Neandethals Had Red Hair

If you can find something to study, I am sure that you can find some government agency that will fork over grant money to allow you to look to your hearts content. I won't go into a global warming tirade. Although I have not exhausted that lack of science comic book, it is not worth my time today. What did catch my eye recently was an article about how Neandethals had red hair and used cosmetics. With it being Halloween, that would make a great costume.

So you see this short lady covered with red hair at the cosmetics counter in Dillards. She is wearing an elk skin dress with bone buttons and walking around smelling all of the perfumes at the counter. The Clinique lady in her white smock swoops out from behind the glass case and escorts the stout, hairy lady behind the counter for a complete make over. What color eye shadow goes with red hair and elk? Would a bright red lip stick clash with her body hair? I can't even imagine that she would have any kind of nails to paint so a manicure is out of the question.

Who cares what color hair our extinct genetic cousins had? Are we spending too much time looking at things that are utterly unimportant? With things like Islamic terrorism, genocide in Africa, and a declining population in Japan, we have more important things to study and solve than figuring the hair color of the Neandethals. Maybe if these scholastic giants would devote a little time to relevent issues and less time looking for the most obscure facts available, we might make some headway toward making the world a safer place to live. Boy does this sound like the prelude to a 1950's Superman episode. As the catchy theme song for Smallville goes, "Somebody save me." So goes the liberal mantra.

Icool

Cobb

Where There's Smoke...

What's west, dry and smokin? That's right, the great 49er state of Californication. We seem to have a little problem with fire out in California. I think someone in that state will be wetting the bed tonight. At least I have heard that people that play with matches suffer from that problem. Of course out there, it would result in some kind of compensatory damages paid by the match manufacturer to the ones that pee their bed and those who have to clean it up. That would be one way to stop fires by putting the match manufacturers out of business. Welcome to the modern business world.

So, why all of a sudden are all of these fires raging throughout the living rooms of the entertainment elite? Since the cameras are rolling, they must have something that needs to be portrayed for their adoring public. Let's talk about why this was caused by global warming or those evil logging companies and their abuse of our pristine natural surroundings. It can't be the simple explanation that mother nature has been burning since there was something to burn and this is the way things are. Man just happens to be in the way of the fires and unfortunately suffer the consequences of building things where they may get consumed during a fire. If you don't want your house to burn, build it under water. If that is an issue, there is always the North Pole.

It doesn't matter what natural disaster happens. Some whacko group is always looking to blame man for the destruction. Whether it is a hurricane, tidal wave or a raging forest fire, they feel the need to link some aspect of man to the event in the attempt to heap guilt. There must be something wrong with what we are doing that resulted in the event. It sounds like God is punishing us for being wicked except the sirens of doom are typically the unbelieving type. Tree huggers tend to worship at the altar of Global Climate Change with all collections going to Green Peace. Why can't things just happen because it is the way it is? Fires, tidal waves and hurricanes happened long before man was around. I guess we just needed to be told it was our fault. I am sure glad that the hollywood types are being put out of their houses so we can be put straight on our role in their plight. And cut...

Icool

Cobb

WIRS, Your Thieving Station

I have heard a radio commercial that has really began grating on my nerves. No, not the real men of genius. This is the one about how to get out of paying the taxes that you neglected to pay in the past. The announcer explains how some people are just in over their heads and need assistance to enable them to get their past tax burden lowered so it can be managed. What kind of horse hockey is that?

I despise the idea of paying taxes. It has become the hidden thief that our government legally supports. It is the ultimate source of wealth distribution. It takes money out of my pocket and sends it to people, places or things that have become entitled to take it. I have little or not say in how my money is spent. There are congressman that have become firmly entrenched in the entitlement government that are more than willing to take more of what I make and give it to people that are not producing anything of real value. Now some people are actually in need of assistance and for a short time, use the services provided by my tax dollars. I applaud them in their struggle to get back on their feet. It is the other 98% that are permanent members of the emerging socialist class that need to be reintroduced to an honest days work.

Ideally, it would be great to vote my taxes. If I am going to forced to pay for government inefficiency, I should at least choose how those dollars are going to be spent. There are a few government services (although they could be just as easily outsorced) that I do not object to paying for. The military is a good example of what I would support. I believe it is also in the constitution; “Provide for the common defense.” I would also include the CIA and FBI in that category. I think that the upkeep of roads and bridges is also a great use of my tax dollars. I would even go as far as to support our national park system. It seems to be a revenue producer as far as tourism so it may not need much in the way of tax dollars. The rest of the government’s use of my taxes could be considerably pruned or eliminated simply by allowing tax payers to choose which program their money is allocated to. Those programs not supported are trimmed to match the amount of money allocated by the taxpayers. Since certain programs would be reduced or eliminated, it could result in a rebate every year of unused money. Pennies from Heaven so to speak. It would be a much better way to control government spending than allowing our "perpetually running for office" elected officials select for us.

Unfortunately, we are forced to listen to radio ads that tell people that they can get out of paying their taxes while the rest of us, fearful of the government using the IRS as a hammer to keep us in line, continue to write checks to support programs that we neither agree with nor can change to any great degree, at least in the short term. I have heard enough whining so I’ll shut up.

