Well at least the granola eating environmentalists are happy.  Bloomberg.com reported that, “U.S. auto sales plummeted 32 percent in October to the lowest monthly total since January 1991, led by General Motors Corp.’s 45 percent slide, as reduced access to loans and a weaker economy kept consumers off dealer lots. Ford Motor Co. reported a 30 percent drop in car and light- truck sales from a year earlier and Toyota Motor Corp.’s declined 23 percent. Honda Motor Co.’s slid 25 percent, Nissan Motor Co.’s were down 33 percent and Chrysler LLC’s fell 35 percent.”

Maybe this will finally be the wake up call that Detroit and the rest of the world needs to start creating cars that are efficient when it comes to gasoline consumption or run on alternative fuels.

Our System is Broken

Ever get the feeling we’re not the ones framing the debate? Sure there are issues like Health Care, Education, Crime and Immigration, just to name a few, that affect us all at some level or another.  We vote, we give time, we give money, we participate or we don’t but at the end of the day, the issue at hand eventually impacts us. Most of us are impacted by higher taxes, some of us are impacted by more bureaucracy when we try to get our medication or more crime in our streets as our government fights a losing battle against drugs. Some of us see fewer and fewer choices in quality schooling or fewer blue collar jobs. The problems we face as a country are numerous but we need to start realizing that at the crux of all of these issues are the very people telling us they’ll fix the problem; the people who are framing the debate, the people who are running for, and are in office. (Don’t get me wrong there are good politicians out there, they’re just not making a difference.) There is one very simple reason why our representatives don’t fix the problems at hand: they don’t face these issues the way you and I face them. They’re not waiting in line at the hospital HMO, their kids are not going to public school, their neighborhoods aren’t infested with gang crime and they’re not (yet) losing their jobs to illegal immigration. They’re simply out of touch. So the problem is identified, now what to do? Not since the Civil Rights movement has our nation really experienced change lead by the people. It’s obvious in today’s society that demonstrating in the streets really isn’t changing things or grabbing enough attention and the effect is typically minimized by the stupid and inappropriate actions of a few. We should instead use the most widely available and free tool at our disposal: the Internet. It would be naive and ill-thought to try and address all the issues at once without focus. Rather, we should collectively address one issue at a time through mass petition addressed directly to Congress. Let’s start with one of the most pressing and obvious problems: Social Security.  Believe me, the effects of the system’s destruction would be felt far beyond the retirees who depend on it most.  Another government program in the red, supposedly, it’s soon to be bankrupt.  Our Congress(wo)men do not pay into the system (I wouldn’t either if I had a choice) and they don’t collect from it.  They’re too smart for that.  Congress has their very own BENEFIT PLAN. The system works like this: they retire or lose an election and they continue to draw the same pay until they die! Yes, they do receive adjustments for inflation, “cost of living adjustments.” How much do they pay for this? NOTHING. We foot the bill. They pay nothing.  The funds for this retirement come from the General Plan. This is our taxes paying for their retirement. What should we do?  Petition to break this siphon off and put them on Social Security.  If they are truly our representatives and this is a system of the people, by the people, and for the people, then it should at least be equal in how the benefits are paid to the people.  Can congress ignore a petition circulated over the Internet and signed by millions of IP addresses?  Maybe, but people will notice and it won’t be hard to do.  Somebody get on this.

What nation has the most nuclear explosions since 1945?  We dominate.

Now if they can simply combine the two.

A question that has plagued me for years, finally answered.

How much is your representative pulling in?

Ford, cutting its ties with its bogus Union contracts and pensions finally starting to see a profit. GM should be paying close attention.

Texas polygamy case might be a sham? The State of Texas went over the line pulling 400 plus children away from their parents.  Prediction - Texas is forced to return the kids and a massive lawsuit ensues.

What do you think is going through his head?

Heading into draft weekend I almost can’t wait to see what the Jets do.