This past week we saw our President, Vice President, a college professor and a police officer sitting around a table having a beer. I am not going to address the event that triggered this. What I am going to address is the comment made by the President, "Let's have a beer."
For some reason this bothers me and I can't put my finger on why. I talked to a couple of the residents at work and they said the same thing, it bothered them as well.
It is not the fact that the four of them got together to discuss the situation. It is the comment. For some reason having the President of the United States acting like Joe Six Pack bothers me. Maybe it is the fact that I was raised to respect the office of the President and there was a decorum associated with it. Maybe it is because I am not a beer drinker so I don't get the concept.
I guess I need to go and find a group of folks, have a beer and try to figure why this bothers me. Any suggestions?
Friday, July 31, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Enviromental Footprint On Boots?
Last night I went to Sears to purchase some new work boots. I looked over the selection and found a pair that I liked and were comfortable. So I purchased them.
This morning as I was getting them out of the box and I noticed a sticker on the side of the box. It was titled "Our Footprint". So I read on. It listed how much energy was used in the creating of the boots, how much of the factory's power came from renewable sources, how many hours the company contributes to the community, and was there any child labor used in the making of the boots.
This got me wondering. Do people really look at this information when purchasing work boots? I would think style, comfort and price were the determining factors. Those are the things that I look for.
I would be very interested in hearing from others on this. Does how much energy used a deal breaker for you when purchasing boots or any shoes? How about where the power comes from that was used? My guess is that there is a very, very, very small percentage of purchasers that would make their decision to purchase these boots just because of the information on the box. This is a great marketing ploy by this manufacturer, read on.
Here is the kicker, I looked all over the box and there is no place on it that tells where the boots were made. So I looked at the boots themselves and found a little tag inside. This is funny, they were made in China! China is one of the world's biggest polluters along with India.
So people are getting a warm and fuzzy feeling that they are helping the environment by purchasing these boots when in reality they are not. I love this environmental, green house gas, carbon footprint stuff. I wonder how long this fad will last...like pet rocks...the environmentally friendly pet (because they didn't pollute, no methane gas, or consume any natural resources, no carbon footprint to worry about).
This morning as I was getting them out of the box and I noticed a sticker on the side of the box. It was titled "Our Footprint". So I read on. It listed how much energy was used in the creating of the boots, how much of the factory's power came from renewable sources, how many hours the company contributes to the community, and was there any child labor used in the making of the boots.
This got me wondering. Do people really look at this information when purchasing work boots? I would think style, comfort and price were the determining factors. Those are the things that I look for.
I would be very interested in hearing from others on this. Does how much energy used a deal breaker for you when purchasing boots or any shoes? How about where the power comes from that was used? My guess is that there is a very, very, very small percentage of purchasers that would make their decision to purchase these boots just because of the information on the box. This is a great marketing ploy by this manufacturer, read on.
Here is the kicker, I looked all over the box and there is no place on it that tells where the boots were made. So I looked at the boots themselves and found a little tag inside. This is funny, they were made in China! China is one of the world's biggest polluters along with India.
So people are getting a warm and fuzzy feeling that they are helping the environment by purchasing these boots when in reality they are not. I love this environmental, green house gas, carbon footprint stuff. I wonder how long this fad will last...like pet rocks...the environmentally friendly pet (because they didn't pollute, no methane gas, or consume any natural resources, no carbon footprint to worry about).
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Alternative Power's Dirty Secret
I worked for a electric company for over 20 years and during that time I learned a lot about where our electricity comes from. At one time the company I worked for was doing research on alternative energy sources. They had wind, solar, geothermal, coal gasification, nuclear, hydro, and natural gas power plants. This was all back in the 1980s and 1990s.
We are being told today that we need to get away from fossil fuel generated electricity. That sounds great, let's do it. Here is the big secret that the environmentalist don't what you to know. What do you need to build your alternative power plant on? The answer, land. Where are you going to find large, vacant parcels of land? The answer, deserts, or rural areas. Where do people mostly live? In cities. How does the power get from the power plants to the cities? It travels via transmission lines. What do you need to get before you can build your plant or your transmission line? First you have to purchase large amounts of property and then get the permits to build your plant and transmission lines. Here in lies the dirty secret. The environmentalists don't want the transmission lines built nor do they want rural or desert lands converted into power plants. So they come up with endangered animals or plants in the areas to be developed. Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) are a time consuming, expensive process that also delays construction, sometimes for years.
