Be What You Are

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A while ago, a friend of mine observed that one of my biggest strengths and at the same time biggest weaknesses is that I'm always trying to be on my very best behavior. He urged me to lighten up a bit as a means to enjoy life more and have less stress, to which I intimated that I could not do that for it would be against my nature.

Years ago as a boy, I first heard the story of this stone which hung around the turn of the century in a Scottish village. Since then, it has served as many a sermon springboard for instructing young people in their responsibilities. In Rogers and Hammerstein's "The Sound of Music", Reverend Mother asks Maria what the most important thing is that she's learned thus far in the abby. Maria tells her: "To learn the will of God and to do it whole-heartedly." It is both the will of God and the purpose of our creation to be the very best we can be, and everything He gives us and asks of us is orchestrated towards that end.

Every part of the human family putatively plays an important role in moving our race forward. I recall as a scout a canoing trip in which they paired a newcomer to myself. The match relied on my relatively advanced ability at the stern to keep the canoe in a straight course. My teammate tried as best as he could, but I could not articulate on the fly commands of sufficient clarity to correct his efforts, and we soon found ourselves wedged against the bank in a place where we could make no progress. At first, I was furious, but I know he was doing the best he could on his first canoing foray, so I altered the instruction and we made much better progress with him rowing where I directed "left, left, right, left, right, right..."

Fresh out of graduate school, I took a "temporary" manual labor job to earn money while I tried to get a real job. The first day I missed of work, my supervisor told me he required three people to compensate for the void I left in the line. At that point, both he and I knew my worth to the organization, and he began to take stock in my complaints, requests, and comments. He gained faith in my ability and my value to the organization by realizing what it cost him for me to be absent, and he begged me to refrain therefrom in the future. I also knew thereby that my contribution was more than ordinary, and so I knew I was capable of moving to something way better, and I eventually left the organization. In matters of eternal import, we gain faith, including faith in ourselves, by doing everything we can.

I know people who are insatiably happy. I envy them. I am far too serious. I think to a large degree happiness comes from finding a groove in which you fit and a rhythm at which you maximize your efficiency, and doing something at which you are good. Books on the subject like "Do What You Are" or aptitude tests attempt to encourage people to do something they are good at. The other part of happiness is however doing something you enjoy. I might be good at any number of things, but I have no desire to do them.

No matter what you might be right now, be the best whatever it is you can be. That is the test of life, to make the best of your circumstances however wretched they may be.

The truth is that we were meant to be far better than that to which most men hope to achieve, let alone aspire. It's not about the money or the title, it's about that sense of value and purpose we glean from our work. My boss will be happy to know that for the first time in many years, I feel that where I am now. It's a good place to be.

Rewarding a Job Well Done

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Normally, I shy away from endorsements or advocacies, but I am well known to give positive feedback. Usually my positive comments generate personal responses from businesses that took good care of me, more than likely because positive feedback is a refreshing change. For myself as a consumer, I appreciate being treated well, the money I save by honest businesses, and the chance to perhaps positively influence another's career which in no way prohibits the advancement of my own. I have written complimentary citations for policemen, laborers, customer service reps, and truck drivers to name a few. Today, I wish to do one of those a larger favor.

When my car broke down last summer, the tow truck took me to Precision Auto in Ely Nevada for repairs. Despite having been told I had a transmission problem, Andre Paez quickly and correctly diagnosed the problem as a broken half shaft (axle). I have no idea how you could mix the two up. He ordered the part overnight from Salt Lake City and had me back on the road within 24 hours to the tune of about $180 including labor. If I'd been able to reach him first, I would have saved $600 in unnecessary transmission work occasioned by a poor diagnosis.

I am no car officianado. I rely on other people to correctly help me pinpoint a problem. The Paez family impressed me with the speed, accuracy, and fairness of service, and I whole-heartedly endorse them for anyone in the area who needs repairs. No, I have not been compensated or promised compensation for this endorsement. I felt it was the right thing to do.

