Off to my grandmothers for Thanksgiving.
Hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Monday, November 24, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Saturdays Drive
So yesterday I put about 500 miles on my truck driving to north Florida taking pictures. Although it was mostly driving. I went from Tampa up 301 to the Georgia line and came back. It was a great day. The weather was great and in north Florida it was perfect. When I stopped and was out and about you smell people fires. The sky was bright blue with hardly a cloud around.
It felt like the perfect fall day the further north I went.
If gas prices stay low I will be doing a few more of these trips and going to areas of the state I do not get to that often. Who knows what I will find.
It felt like the perfect fall day the further north I went.
If gas prices stay low I will be doing a few more of these trips and going to areas of the state I do not get to that often. Who knows what I will find.
Refreshed
I took a few days away from blogging and here are some observations and questions I have.
Why has gas gone down so much? Do you really believe that demand world wide has dropped so much that a barrel of oil is now below fifty dollars. I think the price was manipulated up to its high and it is being manipulated now. I hope oil companies are storing up reserves so the next time prices are out of control the market can be flooded with cheap oil.
How come the leaders of AIG and the others who have recieved the bulk of the bailout were not asked how they got to Washington. Do you think they flew commercial? How come they did not ask them to come back with a plan on how they plan to spend the bailout money they were going to recieve?
Why do the democrats have chickenshit leaders like Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid leading the party in the house and senate? They have no guts and they actually act like republicans.
They do not stand up for the common man and if they do not get off their ass they will voted out of office next time. I bet if you take a poll of democrats around the country and asked "Do you think Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi are doing a good job leading the party?" the answer would be a big NO. They are both big wind bags who are masters of spinning and lying.
Some of us are starting to wonder where the "Change" is in the Obama administration. Seems like a lot of the same old people to me. I could be wrong. I and many others were hoping that the cabinet would be a mix of new and old.
Why has gas gone down so much? Do you really believe that demand world wide has dropped so much that a barrel of oil is now below fifty dollars. I think the price was manipulated up to its high and it is being manipulated now. I hope oil companies are storing up reserves so the next time prices are out of control the market can be flooded with cheap oil.
How come the leaders of AIG and the others who have recieved the bulk of the bailout were not asked how they got to Washington. Do you think they flew commercial? How come they did not ask them to come back with a plan on how they plan to spend the bailout money they were going to recieve?
Why do the democrats have chickenshit leaders like Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid leading the party in the house and senate? They have no guts and they actually act like republicans.
They do not stand up for the common man and if they do not get off their ass they will voted out of office next time. I bet if you take a poll of democrats around the country and asked "Do you think Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi are doing a good job leading the party?" the answer would be a big NO. They are both big wind bags who are masters of spinning and lying.
Some of us are starting to wonder where the "Change" is in the Obama administration. Seems like a lot of the same old people to me. I could be wrong. I and many others were hoping that the cabinet would be a mix of new and old.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Opinions Rants and Raves
The U.S. should have loaned Iceland the 6 billion dollars it needed for their bailout. The goodwill generated from this would have proved to be very valuable.
The world needs to get their Navy's together and go over to the Somalian coast and put an end to all those pirates. How do we let this continue?
How do we continue to let Darfur happen?
We need to lift the embargo against Cuba. We can do business with China and have an Embargo against Cuba. The last vote to keep the embargo was 179-4. Voting to keep the embargo are, The United States, Israel, Palau and the Marshal Islands. What the hell do Palau and the Marshal Islands have against Cuba. I guess maybe if the vote against the U.S. they can have any more shows on Survivor.
Why isn't Florida one of the states leading the way in solar technology. We are the Sunshine State.
How come the United States completely ignores all the very poor people of rural America?
The reason the economy is such a mess is, allegedly, because of the credit crunch. Well if that is the case then why are we trying to fix things so people can get more credit. Maybe if credit is not easy to get then people will not spend money they can not afford to spend. More credit right now leads down the credit crunch path again. I say very soon.
I think housing prices need to fall all whole bunch more before they are actually at the right level.
Why are some so paranoid they are buying guns and ammunition at alarming rates.
Why are there so many rude people?
