The Ramble 5/13/11

SYRACUSE, NY– As this is written I’m being unloaded in Syracuse.  A grey morning, here with a bit of rain.  I may end up going home after this, but I’m hoping not, since it means a shorter check. It’s Friday the 13th, and I’m sitting on dock 13. Hmmm…..

• EXACTLY WHY I DUMPED BLOGGER:  I feel your pain, Ann… but in fairness I’ve been looking at using Blogger as a backup site, automatically linked.
• Hey Bennen: I’m calling YOU unamerican. Let’s look at some facts to back this claim. From Wikipedia:
  

  According to national figures from the US Department of Energy, in March 2007 52% of the cost of gasoline went to pay for crude oil, 24% for refining, 15% to taxes, and 9% for distribution and marketing.

  Now, oil company profits are within… as in… they are but a fraction… of that 9%. And lets remember that most of the taxes levied on oil companies are not directly reflected in the pump price as such but are lumped in with the costs, as a cost of doing business. So, taxes take up well over the 15% listed…. nearly double the amount that profits do at the pump price. And yet, you call increasing taxes on oil companies “fair”? You’re unamerican.  Ohh… and let’s not forget that increasing taxes on the oil companies will increase the pump price even further. Which of course is what the Obamites such as yourself want. One more thing: Don’t use Chuckles Schumer, who never saw a tax increase he didn’t like, as a point source and expect me to take you as anything but the leftist/socialist shill you’ve always been. Are we clear on this?

• ABUSE? You betcha! This is abuse of government power of the first order…. and of course you’re NEVER going to see the supposed mainstream press complain about this. The reason? It runs contrary to the Obama myth.
• THE RELATIVE WORTH OF JOE BIDEN: This says it all.
• ENSIGN: Yes, I’ve seen the reports. They strike me as making mountains out of molehills, by a party and a political machine attacking full on, on every front, trying to get seats by any means necessary.  In looking at this, I don’t see a whole bunch of concern about Justice, whatever Pelosi says. Indeed, Pelosi is making all the right noises, but given the lack of trust I have in ANYTHING the woman says when her politics are in play, the whole thing is suspect.
• ABOUT THAT DEBT CEILING: By an overwhelming majority, Americans oppose raising it. Vote accordingly, GOP, or prepare to be replaced. That is all.
• McCain: What is this fascination with McCain, by the left? They keep trying to label McCain as a conservative. Look, let’s make this simple: Bush (either one) was at best a centrist… and McCain lost his presidential bids… both times… because he came down to the left of Bush. Maybe they keep running this play because it’s the only way they can push their agenda…. saying that a “Leading Conservative” backs their view?