Precision Auto Repair
800 E Aultman Street
Ely, NV 89301
775-289-5210

It's rare to find honesty in businesses, and so I believe it ought to be endorsed. Give them a call. I'm glad I did.

Truth About Trans-Fat

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Recent lawsuit threats against RJR-Nabisco visavie Oreo brand and concern about fried canola oil and the McDonald's "documentary" Supersize Me bring into stark concern dietary events about which Americans ought concern themselves. Contrary to popular myth however, these substances are not what fearmongers tout them to be. See an earlier post of mine.

The biggest problem as I see it is that trans fats interrupt the normal fat metabolism process and retard the body's ability to use fat or mobilize it to the body. Muscle cells primarily burn glucose/glycogen (glucose polymer) and so when they exhaust those sugar stores, the body mobilizes fat to the site of muscle contraction so that muscles can burn them. The heart, by contrast, and other non-muscle cells, can burn fat directly by the process of β-oxidation which cleaves off the ends of fatty acid chains directly into acetyl-coA which feeds the Krebs/Citric Acid Cycle for electron transport and ATP production.

Normal operating procedure assumes that the following mechanism is possible:

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a347/nsnation/Box.jpg

β-oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids poses a problem since the location of a cis bond can prevent the formation of a trans-δ2 bond. These situations are handled by an additional two enzymes. The problem with this process is that it occurs in the peroxisome, and instead of yielding ATP as a product the high-potential electrons are transferred to O2, which yields H2O2.

The biggest problem with peroxidation is that it involves the introduction of free radicals which can steal electrons from any substrate, particularly damaging to DNA and cell membranes. It is believed that this process is utilized in the metabolism of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are not normally converted to energy, being instead fit substrates for tertiary adjunct molecules like hormones and neurotransmitters, being in themselves chemical structures for the creation of which animal cells lack appropriate enzymes. In extreme duress, however, they will be cannibalized by this process for energy.

Trans fats can only be digested using the peroxidation event. Normal β-oxidation proceeds until the enzymes cannot properly access the trans substrate, being as how its spatial arrangement prohibits the normal metabolic process. The digestive apparatus abandons that capped chain for another. For a human, this might result in a series of fatty acid chains than cannot be digested under normal processes without oxidative damage through peroxidation, and under normal conditions the body will not peroxidize unless absolutely necessary.

In my opinion, this accounts in part for the prevelence of "stubborn belly fat", seeing as how the deposits encircling the abdomen might contain a myriad of fatty acid chains containing trans-fats which cannot be metabolized by normal activity. Overall the most efficient way to remove them is via liposuction, since the vacuum holds no bias for cis-bonds or saturated fat and sucks it out irrespective of its location in a chain. However, that's somewhat counterproductive as the process induces starvation responses, resulting in subsequent fat accumulation post-operation, meaning that without a change in diet, the fats will quickly redeposit as if the procedure had never occured.

Exercise plays the major role. With increased metabolic demand through intensive aerobics and strength training, the muscles can be starved continually of glycogen and forced to utilize mobilized fat. As demand increases, peroxidation will overcome the truncated fat metabolism and open up chains to normal β-oxidation past the constraint. Activity must be of both sufficient duration and intensity so as to train the body to utilize uncommon but available sources of energy.

Upon successful depletion of fat stores, special care must be taken. Maintenance of the activity level will help ensure that fat stores are prepped for consumption immediately rather than interminably deposed at the abdomen. Changes in diet that reduce or better eliminate trans fats will help prevent the future necessity of peroxidation as a means to terminally reduce fat stores and make progress against the stubbord stand of fat and allow one to trim down.

In the end, if you want to trim down, you must burn fat as a major portion of your calories. Even as you strengthen muscles, most of them lie obscured by fat deposits, so a muscular person with lots of fat will look just as bad as a flabby couch potato. Burn the fat, and people will be able to see your underlying definition.

Then lay off the Lays.