Why is Kmart open on Thanksgiving? Oh yeah, they do not give a shit about their employees.
The world needs to get their Navy's together and go over to the Somalian coast and put an end to all those pirates. How do we let this continue?
How do we continue to let Darfur happen?
We need to lift the embargo against Cuba. We can do business with China and have an Embargo against Cuba. The last vote to keep the embargo was 179-4. Voting to keep the embargo are, The United States, Israel, Palau and the Marshal Islands. What the hell do Palau and the Marshal Islands have against Cuba. I guess maybe if the vote against the U.S. they can have any more shows on Survivor.
Why isn't Florida one of the states leading the way in solar technology. We are the Sunshine State.
How come the United States completely ignores all the very poor people of rural America?
The reason the economy is such a mess is, allegedly, because of the credit crunch. Well if that is the case then why are we trying to fix things so people can get more credit. Maybe if credit is not easy to get then people will not spend money they can not afford to spend. More credit right now leads down the credit crunch path again. I say very soon.
I think housing prices need to fall all whole bunch more before they are actually at the right level.
Why are some so paranoid they are buying guns and ammunition at alarming rates.
Why are there so many rude people?
Why is Kmart open on Thanksgiving? Oh yeah, they do not give a shit about their employees.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
$1.99
Hooray, I paid $1.99 a gallon yesterday for gas. It has been some time since gas has been that low. It will be interesting to see where the price of gas goes during this financial mess. Hopefully it will stabilize instead of going up and down all the time. I think it will stay low for a while, unless OPEC manipulates production. Anyway it is good prices are low during the holiday season.
Monday, November 17, 2008
You better think twice
UAW President Ron Gettelfinger is saying that they will not give anymore concessions to the auto industry. Well Ron that may turn out to be quite prophetic. Many of your workers will most likely end up losing their jobs very soon because you have failed to give any meaningful concessions.
If you want to be part of the solution here I think you may want to reconsider where you and your members are at. Your members would much rather give back to the companies than lose their jobs. Of course you will still have your job.
If you want to be part of the solution here I think you may want to reconsider where you and your members are at. Your members would much rather give back to the companies than lose their jobs. Of course you will still have your job.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Save the Auto Industry
While many Americans including yours truly did not want the gov't to bail the financial world out We do need to save the auto industry.
I am sure many disagree for very valid reasons but you are wrong in the long run and here is why.
For many years now we have let many industry's and jobs go to other country's and have devastated sections of the country with little care how it affected those people or the nation as a whole. The auto industry is different in many ways. If we do not bail these guys out the direct impact on Ohio and Michigan will leave these states virtual ghost towns. It will be completely impossible to find enough jobs in those states to cover the amount of people who will be unemployed. The revenue those states would lose will cause them to collapse. There are also the dealerships, parts manufacturers, the parts sellers, repair shops that would directly feel the collapse of the U.S. auto market. Of course there also the side business's that would be affected in those towns. It maybe the local barbershop, restaurant or retail store. It would be widespread in many communities and I think would cause the U.S. a major recession if not a depression.
Then you have this. Many people have been commenting of the years about the loss of manufacturing jobs in this country. How can so easily give up on the industry that built America.
If the auto industry had never happened in the U.S. we would not be the nation we are today in terms of size, strength or power. Those are the people who retooled their machines and helped build the planes, tanks, boats and other equipment in both World Wars. Without them we would be very different today. They helped rebuild the nation after WWII buying selling cars at affordable rates and the nation expanded. They were important to us as a nation. They helped us grow. We can not just give up on them.
The other thing to remember is that only 14% of the worlds population own vehicles at this point in history. There is much room for growth, just not in the United States. If we are to be a player in the world economy then we need these guys.
As the world grows and continues to become more closely tied together do we want to become a nation of consumers and not producers. As the world continues to grow new leaders are and will emerge. The country's that will rise towards the top will be the producers. They will have the power.
We must become a nation of manufacturing again.
To save the auto industry we will have to be tough on them. They did this to themselves by being arrogant, blind and just plain stupid. The labor costs are ridiculous. Here is an example,
my father had to buy an oil hose for his GM pickup. He went to the dealer and the price was $113.00. He decided to check the price at the auto parts store and it was $38.00. Well how does Detroit expect us to pay $113.00 when you can get the part for $38.00. Yes the quality may not be the same however the price difference is asinine. There is no good justification for that difference.
