Stop whining, America!

"JH" == Jay Honeck writes:

JH Compared to what my parents lived through, our economy is the
JH epitome of efficiency and success.

Perhaps our parents were investing in infrastructure, and we're simply
using it. Thus the apparent efficiency.

Our parents in the 1950s and '60s invested in the Interstate Highway
System, basic electronics research and funding, a great higher
educational system, water and sewage systems, and an expensive
military. Most of this was paid for with taxes and we got good return
on investment because that tax money was used to pay for
something--basic infrastructure--which would improve the general
economy.

Now our neocon society whines about taxes while spending gobs of money
on such life necessities as pet food, Indian and Nevada gambling,
expensive home theatre setups, huge SUVs and huge homes, etc and so
forth. But we object to funding new transportation systems, new
energy systems, and other infrastructure which would pay off for our
children.

But, what to expect from a group--religous neocons--that think it's OK
to asassinate democratically elected national leaders, that
"intelligent design" is an intelligent concept, that changes their
reason for invading and occupying other countries multiple times when
the evidence doesn't support their previous reasons?

A lot of Americans have an uneasy sense that we're running on fumes.

Post this as OT like it is...


"Jay Honeck" wrote in message news:%kvPe.279433$x96.36565@attbi_s72...
Everywhere, every day on the radio, television, and in the newspapers, all I hear is how the "Record Price of Oil" is
killing America.

Yet, strangely, Americans keep driving *more*. And I don't see anyone flying less.

How can this be?

Here are some encouraging stats from the current issue of Newsweek:

- Oil, at $66 per barrel, has set a "nominal" record for high price. However, in real, adjusted-for-inflation dollars,
oil would have to top $86.72 per barrel to beat the price record set in 1981.

- For a gallon of gas to set a record, it would have to cost $3.12 per gallon, which was set back in 1981.

- Or, for that matter, it would have to cost $2.67 per gallon, which is what it cost way back in 1935.

- Since the first "Energy Crisis" in the 1970s, our economy has become MUCH more energy efficient. Total energy
consumption per dollar of GDP has been cut almost in half since 1973.

- Since 1980, the percentage of consumer spending that goes for energy has *declined* from 9 to 6 percent, despite
"record" prices.

- At the current rate of growth, our economy will DOUBLE in size in 18 years. (This is why, BTW, that even after
President Bush's tax cuts, federal revenues are still 17.5& of GDP -- just one percentage point below the post-World
War II norm.)

- Over the last 40 years, increases in productivity have averaged 2.1% per year. Since 2001, it's averaged 3.9%.

- Even though rising productivity means that the economy can grow without adding jobs, we have added over 4 million
new jobs since July 2003.

So why is everything doom and gloom in the media? Why are none of these facts brought to the fore? Is it a
not-so-hidden agenda? An ax to grind? Or is it that Americans are just not happy unless they've got something to
bitch about?

Personally, having been in the business, I think it's just this simple: Bad news sells newspapers; good news sucks.

Get out and fly, people! Life is good!

:-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:
Everywhere, every day on the radio, television, and in the newspapers, all I
hear is how the "Record Price of Oil" is killing America.

Yet, strangely, Americans keep driving *more*. And I don't see anyone
flying less.

How can this be?

Here are some encouraging stats from the current issue of Newsweek:

Limbecile jibberish at its best!


- Oil, at $66 per barrel, has set a "nominal" record for high price.
However, in real, adjusted-for-inflation dollars, oil would have to top
$86.72 per barrel to beat the price record set in 1981.

BFD, in 2001 it was $10/barrel and LA Ca. Arco price was 89 CENTS/Ga.


- For a gallon of gas to set a record, it would have to cost $3.12 per
gallon, which was set back in 1981.

- Or, for that matter, it would have to cost $2.67 per gallon, which is what
it cost way back in 1935.

- Since the first "Energy Crisis" in the 1970s, our economy has become MUCH
more energy efficient. Total energy consumption per dollar of GDP has been
cut almost in half since 1973.

- Since 1980, the percentage of consumer spending that goes for energy has
*declined* from 9 to 6 percent, despite "record" prices.

NO EXCUSE FOR A 50 PERCENT INCREASE IN 6 MONTHS!


- At the current rate of growth, our economy will DOUBLE in size in 18
years. (This is why, BTW, that even after President Bush's tax cuts,
federal revenues are still 17.5& of GDP -- just one percentage point below
the post-World War II norm.)

Sky Dreaming at its best, the Iowa Meth harvest must have started.


- Over the last 40 years, increases in productivity have averaged 2.1% per
year. Since 2001, it's averaged 3.9%.