Custodian of Biohazard Bacteria

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People ask me what I do for a living, and part of that responsibility includes obtaining, maintaining, and retaining biohazardous organisms used by the Nevada System of Higher Education in microbiology courses. Now, every single one of these has a cure, and most of them cause nothing more dangerous than a transient bout of diarrhea in a healthy individual, but the names scare some people, or at least the thought of catching a disease. I think that people who know what I do may think twice before shaking my hand or eating with me for fear of catching a bug.

Often they suggest or inquire as to the frequency of handwashing. Many of those also express the hope that I use antibacterial soap, not realizing that in truth the phenomenon of handwashing is the key factor. Most soaps act in removing foreign objects through saponification. This means that detergent soaps contain both a hydrophilic (like water) and hydrophobic (like hydrocarbon) character, allowing them to dissolve most substances from the skin, regardless of their absolute chemical structure. The dirty little secret is that most bacteria, being simply free-living cells, when exposed to a detergent, immediately lyse and spill their contents because their cell membrane dissolves in the hydrophobic fraction of the soap.

The antibiotics added to soap add very little added benefit. What bacteria don't immediately lyse often slide off the skin in the water, their attachments to the skin being dissolved by the same phenomenon. Moreover, if you use hot water, many bacteria cannot grow at high temperatures and die under prolonged exposure. While there are exceptions to both of these cases, only in the case of endospore bacilli or species that possess cell walls, would any other type of treatment be necessary, assuming they remain clung to the skin following a thorough washing. The antibacterial treatments put into soap, usually disinfectant in nature, have little added benefit on bacteria. Most soaps contrary to popular belief contain no antibiotics, and so the spread of antibiotic resistance is mitigated, but the use of such soaps will select for species that can withstand minor exposure to disinfectants. Not all bacilli are equally susceptible.

Periodic exposure to bacteria is not bad for you. Irregular challenges to the immune system ensure that the system continually refreshes its cells, those challenges necessitating and initiating a surge in front line defense. Even an antibody-mediated defense (triggered only after 7-10 days of being "sick") such as when one catches a "cold", is good for the body, putting scores of antibodies into the blood which, although specific to a singular invader, also help scour other opportunistic infections from the system and precur invasion by more virulent strains. Since starting to work in this capacity, I have not yet been sick beyond slight stomach nausea.

For those who worry about whether or not I wash my hands or may carry some scary strain, I tell you I fear the bathroom handles more. After watching scores of students exit the lavatory after eliminating without having made even a pretense at washing their hands, I worry more about exposure there. The recent Las Vegas endoscopy center scare in which patients assumed no risk during routine screenings highlights this risk. I do not know what organisms students may putatively carry, but I know the exact strain and lot number of everything with which I work, and so if I catch something, it's probably a bacterium.

I worked for a brief period in a clinical reference laboratory. Despite the care and attention to detail I paid when working with human samples, I once watched another researcher who possessed a PhD work with almost wanton nonchalance in the workspace next to my own. All of her samples were human blood, and the test in question was for Human Herpes VIII, which you can only catch if you have HIV. So, every one of her samples was potentially HIV positive, and I thought that warranted more caution.

The endoscopy scare will not end easily. For some of these people the problem will not show up for years (hepatitis or HIV), and so they might for many years constitute a mobil incubation chamber capable of infecting others with whom they come in contact despite not showing any signs. By contrast, I know what I work with, and I know how to deal with it. I know nothing of random strangers nearby who knowingly or not carry any number of pathogenic flora that might make a quantum leap from that host to a new one in myself.

I have long maintained a healthy fear of doctors. As a graduate student, I taught presumptive pre-med majors their biochemistry lab, and I would trust none of those students as my primary care physician, or in any other healthcare capacity.

What Necessity Demands in War

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Enemies of our country kill innocent people without remorse. They ambush and deceive our soldiers, then drag their mangled bodies through the streets. They take our civilians and then demand ransoms by sending tokens such as severed digits of the hand, ultimately torturing or murdering them in gruesome fashion.

