www.nationalview.org and Note From a Madman brought to you by
for your Information Technology needs
owned and operated by Noah "The Madman" Greenberg
This Is What Democracy Looks Like
Today's Note From a Madman
April 17, 2008
More Gas, More Money
62.5 cents. That's what our dollar is worth against the Euro - 62.5 cents... and
it's still falling.
The weaker our dollar becomes, the more expensive everything we have to purchase
becomes. From staples such as milk and eggs and juice to luxury items such as
health insurance for each member of your family, the dollar is buying less and
less of it all.
And, yes, for many, if not most of us, health insurance IS a luxury today.
The excuses from the Bush administration, Big Oil and their paid analysts
(lobbyists) keep on coming. In response to the falling inventory of fuel in the
United States, Victor Shum, an energy analyst with Purvin & Gertz in Singapore
said this:
"The market has focused on the substantial draw in gasoline in the U.S. and also
the large crude oil draw. The report has provided a knee-jerk reaction for the
market and has driven oil to a new high."
-Shum
That ain't a "knee-jerk" reaction, Mr. Shum The way the prices keep on setting
new records, it's a trick knee in need of a replacement.
However, US analysts have a different take on it. They feel that US gas
consumers aren't using as much gasoline as they used to because of cars with
better fuel mileage. And this may be true to some extent, but the real truth is
that even those who couldn't afford the new hybrid, which gets better Miles Per
Gallon, are taking steps to curtail their gasoline bills. Those who still need
the big vehicle for work or family are simply not driving as much. And when
Americans don't drive, they aren't driving to restaurants; they aren't driving
off on a family vacation to places which rely on tourism; and they aren't
spending that money which they used to spend on an economy - the Bush Economy -
which desperately needs it.
"Gasoline and crude inventories dropped primarily because refiners are not
really ordering crude oil and they are also holding back on operating rates
because demand is weak. The concerns about gasoline supply in the summer may be
overdone."
-Shum, again
Did an expert just say that US refineries weren't ordering crude oil for
refining? Wasn't it just a short time ago that the Bush administration, and
anyone who has a stake in Big Oil, were telling us all that the reason our gas
prices were so high was because we didn't have enough refineries?
"It ought to be clear to everybody that this country needs to build more
refining capacity to be able to deal with the issues of tight supply,"
-President Bush in October 2005
Just a month after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, President Bush not only
suggested, but determined that the reason gas prices rose so high was because we
didn't have enough refineries. Some of you might remember that just after
Katrina struck, gas prices around the nation surged by over an extra dollar per
gallon. And as the prices rose, cars recreated the gas line scenes of the OPEC
embargo years of the 1970's.
As it turns out, refineries weren't the problem at all!
As gas prices rise and the dollar falls, so does the middle class. And the lack
of foresight of the bush administration, coupled with the future promises of
Republican nominee John McCain to "stay the course" on the Bush economy, will
just allow things to keep getting worse.
-Noah Greenberg
Hillary Clinton: On the Record
A Response to a Critic of Barack Obama
Interesting that the Clinton supporters don't mention she has voted to fund the
war all along. I learned last night at a talk with Jeremy Scahill who writes for
The Nation that Clinton was never against Blackwater though it was within her
power to do something about them. She now says that as President she would not
hire Blackwater. That's real convenient given that they are now controversial.
By the way, Clinton has missed many votes. Here's a list compiled in the
Washington Post:
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/c001041/votes/missed/
And, by the way, I also found out from listening to Jeremy Scahill and Dahr
Jamail that Clinton has taken more defense contractor money than any Democrat!
The Clintons have always taken lots of bucks from defense contractors. Obama may
not be perfect but he is far less of a corporatist than Hillary Clinton.
-Robert Scardapane
And Eddie Konczal writes in response to, "Obama is clearly the more progressive
choice. This is also the conclusion of The Nation magazine; the publication I
respect the most as they are critical of both parties.
"It's pretty hard to see Obama as a man of the people given the way he votes and
talks. He says he was against the war but has voted FOR war funding all along."
As has your candidate, Hillary Clinton...
"He doesn't show up to vote for most of the difficult votes--a pattern he
established in Illinois."
This is a highly disingenuous claim by a Clinton support. Hillary has missed a
lot of votes, as listed here:
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/c001041/votes/missed/
"He basically said Clinton's working class voters are ignorant rednecks."
A reference would be nice. I don't recall Obama ever saying anything of the
sort.
Send your comments to: NationalView@aol.com
-Noah Greenberg