Close Your Eyes. The Justices Are Coming.

Well, our Supreme Court has done it again. It has effectively screwed the public in favor of corporations, again. You got it. Here's what they decided in a five to four decision. They said that people with the same claim against a corporation cannot join in a class action suit against the corporation. They must sue or arbitrate separately. In the case they tried, the problem was that a phone company promised a free phone, then charged $30. Now who would sue for $30? Or more importantly, what lawyer would take the case? But if hundreds of people were hoodwinked the same way, they can't band together. What it means is that they have to submit to company arbitration. Anybody want to guess who's pockets those five justices are in?
I guess if a company decided to stick up pedestrians on a busy street corner in any city, nobody could sue to get their money back. They'd have to submit to company arbitration. In fact this might work well for a pickpocket. Just incorporate and then if you steal fifty bucks from somebody and they catch you, just inform them they'll have to see your brother, the company arbitrator, who will be happy to refund you five bucks as the award in the arbitration. By golly I think the justices are onto something here. Where do you apply for pickpocket college? I'm interested in night classes.

Okay, Who's Fault Is It, Anyway?

So tell me this. How much do you like oil? I'm not talking about vegetable or olive oil, I'm talking about Texas gold. You know, light sweet. I only ask because it's very likely that the price is going to go way up. Way, way up, before it comes down. And it's not likely to come down for quite a while. Wait a minute. Who's fault is it? I mean, this is America. We have to have someone to blame. So which is it, Obama or Trump (Hee Hee) or some other Republican or Democrat? Or can we blame all of our politicians? Well, as much as I'd like to blame our politicians, especially Trump (Hee Hee), the problem is far more likely to be in and as a result of the middle east. You know, the Arab countries. But it's not because they're Arabs. It's because that part of the world sank into a bunch of tribal chiefs, each with his own plot of sand known as sheikdoms. Sand that wasn't worth the powder to blow them up. Until they found a whole lot of oil under the sand. Then each sheik got rich. But the richer they got, they richer they wanted to be. You know, like corporations. So they kept taking from their own people, you know, like politicians. Eventually the people got fed up and decided to get some freedom and some of the riches for themselves. Americans haven't quite gotten to that point yet. Problem is, with all the confusion, oil is likely to stop flowing, or at least slow down. And that means higher prices for lower quantities. Of course there's always a silver lining in every cloud. In this case, our politicians have each other to blame to their hearts content. I assure you, I will rise above this and present the best choice for president. (this entry is paid for by P.I.M.P.) {Put In My Pocket, in case you forgot}

A Royal Pain.

Well, thank goodness it's over. It's Friday April 29 and the whole thing is over. At least I hope it's over.
No more reporting on the events of the last week or so. Yes, it's true. I finally have a new computer and it's finally working. At least it is at this moment. But I'll tell you what. It was truly an ordeal. It took seven trips to the store, four separate phone calls to the geek squad hotline, two calls to the Internet provider and a partridge in a pear tree. But it seems to finally be working. I'm not sure it was worth the struggle. Well except that I was easily able to miss the royal wedding and all the buildup beforehand. So maybe it was worth all the indigestion. Here's the thing. First I bought the computer, then I couldn't get on line, but the geeks helped me get online. Then I couldn't get online, then I could with help, then to the store to get it straightened out.  Can't, then another call, then back to the store. Then a replacement computer, then no anti-virus, then a call, then to the store where I was told I should do it myself. All interspersed with additional calls and trips. But, as you can readily see, I'm ONLINE. Do you realize how difficult it is to type with your fingers crossed? You underestand, I'm not one to complain, but I don't remember ever having this much trouble with any piece of  equipment before. I mean adding machines, typewriters, manual and electric, copiers, faxes, you name it. I remember, I once had trouble with a spirited horse, but that only amounted to a sore behind.

Sneakyleaks, An Electric Idea.

My presidential campaign committee has just formed a website called sneakyleaks. I'm proud to state that it is responsible for the release of President Obama's birth certificate. A subsidiary of sneakyleaks that will handle the more odorous releases such as Donald Trump's birth status, is named leakysneakers. It has called into question whether or not anyone on Mars has any memory of Donald in elementary school or for that matter, there seems to be no memory of him ever being from Mars at all. If this is true, and I'm not saying it is, but if it is true, then he would have to be classified as an alien of unknown birth status. At any rate, the website is sneakyleaks@snow.sbs. and it's companion site, leakysneakers@snow.sbs. The "sbs" of course is SnowBeard Speaks. This is the name of my search engine. It's a 353 horsepower engine with overhead cam, from a 1973 Chevy Nova. It was red and was my mother's until she could no longer drive. It then went to my oldest son and now is driving my computer searches. Now, that's called recycling. Which is something else I'm interested in supporting as president. I believe that if we recycle all of the campaign signage each year, and use it to generate electricity, we will have enough energy to power our entire country and have enough left over to export some to China. Another advantage to this idea is that you would be allowed to specify Republican or Democrat electric for your home. You know, red electric or blue electric. That's called marketing.