When we dare strike back, some among our own number claim that we ought reserve judgment and wrath, that to live “an eye for an eye” causes us to lose the moral high ground. However, the United States is the most moral country in the world. We were the first nation to abolish slavery, and we have been the driving force behind freedom in every war in which we fought. A former coworker of mine from Turkey told me that he liked America because we never fought a war for the express purpose of taking land. If he can see it that way, even the war in Iraq, why can’t we?

Our denigrators claim that retribution gives us a black eye. They want us to close Guantanimo Bay for the “injustices” it forces upon those poor people who for the most part enjoy a better quality of life in our military prison than they do in their native land. If we hearken to their demands and bring them inside the country we have to afford them rights under the Constitution, and the Constitution affords then an obvert enemy of the nation the same safe harbour given to its citizens. Such an idea would be expressly repugnant in the eyes of the founding fathers.

Declaring war against their own country, liberals demand that in respect to terrorists we beg their forgiveness and appease their demands for extradition. If we ask them what they would do if the terrorists were holding their daughter captive, they refuse to answer and try to change the subject. By so doing, they take the immoral position and do their family a disservice by being more loyal to terrorists than their own brood. Like it or not, Americans belong to a great family of faith, and any sin against one of us by murder or torture constitutes an offense against the body at large. If it were my daughter, my wife, or myself, I would expect the powers that be to do everything possible to set things right.

The moral thing to do is to do everything in our power to prevent those dire happenings from repeating themselves. The moral position is to support our own people, to fund our soldiers, to empower them to defend us, as a means to save American lives.

Contemplate the mangled bodies of your countrymen and ask, “What should be the reward for such sacrifice?” Bid us and our posterity bow the knee, supplicate the friendship and plow and sow and reap to glut the avarice of those who have let loose on us the dogs of war to riot in our blood and hunt us from the face of the earth? If ye love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude more than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands that feed you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget ye were our countrymen. –Samuel Adams

Kicking Against the Pricks 2

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As a follow-up to my previous posting on the subject, a few weeks ago some jerk told me that I'd never be able to sell this item for what I was asking for it. This very afternoon I sold that item for my original asking price.

It makes me wonder if he said that hoping I'd sell and he could then resell it and make some money without any real work.

Unless you're being completely unreasonable, it's conceivable to sell anything you want for any price. Someone somewhere will buy it.

My mother, bless her heart, always buys things new. The truth is that you can get a "new" item, still wrapped in celophane and unopened, just not straight from a retail center, buy appealing to sources that primarily deal in used items. To that end, I shop Half.com and the used parts of Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble in order to save on certain items. I've bought previously viewed movies from Hollywood Video and Blockbuster too. If I'm planning on reading a book, making notes in it, and breaking the spine as I cite contents, and if it's a book I intend to keep, where's the value in a brand-spanking new book when a used one will do just fine.

Maybe I just feel this way because of my car experiences. Who cares. I save money without any extra headache.

For those who worry about the safety of sellers, you have no higher risk buying something online used than you do buying something new. I've had items lost in the mail several times and sellers act unscrupulously, but just because I walk into a physical location doesn't mean those people aren't going to do the same thing to me. In the end, everything is a matter of honor. I acquit myself, and I withhold business from those who cannot abide the same standard.

As for this guy, I'm glad he was wrong.

Upgrading to a New Car? Think Twice

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I've been doing research for several months towards buying an additional car. Any of you who know me know I LOVE my 1995 Saturn SL1 (I call him R2-D2), but I want a car that has the capability to tow and haul things and offers some more creature comforts. Due to my parent's experiences, I have a favorite source, but I've noticed some odd pricing conventions on their website that don't make sense, and it made me think about hidden costs (some non-monetary).

When you look at cars there, it almost looks like the packages assigned by automakers mean nothing or the employees identifying trim and upgrade packages know nothing. Given those variations in available gimmicks, I don't understand how a XLT Trailblazer in Valdosta GA costs $1000 less than a LT Trailblazer in Boise ID.

For some time, I hemmed and hawed over which vehicle among the following to choose:

Chevrolet Trailblazer

Jeep Liberty

GMC Colorado

My first concern was standard packages for towing: only the Trailblazer comes with tow package standard. This seems odd to me given that Jeep advertises itself as an off-road vehicle, but surely enough, very few, if any of the Liberties came equiped with 4WD or towing. Hmm...