Here are some of my solutions before they get any bailout money. They may be tough in the beginning but will pay off in the end.
1. Cut 60% of all staff not directly associated with production.
2. Cut 20% of all production staff.
3. A five year hiring freeze unless they increase sales by 20%.
4. Cut production so there are only 14 days worth of inventory on the auto lots.
5. All vehicles will need a 5 year 100% bumper to bumper warranty.
6. Cut model production by 50%.
7. All models must be get 35 real world miles within 5 years.
8. All cars must be some version of a hybrid within 5 years.
My two pet peeves that should be addressed are these.
1. We want set prices on your cars. Most Americans dread buying cars because we have to dicker on the price. There should set and fair pricing on vehicles. The negation of vehicle pricing leaves the majority of us with a very bad taste in our mouths.
2. Stop with all the option bullshit. There some options that should come with every vehicle. They are am/fm radios with cd's and mp3 players. All vehicles should have front, side and rear air bags where applicable. All vehicles should have ac. All vehicles should have cruise control. All vehicles should have a basic GPS. All vehicles should have blue tooth capabilities. All vehicles should have power windows, locks and seats.
Currently you pick out one or two of these options and package them together and add thousands off dollars to the price of the vehicle, then you have more options for more money.
Make these items standard.
That is enough for now.
Thank you and have a good day.
I am sure many disagree for very valid reasons but you are wrong in the long run and here is why.
For many years now we have let many industry's and jobs go to other country's and have devastated sections of the country with little care how it affected those people or the nation as a whole. The auto industry is different in many ways. If we do not bail these guys out the direct impact on Ohio and Michigan will leave these states virtual ghost towns. It will be completely impossible to find enough jobs in those states to cover the amount of people who will be unemployed. The revenue those states would lose will cause them to collapse. There are also the dealerships, parts manufacturers, the parts sellers, repair shops that would directly feel the collapse of the U.S. auto market. Of course there also the side business's that would be affected in those towns. It maybe the local barbershop, restaurant or retail store. It would be widespread in many communities and I think would cause the U.S. a major recession if not a depression.
Then you have this. Many people have been commenting of the years about the loss of manufacturing jobs in this country. How can so easily give up on the industry that built America.
If the auto industry had never happened in the U.S. we would not be the nation we are today in terms of size, strength or power. Those are the people who retooled their machines and helped build the planes, tanks, boats and other equipment in both World Wars. Without them we would be very different today. They helped rebuild the nation after WWII buying selling cars at affordable rates and the nation expanded. They were important to us as a nation. They helped us grow. We can not just give up on them.
The other thing to remember is that only 14% of the worlds population own vehicles at this point in history. There is much room for growth, just not in the United States. If we are to be a player in the world economy then we need these guys.
As the world grows and continues to become more closely tied together do we want to become a nation of consumers and not producers. As the world continues to grow new leaders are and will emerge. The country's that will rise towards the top will be the producers. They will have the power.
We must become a nation of manufacturing again.
To save the auto industry we will have to be tough on them. They did this to themselves by being arrogant, blind and just plain stupid. The labor costs are ridiculous. Here is an example,
my father had to buy an oil hose for his GM pickup. He went to the dealer and the price was $113.00. He decided to check the price at the auto parts store and it was $38.00. Well how does Detroit expect us to pay $113.00 when you can get the part for $38.00. Yes the quality may not be the same however the price difference is asinine. There is no good justification for that difference.
Here are some of my solutions before they get any bailout money. They may be tough in the beginning but will pay off in the end.
1. Cut 60% of all staff not directly associated with production.
2. Cut 20% of all production staff.
3. A five year hiring freeze unless they increase sales by 20%.
4. Cut production so there are only 14 days worth of inventory on the auto lots.
5. All vehicles will need a 5 year 100% bumper to bumper warranty.
6. Cut model production by 50%.
7. All models must be get 35 real world miles within 5 years.
8. All cars must be some version of a hybrid within 5 years.
My two pet peeves that should be addressed are these.