- Even though rising productivity means that the economy can grow without
adding jobs, we have added over 4 million new jobs since July 2003.

After LOSING how many since 2000 ??????? What kind of new jobs are
these, bartenders?
The liberal BANKRUPTCY laws expire in Oct. file early on the Inn,
Jayster.


JG

"Matt Whiting" wrote in message

The Edmund Fitzgerald ran aground and then sank.

That isn't what I've heard. There was a show on a few years ago that
analyzed the EF wreck in some detail, I think it was the Discovery
channel, but I'm not 100% sure. They basically concluded that the cause
couldn't be fixed with certainty. There most likely scenario was that
the ship took on water due to loose hold covers and that went under when
hit with a large wave. However, as I recall, the ship wreck was found
in two pieces on the bottom and they weren't sure that the above
scenario could cause that. I don't think that running aground was a
scenario at all given the track of the ship.

I saw that one...it was the History Channel.

The best theory I saw presented was where it nosed down into a through and
the bow struck bottom, then another wave snapped it in half.

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:%kvPe.279433$x96.36565@attbi_s72...
Everywhere, every day on the radio, television, and in the newspapers, all
I hear is how the "Record Price of Oil" is killing America.

Yet, strangely, Americans keep driving *more*. And I don't see anyone
flying less.

How can this be?

Here are some encouraging stats from the current issue of Newsweek:

Well having safely got back from Oshkosh ( the sunburn was a bit extreme) I
had the please yesterday of paying only $5.40 a gallon for avgas in the UK.

admittedly it was on the Island of Jersey (EGJJ) and the tax regime is more
liberal, which is a damn sight better than the normal $8.64 but flying 200nm
to get it is not the answer.

Chris

On 2005-08-28, Chris wrote:
...only $5.40 a gallon for avgas in the UK.

admittedly it was on the Island of Jersey (EGJJ)

For heaven's sake don't let the locals know you said Jersey was part of
the UK! The Channel Islands isn't part of the UK, even though it's
British territory.

--
Dylan Smith, Castletown, Isle of Man
Flying: http://www.dylansmith.net
Frontier Elite Universe: http://www.alioth.net
"Maintain thine airspeed, lest the ground come up and smite thee"

"Dylan Smith" wrote in message
...
On 2005-08-28, Chris wrote:
...only $5.40 a gallon for avgas in the UK.

admittedly it was on the Island of Jersey (EGJJ)

For heaven's sake don't let the locals know you said Jersey was part of
the UK! The Channel Islands isn't part of the UK, even though it's
British territory.


I know but try explaining that to Americans.

For heaven's sake don't let the locals know you said Jersey was part of
the UK! The Channel Islands isn't part of the UK, even though it's
British territory.

???

How can it be British territory and not part of the United Kingdom?

I didn't know one could opt out of that, and still be British?
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

On 2005-08-28, Jay Honeck wrote:
For heaven's sake don't let the locals know you said Jersey was part of
the UK! The Channel Islands isn't part of the UK, even though it's
British territory.

How can it be British territory and not part of the United Kingdom?

The United Kingdom consists of four countries: England, Wales, Scotland
and Northern Ireland - and nothing else. Great Britain is the island
containing England Wales and Scotland.

British territories include The Falklands, Diego Garcia, Gibraltar, the
Channel Islands (Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney et al.), the Isle of Man,
British Virgin Islands etc. They are self governed (for example, here in
the Isle of Man we have our own parliament, known as the House Of Keys,
which has been in existence for over 1000 years), make their own laws,
raise their own taxes, print their own currency (which is usually kept
on a par with the British pound). My passport is an Isle of Man
passport, not a UK passport (it is still a British passport though, but
it occasionally gets a comment from the US immigration officers - "don't
see many of them").

In the case of the Isle of Man, the Queen of England is not the Queen of
the Isle of Man, she is merely the Lord of Mann (although the picture of
the Queen on our money is MUCH more flattering than it is on the UK
money - she doesn't have a double chin on our money for a start. Don't
confuse her with the Lady of Mann which is a passenger ship operated by
the IOMSPC, and probably the best ship for crossing the north Irish Sea
during a winter storm).

ObAviation: Components for Martin-Baker ejection seats are made here.

--
Dylan Smith, Castletown, Isle of Man
Flying: http://www.dylansmith.net
Frontier Elite Universe: http://www.alioth.net
"Maintain thine airspeed, lest the ground come up and smite thee"

Jay Honeck wrote:

How can it be British territory and not part of the United Kingdom?

If you don't even know such basics of your best friend, then no wonder
that you have no clue when it comes to understand your ennemies.

Stefan