Remember that bone-headed idea floated during the election season that both John McCain and Hilary Clinton floated, about removing the tax on gasoline when it spiked to $4 a gallon?

That idea would have caused gas prices to continue to rise (because demand wouldn’t have softened as much) while at the same time deprived America of much needed revenues to fix our failing infrastructure. Minnesota bridge collapse, anyone?

Well, here’s a wacky idea. Now that prices have plummeted to about $2 or less a gallon, let’s have a temporary tax increase on gasoline.

Please, hear me out.

First, I do mean temporary. We could tie it into the price of gasoline; let’s say the when the national average shoots up again to $3 (or whatever number we could agree upon) the tax goes away, or it could be more of a rolling target that abates as the average goes up.

In the meantime, we would get a surge of new revenues that should be split two ways. Half would go to rebuilding America’s infrastructure; that would lead to better, safer roads and bridges, while putting more people to work, and hopefully taking a nibble out of the depression unemployment numbers.

The other half would go to offset tax breaks on fuel efficient, American-built cars. I’m not talking about cars made by the big 3 necessarily, I’m talking about any car manufactured in the US by tax paying Americans. Toyota, Honda, or any “US” company as well.

It’s my strong belief that we need to get off of our addiction to foreign oil asap for the safety and security of our nation. It’s not (just) a tree-hugging idea; it’s a matter of national security. You don’t put the future of your energy needs in the hands of people who genuinely don’t like you.

OK, well, that’s my .02. Fire away.

Rich Brooks
Yes, I Realize the Hypocrisy That I Drive an SUV

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

This seems to be a real concern even though the distributor is claiming none of these coins made it to the US market. I know I find any in my kids Halloween bags, they’re out!

A warning to parents and kids regarding SHERWOOD BRAND PIRATE’S GOLD MILK CHOCOLATE COINS imported from China.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is warning the public not to eat, distribute or sell the candy.

It is sold across Canada by COSTCO and may also have been sold in bulk packages or as individual pieces at VARIOUS DOLLAR AND BULK STORES.   The chocolate contains MELAMINE which is the same chemical responsible for the death of several young children in China, and the sickening thousands more.

Article here at snopes>>

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

No immense surprises here, but if anyone needs a little data to back up their finger pointing, here is some interesting info.

How SEC Regulatory Exemptions Helped Lead to (the current financial) Collapse

And so who is Christopher Cox, Chairman of the SEC and Bush appointee?

Hmmmmm.

Actually I have to qualify that the the original exemptions given were so done in 2004, before cox was appointed. That’s not to say he did anything to turn them around. Interestingly enough William H Donaldson was the Chairman of the SEC before Cox. He went to Yale and was a member of the “Skull and Bones Society” ………..

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

I’ve tried to watch some coverage of the RNC over the past couple of days but quite honestly I find it a little too depressing. So I’ve started to watch clips from The Daily Show website instead. End your day with a couple of these and you will sleep better at night.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Google Street View caught this Aussie passed out drunk in front of his house.

A man who fell asleep in a drunken stupor on the grass outside his home was horrified to find his embarrassment posted on the internet.

He had been drowning his sorrows over the death of a friend and collapsed after climbing out of a taxi.

As he slept off his excesses, a car-mounted video camera passed by to record pictures of the street for Google’s StreetView website.

Ouch. For more on the story…

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

In the Op/Ed section of the Maine Sunday Telegram (aka the Sunday edition of the Portland Press Herald) read the headline:

The newspaper industry’s demise has been exaggerated, but current conditions do mean we must offfer less.

Ouch. I guess one place in which they are cutting back is in their spellcheck. Perhaps they could save money by only using two “f’s” in offer.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

I’ve settled back into work after a week camp hopping around the state of Maine. I visited 3 camps of different friends and we had a great time, but there is one lake that is closer to my heart since I spent a couple weeks there every summer growing up. It was with much pleasure then that I learned some friends of mine had a camp on the same lake (albeit the other end of the lake)

This camp is so cool I just had to share some of the photos.

Now, let it be said, if you are reading this post from anywhere other than in Maine, you’re probably thinking to yourself “Why did she go to a kids summer camp”….

So let’s define “Camp”.

If you grew up in Maine, camp is what most of you would call a cottage - probably but not always on a lake. There are some that are quite sophisticated, but to me a camp often means a much older building, with or without lake frontage but preferably with (no lake frontage probably means it’s a “hunting” camp.)

In this case the camp has it all (except a decent inside bathroom…oh, and “all” includes a resident chipmunk, the occasional mouse, and on one visit/occasion a bat - though thankfully nothing spotted on this visit). It was originally a hunting camp as evidenced by the deer and moose heads both inside and out. (Andy, my apologies to the vegetarian in the crew).

It also has great lake frontage with the sand beach going up under the porch and about 15 feet of beach between the camp and the lake. I also include a photo of the sink….an odd thing to take a picture of you say? Take a closer look….that sink and counter top is all carved out of one great big tree/log. Hope you enjoy these pictures of a good old fashioned Maine camp!

Many Thanks for the camp hospitality go out to Eirwen and Lane (Lake Cobbosseecontee near Augusta); to Doug and Linda - with a shoutout to Martha and Kevin (Beach Hill Pond near Ellsworth - the pictures are from here); and to Mary and Andrew (Cold Stream Pond near Lincoln).

Note the Bird’s nest in the antlers……circle of life?

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

I never fail to be astounded by the fact that these things are actually allowed to be sold to people. The worst offender contains a whole days worth of nutrition. They should all be illegal. You’d be better off with a pound of chips. Eat This Not That

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Ok so I’m a resident alien, but you have to take your hats off to the BBC for being on the leading edge of global news reporting. With stories like these, why wouldn’t you wan the BBC Global news as you homepage?

Lesbos islanders battle for Lesbian name

Some keyboards ‘dirtier than a toilet’

BBC exposes Facebook flaw

Bookmark It

Hide Sites