Second, I looked at comfort. After a few test rides at my favorite source, I decided that the Colorado was no better than my Saturn on comfort, and the Liberty was disappointing considering its relative close size to the Trailblazer.

Thirdly, I looked at fuel economy. While the Liberty beat out the Trailblazer (slightly), I was not convinced to buy the vehicle on fuel economy alone. If you consider maximum towing package and overall cost (Trailblazers are cheaper), the cost of gas was minimized.

Furthermore, Liberties are more expensive to insure. The registration cost on a Liberty is also higher, since their MSRP and residual value after depreciation are higher. Since I don't trade cars in and intend to drive mine verily into the ground, holding resale value matters little to me. You have to decide if that matters to you. You should also consider the cost of tires. In addition to the base cost of buying new tires, specialty tires on upgraded rims may offset any special deal savings in future tire purchases. Wider tires impact fuel economy and special performance tires don't last as long. You're best off sticking with the basics.

The overall cost of buying a liberty or a Colorado didn't outweigh the positive factors. With even a 2003 Trailblazer, I have maximized my savings in depreciation on insurance and registration without sacrificing too much age. My previous vehicle came to me with 80000 miles, and there are plenty of Trailblazers with under 50000 miles, giving me even more of a mileage buffer. Plus, the later model trailblazer engine compartments are not cumbered by the clutter that shrouds most engines as a means to keep them cleaner, and I like the organization better. Since I intend on repairing my own cars where I can, I like that feature. (That was one reason I didn't want a Saturn Vue- too cramped).

Don't get caught up in hype. Liberties and other vehicles are largely status symbols. A former coworker told me about how much more his diesel engine cost him in maintenance, and a current Air Force Colonel told me that it took five years to break even in cost with the fuel economy of his hybrid, and he barely skirted having to pay out of pocket to replace the electronic console to the tune of $5000.

Too many gimmicks means something may go wrong more easily. Part of the reason I love R2-D2 so much is that it's so simple that I don't have a myriad of things that might break which I cannot fix. The one exception was the computer itself, which was shorted out and wouldn't activate the engine cooling fan. A trip to Pick n Pull and $25 fixed that (with a "new" computer), but a brand new one is only $100, so that's not too bad. I prefer not to have a sun roof, power accessories, power steering, etc., because those things make engine maintenance more difficult. The more electrical complexity your car has, the more you may find yourself going to the dealership. I don't know about you, but I prefer NOT to take it to Saturn and pay a minimum of $70 just for them to look at it.

They make cars today to be convenient to drive, but inconvenient to repair. I don't know why this is, but as in other cases, sometimes the older items are built better. I really miss Beta, but I'm also not itching to ditch my VHS or DVD for Blueray. Some people critique me for my frugality, but it's a matter of fiscal responsibility. People with much higher wages than I live near the edge of their income, while I save 14% even after donating 10% to charity.

As for hybrids or flex fuel, I can't get over the engine R2 has. My Saturn is EPA rated to 31mpg, but I routinely get 37-40mpg, including one tank when I scored 44.1mpg. If you consider the fact that I'm running a 1.8L internal combustion engine versus the 1.6L gas engines in hybrids, you expect their smaller displacement to produce better economy. The fact that they get so little more than I do makes me shake my head.

The ugly truth about hybrids is that they save you only at low speeds and they cost so much more upfront. Since most people I see on the commute jackrabbit start, their only rely on the electric engine for a miniscule portion of the trip, riding at cruising speeds equal to or higher than those at which I drive. I suspect that many hybrid owners see lower than the estimated resultant economy, some perhaps lower than R2's. Plus, to get that extra technology (they contain both a regular engine AND the battery option) adds extra weight and additional cost, meaning that most owners have to keep a hybrid far beyond the average time of ownership to gain anything.

