Thursday, April 27, 2006

I just weighed myself and I'm up to 200 lbs. That's right, 10 more pounds gets me back to my fighting weight and one step closer to realizing my lifelong dream...

As someone who has put his fist through walls, windows, bookshelves, and other various items the Lord never intended fists to go through I probably shouldn't say anything. But then again I've never smashed anything because the "air conditioning wasn't high enough."











I would be more than willing to add your fat, smug, douchebaggy face to the list of things I've put a fist through.
- More Fun With Gas Prices!

The Republican proposal won't get passed because the congressional GOP is comprised of pussies that are forever forgetting they are the majority and won't stand up to the Democrats on drilling in ANWR.













Thank God there aren't any oil pumps uglying up the pristine beauty of an ANWR spring...

I'm all about easing restrictions to allow for expansion of existing refineries, and fully believe we ought to be building more considering we haven't in 30 years and because of it we're no longer importing crude oil and refining it ourselves, we're currently importing gasoline. Considering that the price of crude fell again yesterday as reports of increased refinery production hit, I'd say increasing production should be a priority. Further, in the wake of Katrina our current refineries still aren't running at full capacity (another reason for the currently high prices), illustrating again the need for more refining capabilities to shift the burden should other natural disasters occur.

Repealing the tax breaks for the oil companies doesn't even bother me. For once I'll say they make enough money to front their own expeditions into dangerous territories without tax subsidies.

Providing tax breaks for the development of gas-electric hybrids is all well and good, but the auto industry simply isn't going to get serious about producing a car that runs on anything but gasoline until someone can prove the Earth has X number of years worth of oil left, where X probably equals 50.

While the idea of sending out $100 rebate checks sounds okay so long as it's the government saying "look, we're part of the problem, we tax gas too much, and we're going to give some back," it's still election year pandering at it's worst and we'll probably wind up having to pay taxes on that $100.

A Democrat wants to suspend taxes? The end is nigh! Just kidding. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), that is an excellent idea, though instead of a 60 day holiday on the existing tax, why not give us a permanent vacation and just cut the bastard in half? You still get your taste, and we think you're a hero!

- Dana Milbank illustrates the hypocrisy of all the congressional finger pointers who routinely drive one to two blocks and leave their gas guzzling SUVs idling while they smile for the cameras.

- Coulter wonders why the Democrats are so mad about high gas prices when they've been trying to drive up the price of gas for over a decade.

- Teddy Kennedy wants everyone to embrace alternative fuels, so long as they don't block his view.
Immigrant boycott aims to "close" US cities

If by US cities they mean Auto Zone...

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

On tonight's episode of "The Bachelor Life," our hero decides it's a piss off the neighbors kind of night and launches into a screeching, distortion filled, and terribly out of tune rendition of "Living After Midnight" before breaking into laughter and deciding that finding his tuner is just too much effort for one man.
Did you know we are currently in the midst of "TV Turn Off Week?" Me either, but it got me to thinking, "could I live without TV for an entire week?" The answer, of course, is no, but not for the reasons you would expect. Contrary to popular belief I don't actually watch that much television. There are three nights a week that I MUST be in front of the TV for a grand total of 3 1/2 hours. Tuesday night for Scrubs, Thursday night for My Name is Earl and The Office, and Sunday night for Desperate Housewives and The Sopranos. That's it. If I catch The Surreal Life or Hogan Knows Best (I blame The Girl and her VH1 fixation for getting me hooked), I'll watch them, but I've missed two Hogans in a row and this past weekend's Surreal Life and if I don't see them I won't care. So to spend only 3 1/2 dedicated hours in front of the TV per week is pretty damn good. Once summer repeats start I could probably go a week without actually watching any actual programming, but my TV would still have to be turned on. Why? NCAA 2006 and DVDs. I read a lot and spend a lot of free time with my nose in a book, but I also enjoy movies and NCAA 2006 (and soon 2007!) and wouldn't be willing to give up playing a video game or falling asleep to a movie when I go to bed. So don't look to me for a "No TV" pledge anytime soon.
For the second night in a row I've had a crazy screwed up dream. Monday night I dreamt I was a contestant on American Idol and for that week we were supposed to pick a Black Crowes song and would rehearse it with the band. I chose Twice as Hard, but each time we would get to the chorus I would start cracking up and the band would stop and ask what was so funny and I'd be like "Twice as HARD! Get it!" and then they would shake their heads in dismay and start over. After two or three tries they started trying to get me to pick another song, but I stood firm with Twice as Hard and so they were like "fine, do the stupid song, laugh on TV, and get voted off." And sure enough, that's what happened. Last night I dreamed I bought a goldfish and named it D'Brickashaw, and oddly enough it's made me want to buy a goldfish and name it D'Brickashaw in real life.



















Meet the newest member of the family...

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

So after I updated that last post, I came across this article, and I must say that I feel a little better about Bush's handling of the oil situation. I'm opposed to releasing the strategic oil reserves as plenty of politicians have called for (I mean, it's not like we're at war or anything...), but halting deposits makes sense, and his relaxing of the ludicrous regional fuel standards that have done nothing to improve air quality (something about air not respecting state borders, maybe?) is something that should be made permanent anyway. Just goes to show that if the government gets the hell out of the way and let's the market meet the needs of the consumer, the people benefit.
Bush orders inquiry into sky-high gasoline prices

First, the inquiry is political pandering plain and simple. While it's easy to claim that Bush's recent approval rating disasters are linked to Iraq and SCANDAL, as with all things political the surest bet is to follow the money, and in this case follow the money being shelled out by consumers at the pump. Gas is high; ridiculously so, and people are pissed. Heavy Lifting has a chart showing the inverse of gas prices and Bush's approval ratings, and it shows that as gas prices rise, Bush's approval drops. It stands to reason that something that directly effects the majority of Americans, i.e. gas prices, is going to weigh far heavier on their minds than something that is at best an abstract on the TV, i.e. Iraq or political scandals. So if Bush can appear to be indignant about oil prices and act like he's doing something to alleviate the problem, look for a bump in his approval ratings. I understand the move, but I don't support it. Why? Because the oil companies aren't causing the high prices. ExxonMobil earned $25.33 billion dollars in 2004. Where did it wind up on the list of most profitable companies? #127. That's right, the company that earned more money than any other corporation listed on the Fortune 500 wasn't the most profitable. In fact, the oil companies generally pull in around 10% profit (or $.10 per gallon sold), hardly the fleecing we're being told is happening by every camera loving politician (I'm looking at you, Harry Reid) and populist blowhard pundit (I'm looking at you Bill O'Reilly, and also wondering why liberals hate you even though you're pro-abortion, pro-gun control, and now anti-business. Take him liberals! Please! We don't want him!) around. So what really is causing the high gas prices, and what should Bush be probing? How about our own idiotic energy policy? Captain's Quarters has a good summary of the lunacy that is this nation's energy policy, and I'd like to add something on top of that. Next time you hear a politician railing against how evil the oil companies and their profits are, just remember that they are making 10 cents a gallon every time you fill up, while the federal government is getting 18.4 cents per gallon, not to mention what you are paying to your state and local governments, and then start to question exactly who is responsible for those high gas prices. I'll give you a hint....

Monday, April 24, 2006

Bush orders probe into gas prices...











Apparently all that oil we invaded Iraq to steal got lost along the way.
Claudia, who will be affectionately referred to from here out as "the girl," has jumped on the blog bandwagon and immediately used this new platform to rip celebrities and the bizarre names they choose for their children.












cute + makes fun of people = keeper