Hard Being Right

My fiance has been inundated with email complaints about the gas price. She decided to take a minute and silence this faceless email mass with one fell swoop.

To answer your question JoAnn, gas companies actually don’t charge so much. The profit margin for the major retailers like Chevron Texaco is only around 9%. That’s the average profit margin for discount stores that most consumers consider cheap, like Walmart, too. Compare that to other companies that usually have a 15%-30% margin for base consumer goods on average.

The reason gas prices go up is not because the gas companies are gouging us, oil is a question of supply and demand. When political issues arise in countries that are major suppliers of the US or the world’s oil happen, like when Venezuela basically said they wouldn’t sell oil to the US anymore because we are NOT a communist country, prices go up.

Keep in mind that as other countries in the world begin to industrialize, their consumption of oil increases increasing the world’s demand for oil. Of note right now is China’s massive consumption of oil as they become a world wide production leader.

But really what you’re looking at being responsible for the rise of $0.20+ in the past two weeks is a result of the weakening dollar. One dollar is only worth about half a Euro right now when it used to be worth 75% of a Euro. Economically speaking, we’re having to increase how much we pay just to compete with the actual worldwide value of gas.

But if you’re looking to get upset about something, like the fact that in many states of the US you have to pay more as a result of fees and taxes that environmentalists lobbied to get tacked onto the consumer price of gas. It’s about $0.20 more per gallon because of these fees and additional costs and the gas companies have no control over it because the government implemented these requirements based on environmental lobbyists.

And if you need another reason to get mad at the high gas prices, keep in mind that the US has it’s own oil reserves on in North Dakota, Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico totaling billions of barrels of high quality crude oil that no company is allowed to touch in order to lower the cost of gas because the Democratic senators, like Ed Markey, don’t want us drilling for oil in the undeveloped areas of the US. WTF.

Wonderfully done babe

Its my first time in Salt Lake City and I have to say being a business destination for me, its a decent place to stop.  While the street layout is RIDICULOUS.  Its still super easy to navigate.  All I got to ask is, how many damn Temple streets do they need in one twelve square mile radius?  It seems like a pretty friendly place as well.

About the less important Romney to McCain support I have to again remark how classy I think Romney is.  He’s lining up with the party.  Which by and large has always elected the candidate on a turn system.  Its McCain’s turn and AGAIN I say we go out and support him.  Do not be swayed by those who would compare McCain to Democrats.  He still has an 80% conservative voting record and thats over 20 years of service.  sign up, line and get out there and spread the positive word that the republican party is strong and is ready to roll in 2008!

Barack Obama campaign headquarters now feature a flag with the haunting face of none other than Che Guevara.

Sometimes I just don’t get my fellow American’s I’m sure I should know better than to assume that most people would at least have the decency to do a little background research before putting that flag up. Or god forbid the young college students who where shirts with Che’s iconic face on it. I guess I am just constantly surprised by people. Is that a good thing?

Here is a quick review of some of Che’s “Accomplishments”

1. Che was responsible for the execution of thousands of political prisoners in Cuba (most of them purely for their opposition to Castro’s communist policies or for no reason at all).

2. Che enjoyed torturing and abusing the prisoners, including children.

3. Che was instrumental in setting up the Castro regime’s massive forced labor camps and secret police apparatus.

4. Che tried to organize campaigns of terrorism against civilians in the US and elsewhere (though he largely failed in these efforts).

5. Far from being merely a Third World nationalist or pragmatic leftist, he was a committed, hard-line Stalinist, even going so far as to call himself “Stalin II” early in his career.

I’d like to go out on a limb here and say like so many before me have. That the liberal party is the party that turns a blind eye to horrible violence. Most often its the acts of cruelty surrounding communism, but it certainly doesn’t end there. Many a conservative speaker has had violent protests break out during his speach. Its even happens for liberals. We can all remember the “Don’t taze me bro” kid.

