A Lot Of Things...

Welcome back, dear reader!

Oh wait, you haven't gone anywhere, it was me. Okay, you should welcome me back, and I thank you for doing so.

You may have noticed that I have been lac's in my blogging responsibilities, and for that I apologize. The thing you should note, if you haven't already, is that sometimes my posts run a tad long. This one may end up being HUGE so get comfortable before you decide to tackle it. I know that sometimes my posts draw you in deeper and deeper until you are lost to the void... before you ready any further make sure you have your drinks, snacks, and smokes close at hand. Go take a potty break, turn off your phone, lock the doors, this is gonna be a bumpy ride.

Okay, is your checklist completed? Buckle up, here we go.

First thing on my list of things that make me take pause is a little something I like to call, What the f***? Otherwise known as 'Summer Blend' gasoline. 'They' tell me that this stuff has been around since 1995, but I gotta tell you, I never heard of it until this year. Or rather, I suppose more truthful is that I never took notice of it. But, well, where I live, it is not summer, it should be spring, and since we are not even into or past April yet, there is still a great chance that we will see snow long before summer actually arrives. 'They' tell me that the creeping up of gas prices at the pump is due to the change over costs of making 'summer' blend gasoline. One of the reasons I hear for the price rise is based on supply and demand. You guys remember that line from middle school economics, right?

Here's where I take pause. One thing I read stated that the two things that effect the supply and demand of blended gas are these; First, the suppliers let the winter blends run low while they take two weeks to refit the refineries for the summer blend. This causes the price to escalate based on demand. The second thing is the cost of producing the new blend. The reason we don't see a big decrease in price in the fall is that they can mix the summer and winter blends to meet demands while the refineries return to the winter blend.


In May of 2005 there were 149 refineries in the US. There has not been a refinery built in the US since 1976. Why is that, you ask? Our beloved government run organization, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has determined that these things are hazardous to our environment. Now, I want those of who can remember, to walk back thru history with me. Those of you too young to remember, well you can take our word for it, or use Google. The EPA was established in 1970. The old Indian guy crying over the dump site? That's the reason behind it's creation, to control pollution. When I was a little guy, in 1970, and living on the banks of what I thought was Lake Michigan, (later learned it was just one of the Fox River Chain of Lakes), I can remember walking out on the 20 ft dock and going 15 of those feet just to see the water. From that point back to the shore was a solid floating pollution pile. There was no swimming in that water. The EPA was needed. So in infinite wisdom, we all allowed them to garner more power in controlling pollution, and to set laws in place to protect our environment.

Six years later, 1976, anyone remember anything significant that occurred in 1976? We got our first introduction to Jimmy Carter and Iran, and said goodbye to the twenty five cent gallon of gas.

Enough history, getting to my point now. IF summer blend gas burns cleaner in my car, decreases the amount of ozone added thru burning gasoline, then why don't we use it all year round? Well, a few reasons, one is that summer blend gas doesn't work well in the winter. While it will prevent stalls in the summer, it can make cars very difficult to start in cold weather. Another is that, well, it's more expensive. Also, we are gullible enough to believe this whitewash.

My pausing thoughts to follow:
First, and most obviously, this... Hello! Its still WINTER in most of the US, regardless of what the calendar may say. The National Weather Service says a helluva lotta snow in the Mid-West last week, with more coming as I write this. I wonder how many of those residents had problems starting their cars...hmmm.
Secondly... Well according to my calculations.. It's always Summer somewhere in the world. I am almost positive that they make this 'summer blend' year round, somewhere. I mean, there has to be a demand for it someplace all the time, right?
If they do not, then I have a question.. Why The Hell Not??!

Moving on now to the next topic in today's ramblings.

Potholes. How many of you have pothole problems in your city/county/suburb/municipality? I used to drive a Mustang. As our roads deteriorated, I 'garaged' it to save the suspension. Mid-winter I replaced it with a 4x4 beast that eats these potholes up like kibble. One thing I do not see happening in my commonwealth, is that I never see anyone fixing them. Why is this? As most things are, this repair work is dependant on money. Like most states, my Commonwealth received a hefty 'stimulus'. This money was intended to be spent on improving 'our nation's infrastructure' Infrastructure.. that's like bridges and highways right? So, my commonwealth promptly closed all the rest areas on highways that run thru our state. Then they decided that they were not going to do roadside maintenance. You know, like cutting the grass in the median, and other such menial tasks like fixing potholes. Good news though, last month our new governor said that he was re-opening the rest areas. Hurrah. Oh yea, last week they decided to cut school funding by 250 million in order to balance the budget. Good thing we have our priorities, right?

One tiny note about school funding. We have Mega-Millions, and Powerball, along with the assorted scratch n win lotteries here in my commonwealth. By law, all profits from the lottery are earmarked to go the schools. Ever wonder how much that really is? Let me tell you...

In Fiscal Year 2009, the Virginia Lottery had sales of more than $1.3 billion. Of this total, the Lottery contributed $439.1 million, or 32.1%, to public education grades K-12. 57.2% went back to players in the form of prizes, 5.6% went to the retailers who sell Virginia Lottery tickets, and 5.4% went to operational expenses. - Source - virginialottery.com

Holy be-golly! 439 million, and the commonwealth budget was cut by 250 million. How much does it cost to run a school? Wow. I am in the wrong business. I swear.

Moving right along. Did anyone see the State of the Union address last month by our leader? I hope you caught the part where he chastised The Supreme Court judges who were sitting right down front. Is anyone familiar with these terms... People in glass houses should not throw rocks...Don't bite the hand that feeds you...Don't eat where you shit?

How can he hope to have decisions passed down thru the court that may support his cause, if he publicly denounces their ability to make sound decisions? Me thinks he may have ego issues. I know one thing, however, there is no way I could possibly run a nation, and try to stop smoking at the same time. Gotta give the man props for trying to quit, but someone might want to point out to him that smoking in a federal owned/operated building is against the law. Also, you are out of your mind if you believe for one second he hasn't lit one up in The White House someplace, sometime.

Looks like Global Warming burnt out. I am not going to touch that debate... no matter how tempting it may be.

Does anyone remember the lights over Norway? Look it up. Play the video. Then convince me that is a failed rocket launch. The thing that concerns me is that this happened while the smartest and most influential people in the world were in Stockholm. Coincidence? You tell me.

I am going with two possible scenarios. First, maybe Russia was attempting a rocket launch that failed in it's third stage. This makes me take pause for two reasons. The first is that the agreement with Norway is that you don't go up there and test rockets unless you notify somebody. Secondly, since it was a clandestine rocket launch, just where the hell was the thing aimed? Stockholm? Outer Space? Washington DC? We may never know...

My second theory involves wormholes and aliens. How about this scenario.. All the world's leaders and smart people get together to meet an ambassador from another world. The meeting's over and under the cover of deepest night, the ambassador goes home thru the wormhole.

Plausible? Maybe.

That's all I have for now. Maybe more tomorrow. Thanks for coming back.

This post is dedicated to my best friend Bubba. Bubba left my side last month, but is still the best friend ever. I miss you!