Candidates Propose Gas Tax Holiday

First came Senator John McCain's proposal to suspend the Federal excise tax on gasoline from Memorial Day to Labor Day this summer in an effort to ease the cost to drivers over the summer driving season. Senators Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama both mocked the idea as "too little too late" and not enough. Now Clinton has jumped in the McCain station wagon and is likewise asking to suspend the tax for the summer, leaving Obama standing at the side of the road.

Mrs. Clinton goes one step further than Mr. McCain in that she desires to replace the nearly $9 billion deficit to the budget with placing a tax on the revenues of the oil companies. McCain supports shifting the burden to the general fund.

The White House, with Mr. Obama in agreement, has said that the tax holiday would save the average consumer approximately $30 over the length of the summer. White House spokeswoman, Dana Perino said that there are no plans from the White House to suspend the excise tax over the summer.

I wholeheartedly agree that the tax holiday is a short-term fix to a long-term problem and it IS too little, too late. I also feel that Mrs. Clinton needs to go back to school and learn basic economics as it is quite apparent that she does not understand how the burden of the tax would only be passed on to the consumer again - thus costing the consumer more in the long run than they are paying now.

I do not come here without a solution however. My proposal would be to release the strategic oil reserves into the market, thus increasing supply and lowering the cost. Secondly, stop paying for the pumps to not run. Open all the pumps and let the oil flow into the system, thus increasing the supply and holding the cost down. Thirdly, open up ANWAR to exploration and drilling and build new refineries. This may mean telling OPEC and the NIMBY's (those that cry "Not In My Back Yard") to shove it, but that is how you get things done. That would solve both the short-term and the long-term problem of high fuel cost.

Another proposal would be to accept that oil is not a limited resource from dead dinosaurs and accept that it is more plentiful than the oil companies would have us believe. Again, I argue that if oil is from dead dinosaurs, then how did the dinosaurs get stuck in the tar pits?

A good read is the book, "Black Gold Stranglehold" by Jerome R. Corsi and Craig R. Smith which tells how the myth of "fossil fuels" is a ploy by the powers that be to increase the prices of oil.

Earthquake Hits Midwest

A predawn magnitude 5.2 earthquake hit the midwest this morning at 4:37am CDT. Epicenter was in southern Illinois and was felt as far away as Chicago and Des Moines. There were no injuries from the quake.

The quake happened on the 102nd anniversary of the Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906.

I did not feel it as I was asleep (like a good boy).

http://cbs2chicago.com/local/earthquake.downstate.illinois.2.702914.html

An Idea for Next Year

I know that my April Fool's joke caught a few people off guard - well, honestly only 3 of the nearly 100 people that came by didn't fall for it - and now I am looking forward to next year's version.

If only I had a couple hundred friends to pull this one off.

http://www.maniacworld.com/frozen-in-grand-central-station.html

Do I have any volunteers?

In Memoriam - Charlton Heston

Charlton Heston, actor, author, political activist and past president of the National Rifle Association passed away on Saturday, April 5, 2008. He was 84.

Mr. Heston starred in over 100 roles including the part of Moses in "The Ten Commandments" and Judah Ben-Hur in "Ben Hur" in an acting career that spanned over 50 years.

His most memorable role was off-camera, as the President of the National Rifle Association. The only person to hold the post of President of the NRA for three terms, he stepped down in 2003.

APRIL FOOLS!!!!

OK, I want to start by saying that I love each and every one of my faithful readers, so I think I should let the cat out of the bag.

I posted my last post to this blog this morning before I ventured out to work. Naturally, I sent out emails to all my family and friends that advised them to look at the blog. Why go to the blog when I just could have sent it in the email, you may ask. Well, email is still a little quirky in that I may format an email one way and it will be received another, but the webpage or blog page formats exactly the way I want it to all readers and the format is what is key here.

In the previous post, I started off with two key words that are in all caps and bold face - PAYING ATTENTION. That coupled with the date (ie. April 1) should have clued people, but I didn't stop there - I also highlighted certain letters in the post. These letters are red in color and so they should stand out, but just in case, I will point them out for you...

April fools prank!

For those that know me very well, I love to do some silly and funny things or say funny things, as, my profile says, "To Zonie, life is a never ending supply of fodder for a stand up comedy routine - a little something to make others laugh. Welcome to the insanity... "

The last time I pulled an April Fool's prank, I was about 9. The night before, I laid awake in bed for a bit trying to come up with the ultimate prank and after about 30 minutes or so, I came up with not only the prank, but also the plan. Early the next morning - long before anyone else in the house - I got up, went into the kitchen, got out a glass and grabbed the sugar bowl. I proceeded to take all of the sugar out of the bowl and put it in the glass. Then I reached in the cupboard and pulled out the salt and poured the salt into the sugar bowl. I then poured the sugar back into the jar and cleaned up any evidence before returning to my bedroom. I remember laughing for what seemed an eternity.

Maybe half an hour or an hour later, my mom woke up and started my dad's coffee. Once the coffee was done, mom poured dad a cup and promptly placed two heaping teaspoons of "sugar" into the coffee. My dad took one sip and, after yelling a few explitives at my mom, wanted to know why she was trying to kill him. Mom was puzzled and took a sip of the coffee. Unbeknownst to them, I was in the kitchen laughing as hard as I could without bringing attention to myself. How wrong I was. Once I was caught, I was restricted from sugar for a year - no pre-sweetened cereal, nor sugar on my Cheerios, etc., etc.

Looking back, I really should have chosen a different prank to pull than that, but I did get the last laugh, because to this day, I still do not drink my coffee with sugar in it and I also have a dislike for sugar on my Cheerios.

So, what I am saying is that despite the fact that Lisi and I have survived one of the worst winters in Dubuque history and definitely the worst in our lives, we are staying put, at least in Dubuque. Also, I am saying that there is one rule you must remember when you have a comedian in your life - pay attention and keep looking out for that wise crack.

Peace and Love to all.

Mike

Fed Up and Moving

For all of you that are PAYING ATTENTION - we are moving back to Phoenix, effective May 1, 2008.

Though we love Iowa and dreamed of returning to Dubuque from the day that we left, Lisi and I have decided that we are sick and tired of all this snow and that we will tolerate the heat far better than the cold and snow.

We just arent as happy as we thought we would be originally and are once again ready for a change. We have already learned the best way to load up seven cats into one car with ease. We know the route, albeit in reverse. But most of all, we have come to the realization that we screwed up by moving back here away from the warmth.

So Goodbye Iowa, we bid you a fond farewell!