We’ve all heard the complain from the left; Oil is going to kill us – we need to shift to alternative forms of energy.
And so we begin to experiment with things like wind, solar and geothermal. And we find out that these things, at least right now, aren’t economically viable as a replacement to fossil fuels; oil, natural gas and coal. In certain applications these technologies have value, but they will never be able to provide the energy to say, lift an airliner off the ground.
Undeterred, the movement has advanced an agenda that has Obama shutting down the coal industry all while subsidizing bankrupt solar companies.
I sometimes think about what it means to be an American. What it means to say that I love my country. Or that someone is destroying it.
I think that I’ve come to the conclusion that being American means something different than merely being a member of the tribe that lives in this land mass. It means that you have embraced an ideal.
It means that you accept that individual liberty reigns supreme and is the ultimate sovereign. The individual citizen is not ward of the state, rather, the state is subservient to the individual. No other place on earth, in the history of the earth, has struck such an understanding, such a vision and a way of life as we have done.
We love our land, our mountains and rivers and valleys. The towns and the roads. The “things” in America. We love ’em all. But the fact is that you could transport all current Americans to Europe. And all Europeans to America. Nothing would change. The Europeans would be no more American than they were.
Think of this, no where else in the world can a man born in a foreign country move to another country and “become” one of them. I was born in Minnesota. I could move to Japan. I would never BE Japanese. Or German. Or Nigerian.
Only here can you BE American. If only you buy into the ideal that is America. Through hard work, personal sacrifice and dedication to an ideal, anyone can become an American.
We throw our arms open to all.
So when we say that someone wants to destroy America. Or change America. Or hates America. We don’t mean that he doesn’t care for the people, the land or the lives of the citizens. It’s that he hates what America IS. And what it IS is a mindset that differentiates us from all of the world. It is an attitude that I am responsible for myself. Responsible for myself but charitable to my brother.
THAT is what we mean when we say that people hate America.
One of the for profit hospitals in the Raleigh area is Wake Med.
WakeMed Health and Hospitals is a 870-bed healthcare system with multiple facilities placed around the metropolitan Raleigh, North Carolina area. WakeMed’s main campus is located on New Bern Avenue in Raleigh, North Carolina. WakeMed serves multiple counties throughout the state and specializes in a variety of services including cardiology, neurology, orthopedics, high-risk pregnancy, children’s care, trauma, physical rehabilitation and critical care transport.
In addition to providing the above services they also have emergency rooms. And being a for profit entity Wake Med is looking for ways to improve the efficiency of medical care delivery. And they have a solution.
I’m willing to wager that every Presidential incumbent is accused of using his office to his advantage in the upcoming campaign. I’m sure Dubya was accused of the practice and I’m equally sure Bubba was just as accused. So it isn’t surprising that President Obama is taking heat for the fact that he is delivering “policy speeches” in mainly battle ground states.
Fair? Maybe not, but as they say, “It is what it is.” *
I think that I can overlook a policy speech on student loans held here in North Carolina. It has to be somewhere, why not UNC? However, the taping of Jimmy Fallon and Obama’s “Slow Jam” crosses the threshold.
This is clearly two things:
A campaign speech
Un-Presidizial
He’s jumped the shark and entered into “American Idol” territory.
When you let yourself be called Barackness monster you make yourself eligible to be called a dumb ass.
As of March 6, Mr. Obama has participated in 191 fundraisers, already topping the re-election cycle totals of George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, who held 167 and 173 fundraisers, respectively…
I mostly try to boil problems down to their simplest form. This may explain why so many people feel I’m so wrong so often. However, in life I find that this way of looking at, and then handling, problems has been rather successful for me.
Over time it has become more of a lifestyle than a management technique.
Identify we have a problem. This is harder than it may seem.
Be very clear what it is that is making people mad or upset.
Quit doing that thing in #2 while still allowing forward positive movement.
My problem with the various groups of people who self identify as “liberal” is that they either stop at #1 or skip #2 altogether while failing to continue moving forward.
