goods just prior to hurricane season every year. These items could even be used in a blizzard or flood. I know of several routes out of town and if I feel imminently threatened I will drive away.
In the meantime, tomorrow is coming. I have a few appointments and some Christmas wrapping to do. I will check with the National Weather Service to track the storm. I hope the daughter I have that lives in Pennsylvania (a 'target area') is at a festival or baking cupcakes. I hope my niece and her family, that live very close to the ocean, are following the news on the National Weather Service. My sister in Baltimore does not panic.
People cannot simply flee and skip work because a storm might hit their city. There are more possible locations for this storm to make landfall then there are numbers on a crap table. Yet the media, like Las Vegas, convince millions that they have a reason to be sure.
The national weather service is our best source for storm information, not the overblown and deliberately exaggerated news media predictions. The media cherry picks from the National Weather Service, throws in some adjectives and adverbs to frighten us and creates new phrases to further panic the population. The media twists and uses facts to create an immediate sense of danger.
The storm is barely at hurricane strength and is very wide. It could make landfall at one of a hundred places, so the media reports that New York City may be a target. They also write that cities in the Carolinas, Virginia and all across New England may be the target. They include stories about past storms (or they would only have a one paragraph story) to further create panic.
Many people live for these kinds of stories. They love playing the victim and they love telling everyone how worried they are about the certain disaster that might be heading directly for them. Many people are genuinely panicked and rush out to buy everything imaginable.
The media is gleeful! They've created panic and now have a new story about the people running around in panic.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service downgrades the hurricane to a tropical storm.
The media reports this information with emphasis on a lot of what-ifs. The storm could merge with another storm and result in snow. The snow could cause school cancellations. Heck, if the storms merge it is possible that damages will be over 1-billion dollars.
When the National Weather Service reported that the wind increase to barely reach hurricane strength, the media was elated.
We should always be prepared for extreme weather. People that need to rush out and buy batteries, canned food and bottled water should have those items in their homes for an emergency. It is not complicated. I buy bottled water, batteries,and canned goods just prior to hurricane season every year. These items could even be used in a blizzard or flood. I know of several routes out of town and if I feel imminently threatened I will drive away.
In the meantime, tomorrow is coming. I have a few appointments and some Christmas wrapping to do. I will check with the National Weather Service to track the storm. I hope the daughter I have that lives in Pennsylvania (a 'target area') is at a festival or baking cupcakes. I hope my niece and her family, that live very close to the ocean, are following the news on the National Weather Service. My sister in Baltimore does not panic.
People cannot simply flee and skip work because a storm might hit their city. There are more possible locations for this storm to make landfall then there are numbers on a crap table. Yet the media, like Las Vegas, convince millions that they have a reason to be sure.
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Election
People will vote against a candidate. Few people will actually want either of these candidates to lead our nation.
Each candidate will talk in broad terms without a plan and each will spend most of their time crying about the other guy.
Each candidate will talk in broad terms without a plan and each will spend most of their time crying about the other guy.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Come Together - not now!
The division in political views is extreme and George Washington's fear that loyalty to political parties will become more important than loyalty to the Republic has become a reality.
Although little difference exists between the health care law created by former Governor Romney and President Obama, the language, exaggerations and rhetoric sounds like war. Neither politician is smart enough or has the courage to change the discussion to the real issue: the cost of American health care.
How many Americans realize that during the past decade we have changed how we pay for prescription drugs with our tax dollars through Medicare and Medicaid? Our representatives changed the way we pay for prescription drugs and the result of that change is that Big Pharm (pharmaceutical and drug companies) are making millions more every single month.
Every independent study of American health costs conclude that we pay almost twice the amount per person than other industrialized countries and the citizens of those other countries are out-living us.
While we argue about paying for the uninsured and our love of private insurance, we've lost sight of our real concern. Is it not true that we want the best health care at the lowest cost? I don't care if my health care comes from an insurance company, Medicaid, or uga-uga-boo-boo. I care about the quality of care, what is covered and the final cost.
Today, I have private health insurance. I also pay, through my taxes, for Medicaid and Medicare. I also pay, through my taxes, for health care at emergency rooms for those without health care coverage. I think we can do better.
The real issue is the cost of health care. Many procedures (hip replacements for people over 80) was unheard of a few decades ago. Today it happens a lot. Not only are there more people living longer, the actual charges for procedures, like hip replacements, has jumped. The insurance companies and medical providers follow the market and continue to raise prices.
