The Old New World Order

I'm not one for conspiracy theories. It seems that conspiracy theorists go out of their way to publish loud websites in all caps AS IF THEY'RE SHOUTING AT THEIR PC's.


more graph humor and song chart memes

But this New World Order map from Strange Maps piqued my interest. I don't see the North American Superhighway there, but I'm happy to see that Greenland is part of the North American Union. It seems that we may have control of the north pole. Of course when the Earth's axis flips, that's not going to do us a lot of good.

Indy Police May Have to Pay for Gas

As if passing the cost of high fuel on to speeders wasn't unconventional enough, an Indianapolis Council member plans to propose requiring city and county police to pay for some of the gas that they use in their patrol vehicles. This would only make sense if only those officers with take-home vehicles were made to pay for the gas they use when they are off duty. Whether the rule would apply only to those officers is unclear. If take-home vehicles do, indeed, reduce crime in the neighborhoods in which those officers live, it follows that penalizing police for taking squad cars home would lead to an increase in crime. It's yet another consequence of years of the federal government's irresponsible fuel policies.

Truck Sales Slowing? Duh.

Ford Motor Company announced that it is holding off until September before launching its 2009 F-150. Anyone who didn't see this one coming is blind. Gas fluctuates day-to-day between $3.80 and $4.15 a gallon, and it can cost more than $50 to fill up even a compact car that has an empty tank. No one is buying pick-ups now except for those who have short commutes and otherwise do not depend on a truck for long hauls. At $35,000 for a new pick-up with just a few added options and the price of gas and diesel as high as it is, most consumers can't afford to buy, even those that have been living from credit card to credit card. Last month the F-150 was replaced as the country's top-selling vehicle by the Honda Civic. The F-150 had held that spot for 26 years -- since the last time gas prices went nuts and recovered.

Jobs are sure to follow as sales and production continue to drop. The market for smaller vehicles should see a bump, but not enough of one for all of the truck workers to keep employed. The auto industry is tanking. Yet our legislators refuse to do anything about it. Congress and the President bear fault here. For years they have stifled new energy initiatives and responsible use of traditional sources of fuel. They have stuffed their pockets with special-interest money at the expense of the country's economy. They should repair their damage by opening domestic reserves, repealing fuel taxes and surcharges, and allowing new drilling. It will be a long road to recovery, but we need to start now lest we lose our way back.

Speeders Hit with Fuel Surcharge

Beginning in July an Atlanta suburb is going to charge speeders for the fuel used by the police to chase them down. "All speeders will be charged with an additional $12 fuel charge." Atlanta proper is expected to institute a similar penalty.

It's a bit disingenuous to say that a cop uses $12 in fuel to pull over a speeder. Most speeders stop pretty quickly when being pulled over. It's too similar to a sin tax for my liking even though speeding is an illegal activity. And it seems that the speeder is being charged twice for one tank of gas. Also, it seems that there is more incentive for cops to pull you over if it's going to fill their gas tanks instead of taking away from other parts of the police budget.

One of the things I like about the plan, however, is that it is municipal-specific. No interference from the feds or the state. Let's see if it supplements the budget like it's intended.

Pride Festival Should Make Hoosiers Proud

The Circle City IN Pride Festival, held this past week in Indianapolis, attracted nearly 40,000 participants before it ended on Sunday. This celebration of equality should fill Hoosiers with pride that they live where they do. We've finally reached a point in our history when persons can openly be who they are, subject only to the stigmas that attach to all of us in one way or another. We celebrate diversity without forgetting that in the big picture, our differences are slight. We are all cousins, and Thanksgiving dinner would be boring if we were all the same.

Ethanol, Dollars, and Sense

The ethanol debate continues. What's caused food prices to increase so dramatically in the last six months, federally subsidized ethanol production or the devaluation of the dollar? The feds certainly miscalculated with their promotion of increased ethanol production and passage of bills that require 36 billion gallons of fuel from renewable sources in the next 14 years. Essentially, we're locked in to a contract that we won't be able to pay with corn. That means we either need to find other renewable sources or food prices will continue to rise. Add in the tomato shortage, rising gas and diesel prices, and rising credit card interest rates, and families are looking at a harsh winter this year and likely next as well. The feds have tied our hands. They've dined on our hard work, and in this election year they're preparing to dash.