If you listen even just a little, you can pick up on one of the main complaints against the medical care delivery system here i the United States. That the whole system is doomed to fail because we allow greedy asshole pigs to profit off the medical needs of our citizens. For some reason, the fact that this doesn’t apply to food or clothes is a point that’s missed by those that scream we must nationalize health care.
The fact is this, when exposed to market forces, blueberries and shoes become less expensive and come with higher and higher degrees of quality.
I stopped by my local “Grocery Barron” outlet and was amazed to see this new advertisement.
The grocery store market is offering drugs that “cures” high blood pressure. The cost? $3.99 a month. By the way, hypertension is the single #1 killer in the United States. Number one. Cured, blammo, for the crazy cost of 4 bucks.
After that is the program for diabetes medication. The cost?
Nothing.
That’s right; free. Diabetes medication carries no cost to the consumer. The greedy bastards are offering life saving medication for free in the hopes that you’ll just come in a shop.
But wait, there’s more!
For the low low price of NOTHING you can now get antibiotics as well.
Blink. Blink.
All of this will be delivered to you in less than 15 minutes while you shop in conditioned warehouse for berries from Chili, chocolate from Switzerland, wine from France and sushi fresh from the sea.
The Supreme Court will have heard two of the most contentious cases that have been heard in the Obama administration by the end of this week. The first, of course, was the case of Obamacare and now the second, the Arizona immigration bill.
I find it fascinating that people are looking at how the court will or should act not based on the legal standing or constitutionality of the laws in question but rather on the policy of the law.
I have to remember that it wasn’t all that long ago I was one of those folks in the world that didn’t pay attention to all this stuff. I’ve always been able to name the President and the Vice-President but beyond that….not so much. Secretary of State? Speaker or Senate Majority Leader? No way.
So, when I discuss this new found hobby with folks, many of ’em don’t know what I’m talking about. Or even care.
And then I wonder that if they aren’t plugged into my world is it possible that I’m missing theirs? That I’m so concerned with the shit that is all things politics I’m missing the much of the point; that is .. life?
A Middle Creek High School student with leukemia had his wish granted by the Make-A-Wish foundation, but he didn’t ask for a trip to Disney World.
Instead, Rashawn King asked that the entire students, faculty and staff of his high school get a free lunch in thanks for their support of him during his illness. King has acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
So the entire school – 1,900 people – get a free lunch Thursday. The lunches will be provided starting at 10:30 a.m. Thursday. Chick-fil-A is providing the lunches.
Kristen Mercer Johnson, the president of the Eastern North Carolina Make-A-Wish foundation, said the group was “truly honored to be able to grant Rashawn’s wish.”
This program is built to grant a wish to a kid. To give them something that they may not otherwise ever have the opportunity to have. Cars, visits from professional athletes and even trips. This young man didn’t want that.
“It speaks to the character of this young man who decided to use his wish to thank the Middle Creek High School community,” she said.
So, every Tuesday I drive to the local Thai restaurant, order Phad Thai pork, Thai Hot, to go and then run next door to buy 2 gluten free cupcakes. I take every effort to ensure that I park, order, run and pay as efficient as I can; Phad Thai, Thai hot, is best eaten hot.
So you can imagine my immense frustration when I was blocked by a dozen of North Carolina’s finest for 30+ minutes until a certain President Obama could pass through safely on his way to UNC.
In all honesty, seeing the Presidential escort was very cool. I gladly ate my cold Phad Thai knowing that I was within 50 yards of the most powerful man in all the world.
But economists and traders cautioned that pushing smaller investors out of markets would only hand greater influence to the largest hedge funds and Wall Street banks. Ultimately, there may not be enough traders left to do business with oil producers and consumers looking to hedge their needs.
“Reduced liquidity often means greater volatility,” said broker Jay Levine at Enerjay LLC in Maine.
So let’s compare. Let’s take a look at an example of a commodity that prevents speculation and compare it to oil.
