I am on the lookout for social, environmental, and humanitarian stories that affect the populace, no matter where we live. The social and environmental variables to which we react are the catalysts that drive humanitarian change: Whether it be for the better or worse. Ever seeking the better, this is what I advocate and where I stand.
Police still on lookout for chlorine thief
What on earth does a thief want with 1,600 gallons of chlorine? What can a thief do with 1,600 gallons of chlorine? Think about it. In Iraq, insurgents are using chlorine truck bombs as chemical weapons. Could this be an example of home grown terrorism? I am sure the officials concerned with this case are aware of the possibilities, but we also should be aware and keep an eye open as well. This could be more important than it looks. (May 16, 2007 | post #1)
Taxes-only special session official
As a follow-up to my previous post, I drag this back up in order to blow the dust off of it. Take a look again. Does this sound like a government official who is concerned with the needs of the people, or with the needs of special interests? Furthermore, it is a perfect example of how far away from a true democracy we have gotten. If Rubio pushes for his and get his sales tax proposal, does that mean he did it for the people? Or for special interests? Is it government by the people for the people, or for capitalists? I've got nothing against making money, or spending it, but I do have a problem with capitalism being the be all and end all cause of governance. (May 16, 2007 | post #1)
Business Leaders Caution Crist On Property Tax Relief
Now this is an example of the lopsided advantage business owners have over the employed, middle class, basic all around average American. When government sees a problem, as Mr. Christ seem to have with local property taxes, those who are bothered the least(compared to the amount of income they pay their tax out of)by those taxes are reluctant to shoulder a greater part of the burden. Not because they can't afford to, but because it would cut into local spending accounts and business owner profit margins. Instead of supporting tax relief all around, this group of business leaders, are instead lobbying to keep the tax burden from shifting to them. Instead of allowing Governor Christ to do his job as he sees fit, which is apparently to give 'the boss'(which is how Christ refers to the people) exactly what is needed in allowing for substantial tax relief. These business leaders and their lobbyists instead, in their own self-interest, seek to prevent relief to the extent that Governor Christ seems willing to give. Is this the way government is supposed to work? Is this how you want your governor to work? Catering to the bill makers rather than to the bill payers? This is an example government gone wrong: Putting the priorities of business leaders above the priorities of the people. Is it going to happen again? (May 16, 2007 | post #1)
Scientists study higher fuel price impacts
When I drive into the local Wal-Mart, I always check the gas price, reflexively, as if to see how much damage is going to be done. The other day, I gassed up five five gallon gas containers for $80. That's eighty bucks for twenty five gallons of gas. I remember when gas hovered around a dollar a gallon, and five bucks could get you around town for the day. Now, it's just enough to run your lawn mower for the weekend. Just enough to make sure that you don't make it to the gas station if five bucks is all you have. The gas prices are affecting food prices as well as increasing the individual need to work in order to cover expenses. That means many more second and sometimes third jobs, just to pay for the gas.I remember when you had to take a second job just to pay for the baby sitter, now it's for the gas tank. Not only this, there is conversation about $4 and $5 a gallon gass before this 'thing' levels off. Such an event would be catastrophic for the middle class, who are the back bone of the economy. If the backbone goes, the whole body is immobile. No matter how rich you are now, if gas gets to be $5 a gallon, you'll start hemorrhaging money like a tire with a hole in it, and fix a flat won't help you. Something needs to be done about it now. While it's too late to go back to $1 a gallon gas, we can prevent ourselves from going up any further than we already have. It is common knowledge that these gas and oil companies are making billions of dollars in profit (that's after expenses, net gain) *each quarter*. That is serious money. Is there a need for capitalistic profiteering in this day and age, when such activity is not driving the economy, but derailing it? No, of course not, but tell that to Exxon Mobil, or any one of the other oil giants. They want your money, and they know how to get it. You don't have a choice but to pay it. Incidentally, this is the very reason why Ford and GM have fallen off in the market place, and why Toyota is number one. They were trying to tie their profits into vehicle sales. Low gas mileage vehicles translates into higher profit margins. Don't you think it smart to invest in the industry that allows people to drive your product? What if you could *own* a part of that industry, and still sell your product? This is common wealth building strategy. Follow the money, because there is always a paper trail, and in this case, it would lead to the owners/board of directors/private investors of large corporations that are all intertwined like thread in a pattern. That is why gas prices are going up: Profiteering. Iraq is just a distraction, a profitable one mind you, but a distraction nonetheless. The American people are having their patriotic heartstrings play upon, while at the same time, having their wallets drained, bank accounts emptied, and assets re-appropriated. I didn't say 'we' because I have no wallet, bank account, or assets to speak of. Does that make me lucky, or my transition less painful? You be the judge. When the pain starts to get sharper, let me know. But either way, believe me when I say, three bucks at the pump already hurts. Four bucks is literally going to be a killer. The Doctor is Out. (May 15, 2007 | post #1)
Clark receives 2 years, 7 months in kickback prison probe
Having been a guest in a county jail before, I can attest to the fact that these kickbacks extend much farther than just here. It is as if you've just discovered a roach, and anyone who has ever lived with roaches *knows* that if you see one, there are many, many more. That is the same case here. Where ever a corrupt official is found, there are dozens more on the take. Dozens more who are biggers liars, cheats, and more criminal that many housed inmates are. They have just not been caught. They know the system, how it works, and how to subvert and circumnavigate it. It doesn't matter that we find one of these crooks, he is merely the exception to the rule: don't get caught. Now that he has, others who share in the same guilt will undoubtedly investigate their own liabilities, and make modifications where necessary. What they should have done is initiated a sting to capture as many corrupt cops as was possible. So what they took this big wig down. He only got two years, and this is from a guy who represented the prison system, proved to be corrupted, and is let off with the proverbial tap on the wrist. They should have put him under the jail. The economic structure he created with this vendor causes a lot of suffering behind those jail house walls. The prison system is full of low income people any way, and five dollars is worth fifty if you work it right. I've never been to prison, and I desire not to, but having been to jail, I am fully aware of the inequity between what the public is shown, and the reality of the inmates. This is just an example that proves the rule: The system is corrupt. There is no public oversight, and privatizing a public incarceration system is an open invitation to the corrupt, the corruptible, and the previously corrupted. This makes no difference so far as 'justice' is concerned. As for me, I know he got off light. The judge should have threw the book at him. People like him in the legal system makes the whole look bad; judge, lawyer, and prosecutor. At civil issue here is how the system deals with its own defunct members, like spoiled little children, whereas the citizen is treated like trash. Don't believe me? Get yourself arrested, spend one night in jail, and look at the people around you from all walks of life. If your heart is not moved with pity, you should be shot. With an empathic dose of their misery. The Doctor is Out. (May 15, 2007 | post #2)
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