1. We want set prices on your cars. Most Americans dread buying cars because we have to dicker on the price. There should set and fair pricing on vehicles. The negation of vehicle pricing leaves the majority of us with a very bad taste in our mouths.
2. Stop with all the option bullshit. There some options that should come with every vehicle. They are am/fm radios with cd's and mp3 players. All vehicles should have front, side and rear air bags where applicable. All vehicles should have ac. All vehicles should have cruise control. All vehicles should have a basic GPS. All vehicles should have blue tooth capabilities. All vehicles should have power windows, locks and seats.
Currently you pick out one or two of these options and package them together and add thousands off dollars to the price of the vehicle, then you have more options for more money.
Make these items standard.
That is enough for now.
Thank you and have a good day.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Bailout This
We it looks like we are getting the short end of this from our leaders. We are not going to give money to people with failing mortgages now. I guess that means AIG can get more before they are sold or split into several companies. Nice job Mr. Paulson
We have the auto industry, American Express and others lining up to take their share of the billions being given away. Meanwhile working Americans are losing homes, losing their retirement savings and losing faith in our leaders everyday.
If the average American continues to lose their retirement savings we will not spend more money, we will save what we can from our "disposable income" to attempt to make up for losing retirement savings. Do our leaders not get this. Most likely not. Since very few of them have any connection to the average working citizen. Remember we did not want the bailout because just like the war in Iraq we rushed into this damm thing with no plan. Big surprise that the economy is getting worse.
All these leaders say that the "credit crunch" has nothing to do with the continued slide of the stock market. Really, do they actually believe this. I know many people who have pulled out because they could not stand the lose. I suspect that many people and investment houses are doing the same thing. If this "credit crisis" never happened the stock market would be fine.
All those companies that lend money to the average person are to blame for this. They gave easy credit and high credit card limits to people who did not actually qualify for those terms and they never looked back. So I say let them fail, be bought or file bankruptcy. No more money to these dirtbags. They are the ones who caused homes prices to get so out of control. Homes may be much lower than they were when people bought them however they were never worth that much in the first place. Easy credit drove that market to such extremes.
WAKE UP PEOPLE.
We have the auto industry, American Express and others lining up to take their share of the billions being given away. Meanwhile working Americans are losing homes, losing their retirement savings and losing faith in our leaders everyday.
If the average American continues to lose their retirement savings we will not spend more money, we will save what we can from our "disposable income" to attempt to make up for losing retirement savings. Do our leaders not get this. Most likely not. Since very few of them have any connection to the average working citizen. Remember we did not want the bailout because just like the war in Iraq we rushed into this damm thing with no plan. Big surprise that the economy is getting worse.
All these leaders say that the "credit crunch" has nothing to do with the continued slide of the stock market. Really, do they actually believe this. I know many people who have pulled out because they could not stand the lose. I suspect that many people and investment houses are doing the same thing. If this "credit crisis" never happened the stock market would be fine.
All those companies that lend money to the average person are to blame for this. They gave easy credit and high credit card limits to people who did not actually qualify for those terms and they never looked back. So I say let them fail, be bought or file bankruptcy. No more money to these dirtbags. They are the ones who caused homes prices to get so out of control. Homes may be much lower than they were when people bought them however they were never worth that much in the first place. Easy credit drove that market to such extremes.
WAKE UP PEOPLE.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Veterans Day
Why is everything open on Veterans Day? It seems to me that it is a hollow tribute to our Veterans with everything being open. What do you think?
Monday, November 10, 2008
DHL you suck
You have to feel for the folks in Wilmington, Ohio. With the 9500 jobs that are being lost because DHL is closing you have to wonder how the town will survive. The economy will thin the herd this holiday season. I suspect there will be more companies that will go under because of mounting debt. Circuit City is on the verge again. They have already let 7500 people go and now they have filed bankruptcy. They will be next to go away. I do not see how they survive.
Obama will have to have a pretty aggressive plan to fix things and it will need to be enacted very fast. I wonder what the plan will mean for the everyday working family.