Most hybrid owners drive their cars as a status symbol, as if to say, "Hey! Look at me! I'm doing my part to save the world." For my part, so am I, by not buying another car when mine works fine, saving the world the problem of trashing R2 while still reaping comparable mileage to a hybrid. This little R2 unit and I have been through a lot together, and I feel as attached to him as Luke Skywalker was to his.

Do I need a new car? No. Would it help me get a date? If a girl only goes out with me for virtue of the car I drive, I'm not sure I want to deal with how shallow she is.

Franchisees: America Inc

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According to the original paperwork establishing franchising rights, it makes sense why people today think that only white men were allowed to vote. Originally, a person earned the right to vote because he owned property. As very few women held title to property, it being in the name of their husbands, and as very few slaves if any held property, it being in the name of their masters, the majority, if not exclusivity, of voters were white men. However, not all white men were allowed under this law to vote.

When my parents were young someone decided to allow young people the right to vote on the auspices that a man who can be called upon to give his life for his country ought to vote. The disenfranchisement of young people however never kept valiant young men from enlisting to serve their country. Hordes of young men below the present-day age of enfranchisement enlisted in the Union Army. Many young men lied about their age in World War II so they could join and defend their country. None of those men demanded the right to dictate the turn of the nation as a right commensurate with their being asked to defend it.

I heard a quote in high school that our football team used to motivate the players. If you don’t have much vested in success, then losing doesn’t cost very much. A few weeks ago, I saw an episode of King of the Hill where Hank wins a chance to throw a football into a target and earn $1 million. He trades the throw to the so-called “sure bet”, some retired pro quarterback, who misses the throw. The QB shrugs it off as bad luck; he had nothing ventured into the attempt and nothing to gain.

Many young people misuse their franchise because they have nothing vested in the future of the nation. When you look at the sum total of taxes exacted of the people by their several governments, the large majority of funds from average people come from property. Of the total tax I paid on my first house, fully two-thirds went to pay school bond debt, and I remain without posterity to this day, and unlike income tax, there exist no exemptions for the layman to reduce his property tax bill. In fact, many people in our current credit crisis find that although their homes depreciated their tax easements remain the same.

At the age of 12, I began owning a part of America’s future when I inherited $2000 and invested it in the Berger 101 Mutual Fund. Perhaps that’s why I so vehemently oppose taxes, for in the first year I filed income tax, although none had been withheld from my pay because I didn’t earn enough to meet the withholding threshold, when I filed taxes, I had to send the IRS a check for capital gains tax on the money my investments made. At 16 years old, I had to pay the government money.

Very few teenagers own stock, and none of which I’m aware own property, but I did read recently about a teenager who made $1 million selling myspace layouts. I’ll bet she fully understands the impact of tax on income, since she has few likely exemptions and felt the full wrath of 31% of her earnings gobbled up by the government. Most teenagers and young adults want, nay demand, government assistance and swoon at the feet of evangelistic politicians preaching the life of ignoble ease. They sign up to causes of doubtless value, but they don’t end up paying for them because they down own any part of the future.

Perhaps that’s why some say that if you’re under 25 and not a liberal you have no heart and if you’re over 25 and not a conservative you have no brain. Eventually, they get jobs, grow up, own responsibility and resent the sound of money being sucked from their wallets to care for someone else who is capable of supporting themselves but elects against it. Where income tax burdens can be reduced by dependents in young families, student loans, and the like, any of them who afford their own home face the awful brutality of the Assayers Office.

Even without a myriad of deductions, income tax for most young people is largely mitigated by their depressed earning power. Both of my youngest and unmarried siblings received their entire FICA withholding less medicaire as a refund. Even I at 29 years old having set my exemptions on income tax to 3 only ended up paying $1000 to the federal government in income tax last year, and I just took the standard deduction. My parents’ effective tax rate after they itemized was lower than mine.

My father and I talk about how to leverage our spending and investments so as to mitigate as far as possible our Federal Income Tax Liability. We discussed moving to Wyoming to avoid state income tax, enjoy some of the lowest fuel and sales tax rates, and buy land in parts of the state with low property tax liability. If you own a home, you can leverage your interest against your federal tax and end up paying hardly anything at all.