What Energy Policy?

Ya know all those children we've elected to represent us in Washington over the last few decades? Well they're throwing tantrums. Again. Or yet. It's time for some truths. There is no such thing as clean coal. It pollutes the air, the water and the ground. Coal kills. There's no such thing as unlimited oil reserves. And we don't control enough oil to support our needs and certainly not our desires. Oil pollutes the air, the water and the ground. Oil kills. Natural Gas pollutes. The chemicals that are used to extract gas are poison too. Natural gas pollutes the air, the water and the ground. Natural Gas kills. Nuclear energy is poison. It, or it's spent fuel, pollutes the air, the water and the ground. Nuclear Kills. What's left in large enough supply to meet our needs, never mind our desires? The answer? Right now, nothing! So what's the answer? Well, we could continue on the current course until we destroy our civilization if not the planet, or we can come up with some responsible plan to wean ourselves off undesirable,  poisonous energy and onto some, as yet undecided, unrealized energy form. To do that we'll need a responsible transition plan as well. But here's the real question. It's not what form of energy we need to move toward. It's not which forms of energy we need to eliminate first or how quickly to do it. It's not even who will profit the most from any changes or decisions. No. The real question is, do we have elected representatives who are adult enough to make those decisions? Do you really want my opinion?

Holster That Hog Leg, Uncle Sam.

All right then. Let's talk about the eight hundred pound gorilla in the room. We could have talked about the twelve hundred pound polar bear, but nobody in Washington seems to care about his plight. Okay then. Here it is. We keep worrying about medicare, medicaid and a lot of other entitlements that won't solve the budget crisis on their own. So what's the answer? Well it ain't good intentions. I'll tell ya that much. But if you really want to know, then take out your world map and look toward the east of Europe. No not Japan, although a shortage of car parts is a bit of a problem. And it's not China, although China presents a whole other set of problems. It's the middle east and I'm including Afghanistan and Pakistan in that group. We've got four wars going on, all at the same time. If you don't think that's costing us our rainy day savings, you'd better think again. In fact we're way past that fund. We're deep into our life savings. It's costing us between three and four billion dollars a week, yes, I said a week, and yes I said three and four billion dollars, to play "world cop". Now don't get me wrong. I hate to see people get pushed around or killed by all these two bit Caesars. But it's gonna happen whether or not we do anything about it. In fact, it seems the more we try to stop that sort of thing, the more it's happening. Nobody likes a show-off. And nobody likes the guy who wants to act like the good cop, but can't seem to stop pushing our plan on everyone else. It's like a used car salesman. Ya need them, but ya don't have to like them. On MSNBC this morning, Rep. Barney Frank hit it right on the head when he said that the rest of the world can have sound economies because they have the U.S.A. to protect the world from itself. Except that even they don't have such sound economies these days. It's time for the "other guy" to carry the tin star for a change. We need a breather. Our military needs a breather. And we need to learn how to stop telling other people what to do. We ain't Wyatt Earp any more.

Just One More Thing To Worry About.

With all the things we have to worry about in this old world, you can add another one. It's serious and should be right at the top of your "to worry about" list. I speak of the dreaded termite plague. Now you may not think it's such a big deal, but I'm telling you right now that it's a lot bigger then you realize. Let me explain how this problem has grown. In India, and yes, I know that's a long way away, but in northern India, termites have eaten up ten million rupees. That's about $220,000 in U.S. dollars. This was reported in Fridays additional of the Washington Post. Now as if that weren't bad enough, the money was in a steel bank vault. Folks, your money is no longer safe. Think you've saved up enough to buy that new car? Think again. The money could be gone. Don't forget, banks have been looking for ways to tell you that your savings have disappeared,  for years. Well, they've found that way. Sorry Charlie, but your money got eaten up be the termites. See? Here's the dust left over from their tiny banquet. Yes, and don't think you can just stuff it in your mattress. If they can get into a steel bank vault, your mattress will be no challenge for them. Now, if money is on the menu, then what's next? Stocks? Bonds? Your will? Friends, this is an assault on our very way of life. Why, it won't be safe to leave the house without all your wealth going along with you. But a wallet seems like small protection. Perhaps a moving car will make a more difficult target and thus a safer repository. On the other hand, with the price of gas being what it is, you may not be able to hold out long.