For example, insurance companies and the public accepted a move from hospitals to out-patient surgery. As the demand for out patient surgery rose the prices rose accordingly.
Many doctors and medical professionals say that they will leave medicine if they are limited by what they can charge. Let them go.
Look at any hospital bill and note the money paid to each person. Some of the names will baffle you. These are doctors that walked beside your surgeon when he or she visited your room. They are consultants.
What was the price tag for that delicious meal? How does the meal and the price compare to room service at a luxury hotel?
The real issue is cost? A smart politician would change the discussion from Obamacare to the cost of our health care.
No such discussion will occur. Instead, we will return to our political corners and come out screaming.
Although little difference exists between the health care law created by former Governor Romney and President Obama, the language, exaggerations and rhetoric sounds like war. Neither politician is smart enough or has the courage to change the discussion to the real issue: the cost of American health care.
How many Americans realize that during the past decade we have changed how we pay for prescription drugs with our tax dollars through Medicare and Medicaid? Our representatives changed the way we pay for prescription drugs and the result of that change is that Big Pharm (pharmaceutical and drug companies) are making millions more every single month.
Every independent study of American health costs conclude that we pay almost twice the amount per person than other industrialized countries and the citizens of those other countries are out-living us.
While we argue about paying for the uninsured and our love of private insurance, we've lost sight of our real concern. Is it not true that we want the best health care at the lowest cost? I don't care if my health care comes from an insurance company, Medicaid, or uga-uga-boo-boo. I care about the quality of care, what is covered and the final cost.
Today, I have private health insurance. I also pay, through my taxes, for Medicaid and Medicare. I also pay, through my taxes, for health care at emergency rooms for those without health care coverage. I think we can do better.
The real issue is the cost of health care. Many procedures (hip replacements for people over 80) was unheard of a few decades ago. Today it happens a lot. Not only are there more people living longer, the actual charges for procedures, like hip replacements, has jumped. The insurance companies and medical providers follow the market and continue to raise prices.
For example, insurance companies and the public accepted a move from hospitals to out-patient surgery. As the demand for out patient surgery rose the prices rose accordingly.
Many doctors and medical professionals say that they will leave medicine if they are limited by what they can charge. Let them go.
Look at any hospital bill and note the money paid to each person. Some of the names will baffle you. These are doctors that walked beside your surgeon when he or she visited your room. They are consultants.
What was the price tag for that delicious meal? How does the meal and the price compare to room service at a luxury hotel?
The real issue is cost? A smart politician would change the discussion from Obamacare to the cost of our health care.
No such discussion will occur. Instead, we will return to our political corners and come out screaming.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
We The Puppets
The Koch brothers will continue to fund Tea Party groups, Americans for Prosperity, FreedomWorks, and Citizens for a Sound Economy ($12 million so far). The Republicans and Democrats will continue to be funded and controlled by the super rich contributing to PAC funds. We the people, will continue to be puppets as the media, owned by the super rich, pull the strings.
Our bias, beliefs, and prejudices will be satisfied by news stories with misleading headlines. On the web, we will continue to seek out and find, not new worlds, but affirmation that our biases, beliefs and prejudices are right. Although facts are available to provide the truth, we can't handle the truth. We will not let the facts get in the way of lies, exaggerations, and we will not let the facts help us to help ourselves.
It remains a mystery that the average working person seems to be against organizing and demanding a greater (and fairer) share of the corporate wealth. The average people at the top of a company used to earn 20 times the amount of the average worker. Today, the average people at the top of a company receive 200 to 300 times the amount earned by the average worker. As top executives receive millions in bonuses after accepting taxpayer bailouts and as top executives are paid millions in severance pay, workers are no longer needed. Yet, workers blame unions! Wow! The wealthy have become experts at pulling the strings of 'we the puppets'.
Our bias, beliefs, and prejudices will be satisfied by news stories with misleading headlines. On the web, we will continue to seek out and find, not new worlds, but affirmation that our biases, beliefs and prejudices are right. Although facts are available to provide the truth, we can't handle the truth. We will not let the facts get in the way of lies, exaggerations, and we will not let the facts help us to help ourselves.