A man who pays as little tax as possible who does so legally holds full power over his government. As governments increase in power, influence, and pork, any policy they enact against men with no tax liability affects them less. Yet, men with no investment in the country continue to drive up federal spending, which inevitably leads to higher government taxes, increasing tyranny upon the people.

I believe the Founding Fathers were wise to devise their original system of franchise. Said one among them, “That which we obtain too easily, we esteem too lightly.” I would gladly surrender my franchise if others who have no vested interest in the success of the nation would be forced to do in kind. However, under the principles as I understand them, notwithstanding not being a landowner, I do hold almost $11000 in investments, making me de-facto an owner of the country at large, and vested in its success. My mother has an IRA, and my kid sister has a mutual fund, but I have scores of friends and associates who rent where they live and put nothing aside. The economical woes and government throws of today matter little to them. They aren’t suffering from government policy like we are. The young millionaire I mentioned earlier doubtless also owns some sort of securities.

Voting should be granted, not simply on age or gender or race, but to all those who understand their investment in America’s future success. Not everyone who votes understands the ramifications of their choices. For my own part, when I go to the polls, except for the top of the ticket, they do not identify candidates by party, and at the bottom they fill the ballot with a myriad of state, county, and municipal issues. Most people go to the polls and make decisions based on that which they heard someone else tell them in lieu of investigating the matter for themselves, and usually the last minute surprises are levied by Democrats against Republicans, despite rules against that practice. Nevada describes, to their credit, on the sample ballot both the pros and cons of every measure, but both of those are persuasive arguments, not dispassionate analyses of the facts.

I fought vehemently several years ago against the Washoe County Animal Shelter. It proposed a miniscule hike in property taxes to pay for the construction and maintenance of the facility- in perpetuity. As a homeowner but also as a pet owner, I felt irate at the prospect, even for $0.25 per year when there are already institutions or private foundations (there are at least two private groups in Washoe county that do this) who can do it better. Now, in Clark County, they want to raise the sales tax (again in perpetuity) to pay for extra policeman notwithstanding the fact that they have 500 vacancies they have not been able to permanently staff. I never vote for a tax hike.

People need to be better taught how to vote. In order to vote, every citizen should during their junior year of high school take an American Government class designed to prepare them to take the oath of citizenship and pass that test before being granted that sacred right. The one I took focused on the national process, and while illustrative did nothing to illuminate my mind on the particulars of political franchise. Now as before, I am educated of my own initiative, by seeking out opinions and information prior to arriving at decisions.

We ask nationalized citizens to swear the oath, but we allow our offspring to skirt that rite of passage and rob them of understanding thereof. A citizen’s responsibility toward government is finite but powerful, and anyone who wants to vote, regardless of the land of his nativity, ought be required to swear that oath as condition of citizen status. Once you’re old enough to take the oath at 18, you can vote if and only if you own property, not based on age alone. If you own property, you should be able to vote if and only if you take and pass all qualifications required to gain full citizenship. Young people automatically gain the privilege of franchise and regard it with low esteem and as such don’t care about it well. I have never taken better care of contact lenses as when my parents forced me to pay the $40 for them myself.

As a Wal-Mart stockholder, last year I received notification by mail regarding the shareholder’s meeting (to which I was invited) as well as a ballot by which to voice my opinions on various aspects of company policy. For all the vehement opposition to Wal-Mart’s policies, it’s apparently that simple: you could buy 32 shares like I have and then vote in their policies, yet people just moan and pitch a fit to people who cannot do anything and do nothing of substance that can affect the outcomes with which they disagree. Americans won’t buy into anything; they want others to buy into them. It’s time that American’s take ownership in their country and understand what a privilege it is to live here.

Subsidize Failure and Punish Productivity

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I heard this phrase today on Rush LImbaugh's program and really wanted to light upon it. Rush Limbaugh pointed out how in the case of Bear Stearns versus Oil and Petroleum, the government stepped in to save Bear Stearns after they made unsound financial decisions and then this week announced hearings to investigate and regulate oil and petroleum for high prices.