So, on one hand the environmentalists want alternative power. On the other hand they fight the construction of such plants. So what is their goal? Think about it. If they complain about the pollution existing plants produce and how bad they are (and that pollution has been greatly reduced over the past 40 years) and they don't what new plants, what's left? Cap and Trade.
Cap and Trade is nothing more than the environmental left forcing new energy standards that will only result higher energy cost, not alternative power sorces. What do higher energy cost create? They create more expensive utility bills for home owners already struggling to make ends meet, higher fuel costs at the gas pumps, and everything we purchase will cost more. Cap and Trade will NOT make America better. If you think unemployment is bad now and the cost of gas was bad last year, just let Cap and Trade get passed.
We are being told today that we need to get away from fossil fuel generated electricity. That sounds great, let's do it. Here is the big secret that the environmentalist don't what you to know. What do you need to build your alternative power plant on? The answer, land. Where are you going to find large, vacant parcels of land? The answer, deserts, or rural areas. Where do people mostly live? In cities. How does the power get from the power plants to the cities? It travels via transmission lines. What do you need to get before you can build your plant or your transmission line? First you have to purchase large amounts of property and then get the permits to build your plant and transmission lines. Here in lies the dirty secret. The environmentalists don't want the transmission lines built nor do they want rural or desert lands converted into power plants. So they come up with endangered animals or plants in the areas to be developed. Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) are a time consuming, expensive process that also delays construction, sometimes for years.
So, on one hand the environmentalists want alternative power. On the other hand they fight the construction of such plants. So what is their goal? Think about it. If they complain about the pollution existing plants produce and how bad they are (and that pollution has been greatly reduced over the past 40 years) and they don't what new plants, what's left? Cap and Trade.
Cap and Trade is nothing more than the environmental left forcing new energy standards that will only result higher energy cost, not alternative power sorces. What do higher energy cost create? They create more expensive utility bills for home owners already struggling to make ends meet, higher fuel costs at the gas pumps, and everything we purchase will cost more. Cap and Trade will NOT make America better. If you think unemployment is bad now and the cost of gas was bad last year, just let Cap and Trade get passed.
Friday, July 10, 2009
O-bum-a-gate?
I heard about this picture on KGMI this morning and had to check it out. It's not the fact that Obama is checking out the bum of a 16 year old from Rio, but the spin is that he is just watching his footing as he was going down the stairs.
Notice the expression on French President Nicolas Sarkozy's face, what is he looking at?
Check out the video of that at the ABC news' web site at: http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8049121
You be the judge....
Monday, July 6, 2009
Sarah Palin Announcement
After watching the Sarah Palin announcement I have my own take on what's going on. First off I would say that I like Sarah Palin and her accomplishments. I am very disgusted on the way the left has treated her. There is no justifiable reason for the mean comments about her and especially those toward her family.
As far as her stepping down, to me it fits in with her style of leadership. Why should she stay in office and spend the tax payer's money fighting charge after charge against her (all of them she has won)? To me, if the charges are going to continue, and they seem to be, then stepping down is the right thing to do.
Doing the right thing, to me, is what the left so hates about her. Being pro life, pro family, pro military are not popular beliefs today. Yet she has shown true character by holding true to her beliefs, even with all the attacks by the main stream press. I think every politician can learn a lot from her.
As far as her stepping down, to me it fits in with her style of leadership. Why should she stay in office and spend the tax payer's money fighting charge after charge against her (all of them she has won)? To me, if the charges are going to continue, and they seem to be, then stepping down is the right thing to do.
Doing the right thing, to me, is what the left so hates about her. Being pro life, pro family, pro military are not popular beliefs today. Yet she has shown true character by holding true to her beliefs, even with all the attacks by the main stream press. I think every politician can learn a lot from her.
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