Its The Gas Prices Stupid

K L Marsala

“Help! I can’t afford to fill my tank anymore!” This is becoming the cry of the American driver and the rising costs of fuel are distressing every facet of our economy. With prices soaring at our pumps, choosing between a gallon of petrol and a gallon of milk is fast becoming a household’s budget dilemma. When it comes to deciding whether we want to drive a gas-guzzler or buy a carton of milk- the milk will win every time. Gas just doesn’t soak up the flavor of our Coco Krispies the way milk does.

Certainly, overall, America’s gas prices are much less than that of Europe… but we’re spoiled and used to having our gas guzzling SUV’s and monster 4x4’s. The problem with the rising costs of our energy sources isn’t just about what drizzles down our auto tanks and burns carbon crap into our air- its how the pricing of energy begins to inflict pain in almost every venue of our lives.

Those big semi-trucks that deliver our groceries to our local supermarket are feeling the gasoline pinch too, this is being reflected at our stores by the daily increase of necessities and food items. The basics such as clothing, food, cooling and heating of our homes are headed for trouble. Inflation has been rising for about a year now, and as of yet we aren’t headed down the path of the 1970’s, but if action and relief aren’t administered to help deter the rising costs of fuel, we could be headed towards an ugly summer and a dreadful year.

Could a recession be on the horizon if the broad energy bill President Bush spoke of isn’t put into action immediately? The energy bill put forth by Bush includes $8.1 billion in tax breaks, mostly for energy companies, and would open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska (ANWRA) to oil development, bringing with it relief at the pump and the following domino effect of the lowering prices of consumer goods. The Democrats by majority aren’t big proponents of the ANWRA development. However, the only offerings coming from the Democrats so far has been just looking for alternative fuels to be our answer, but implementing such takes time…something many pocketbooks don’t have.

While most economist leave out the mathematical equations of how America’s economy is doing in their addition and subtraction game (while playing with our inflation numbers) it still feels very real to The Jones’, The Gomez’s, The Slotsky’s and The O’Doul’s family’s down any neighborhood street, USA. The Feds, the egg headed Economists and the far removed from reality Politicians can play verbal games all day with how they want to dress up our economy… but frankly sitting here at the bottom of the economic numbers it is iniquitous.

I think America is tired of politics. Talk to anyone sitting at Joes Bar and Grill on a Friday night. As they try to unwind from a weeks long grinding to the bone workweek, they’ve had it with being tossed around as if they are pawns in the game of American politics. Most don’t give a rat’s behind about whether you’re a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian or Independent politician. Collectively we all have come to the place where we have been deceived so much that the only thing real is the fact that our wallets are becoming slimmer and slimmer. Retirement for many has become highly questionable. Sending our kids to college is becoming the number one reason dads who are heads of their households are going bald…it’s called financial stress. Most wives and moms no longer can stay at home, they’re being force to go to work just to make ends meet. Young married couples who dreamed of purchasing a starter home within the first five years of their marriage are kissing those dreams good bye. Who can afford a starter home of 900 sq ft. that runs well over 250,000 and isn’t located in the best area of town anymore?

Let’s not forget whilst we are whining about our economy to make mention of the soaring credit debt. Most families have to utilize their credit cards to pay for gasoline and groceries, because they are living from paycheck to paycheck. Americans are in debt and claiming bankruptcy at alarming rates-, this isn’t good for anybody.

Will the bottom drop out again? Who knows. The pendulum always swings back and balance is regained. I do believe its time for the Washington pack to stop playing with the American workers’ dollars though. Spending must come under control, we need to begin drilling in Alaska, we need to implement alternative fuels, and we need to stop playing politics with our land and our people.

It’s way past time for Washington to grow up… the American people aren’t a part of Washington’s Political Economic Roulette Wheel, nor do we want to be. We need politicians who really care about the interests of those who put them in office and not the vying for saint-hooded position of I’m right you’re wrong-shut up sit down bullying game that takes place amongst both sides of the political fence. Just do your jobs and take care of the fuel pricing…we’ll fall in line and do our part too, even if it means giving up my Dodge 4x4.

Current Ramblings brewing... 

Let's Just Purchase Mexico

K L Marsala

The citizens (natural born and legally adopted) of the United States have had their fill of deceitful political volleying over the border issues. We are tired of paying the heavy price for border control, education of illegal's, emergency room and hospital freebies to illegal aliens, and the monstrous costs of fighting drug runners from south of the border. The bottom of our southern border is bleeding heavily. We’ve never had a political party in office care enough to administer the tourniquet of pressure to stop the draining of our dollars nor the guts to apply the anti-law breaking ointment to stop the infection of lawbreakers from crossing over.

I am not a conspiracy theorist, but one does start wondering what payola has been shoved under the table over the years between the US government and the Mexican Government. Has Washington been blind, dishonest or just stupid…or perhaps all of the above? Our ever-revolving back door of illegal aliens entering the U.S. has been a problem for years. This hasn’t just become a recent festering boil on the butt of the United States. Our lack of border control began long before the tragedy of 9-11.