This displays a fundamental misunderstanding of historical economics. As demand increases without commensurate increase in supply, prices rise. The current gas price hike represents a classical demand shift, resulting in a rise in price. The only ways to curb price hikes are to 1: cut demand or 2: increase supply.

Government prefers to cut demand than increase supply, for whatever reason. Over the past few years, the have endorsed conservation, increasing fuel economy, and driving less. In other words, the government wants us to not do what we want to do. While we could drill in ANWR, off the Florida coast like Cuba is, go after Shale oil in Colorado, build new refineries, and lower costs of crude acquisition, the government possesses not even the slightest interest in making more of what we want available to us. Many of the bureaucrats are spoiled children who always had what they want but prefer to deny us commensurate equality in treatment.

An increase in supply would create the classical supply shift, resulting in a decrease in price. No matter what we do, conservation will not work. Our population increases, increasing demand. The world population increases, increasing demand. If we don't go get the oil, other nations will. Besides, I'm already doing my part, but not because the government made me. My 1995 Saturn SL1 on my last fillup clocked an impressive 38.6mpg, far above the 31-33mpg estimated at the time of its manufacture. I do not need to go out and spend $20,000 to buy a hybrid car just to get 7mpg extra economy. Such an expenditure would be illogical.

An even faster way to save us money at the pump would be for the government to permanently or temporarily suspend gas taxes. If you check the rates, you'll see how much of that $3.30 per gallon goes to taxes. Federal gas tax is $0.184/gallon, and in Nevada, my state charges $0.23/gallon tax, plus another $0.10805/gallon in county taxes, inspection fees, and cleanup charges. I last bought gas for $3.33/gal, which means my total tax was $0.52205/gal. If they removed taxes, it would have only cost me $2.80795/gal. Taxes accounted for 15.7% of the price of fuel today, and those taxes are why we will never see $0.99/gal prices ever again.

Bear Stearns loses it's shirt, and the government hands them a check. Chevron makes money, and they want to take away their coat.

Oil is the fuel of liberty. The government doesn't want you to be free, so they are not going to do anything whatsoever to help you be free. In point of fact, the tell you you ought voluntarily restrict your own freedom via conservation. Today they say, "Don't do what you want." Tomorrow they say, "Only do what we allow."

**throws some tea in the harbor**

Chaos Creates Opportunities

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Media reporters complain about a movement called "Operation Chaos" started by Rush Limbaugh as a means to keep the democrat presidential candidates at each other's throats as long as possible. Reports cited today a surge in last-minute registrations for primaries in states still being contested by the democrat party.

The reason for this phenomenon is very simple- for the first time in their lives, the people in these states, regardless of party, feel that their primary vote matters. Usually by this time, even over decades of history, the presumptive nominee has arisen from the field as his challengers drop out in the wake of losses at or around Super Tuesday. Although primaries may be held in states like Pennsylvania, Mississippi, and Puerto Rico, many of the contenders for whom one might have cast a ballot have left the race. By the time I cast my vote, my candidate of choice was already out, but at least I had a choice. For Republicans in these states, they haven't had a choice for some time.

Foot soldiers in Operation Chaos are excited to serve. Although they would never vote for either Clinton or Obama in the general election, their vote means something this month- it means they can exacerbate divisions in the democrat party and expose the candidates for their true selves. Over the past few weeks, we've discovered interesting connections between Obama and terrorists, hate-mongers, and racists, and we've seen how empty his rhetoric truly is. If the democrat primary had wrapped up in February, would we have known what was going on in Obama's life and past, or would the media have obfuscated those details? Emphasize the latter.

In a roundabout way, these republican-for-democrat votes make the republican party stronger. They give John McCain (blech) an edge that will not be easily overcome after the Denver Democrat Convention. He gets to campaign without their attacks as they focus on each other. Their bickering exposes more of their faults and why they are unqualified to be the president. I don't think John McCain is either, but that's another story.