Hail to the Chief....but for what?
Allow me to be political for a short time. I'm sure everyone's sick of hearing about the hurricane, but I haven't had my say so oh well.
To begin with, let me point out that a hurricane is not something that crops up suddenly. There was ample warning that this thing was coming for days before it actually hit. The state governments did the right thing by ordering people to evacuate, but they dropped the ball when it came to actually helping people to get out. The government officials, while living in their mansions, did not take the time to consider that there were some people who simply couldn't afford to leave their homes. Not everyone can afford a hotel, and free shelter was not readily available. I find that sad. What I find more sad is that our great leader, henceforth known in this blog as King George the Second, had warning that this storm was coming, he knew the sort of damage it would do and yet he didn't bother leaving his ranch to go back to Washington and start drumming up money and support for the impending disaster. Instead, he cut his vacation a whole two days short, but only AFTER the hurricane had hit and destroyed half of the gulf. On a side note, does anyone else find it ironic that a problem in a gulf has been the downfall of both Georges? Just thought that was amusing. Anyway, back to the issue at hand. We live in a country where the president has some of the most intelligent people working for him and available at a snap of his fingers, so why is it that he didn't bother tapping his intellectual resources (since the ones he possesses are deficient) and find out what sort of problem he was going to be looking at when that storm hit. Why is it taking so long to get aid to these people? Oh! Because everyone who would typically help them is fighting a useless war in Iraq. Why is our government so willing to jump to the aid of others without first considering what goes into helping its own citizens? We sent millions to India to help them recover from the Tsunami, and yet now we can't seem to find the funds to save our own citizens from drowning in their own back yards? Something about that doesn't add up for me.
As for the rising gas prices, yes I will agree that they suck. I work with a lot of people who are trying to figure out how they are going to drive to work next week because they live 45 miles away. My problem is that people are only looking at the immediate problem of how this effects their driving habits. I'm more worried about how people are going to afford to pay to heat their homes as winter approaches, if this problem continues. Everyone keeps talking about ways to give people relief at the gas pump. Here's a novel idea, how about the oil companies take a cut on their profit margin. I mean, we're talking about an industry that makes one billion dollars in profit during their last quarter, and by quarter I mean THE LAST THREE MONTHS!! A temporary profit margin cut isn't going to break them to the point where the company folds.
I'm just so tired of living in a country where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. People are struggling and they shouldn't have to. A married couple making a combined income of 50K a year should be able to afford two cars and a decent home. They shouldn't have to struggle to afford an apartment and one car, and yet I work with people who do. People shouldn't think about wanting more children and decide against it because a child is no longer an addition to their family but a financial burden. I should be able to go to college without digging myself into so much debt that I will have to spend the next fifteen years paying off the education I'm required to have if I want to have a job that will cover my bills. I'm not saying it has to be easy. It should be hard, because it's not worth it if it's not hard. It'd just be nice if it was a little bit easier.
"I have been thinking that I would make a proposition to my Republican friends... that if they will stop telling lies about the Democrats, we will stop telling the truth about them"
To begin with, let me point out that a hurricane is not something that crops up suddenly. There was ample warning that this thing was coming for days before it actually hit. The state governments did the right thing by ordering people to evacuate, but they dropped the ball when it came to actually helping people to get out. The government officials, while living in their mansions, did not take the time to consider that there were some people who simply couldn't afford to leave their homes. Not everyone can afford a hotel, and free shelter was not readily available. I find that sad. What I find more sad is that our great leader, henceforth known in this blog as King George the Second, had warning that this storm was coming, he knew the sort of damage it would do and yet he didn't bother leaving his ranch to go back to Washington and start drumming up money and support for the impending disaster. Instead, he cut his vacation a whole two days short, but only AFTER the hurricane had hit and destroyed half of the gulf. On a side note, does anyone else find it ironic that a problem in a gulf has been the downfall of both Georges? Just thought that was amusing. Anyway, back to the issue at hand. We live in a country where the president has some of the most intelligent people working for him and available at a snap of his fingers, so why is it that he didn't bother tapping his intellectual resources (since the ones he possesses are deficient) and find out what sort of problem he was going to be looking at when that storm hit. Why is it taking so long to get aid to these people? Oh! Because everyone who would typically help them is fighting a useless war in Iraq. Why is our government so willing to jump to the aid of others without first considering what goes into helping its own citizens? We sent millions to India to help them recover from the Tsunami, and yet now we can't seem to find the funds to save our own citizens from drowning in their own back yards? Something about that doesn't add up for me.
As for the rising gas prices, yes I will agree that they suck. I work with a lot of people who are trying to figure out how they are going to drive to work next week because they live 45 miles away. My problem is that people are only looking at the immediate problem of how this effects their driving habits. I'm more worried about how people are going to afford to pay to heat their homes as winter approaches, if this problem continues. Everyone keeps talking about ways to give people relief at the gas pump. Here's a novel idea, how about the oil companies take a cut on their profit margin. I mean, we're talking about an industry that makes one billion dollars in profit during their last quarter, and by quarter I mean THE LAST THREE MONTHS!! A temporary profit margin cut isn't going to break them to the point where the company folds.
I'm just so tired of living in a country where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. People are struggling and they shouldn't have to. A married couple making a combined income of 50K a year should be able to afford two cars and a decent home. They shouldn't have to struggle to afford an apartment and one car, and yet I work with people who do. People shouldn't think about wanting more children and decide against it because a child is no longer an addition to their family but a financial burden. I should be able to go to college without digging myself into so much debt that I will have to spend the next fifteen years paying off the education I'm required to have if I want to have a job that will cover my bills. I'm not saying it has to be easy. It should be hard, because it's not worth it if it's not hard. It'd just be nice if it was a little bit easier.
"I have been thinking that I would make a proposition to my Republican friends... that if they will stop telling lies about the Democrats, we will stop telling the truth about them"