Observation of the day: I never thought I’d feel all warm and fuzzy when shelling out $3.01 for a gallon of gas — I suppose I still don’t, but it sure feels better than paying $3.50 a gallon.
All I can say is the brain-washing by the fat cats has worked. But (and there is always a butt), while I am all grins and smiles paying $3.0 anything per gallon of gas, I still have a question: Why, with today’s technology, when you pre-pay for your gas, does pump slow WAY down with 60 cents worth of pumping left to be completed? Is it some sort mind game — customer psychological tactic to make us not as mad at high gas prices? If it takes longer to pump, do they think we think we’re getting more gas?
Okay that was three questions.
But, seriously, does anybody out there know why the pre-paid customer gets hosed for his or her time? Come on — we can send a chimp into space, access how to build bombs online and my toaster cooks an egg, sausage and toast so all finish at one time. With all this techno-wizardry, I would think somebody could make a gas pump, pump fast and then stop when my money is spent, and not a drop before or after.
I’d like some egg-head engineer-type to give me the answer.
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Here is something from the Ayn Rand Institute regarding hate laws. It’s a few weeks old:
Last week the House passed a measure that extends the federal ‘hate crime? law to include attacks motivated by the victims? gender or sexual orientation.
‘Congress should not extend the federal ‘hate crime? law,? said Yaron Brook, executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute. ‘It should abolish the law.
‘The government’s job is to punish criminals for initiating force against other citizens; objective laws that ban the use of force and fraud are its means of doing so. But ‘hate crime? laws undermine objective law at the root by punishing criminals, not for their actions, but for their ideas.
‘According to ‘hate crime? laws, a murderer deserves a greater punishment if his crime is motivated by an idea such as racism or sexism. If the government assumes the power to punish on the basis of ‘unacceptable? ideas, it has assumed the power to exonerate and offer leniency to favored ideas. If anti-abortion religionists hold sway in government, on the premise of ‘hate crime? laws, a zealous Christian who guns down an abortion doctor could receive a lighter sentence or be exonerated’on the grounds that such an act is evidence of noble ‘idealism.?
‘Once the government starts punishing criminals for acting on ‘unacceptable ideas,? it has assumed the role of arbiter for which ideas are acceptable or not. If whoever wields power can shape the law to advance an ideological agenda, then it cannot be long before merely holding unorthodox or unconventional ideas becomes a crime that the government punishes.
‘The government has no business punishing people for their ideas, no matter how repugnant. By demanding the government do precisely that, ‘hate crime? laws threaten our freedom of thought’and undermine the system of objective law that protects it. Such laws should be abolished.?
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And, lastly . . . Bill Kalmar of Lake Orion has a little suggestion for helping the Governor balance Michigan’s budget: ‘For some reason when voters select a Governor and that person is sworn into office, it is only then we discover that a spouse is also part of the administration – another two-for! That sidecar on a motorcycle in Michigan is First Gentleman Dan Mulhern. He wasn’t on the ballot but somehow he has inherited his own office and staff. His function is fuzzy but weekly missives from his pen entitled Reading for Leading are nothing more than cutesy vignettes of pabulum.
? . . . Here’s my suggestion: dismantle the office of the First Gentleman along with the staff. It may represent a pittance in the overall budget but in these trying times allowing self-serving projects to function sends the wrong message to those who are in a belt-tightening mode. And then maybe have the First Gentleman position himself at the Michigan borders providing well wishes to the throngs of departing residents who have somehow been effected by the Governor’s exclamation: ‘In five years you’re gonna be blown away.? Unfortunately for Michigan, the time frame has been accelerated to the point that an ill wind of bad news has ‘blown away? all semblance of hope!?
You tell ’em, Bill!