You Voted For This...

From the same people who brought you zingers like: "I did not have sexual relations with that woman" and " I support the military" comes a new year for lies... This time, the lie is:

We will restore civility to our debate. As Speaker it will be my solemn duty to serve not just one party, but the whole House of Representatives. To that end, we will restore bipartisanship to the administration of the House, re-establish regular order for considering legislation, and ensure the rights of the minority – whichever party is in the minority. The voice of every American has a right to be heard, and that is what the American people expect and deserve. - Nancy Pelosi

This quote is directly from Nancy Pelosi's House Democratic Leader website, and it hasn't even been 2007 for 9 hours (where I live) before this is already shown to be a lie. To quote the Washington Post:

House Democrats intend to pass a raft of popular measures as part of their well-publicized plan for the first 100 hours. They include tightening ethics rules for lawmakers, raising the minimum wage, allowing more research on stem cells and cutting interest rates on student loans.

But instead of allowing Republicans to fully participate in deliberations, as promised after the Democratic victory in the Nov. 7 midterm elections, Democrats now say they will use House rules to prevent the opposition from offering alternative measures, assuring speedy passage of the bills and allowing their party to trumpet early victories.

Folks. I wish I could say I was completely by-partisan... well, not realy. In fact, I believe that most things that is done by the political left is just plain... Stupid. However, I know that without a right wing, and a left wing, our little air plane isn't gunna fly. We need freaks like Nancy Pelosi to use as examples of what liars you don't want your kids to grow up as. And No, I don't agree with President Bush on everything. But the best chance the democrats can use to claim he "lied" (WMDs) was him making a decision based on the intelligence from our own military, as well as the intelligence from MANY other countries and IRAQ Admitting to having WMDs.

Democrats and republicans both lie... they are people. You can find examples from both sides. But I don't know how people can keep voting for the dems. I expected such a move from them... for years they were the minority, and now that they are the majority, they say "now is the time for bipartinship." That line was BS to start with... but that’s how they work. as long as they are in control, its okay to be bipartisan. This is the same group that chastized Nixon but defended Clinton. The same group that believes that the 2000 and 2004 elections were rigged because they didn't win, and the same group that tries to sue-sue-sue when they don't get the election results they want. Amazing, the apparent "lack" of voter fraud in 06 as apposed to 2000 and 2004, isn't it?

But Nancy and her party shows their stripes, taking away the promise of working with "both sides" in a "restored sence of bipartisanship."

House Republicans have begun to complain that Democrats are backing away from their promise to work cooperatively. They are working on their own strategy for the first 100 hours, and part of it is built on the idea that they might be able to break the Democrats' slender majority by wooing away some conservative Democrats.

Which they should have seen a mile away.

But because the details of the Democratic proposals have not been released, some language could be new. Daly said Democrats are still committed to sharing power with the minority down the line. "The test is not the first 100 hours," he said. "The test is the first six months or the first year. We will do what we promised to do."

Yea Right.

********** Update 1/3/07 11:00am **********

Checking on MSNBC's website fore news, something I do often to anger myself, as they do not tend to be... um... "Fair and balanced." I came across this story:

Bush calls on Democrats to work with him.

Now, I have been quoted as pointing out the extension of the olive branch to 'work together':

1/20/06 - "Consider the partisan olive branch extended."

10/19/05 - "Extend the olive branch, only for a dem to hit you with it sort'a thing."

2/3/05 - "this is so aggravating. why can't the democrats just WORK with the republicans? why do they have to be babies about everything!? You don't have to answer this if it pisses you off. I wanted to draw it to everyone's attention that I think it is another pathetic display on how the republicans have that olive branch extended, but the democrats just can't stop hitting them with it."

2/1/05 - "Bush extended the olive branch, the left is beating him with it while hugging the tree."

However, looking at the rating for this story (of which MSNBC's ratings seam to track the leftist opinion of the stories, don't believe me? Try looking under the environMental section for starters) it would seam there are those who don't want the olive branch to be taken. I expressed my doubt that the democrats would hold to their promise of 'working together' yesterday... and the more I look into it, the more it seams Dems don't want to. Mark my words:

1/3/07 - "The only use a democrat has for the olive branch republicans hold out will only be to give them a concussion"

"To You, for the new year, are offered 1(one) Wheet Thin as a peace offering. Lets make this year a good one... Together. Please don't hurt me." - George W Bush Action Figure

Big Oil Profits...Congress to blame for prices

We talked about this on the show yesterday...in doing show prep I found out a few things that are, well, very interesting. I came to a few new conclusions on energy prices. First, you have to understand that I started this because of the news that Exxon had $10.4B in profits last quarter.

Big number...but think about how much petroleum products are sold each day. Gas for cars, metro buses, planes, truckers...vasoline, valvoline...you gearheads know better than me all the stuff in the cars. So the oil companies make money from economies of scale...large volumes of product. Does not yet mean they are gouging or to blame.

So, the rest of this is the short version of what I discovered. If you want to be upset about gas prices you need to focus on Congress.

Oil prices at the gas pump are driven largely by three things...in this order.
1) Futures prices. Price per barrel. It is not the current price, but a futures price. This, btw, is how Wall Street works. If you buy a futures contract for a barrel of xygzam at $75 and by the time you buy that barrel the price might actually be $90, and so you save $15 on cost of business. Why do prices fall slowly? If you buy that contract for $75 and in 6 months the actual price drops to $60 then you lost $15 on the cost of business. So, better to pay a little high on the futures than a little low. Since futures are driven by fear and everything in the Middle East sends the prices sky high. And it is hard to justify bidding on the low side.
2) Global demand. So much more demand globally is driving prices higher. Simple supply and demand. Nothing scandalous there.
3) Domestic supply problem. No new capacity to refine the crude into product means that even with new drilling the supply to the gas pump cannot increase. Lower supply raises prices until demand drops.

The Domestic supply problem is created by Congress and government. They have made it soooo incredibly difficult to build a refinery that one has not been built since Carter was elected. (Many sources available but I used today this one).

There are two effects to this...
a) Prices at the pump go up (again, lower supply raises prices until demand drop).
b) Provides a legitimate increase in profit margin for...REFINERS...not the oil compaines.

Now, how much of your money goes where?
Based on 2005 prices (and I am doing this from memory of yesterday's show) there was
** 19% of the price per gallon went to profits AND cost of refining. Profits includes the .10 per gallon going to the oil company and the profits of distributors, gas stations, refineries...everyone.
** 19% of the price per gallon went to federal and state taxes. This does not include county, city, agency or local taxes and does not includes sales taxes (which some states do).
** 53% of the price per gallon went to the actual cost of the petroleum...that actual purchase of the barrel (not the futures contracts), the cost of building upkeep, salaries, permits, etc.
** 9% of the price per gallone went to exploration.

Now, where is the oil company to blame in that process? Nowhere, if we are being honest about the issue.
Where is any company to blame? At worst the refineries, but they are simply following the supply/demand curve created by price controlling policies of the government (strike one against the gov't)
How does the government have any hand in the production of your gallon of gas? They don't. So them taking taxes from that is like the Mob taking "protection" money from business. There is no legitimate reason for them to be included and there is not a way to 'refuse' the payment. (strike two against the gov't)
Now Congressmen & Senators want investigations, fail to relax the restrictions on refining, want to have government involvement/regulation. (strike three against the gov't).

Pissed about the price of gas? Don't blame Big Oil. Blame every single incumbent on your ballot this November.

********** UPDATE **********
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