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Thursday, August 25, 2011

59

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"There's Justice In The Universe" www.TinyURL.com/AsISeeItNOW
Salaries in the USA have risen 3% in the past twelve month while inflation rose 4.7%.  Health care costs rose 8%.  As more and more people compete for finite resources, we may yet achieve the population density and quality of life akin to Europe's.  [Note: Our citizenry's population is barely increasing ... but because of immigration our national numbers will increase by at least another 100 million within 37 years.]

http://www.census.gov/main/www/cen2000.html
When I was a kid growing up in the Rio Grande Valley, my family loved stopping to eat at the original Whataburger.  You stood outside under the awning shade and watched your burgers being flipped just several feet away.  Listening to the sizzling crackle, you watched as the buns were toasted right next to your hamburger patty.  When done,  the top bun was immediately doused with mustard, etcetera and buried under lettuce, onions, and tomatoes, then the patty was flipped onto the bottom bun and then the both of them were joined with the other half --- thus making one delectable culinary delight.
What made these ‘what-a-burgers” genuinely delicious was that they were prepared in the best of Norte Mexicano traditions.  These days, when you order a Whataburger, you’re lucky if the bun is even above room temperature….  and the meat in some locations seems less than premium.  So, whenever I visit the Valley, I love seeking out a Mexican cafe (on either side of the border) where they still know how to fix a great hamburger….. where they have not yet succumbed to Gringo Gothic Multicultural Materialism.
In TIME’s 10-30-2006 issue is a Special Report: America at 300 Million.  Although “America By the Numbers” is generally enlightening, the spin that America is “still uncrowded” is disheartening.  Even the statement “Hispanics are the only group having more than enough children to replace themselves in the population” infers that our continued population growth is a good thing.  At the rate our numbers are increasing, we’ll add another 100 million in 37 years (according to this article).  In a time of diminishing resources and overall declining quality of life in the USA, population growth is NOT an admirable goal --- only a soulless tycoon intent on suppressing wages by providing a bounteous labor supply would deem 100 million extra people as desirable.  [Note: The minimal attention paid to the numbers of illegal aliens and their role in future demographics is glaring.]
http://tinyurl.com/yezq23
Each year, appraisals climb----each year property taxes rise proportionally.  Instead of seeking bond approvals for special projects, why not use the extra tax revenue taken in ???

                              IRAQ: Plan for Withdrawal  10-24-2006

I propose that we announce:

