Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Is it just me or.....

Is it just me or is there something weird going on? I can't put my finger on it but it seems there is something not right going on in the world today. Gas prices have been going up over the past 2 to 3 years. Visa is continually running adds on how uncool cash is. Illegal Aliens are constantly being given newer and cooler titles, other than Illegal Alien, by our government leaders. And our president seems to be for illegal aliens, against a wall for our border with Mexico, and against strict searches and crack downs on the boarder, all while conducting a "war on terror".

First up on my blog of confusion is Gasoline. Lately it seems that all I see on TV are these commercials for ethanol. Congress keeps talking about ethanol. Why ethanol? The government has said it would like the US to have 1/4th of its gasoline usage converted to Biofuels, like ethanol, by 2024 (I believe that is the correct date.). I was listening to Glenn Beck several weeks back and he had some experts on. They said it would take a corn field the size of Texas in order for us to convert 1/4 th of the nations fuel to ethanol! They said that one of the problems with ethanol is corn. Corn is the plant that we use to make ethanol. They said we would have a spoilage problem with the corn before it is made into ethanol, therefore making the price of corn go up. That means corn wouldn't be affordable for people who like to eat corn. Instead of eating corn we would be putting it in our automobile tanks. I heard on NPR last winter that ethanol also uses and pollutes more water when going through the process to become ethanol. They said the water is unable to be cleaned and converted back to water. So it seems to me there aren't alot of bonuses to switching to ethanol. My question is why does the government think it is so great? Are they trying to drive up the price of our foods by making gasoline or ethanol more expensive, but giving farmers steady jobs? I really am scratching my head trying to figure out this issue.

The government and the Bush administration also has me scratching my head over their push for an immigration bill. It doesn't seem like their bills are interested in cracking down on anyone. It seems they are trying to make it easier for them to stay and get into the US. I don't understand why we want someone to stay and work in the US who can not follow the rules to get into the US legally. Also, If anyone can enlighten me on why they are marketing illegal aliens to us I would love to read it. They keep coming up with newer and nicer titles for illegals every week. Are they pushing for illegals because they want their votes? Just today Dennis Miller said a poll found that a majority of illegals would vote democrat if allowed to vote. So why is Bush so in favor of illegals being allowed to stay? Is it because he's on his way out and he doesn't care? Is our government,seemingly, in favor of illegals because we are in bed with Mexico and trying hard to become a one world government? Is it because everyone in congress and the white house have illegals working for them and they don't want to lose them? Is it all of the above? The government really has me confused on their push to protect illegals. Mexico and Canada both would throw any American in jail ,and prosecute them extensively, if they were found to be in their countries illegally. So why are we so nice? We are currently funding the Mexican economy, so I understand why Mexico wants us to go soft on their citizens. I just can't figure out why our government wants to go soft on the illegal alien. Why is Bush supportive of us not having a fence on our south boarder and why is he in favor of prosecuting US boarder guards? We have been told over and over again that terrorist and their weapons could easily be smuggled in through our south boarder. Wouldn't it be nice to make it harder for them by building a fence?

Lastly why is Visa trying to make money uncool? The marketing geniuses (I really mean that) at the Visa came up with those great commericals where everyone is swiping or taping their card to pay for their items, then the dork with the cash screws up the flow of things. Yes, I know Visa is a company like any other and they want their product in everyone's hand. Heck, Visa is on my bank card! But here is one thing I know, not to sound all Orwellian, but Visa keeps track of your purchases. Every time you swipe your visa check card at Mejier, at the very least, they know the time you were there, the Meijer you were at, and how much you spent. Say you use your check card for a month, look at your bank statement. Your bank statement will tell which Targets you were at, the day, the cost, ect. It records almost everything. It gives anyone a good view into your life. It tells your travel habits, spending habits, and personal shopping habits. The tag line for Visa is even genius, "It's every where you want to be." That's nice and all, but I don't want people to know everywhere I be. All of the paranoia aside, is cash really that hard to use? It take a little thought to count the coins and the bills, but it's really not that complicated. Maybe we should look at it as a brain exercise, rather than a burden.

Now some of the questions I have posed may seem flippant or rhetorical, but they are truly a quest for answers beyond by first impulsive thought of ," Oh no big brother and one world government!!!!" I'll admit,at times I think the citizens of the world, seem, to busy or too lazy to take notice of what is going on in their communities or governments. Do we really want the government to wrap us in comfy warm bubble wrap with our safety helmets on and sing us a lullaby, all the while assuring us they have our best interests at heart? Should we just give them the steering wheel. We as Americans cannot fall asleep at the wheel, or let big brother tuck us in. These people can't even fix social security! We have to take self responsibility. We have to write our congress person and the president when we are concerned or anger by issues, such as immigration, ethanol, taxes, ect. It is easy to get busy, trust me I know, but the government has email now! Take a second, email your government officials. They are there to do the bidding of their citizens, not their wallets, and not what they personally think. They must never forget that they are there to work for us. Period.

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