American Express has now become a bank in order to survive and AIG keeps sucking more money from the bailout plan. At some point we need to stop giving AIG so much money and split the company up. THey now have recieved over 150 billion. Seems a little much in my opinion.
Obama will have to have a pretty aggressive plan to fix things and it will need to be enacted very fast. I wonder what the plan will mean for the everyday working family.
American Express has now become a bank in order to survive and AIG keeps sucking more money from the bailout plan. At some point we need to stop giving AIG so much money and split the company up. THey now have recieved over 150 billion. Seems a little much in my opinion.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Time to get back to work
Well its time to get out and start taking pictures. Since I am working on a few things so maybe I can have a show some time down the road I need to have a large variety of pictures to chose from. The weather is perfect, gas is at a decent price so I need to take advantage of this.
This picture is of smelting pots from the Bura Bura Mine in Ducktown, Tenn.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
The Future is Here
Watching Barack give his speech last night was a pretty amazing event. For me it was amazing that we have elected some who speaks quietly, with conviction, determination and with a lot of thought. He is very good a measuring his speech and being able to rally people to his side.
What I find appealing is that he has been able to give many Americans a renewed sense of pride. He never seems to get rattled and he has an air of confidence about him that does not seem phony. He seems to want to listen, learn and use that in how he governs us as a country.
How many times in your lifetime have you seen a politician be able to stir up passions in people like he has been able to do.
I hope that Obama will be able to achieve what he sets out to do. It is not a smooth path that he is going down. I hope that America gives him a chance as the problems we face are many and the obstacles great. It will take time to repair what has been broken and we need to give him the chance to implement his programs. He is a very thoughtful individual and he will not rush into things looking for a quick fix. So give him a chance and you will see we have made the right choice.
What I find appealing is that he has been able to give many Americans a renewed sense of pride. He never seems to get rattled and he has an air of confidence about him that does not seem phony. He seems to want to listen, learn and use that in how he governs us as a country.
How many times in your lifetime have you seen a politician be able to stir up passions in people like he has been able to do.
I hope that Obama will be able to achieve what he sets out to do. It is not a smooth path that he is going down. I hope that America gives him a chance as the problems we face are many and the obstacles great. It will take time to repair what has been broken and we need to give him the chance to implement his programs. He is a very thoughtful individual and he will not rush into things looking for a quick fix. So give him a chance and you will see we have made the right choice.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Thank You
I just want to say THANK YOU to my fellow Americans. We have done the right thing today and for that we should be proud as a nation. This election will speak volumes around the world.
Nasty Ads
Wow, here we are on election morning and the nasty ads from the political action groups are hitting an all time high here in Tampa. It seems a little late for this tactic.
Tonight should be very telling on where we are going as a nation.
Tonight should be very telling on where we are going as a nation.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Good start
Well my week is off to a roaring start. I locked my key in my truck last night and it is the only key I have. The other key went missing some time ago. So now I am late for work and am messing around with getting the door unlocked.
Please tell me this the only bad thing that will happen this week.
Another nail in the coffin as I work my way down the corporate ladder.
Please tell me this the only bad thing that will happen this week.
Another nail in the coffin as I work my way down the corporate ladder.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Going down Da Nile
So I hear this morning the pundits and politicians talking about the election Tuesday and I heard the Republicans say some crazy things.
The Democrats are likely to gain several Senate seats and the Republicans are rightly nervous about losing control. So this morning the Republicans are saying, in the face of these losses, that the Democrats are running the most liberal candidates ever and they will tax and spend, redistribute your income and increase our dependence on foreign oil. We as Americans are going to vote for those candidates because your right wing, fear mongering, war raging, money grabbing, take care of the rich, candidates had no spine and voted down the line with George Bush and got the United States into this mess we are in right now. So you may not like what is going to happen to your party but if you had integrity as politicians you would have listened to your constituents over the last eight years and voted against Bush every so often and maybe things would be better for your side.
The other thing they are repeatedly saying is that Sarah Palin has not been a drag on the ticket.
I assume that your saying this to save face. There will be many people who will not vote for your candidates because Sarah Palin is in no way qualified to be President of the United States. You can spin this all you want but this is the truth.
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