Icool

Cobb

Let's Go Whole Hog

I hope I am not the only person that finds it curious that there is a large contingent of our country that wants us to pull out of Iraq. Right or wrong (mostly right in my mind), our President has committed our nation’s military to terminate a tyrant’s rule and bring a nation that was suffering severe oppression a new breath of freedom. The geopolitical issues caused by Iran’s push for power and the fragmentation of the three differing cultures/religions have added to the medias bad news only circus center ring. If the liberal segment of our country’s ruling elite wants America to pull our troops back from the Middle East, then we need to take a hard look at where we have other troops stationed through out the world.

Now I am not an isolationist but if turning our population into a group of America only nationalists would work better than the constant barrage of how bad Americans are. What could be better than spending all of those tax dollars on maintaining a military presence in foreign lands? How about back in my pocket? If we reduced the military, we would be able to cut federal government spending by a considerable amount. Pull the troops out of Germany, Japan, and Korea. After all, WWII ended more than 60 years ago and the Korean conflict ended more than 50 years ago. Of course, if you are talking M*A*S*H in prime time, it was much more recently. I never tire of watching the reruns. But back to the topic at hand.

We still have troops stationed in Europe even though the war has been over and most of the troops that fought that war are either dead or approaching the twilight of their lives. The same can be said for Korea. Yet, we are expected to pull out of Iraq before the last terrorist had been blown away by GI sniper’s keen eye. Just because the liberal elite feel slighted that they are not benefiting from turning Iraq around, they are against the war. Any student of history knows that there is usually a large group of peace loving, make love not war, tree hugging, trade security for peace (does anyone remember appeasement and the Nazis) war haters that will do anything to avoid confrontation of the bully. Charles Lindeburgh, the great American aviator, was a loud voice for conflict avoidance at the beginning of WWII. Appease Hitler and he will go away. That worked well. Ask those British soldiers that fled back across the English Channel from Dunkirk. The psychotic do not understand the word no.

So we have a few choices as we go forward. If we pull out of Iraq, we need to make it a clean break with the world and pull all of the troops home. After all, can’t the spy satellites manage to keep us safe and won’t a few cruise missiles silence any idiots that spring up and play outside the rules? Think of the savings. Maybe we can pay for the socialized medicine that Hilary wants to ram down our throats. If only I can survive to retirement.

Icool

Cobb

Reality Sinks In

The industrial heartland of America has been given a lesson in the reality of the situation. General Motors and Chrysler have negotiated contract with the United Auto Workers and managed to hand back one of the disasters that had been incorporated into their contracts over the last 40 years; free or almost free health care from start to finish. The idea of the corporation being responsible for paying for your health care, cradle to grave, is almost as absurd as the government being in charge of your retirement. We all know how well that works.

The way that I understand the health care hand off is that the car company will put a number in excess of $billion in a fund that will be run by the unions. The unions will then be responsible for managing the health care of the employees and retirees. This puts the onus for using those dollars wisely in the hands of those who are spending them. Now I realize that the unions are only accepting this responsibility because they expect Hilary or Barack, when elected to the Presidency, to put the socialist program of universal health care into effect for all US citizens. Once the government takes over managing our health care system, the unions will once again be able to take the tough stance on the car companies. I hope I do not live to see socialized medicine in the US. Once price controls are put in place and medicine is metered out, it will be like waiting in line at Cedar Point for the premier coaster on a cloudy day. You just pray it does not rain before you get your ride or you will have wasted the price of admission in line with everyone else.

What amazes me is the short sightedness of the entire situation. Both management and labor have seen the train wreck coming since the gas shortages started in 1973. When the Japanese started invading our country with the economical cars and then started blowing American quality out of the water, it started the downward spiral we are currently trapped in. Going after a larger piece of the pie contract after contract only quickened the process as it inflated the cost of each vehicle and caused the car companies for ways to cut cost. Reducing research and development or using a cheaper material has not worked for US manufacturers as the loss of market share proves. Being an automotive supplier, I understand what happens when the car companies squeeze their supply base. It is evident in the number of bankruptcies that have happened in automotive.

So I am happy that the car companies have managed to enlighten their union and allow the reality of their current situation sink in. It will be a tough few next years for both management and labor but if the changes are not made now, GM, Ford and Chrysler will be remembered like Studebaker, Nash, and American Motors. Can anyone say Pacer?

Icool

Cobb

Life Is Like Oxygen

I know that this is a poor take off on a bubble gum hit by Sweet but it fits an article that I happened to come across this week. An amazing scientific discovery has found that there is a plethora of oxygen tied up in the Earth’s crust, close to the core. Yes, we have found the missing oxygen. I know that everyone was concerned that there was oxygen missing and no one could locate where it was hiding. I guess you can all breathe easier. Sorry, I had to go for the cheap pun.

Apparently, there is a large quantity of oxygen that is tied up in a mineral in the crust. When the mineral is under high temperature and pressure, it holds the oxygen tightly within its mineral structure. As the mineral gets closer to the surface of the crust, it gives up its oxygen which releases it into the atmosphere. That would provide for the eventual increase in the overall oxygen mix in our atmosphere. It sounds like Mother Nature is changing the rules on what we assume once again.

Now you know that I am going to angle toward the topic that is so near and dear to my heart; global climate change. It surprises me that the scientific community would print any article that implies that we do not understand things that are happening to our planet. To do so provides the mirror that reflects how ignorant we are about the whole shooting match. To think that man is affecting the weather in any small degree by burning fossil fuels and raising cattle for burgers after getting a blast from the oxygen generation brigade seems to be a lesson in how ignorant we really are. Love is like oxygen. You get too much, you get too high. Not enough and your gonna die. Love makes you high. How Sweet is is.

Icool

Cobb