"In 3 months, we will reduce our troop strength by 5% .  Three months later we’ll decrease our troop strength by another 5% ; but, if there has been a measurable decrease in Iraqi violence at that time, we will reduce our numbers by 6-10% (presidential discretion).  This criteria will be applied each 3 months.  We'll be totally withdrawn within 3-6 years depending on the Iraqi levels of violence."
As of this moment, China is refusing to monitor its border with N. Korea in order to prevent the transfer of nuclear, biological, chemical materials or ballistic missle components.  Not only is this hostile and irresponsible (for a supposed ‘world leader’), it shows that China is using N. Korea as a pawn (a demented one) and has been ever since it gave N. Korea the green light to attack S. Korea in 1950. 
It seems to me that the more we invest in China, the more of our assets they have to hold hostage and use as leverage against us.  The more advanced they become, the stronger they are.  We are so dependent on them no for cheap labor and goods [and remember that they are keeping their currency value artificially low by 40%] that we’re going to be increasingly ambivalent in our political dealings with them.
Nobody ever said the Chinese weren’t smart --- but it seems to me that may have outsmarted themselves….. because they won’t be able to control their psychotic ‘stepchild’ when the need to arises in a last minute scenario / failed brinkmanship. 
This would feed right into their isolationistic
tendencies.  Remember that they were sending
huge fleets to trade with India and the Middle East
long before Columbus sailed the ‘ocean blue’. 
They then voluntarily sealed themselves off from
the rest of the world.  They think differently than we
do.  I doubt that we’re really playing the same
game as they are…. we only think we are.
 Long ago, Asian mainland rice farmers crowded the original inhabitants of Japan into its northern regions.  In the 1200s, China (under Mongol dominion) twice tried to invade Japan.  Other frictions finally led up to Japan’s invading China in the 1930s.  All of this action traversed Korea and has been stalemated since the Korean War Truce in 1953.
 Ancient animosties have yet to be resolved --- and are focused as a struggle between ancient feudalism (N. Korea) and new democratic/economic principles (S. Korea).  Since N. Korea may now feel somewhat abandoned by her former sponsor (China), she may be increasingly paranoid in her “machinations”.   
 Resolution, if it is possible, will require full cooperation between China, Japan and S. Korea.  It’s primarily their Karma.  Although we’re involved  (ever since we sailed our gunboats into Tokyo Harbor and forced the Japanese to open up their country & participated in Western imperialistic gunboat diplomacy in China, et al), we are going to have to encorage these ancient antagonists in working out long lasting accords.  Our involvement is essential, but western nations need to remember that the Orient is theirs – not ours.  We need to have them ‘step up to the plate’.  [We’ve got our hands full garnering “peace in the Middle East” anyway.]
Our ‘conservative’ politicians put on a good show for us
during their last weeks’ session. They voted for 700 miles
of fencing to be built along the border as a good faith
start on establishing control over our nation’s southern
land boundary --- but now, Senator Cornyn states,"It’s one thing to authorize. It’s another thing to actually
appropriate money and do it."   Furthermore, he indicates
that a ‘virtual fence’ [you remember Governor Perry’s idea, right?] would be a better idea.
Hmmmm. It sounds to me like it’s going to be business as
usual on the border with our “catch and release” program
remaining in effect. Instead of physically preventing
illegals and drug smugglers from entering this country,
we’ll simply try to catch a few more…. and then, of course,
release the “small fry” back into their natural habitat.
I lived in the Rio Grande Valley for 30 years. During that
time, I learned how porous our border really is. Drugs come
in while money and guns go back out. People transit both
ways relatively freely, even in this post 9/11 world.
The long and short of it is that this country’s appetite for
cheap labor and drugs is insatiable.   Our citizens’ birth
rates are stable, yet our population is swelling (due to
immigration).   Resources are slowly dwindling as more and
more people compete for them.   As these “new arrivals” raise larger than average sized families, perhaps it will one day be them who demand that a fence be built to keep out the
other new arrivals that try to follow them.

The amount of nicotine (a highly addictive carcinogenic substance produced by plants as a natural pesticide) in cigarettes has increased by well over 10% during the past decade.  More bang for the buck? Perhaps.  But I suspect tobacco companies are more interested in maintaining their grip on current smokers and making sure that they more quickly hook teens who experiment in an attempt to be cool.  Kool menthol lights’ nicotine levels are up by 30%.
Thinking of Darwin, maybe we should just let smokers reap the whirlwind; but, it makes me mad to think that corporate idiots still haven't learned anything.  And these figures are only for cigarettes sold in the USA....overseas, the tobacco companies are being even more aggressive.  And this is with a crop that receives agricultural subsidies and tarriff protection.   The above is the short and "sweet" of what I sent to my congressman and as a letter to the editor.
More:
I remember reading that after the start of cigarettes being sold prerolled, the companies more than doubled their sales by adding chocolate as an additive.  I wonder how much they jumped when they added sugar. Both substances, when burned, increase the additive quality of cigarettes as well as making them taste better.
http://tinyurl.com/kxp5d
http://tinyurl.com/j2p3e
If you know exactly what subject title you’re wanting, then GOOGLE.COM is one the best sites to use ….. remember that it has an ‘images’ feature, too.   If you only have a general idea, then ASK.COM with its ‘related search’ feature is best.  Then to document your webpage site either “bookmark” it AND/OR copy & paste the URL into TINYURL.COM where it can be shortened into “tinyurl.com/####” / a shortened URL that’s easy to jot down so that you (or anyone you share the shortened URL with) can come directly back to that exact page from any other computer.