We have tried dressing up our illegal alien crisis to be nothing more than an inconvenience…just a trifle bothersome really. Then we played the card of, well no one else wants these low paying jobs so we need illegal aliens in here to take what the legal citizens won’t do…bunk! We have played the innocent madam here in America for too long, because in reality, we are to blame for this mess. Our government hasn’t done their job. It is way past time to take care of this ever-progressing vast quandary. We certainly cannot continue to lay the blame on Mexico and keep wagging our fingers at them for not controlling their borders. There comes a time when a country must be responsible for themselves and step up to the plate of responsibility. America’s border issues have been distressing us daily and if we don’t take action now…tomorrow isn’t going to take care of itself.

With over 4,000 illegal aliens crossing the 375-mile, border between Mexico and Arizona, each and every day, we are in the midst of a crisis beyond anything we could have imagined.

What has gone awry? Why do Americans who board planes and cross checkpoints have to endure the hassles of showing their photo ID, of removing their shoes, taking off their belts, emptying out their pockets, getting wand waved, answering questions and worse yet, having their 75 year old grandmothers patted down?

While we are put through humiliation at the airport and at times detained for incredulous amounts of time, over 15 million illegal’s have crossed our border. When was the last time the illegal aliens were searched for fingernail clippers, an I.D., or a passport? When we do bother to round up- the one out of four illegal aliens- who cross our border, they are picked up given water, a sack lunch and transported back across the border. How convenient for them, in a couple hours they begin their illegal trip again. What drives these people to continually break our laws?

How about word of mouth? The fastest way to spread news is by mouth… The United States has been loud and clear that we say we’ll prosecute but then do nothing. We are like the parent who continually threatens their child with punishment for breaking the house rules, but that’s all we do…threaten. How serious is anyone- whether from Mexico or from a terrorist nation- going to take the U. S. government? Our laws of prosecution have become a joke to the world.

American corporations that continually support illegal immigrates are supposed to be fined up to 10,000 dollars and serve prison time for hiring an illegal- it’s a federal crime… ya right… It’s the almighty dollar again. Our lack of law and our greed is going to be our own undoing. 9-11 will look like a walk in the park compared to the threat we are under now. The latest statistic’s show that from the month of October through August 25, 2004 55,890 illegal aliens were caught…these were not Mexican illegals. The people who were caught as they crossed the border were from Middle Eastern countries hostile to the USA and that number doesn’t represent all those who made it through undetected into your hometown. Moreover, Washington really wants us to believe that we are safer prior to the date of 9/11… explain to the American people President Bush- how are we safer? When you and President Fox want nothing more than to allow those who are breaking our laws an open invitation to continue the abuse…the wolf is in the hen house and the wolf is devouring our children’s future.

I was wondering when the United States in 1853 negotiated with Mexico to resolve the boundary dispute, which resulted in the termination of the Mexican War and we purchased the land in question, did we sell ourselves too short? I am being a bit facetious here, but let’s just solve all our problems with Mexico and have them become a part of the United States. Now don’t get all upset…think about it. We would solve at least a part of this situation.

If the United States just went ahead and redrew the boundary lines think of all the prime real estate that would become ours immediately. We’d have tropical ocean front properties on both sides of our land mass and condominiums, restaurants and hotels galore!

The tax gain would be phenomenal. We’d have more tax money coming in to pay off our ever-growing national debt. Think of the untapped oil reserves. No more dependence on the Middle East… Lest we forget think of all the mining of precious gems, and minerals we could garner from absorbing Mexico. By letting our illegal children, who’ve continually sucked us dry, become a part of the United States, they can begin to repay what they’ve so selfishly stolen for years.

Then not all the fat pompous politicians sitting in Washington will have to play the innocent game of- I just don’t know what to do with our border problems…and they won’t have to slander the good names of the Minute Men who are doing nothing but the job of being good watchful citizens.

Hey, Washington… those Minute Men have your knickers in a bit of a twist don’t they?

They are within the confines of the laws of our land, but they are actually active in helping protect your homes, your cities, your states, your country and your political jobs, all because you haven’t the fortitude to do anything about it yourself. There hasn’t been one sitting president or congressional team from either side of the political ping-pong table that has ever had the nerve to stand up and do what is right.

Sure, I know the purchase of Mexico to become a part of the Los Estados Unidos, I mean the United States, will never happen. It is just my way of saying, Hey- Washington you cannot seem to solve anything, so why not go ahead and meld Mexico into the United States…isn’t that what you’re really trying to do through our back door anyway? There isn’t a valiant person of character left in Washington who believes in the rule of law. The corporations have the politicians wrapped up tightly and stuffed down their back pockets and the almighty dollar to be gained by cheap labor is all that matters. The exploitation of our system is nothing but an irrelevant point.

Sometimes it would seem our interpretation of freedom is taken too far and abused. Our constitution was written for the citizens of these United States, within its framework comes many privileges under law, but there seem to be those who want to continue to denigrate what our Founding Fathers so carefully penned. “WE have a Republic, if we can keep it”… once was said by Benjamin Franklin in response to a woman named Mrs. Powell. Mrs. Powell had asked Mr. Franklin, "Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?" It would seem though our Republic hasn’t the respect of its politicians any longer… so ultimately have we already lost it by not applying our rules of entry into our country? Perhaps we have…


Knowing that a democracy is a government of men in which the tyranny of the majority rules, America’s Founding Fathers wisely created a republic — a government ruled by law.