It remains a mystery that the average working person seems to be against organizing and demanding a greater (and fairer) share of the corporate wealth. The average people at the top of a company used to earn 20 times the amount of the average worker. Today, the average people at the top of a company receive 200 to 300 times the amount earned by the average worker. As top executives receive millions in bonuses after accepting taxpayer bailouts and as top executives are paid millions in severance pay, workers are no longer needed. Yet, workers blame unions! Wow! The wealthy have become experts at pulling the strings of 'we the puppets'.
Tomorrow, more of the same.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
June 1, 2012
A consistently increasing effort to improve our food choices is about to unfold. Taxes on fatty food and food laced with sugar will be one of the results. Another result will be a reduction in our current health care costs.
A consistently increasing effort to improve our food choices is about to unfold. Taxes on fatty food and food laced with sugar will be one of the results. Another result will be a reduction in our current health care costs.
I am a long-time opponent to government meddling. I was against even discussing any government taxes, programs or efforts to tell me what to eat. Then I read “The Jobs Wars”. The last chapters of this book by Gallup Chairman Jim Clifton, provides simple facts about the cost of our medical care. I have often said that the real issue about health care is not about ‘who pays’ but about reducing the cost. Mr. Cliffton says the same thing. Politicians and the American people are arguing about who pays instead of addressing the real issue: how do we reduce the cost?
Politicians will not take on big pharmaceutical companies and force fair pricing. However, the outrageous profits by these companies are only half of the problem. The other half lies in the choices we make about our health.
A huge portion of medical expenses result from obesity. Because almost half of medical expenses are paid by Medicaid and Medicare (taxes) the government may be able to convince us that people on the public dole should not be allowed to purchase foods loaded with fat and sugar. Recent studies have repudiated the old argument that poor people cannot afford to eat healthy. It turns out that healthy food is available and is as cheap as the unhealthy food that is often purchased. With the advent of ATM like cards that replace checks, programs can easily be implemented to limit their use to only healthy foods.
People will whine about ‘”Big Brother” as this is discussed, but I believe the government will prevail.
We are about to see a campaign similar to the anti-smoking campaign that changed the habits of America. Imagine telling a person in 1955 that people would come to think of smoking as dirty, un-cool and stupid. We are now moving toward thinking in terms of fat people being lazy, un-cool and stupid. Now, I am going to the gym and getting rid of my fat and then I am keeping it off.
America is about to see more and more magazine articles, news paper stories and eventually, more taxes in an effort to improve our health, whether we like it or not. Perhaps we will one day pay about $4000 per person for our health care, which is about the cost in England, Canada and Germany - where people are outliving us. We now pay twice that amount per person and do not live as long!
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Jobs
American will soon begin to awaken to the truth that our largest issue is jobs. Every politician that tries to point to the news story dujour, fairness in sports, immigration, the Middle East, and the crisis dujour should be thrown out of office in the election. Our focus must be jobs.
According to the CEO of Gallup Polls, jobs have become the number one issue that concerns people around the world. In every country, the creation of jobs is the number one issue. Few people without jobs are likely to list global warming or gas prices as their number one concern. Few people that remain in lousy jobs with poor pay list anything other than a good job as their number one issue.
When politicians consider new laws, ordinances, rules, taxes and restrictions, the impact on jobs must be a very high priority. When bridges, roads and other infrastructure are discussed, the impact on jobs must prevail.
We need good jobs. We do not need shovel ready jobs, government job creation bills or temporary jobs. We need good jobs from the private sector.
According to the CEO of Gallup Polls, jobs have become the number one issue that concerns people around the world. In every country, the creation of jobs is the number one issue. Few people without jobs are likely to list global warming or gas prices as their number one concern. Few people that remain in lousy jobs with poor pay list anything other than a good job as their number one issue.
When politicians consider new laws, ordinances, rules, taxes and restrictions, the impact on jobs must be a very high priority. When bridges, roads and other infrastructure are discussed, the impact on jobs must prevail.
We need good jobs. We do not need shovel ready jobs, government job creation bills or temporary jobs. We need good jobs from the private sector.
Taxing the uber wealthy and taxing large corporations will not harm jobs. However, taxing small and middle businesses is a problem. This is where real job creation begins. There are thousands of ideas that can come to fruition when the government makes it simple to form a new company.
Easing restrictions on the means to raise small business capital is a good start. Excusing small businesses from many regulations and reducing permit fees to a dollar is also a good start. We need new business start-ups and that is where the government could play a huge role by getting out of the way.
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