Time for a Break

And if my beloved Boston Red Sox and the L A Dodgers survive early October and both make it to the Fall Classic, then the Soquitos Rojo will face Joe Torre, Manny Ramirez, Derek Lowe, and maybe even Nomar Garciaparra. Talk about "wheel in the sky keeps on turning".....



The Captain is having rear knee problems. She now has a new nickname, Ratso Roido, after my favorite Dustin Hoffman character, for which he really deserved the Oscar as best actor:

For those unfamiliar with this film, he's the one on the right, Ratso Rizzo. The guy on the left is Angelina Jolie's father.

A list of websites or magazines I read or visit regularly---unlike Saracuda, I don't have a problem letting you know where I get my information:

The Atlantic http://www.theatlantic.com/ (The Atlantic Monthly has been around over 100 years. I've subscribed to the print edition for years.)

The Economist http://www.economist.com/ (socially liberal, financially conservative with an English perspective-- I subscribe to the print edition as well as online)

The National Review http://www.nationalreview.com (William F. Buckley started this in the '60's. Conservative and well-written. It's ok to be right-wing as long as you think.)

The Nation http://www.thenation.com/ (Left as it gets but well written and thoughtful)

The New Republic http://www.tnr.com/ (Dates back to the counter-culture but also well thought out.)

And of course, the national newspaper of record, The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/ (The op-eds are intelligent, thought-provoking, and very well written.)

Please be informed on the FACTS before you vote. This is the most important election since 1968 and, like the Congress on the bail-out/rescue, we really need to get this correct!!!! Normally I'd say "right" but I don't think that's the proper direction............

Remember, the Pirate Dogs depend on you because they can't vote and they love you.

Raise the Fuel Taxes

Gas prices continue to go up---over $4.08 a gallon as I write this. And the monthly payments on pickups and SUVs keep decreasing---no interest for 60 months, $6,000 rebates, "employee pricing".......Anybody else out there think this is a disconnect? And note the small print on these adds---none of the "deals" apply to hybrids!!!! The fuel efficient varieties are full boat, baby!!!!
Our government says we can alleviate gas prices by drilling in places like the Arctic Wildlife Refuge. But the current administration doesn't exactly deserve kudos or respect in terms of their record on the environment or climate change. Let's face it, the "senior administrators" are ex-oil men. The candidates recommend gas tax holidays or windfall taxes on big oil.
How about something that might work? Let's eliminate the taxes on diesel. This will give truckers a break and help stabilize the costs of food and other goods that depend on trucking to get to America's consumers. We can increase the gas tax on regular fuel to offset this revenue loss and also to subsidize the cost of truly fuel efficient and alternative fuel technologies.
Check out the Honda website http://automobiles.honda.com/fcx-clarity/frequently-asked-questions/. That fuel cell car in the tv ads is available in a few counties in Southern California at a lease cost of $600.00 a month. That's more than the lease on a Hummer, a Mercedes S class, or a Cadillac STS!!!! We should be begging to lease the fuel cell car all over the country and getting the infrastructure built to support fuel cell technology. But the vast majority of Americans can't afford that kind of lease price. One would think GM, Ford, or Chrysler could build a fuel cell car that might fit an average family's budget if some of the development costs were subsidized.
According to Jonathan Rauch's article in the July/August Atlantic(http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/general-motors), the Chevy Volt will sell for "maybe north of $35,000." But an F-150 Ford or a Chevy Silverado at 10mpg can be had for about $20,000!! If we really are serious about conserving fossil fuels and getting their prices back in line, we need the Volt to sell for the same price as a Malibu.
So let's bite the short-term bullet and pay an inceased gas tax which can be used by car companies to develop alternative fuel vehicles without passing the high development costs on to consumers and keeping the sticker prices of these vehicles in line with what the average family can afford. The other benefit of this would be to help make American companies competitive and hopefully increase job opportunities in the automotive sector, which has been among the hardest hit in the economy. Or maybe America isn't as good as our competitors in this segment of the global economy?