Take an objective look at the parties here. If a conservative hated the words being said by a liberal are they more or less likely to rise up in anger and violence against that person? Or would it be the other way around with the liberal striking out against the conservative.

Update: Check out the Captains Quarters on the unfolding events.

Hugh has a wonderful list on his site, saying more than I can on the subject. Take a look if you have been contempled becoming a suicide voter.

There are seven reasons for anyone to support the eventual nominee no matter who it is: The war and six Supreme Court justices over the age of 68.

This is huge. Please, let me be clear. The ability to nominate what could be a HUGE number of justices isn’t something we can just gift the democrats with.

Don’t fall for the media fire storm. Voting republican as a conservative is always a better choice than doing nothing and letting the democrats walk through the door. No mater how liberal you may think Senator McCain is, he is no where NEAR Clinton or Obama.

To my readers. Are prepared to step up and work for the GOP in election ‘08? Even if your guy isn’t the nominee?

I’m a Romney guy. That makes this evening a bummer. I woke up full of energy and got out there to vote. I was optimistic that Romney had a chance as the votes started to come in. It looks like that didn’t play out and that the Huckabee factor had something to do with it.

But thats ok! We have to remember that this is a primary. Sure we want our guy to win, but we are all pretty much on the same side. As I heard tonight on Hugh Hewitt’s live show on Super Tuesday “Regardless of who takes it. We need to rally behind that candidate, because it is still alot better than a Democrat victory“.

I heard alot of moaning today against McCain. I personally campaigned against him for Romney. However now, as the McCain wave crashes on the Romney campaign I have to temper myself and start the work needed on keeping a conservative in the white house, which is truly whats important. Get rid of notions to that a vote for McCain is a vote for a liberal. His record truly does speak for itself. Its also important to remember that there could very well be more supreme court justices to elect in this next presidential term and while I took Senator McCain to task over the gang of fourteen I have faith he will do the right thing if tasked to elect new justices.

Head over to Michelle Malkin’s blog, I was reading her live blog tonight and really like the way she covered super tuesday.

Look forwarded to a heated race. If Obama wins we’re going to see things completely new to presidential elections, a record turn out for the young twenty somethings who have a cause. All-be-it an poorly defined empty cause, but a pretty package at least.

So Guiliani is out, as I expected he would be after his dismal turnout on Tuesday. It was a go hard or go home moment. Unfortunately it just didn’t work out like he thought. In the end he gave the nod to McCain vowing his un-dieing love. I had hoped that Guiliani would have back Romney now I have to start thinking about what a McCain campaign might look like. Even though I really don’t want to.

As I watch the live updates roll in I’m thinking “If Hukabee beats Guiliani, he’s out.”

Think about this, Guiliani has focused a ton of his money on Florida and if the looses to the candidate with the least amount of money and roughly the weakest campaigning (in FLorida) Guiliani won’t have the energy with the public to make any further wins possible. The results of tonight will signal if Guiliani has a even a slim chance going forward.

UPDATE: McCain pulled out the win.

McCain and Romney are neck and neck in Florida. Live reporting is showing 12% of the votes accounted for and polls are showing 34% McCain followed by 31% Romney. Guiliani is an abysmal 13 points behind Romney it seems. At the start of all this I thought Guiliani’s plan was a solid one. Forgoing the mainstream attacks to focus on Florida seemed like a great way to bounce right into the middle of this very open primary season. Unfortunately, this is not the case. I’m going to call it for Romney since I believe the panhandle was the first reporting which is the most moderate and liberal section of the state. The rest of the candidates are pulling in at 12% Huckabee and 3% Paul, which should hopefully make both of them drop from the race.

The dems are reporting Hillary sweeping the primary. Which I think is good news. Keeping Obama in there will be the best thing we could hope for. All the negative press regarding president Clinton and Obama have showed what kind of political engine the Clinton’s run. Also, I think that once Hillary gets the nom she will have beaten more Obama into such a pulp that she will will like a bully to the public.