My NYC Trip 2/13/2012
This gallery contains 69 photos.
Steve Jobs Dead at 56
Credit: Jim Wilson/The New York Times
The Time Is Now!
It is time for real change in this nation. We must take back our country and set right what has gone wrong for too long. It is time to elect someone that will restore America to the country it should be. It is time to elect Ron Paul for President!
Rep. Ron Paul at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) 2010. (Reuters/Larry Downing)
I could go on and on for pages about why to vote Ron Paul, but here is a summary at least, for your consumption.
When it comes to taxes, the congressman wants you to keep more of your hard-earned money. He believes the federal reserve is crooked and is bankrupting the country with its practices, like printing money out of thin air when dealing with federal debt. He says he will lower taxes so you and your family can afford to pay the bills and so businesses can afford to hire more workers. As president he will shut down the IRS, and get rid of the income and death tax.
He is a fighter when it comes to protecting the second amendment, that citizens have the right to bear arms. Ron Paul believes that the right to own a firearm is a guaranteed right in any free society.
When it comes to illegal immigration, he makes it clear we need to fix our broken system. He says the solutions to the problem are; better border security, no amnesty programs, welfare incentives, ending birthright citizenship, and to protect lawful immigration and make it into a more streamlined process.
In the area of education, the representative is a strong supporter of parent choice when it comes to their children’s K-12 education. He believes that we need to move the controls of education from the fed and back to teachers and parents. If the parents want to home-school their children or send them to a charter school, they should be able to do that. He also wants to have a $5,000 federal tax credit available to parents per child that will help fund the supplies and costs involved in homeschooling.
Dr. Ron Paul spent his entire professional career as a doctor and has come up with ways to improve the nation’s failing medical system. He will repeal “Obama-care,” allow you to purchase health plans across state lines, exempt those with terminal illnesses such as cancer from employment tax, make all citizens eligible for a health savings account, and much more!
Lastly, he would only accept a balanced budget from the congress. He would put a permanent cap on the national debt limit. He would also have an audit done of the federal reserve system to see how far the corruption has gone and then shut it down for good. Another item on his economic recovery list will be to do away with the gas tax, increase the amount for employee mileage reimbursement, and offer tax credits to people and businesses for using natural gas vehicles.
There are many other great reasons to join the Ron Paul Revolution. You can read much more about the issues @ Ron Paul 2012, the official campaign site. If you’re ready to turn this country around in 2012, it’s TIME TO VOTE RON PAUL FOR PRESIDENT!
My new website Database Earth!
Check out my new website Database Earth where you can learn about your world and tell others what you know!
Gas: Regular: $5.75/Gallon… Wait… What!?
If you’re freaking out right now, you should be, sort of. No gas did not go to $5.75 overnight, but if you’re living in America and you drive a car, you should be aware that this could be a reality at some point. How far ahead into our future will this happen? No one exactly knows right now, although you know who might have an idea, the scoundrels in the Mid-East selling us the crude oil.
I recall a few years back in New England when the price of gas hit $4 per gallon, that was shocking! At least back then it was, now, not so much. Right now we are only about twenty-five cents away from that. It seems that when consumers have been paying a fairly steady rate to fill up their gas tanks, over time, they become complicit. When the price of gas goes up they adjust their weekly budget, and that becomes the norm. Of course for a lot of low-income people, at some point mathematically they cannot adjust their budget without some serious cutback in another area. This cutback could be in bill payments, food, or even medication. For someone living paycheck to paycheck they need to get to their low wage job to try to make ends meet. One of the major problems with this type of scenario is that over recent years, inflation has outpaced the rate of change in income for most people. The conclusion is that their will be an amount that gas prices will hit, which will inhibit low wage earners effectively from livability in the American economy. What we need are new ideas and action!
We need to progressively ditch the old combustion engine that drive almost all cars in the US. Personally I spend approximately $2,000 per year on gas for my car, but a lot of people in my area spend more than that. Imagine if you could free up most of that money. You could use it for anything you needed! There are some electric hybrid cars available now in the US, at least twenty actually. Of course there is an added cost to buying them versus similar gas models, so initially you would not actually be freeing up that money for probably a couple years. Now the car manufacturers and gas companies clearly go hand in hand because they need each other, although it would be safe to say that it is the latter that relies more on the other. If battery technology progressed to the point where an electric car could go 300 miles on a charge then the car companies could effectively ditch the gas companies. As it stands now, the hybrids being manufactured can go about 125 miles on a charge. This is actually fine for someone living in a city or anyone that isn’t going to drive more than that in a day. Therefore as things are now with the alternative cars today, it makes sense to get a hybrid, but one that is at least 50% electric. It seems to me that approximately 125 miles on battery and another 125 miles on gas would be a good mix, pun intended.
Here in America at least, the changes in the quantity of alternative energy vehicles must come from the car manufacturers, those based in and outside of the country. Of course it will take some nudging from us the consumer at the same time. If you are browsing cars at your local dealer you could always ask them what options they have for those looking for hybrid/electric vehicles. Chances are most of them will have around two to ten available models. If the company does not have a strong foot in the door, it is as easy as letting the dealer know you and others you know would love to have more of a selection of hybrid/electrics, and they will at least be able to mention it to others higher up the food chain. It is uncertain what effect this can have on upper management, but if enough people are asking about these alternative cars at dealers, you would hope that they will listen to what consumers (future customers) want.
It is easy to continue driving a gas guzzling SUV around while you can still afford it, but eventually everyone needs to realize that oil supplies will slow and prices will increase. Also for those conscious of our environment, as I am, it is everyone’s responsibility to do what they can even if just a little to be good stewards of it. The country will be better off without all the oil, without the burden it brings. Now you may ask do I drive a hybrid? The answer is no I do not, because I can’t afford one! But when I am older and hopefully have a better financial grounding in this economy, I plan to buy one. Because I have seen the promised land, and it is free of gas stations dotting every street.
Thoughts
Sunset in Canberra, Australia
Early in the evening
The clouds lay low
Fading into darkness
To a place no one knows
Rays of the sun
Stretch out once more
Gently along
The valley floor
An eagle flies down
From its perch up high
Scouring the land
Where its prey may lie
The forest goes silent
As the beasts fall asleep
Dreaming of adventures
That tomorrow will reap
