I've been over a Cliff. It wasn't fun. We're nearing another. Do we go over?

When I was very young, around 5 or 6 years old, my brother and I were left alone in a 1980 Chevette at the top of a driveway. The driveway faced away from an unprotected cliff; one could walk right up to the edge and see down every inch of the 75 foot drop to the parking lot below.

My brother, wanting to play race car driver (in a Chevette? Really?), jumped into the driver's seat, while I sat in the hatch back, one of my favorite places to sit while being driven around. It was quite a different time than we're in now.

My brother had managed to knock the car out of gear, and we started rolling backward toward the cliff. I was the first to realize what was going on, but unfortunately I was also privy to front row seating to what may very well have been the end of the world for my brother and I.

So, it turns out, our worlds didn't end. My brother and I survived what looked like almost certain death with very little injury at all. I've some scars, my brother's one scar healed and disappeared over the years, and neither one of us remembers the event.

Now I hear there's another cliff approaching, and it makes me wonder if we're in all that much trouble, seeing as how I've been over one before. Having experienced danger and survived nearly unscathed often makes one braver in the face of the same danger, but also more wary. There's a lot of talk of a cliff in the news these days, and I, for one, am very wary of what's coming.

The United States, in its rise through its Industrial Revolution, two World Wars and several other scarring events, including the indelible marks of terror in Oklahoma City and on 9-11, has weathered every one of these events with courage and resolute dignity. It may be that we're unable to see the danger associated with our present condition due to our ability to withstand our past tragedies, but, based on what I'm reading and hearing from those who take our Nation's fiscal condition very seriously, we will not be able to weather this "Fiscal Cliff" and continue to be the United States we've known.

There are two directions being discussed to address our Nation's fiscal condition, but neither one of them actually addresses the problem. As a doctor will treat the cause of the symptoms instead of simply medicating away the symptoms, so must Congress and the President address the cause of our fiscal destruction instead of simply salving the symptoms. Our Nation can ill afford to continue failing to meet its obligations in a way that doesn't expose our citizens to the irresponsibility of passed Congressional malfeasance.

We've spent our way into a sealed tomb. While the "Full Faith and Credit of the United States Government" still means something, we need to cauterize the wound that bleeds our Nation out, address how to pay for our previous largess, and bind our Nation's financial future to a balanced budget that will only allow for borrowing in times of dire need, instead of using borrowing to fund the majority of our Federal Government's activities, many of which are not legitimate in terms of our spending is concerned.

Until we do something about our Government's insatiable appetite for our money, present and future, borrowed and otherwise, there will be no way to back away from the "Fiscal Cliff". There will be no way to build a bridge far enough to get us over the chasm, and there will be no way to keep us from seeing the suicide of the greatest experiment in self governance humanity has ever known. Our founders knew this day would come, and they told us as such during the Nation's founding. Why have we failed to heed their warnings?

A better question... How much longer will we be allowed to ignore their warnings before things are so far gone we're not able to recover?

Who's got Gas?

So, if you missed it, like I did, last nights 60 Minutes went over the fuel crisis we all felt over the last couple of years with an expert, and the Consumerist expounded upon it. Now its MY TURN!

I live outside of the contiguous United States. Most people you talk to don't know that Alaska is actually a state. Or, at least that used to be true. When Governor Palin was selected by Senator McCain as the Republican Vice Presidential nominee people started the Google-monster and discovered Alaska. Well, after two tours I've discovered enough, thank you very much!

On to the subject at hand. Don't worry, I mentioned Alaska for a reason. People complained quite a bit about the price of fuel when the national average was over $4/gal. Those people make me sick, but mostly because people where I live were paying $5 and more! I know I didn't post about it (mostly because of my being on patrol when most of the news was raging about the cost of fuel), but I was telling people about the reasons behind their thinner pocketbooks. The people who have access to or the control of STUPID amounts of money (see the link, the difference between $13B and $300B) and greed enough to make King Midas turn green with envy artificially manipulated unregulated market variables that allowed them to change the way the actual customers of the fuel commodities market actually consume the commodity.

Well, now it seems a news magazine with an invested viewership has actually seen the light of the matter. We'll see if anything is done about this, and about the problems with our lending industry. I think its about time we stop people who can't afford to buy things they can't afford from buying them. I also think its about time we stop the richest of us from manipulating markets that affect the poorest of us in the worst way.

We Reserve the Right...

Does anyone recognize this cheese steakhouse?


Well, Geno's is still under the microscope. It seems their sign requesting their customers order their lunch or dinner in English is discriminatory.

The funny part is, there are businesses much like Geno's who hang a similar sign (seen at right) who can pretty much tell you to go suck an egg if you aren't a customer they want to serve, and that right doesn't come with the caveat that you have to make sure you're not offended by their refusing you service.

I think if you're an English speaking American and you'd like to prove a point, go to your nearest Mexican restaurant or Asian market or whatever; when they are unable to understand your order because they don't speak English run to your nearest local official and whine... I wonder if you'll be satisfied with the outcome?

Porn on the Pod

I just heard something on KSFO that makes me wonder about the conservatism of some of the people I rely on for right leaning opinions. Brian Sussman mentioned a news report, the source of which I missed as it was on the radio, about the adult entertainment industry's response to the video distribution capabilities of the iPod media player. He mentioned there are people in our government who think the iPod's content should be regulated by Apple, else it should be regulated by government edict. Apparently the availability of pornography on a mobile media platform means children will be able to get their hands on that porn and take it with them to school, church, the bus, etc...

The reason I'm a little concerned, aside from the fact that someone in the government wants to inpinge upon our freedoms once again, is that Brian's tone during his re-report seemed to indicate he agreed with the possibility of government regulation of PMP (personal media player) content. The government has no business telling anyone what sort of media they can have on their PMPs. Period. If children are getting their hands on porn and putting it on their iPods or whatever other type of PMP they have their parents should be held accountable, not the company that makes the PMP. My Dell Axim x50v can play whatever I put on it, and Dell isn't responsible for what I do with the device after I pay for it. Some legislators' initial reaction to anything they don't like is imposing government intrusion into your lives and taking over of your parental duties. This is worrisome at best, and should be horrifying to anyone who values their right to privacy.

The jist of this is "Parents are accountable for their children's access to questionable material. If parents don't take action to keep their children pure as the wind driven snow the government has no legal standing to hold any company accountable, ever."