Looks Like the Market is Working

I was out riding this morning and noticed that the price of gasoline had dropped some. Later I went to fill up Vicki's car and paid $3.96 for regular but what really shocked me was diesel had dropped to $4.44. This week demand finally kicked in to drive the price down. If we get serious about production it may get down to $3.50 by Labor Day but doubt that it will get much lower than that.

Government doesn't need to do anything but get out of the way.

UPDATE 7/27/2008:
At the station mentioned above regular is now $3.85 and diesel $4.29. Keep it going!

UPDATE 8/9/2008:
The prices all over town are $3.69 for regular and diesel $3.99. I might consider buying some soon.

UPDATE 8/15/2008:
Regular is as low as $3.63 and I broke down and bought some diesel for $3.89. The first since January. Don't drive the truck much, you know.

UPDATE 8/24/2008:
Regular is at $3.499 in several places but diesel has gone up a little or stayed the same. $3.50 a gallon and a week early, ok.

UPDATE 9/13/2008:
Regular is $3.45, Premium $3.61, and diesel, $3.69.

Been There, Done That

Just sitting around watching ride videos of places I've been. Oh, I didn't shoot the videos but been there. People sometimes ask how I can keep going to places I've seen before. It's like rereading a book or watching a familiar movie. They can be "new" because I've changed; they bring back a forgotten thought or feeling.

Today I visited the cemetery where my daughter is buried. It had changed so much that I needed help finding the grave. 1986 may seem like a long time ago but is only yesterday in my heart.

Certain roads, hiking trails, landscapes, thoughts and people are what make you who you are. I am so immersed in the present that revisiting the past helps clarify the paths on this journey I call life.

Let's Get Real 5

For those of you who are or have been married you understand that it is possible to lose an argument but still be right. ANTHROPOMORPHIC GLOBAL WARMING is the latest example. It's a hoax but so many people buy into it, for whatever psychological reasons, that politicians have to act like it's true.

The bottom line is that if CO2 is causing anything (which I think is disproven historically) there is nothing we can do to stop it because we don't control China or India and we will not be able to stop other countries from using "fossil fuels". It is a feel-good exercise designed by big government types to deprive us of our money and freedom while supposedly "saving the planet". Many businesses have signed on because selling one product to make money is as good as another. That oil guy, Pickens, is a perfect example. He wants to sell natural gas so he supports wind and solar to get the support of the environmentalists. Hopefully, as the cost becomes clear, the American people will get the picture.

Energy independence is a worthy goal but mining, drilling, damming, and nuclear is no more damaging to the environment than building wind farms or solar plants. All energy on earth is "natural".

Where the Deer and the Antelope Play

Wednesday through Friday Vicki and I rode the Nomad to visit nice weather, wild animals, and friends. Jim and Virginia Slusser, a former teaching colleague and her husband, were kind enough to invite us to their cabin in Greer, Arizona in the White Mountains just off the New Mexico border. It got all the way up to the 70's and down in the low 50's. It has been a while since I had to wear a long sleeve shirt. Yes, we did actually see deer and antelope roaming but not playing.

Let's Get Real 4

This is why we need conservatives in government. Socialism doesn't work. Whenever the government is the financial guarantor, the people will act irresponsibly. They have nothing to lose.

Here we are bailing out companies again. Everybody should have a house, right? Even people who can't afford one. Even investors who were just looking to flip them. Even people who had no income? And guess what, we, all of us who are not part of the problem, are going to get stuck covering the losses that government policy has allowed and encouraged to happen.

In Arizona people who aren't even here legally are (or were) allowed to buy a house and a car, don't ask don't tell, you know. As laws begin to be enforced they no longer can get jobs so they walk away from what they should have never been allowed to purchase, exaserbating a bad situation. We have been screaming, "Enforce the laws!" for so long that the results of enforcement now are a shock, but not to those who have been paying attention.

Unless we get some responsible leaders (and citizens) who understand the nature of the problems, increased supply decreases the price, don't bail out bad behavior because it will then increase, and government can't take care of everything, we will bankrupt this country.

Let's Get Real 3

On September 11, 2001 the United States was hit with the largest terrorist attack in its history. George Bush decided to attempt something that no previous President thought possible, a permanent reordering of the Middle East.

Afghanistan was invaded and the Taliban was toppled, Al Qaeda was driven into Pakistan, and the people of Afghanistan were given a chance at a more normal existance with a more representative government. Pressure is continuing to be applied by the government of Pakistan and coalition forces on the border of Pakistan. Not a perfect situation but better for us and them.

In Iraq Saddam Hussein was removed, Al Qaeda has nearly been driven to extinction, Iran's proxy, Sadr's Army, has been defeated in Iraq and driven back into Iran, and Iraq has shown the ability to begin governing and protecting itself while producing oil in a stable and free enough environment that foreign companies can function. Not a perfect situation but better for us and them.

We have not had a terrorist attack of any magnitude since September 11, 2001. Whoever is the next president has a war to win or lose depending upon his tenacity. There is only one candidate who is known for that trait, McCain.

Ya think ya raise your kids right...

Raising boys has certain pitfalls. You don't want to hear from the police and you're always sweating that they don't hook-up with a sleazy girlfriend. After a while they meet great women and get married and you think you made it... No drug convictions, no unexpected grandchildren, no chronic money problems ... just good responsible citizens, assets to humanity... and then a belated Father's Day gift shows up ... a coffee cup.

Let's Get Real 2

I've just about had it with the constant nonsense coming out of the news media. If people are ignorant of facts it is partly because of the unending hype. To get viewers these guys have to paint everything as a crisis but, holy cow, at least be honest.

We are daily treated to the word recession and comparisons to the Great Depression. A recession involves the economy shrinking (going backwards) for 2 consecutive quarters. I would bet that most people would be surprised that this has not happened, not even 1 quarter. WE ARE NOT IN A RECESSION.

The Great Depression involved a shortage of money, we actually have too much money out there that's why some economists are concerned about inflation. The current unemployment is about 5%, during the Depression unemployment was 23%. Remember we have 5% unemployment with about 10-20 million people here illegally. When the stock market plunged in the Great Depression it dropped 75% of its value. I can't speak for everyone else but with all this "market turmoil" my stock market holdings have dropped 1/2 of one percent. J and Brad, your inheritance is still safe.

I don't know how much of the hype is politically motivated and how much is just to sell "news", but for Pete's sake, and the rest of us, at least be honest.

Let's Get Real

The price of gasoline will not ever be $1, $2, or even $3 a gallon again. But that should be no mystery. It's not because the world is running out or there is some conspiracy. We will never see new houses selling for $25,000 or even $100.000 again either.

Many things just about double in price every 10 years. When I was working in a gas station in 1970 gas was $.25. Prices aren't straight-line linear but the trend is clear. 1970 $.25, 1980 $.50, 1990 $1.00, 2000 $2.00, and 2010 $4.00. The cost of a starter home in 1975 was $25,000, 1985 $50,000, 1995 $100,000, and 2005 $200,000. A new car in 1970 was about $2,000, in 1980 $4,000, 1990 $8,000, 2000 $ 16,000 and by 2010 it will be about $32,000. Not all things follow this trend but enough do that I would plan on having to deal with it.

So what should be done? We need to get to work on producing our own energy and not leave it to everyone else. Yeh, that means we need to start drilling and mining, responsibly of course, but still getter done. Nuclear power needs to be placed off the back burner and restarted. What we do today will affect us for the next century. We have already lost 40 years and can't afford 4 more, if you get my drift. It seems there is only one guy out there that gets it, McCain.