Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Thoughtful Tuesday: the price of gas and the lack of snow

As I listened to the news this morning, I was reminded, once again, of the sorry state of our economy.  Instead of taking control, we just sit in resolved silence and accept it.  I have no idea what the answers are, but I know one thing for sure.  The meat lies with 'we the people', not the government.  It really matters not who's in office, it only matters that our system of government is seriously broken.

When Bank of America tried to assess banking fees, 'we the people' took a stand, and Bank of America stepped aside and small, local credit unions saw an increase in membership.  When NetFlix jacked around with their well loved rental system, 'we the people' said "I don't think so..."  Things haven't been the same for NetFlix since.  When Verizon thought it a wise idea to charge us for paying our bills, 'we the people' said "uh, wait a minute!"  In all cases, 'we the people' took a stand, and won those small, yet very important victories.

Why is it we can't take a stand against our government?  I really don't know, but when I ponder the sorry ass state of our lives, I'm reminded of the great Warren Buffet who proposed a 'pay for results' compensation package for our government leaders.  I love that idea.  That's how my husband gets paid.  That's how I get paid.  That's how my friends get paid.  Why should our leaders get paid under any other structure?

Why, when a barrel of crude oil soars past $100, is a bushel of wheat still pennies on the equivalent dollar?  That's our export.  Have we signed some idiotic agreement that says we will never raise the price of our most valuable export?  Kind of like when we signed over the Panama Canal?  Idiocy abounds in our government...I don't care if there is a (D) or an (R) after our elected officials' names, they actually *do* have something in common?  They all have the proverbial "L" stamped on their foreheads.  All of them.

In my opinion, food is far more important than fuel, yet fuel is many times more costly.  Our farmers are dying.  For every .50 that fuel goes up at the pump, our economy loses...sit down, it's going to shock the shit out of you, $150,000,000,000.  That's like lighting money on fire, just for the hell of it, to the tune of 150 BILLION dollars.  That's what our economy loses in spending power, when gas goes up just 1/2 of one dollar, which the experts predict will happen by May, just 3 months from now.  That's 150 BILLION dollars that won't find it's way into our economy.

A barrel of crude hovers around $100/barrel, and a bushel of Red Hard Winter Wheat hovers around $8/bushel.  Driving our cars is more important than eating?  Yes, yes, I realize I'm over symplifying things, but we really need to stop and take a look at our priorities, which have been grotesquely out of whack for a long time.

And, on another note...the snow report.  For the record, we have had about 1/4 cup total snow fall for this year.  As I contemplate my spring banner for the blog, I'm reminded winter never really made an appearance.  Not like it usually does, anyway.

Happy 'thoughtful' Tuesday.

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