I Just Can't See It....

I have a funny story I must share with you. It's one of those stories that even though it is about a serious subject, you can't help but smile and shake your head.
Recently I went for my tri-annual eye exam. (Yes, I usually wait until I can't see if the light is red or green before I make an appointment). 

You need to know that I am in the VA health system and I get my medical care at the VA hospital in Bay Pines, Florida. So I made my appointment and arrived on time. As usual, I didn't have to wait long before I was called back for my eye exam. I was seen by a wonderful doctor. She was probably gave me the most thorough eye exam I ever had. 

My prescription had indeed changed and I was given a new, stronger prescription. As everyone knows that has ever had an eye exam, you get your eyes dilated during the exam and when you leave your eyes are still very dilated. So much so that you need to wear sunglasses to shield the brightness outside.

Of course I never thought ahead and did not take a pair of sunglasses with me. As I was about to leave the doctor asked if I had any and after I said I did not she reached into a drawer and handed me a pair of thin plastic sunglasses. The were very large, almost like the size you see older people wearing in Florida. They made me think of them as disposable glasses. But they worked. They helped shield me from the Florida sun since my pupils were the size of a quarter.

As I unfolded them and started to put them on I looked at the earpiece and saw something that made me shake my head in disbelief. "Made in China" was printed right on the ear piece! Yep. The United States Veterans Administration oversees the health and care of all of our nation's veterans and after getting your eyes examined you are given a pair of sunglasses that are made in China! Not in the U.S. Not in any city in our country. 

I found that to be ironic and funny at first. But the more I thought about it the more I serious I got. I now most of the things we are forced to buy in this country come from other countries other than our own. I do not like that. I hate that. I have no control over that. Except I still try to buy things that are made in the USA, even though it is difficult at times.

But what bothers me about this is that this is a government agency that you would connect with our military. And then they give you a product that was not even made in our own country. Sad. We can not find any manufacturer in the US that can make a cheap pair of sunglasses that are going to be given to our veterans? And since it is paid for with part of my tax dollars, I don't even care if the cost was higher. Pay it! And product that is doled out by any federal agency should be made in America. Period. No question about it. All of a sudden it's not a funny story anymore....

Made In The USA

Those are a dozen of my favorite letters, especially when they are in that exact order. M-A-D-E-I-N-T-H-E-U-S-A. I can honestly say that I look at the packaging of almost everything I buy and look to see where the item was made. I may not be able to get everything I need from manufacturers in the U.S. but I try.

 And from time to time I like to share with you companies that are still making things right in our own country. One such company is Mag Industries headquartered in Ontario, California. I know, it may not sound like an American city but I'm telling myself that the city was founded by Mr. Ontario.

The story of its founder, Anthony Maglica, is very interesting and in order to keep this post short, you can click on his name to be linked to the company's history. In 1979 he introduced the 'Maglite' flashlight.

If you are a police officer or firefighter or other emergency worker, then you know all about Maglite. It changed the portable lighting industry forever. I used a Maglite for my entire law enforcement career and can attest that they are simply the best flashlight you can get. Not just for their durability and reliability, but because they are still only made in America. I used a rechargeable Maglite for many years on third-shift and sometimes it went most of the shift without getting recharged and it always worked whenever I needed it.

The company employs about 850 people and is expanding its manufacturing plant to keep up with the demand for their products. Read more about their commitment to being an American company at this link: 'Commitment'.

If you really want to be impressed, go to their "Timeline" page and start looking at their history from the beginning until now and just look at the donations they make to so many charities and worthwhile events. You have to be impressed. I know I'm proud of their history and the fact that they are another example of a great company still not outsourcing their products to another country in order to save a dime.

Do you want to see how tough and dependable these flashlights are? Go to their "Amazing Stories" link and read what actual users have to say about their products.

If you are in the market for a dependable flashlight that you can rely on then please consider buying a Maglite. You'll be getting a great product and you'll be supporting an American company.

Can You Hear Me Now???

Mom

 

Let me set up this story for you. My mother is 82 years old and is living in a wonderful extended care facility in St Petersburg, Florida. She's been there for about 3 years and she simply loves it. With the medical care requirements being so technical and her needing attended to all through out the day, it would be impossible for her to get that same amount of care and attention at any other location.

Bon Secours Maria Manor

She has all the comforts of home including TV, refrigerator, three hot meals a day, all in bed, a roommate and plus plenty of interaction with other people. Oh, and a telephone. A "land line". Through Verizon.

 

We selected the very basic home package the company had; Local calls only, no long distance. That works fine, all her kids and family lives locally and any friend that lives far away always calls her. She is allowed 30 outgoing calls a month. That might sound low but she'll go for a week or more without calling anyone, we all call her. Incoming calls are unlimited. 

Even if she went over her allotted 30 out-going calls she would just have to pay a small charge for every call over the 30. That has never happened.

She gets all this service for $11.99 a month. Sounds like a good deal huh? I have the monthly bill sent to me and I make the payment. The average bill is usually $22.26 each month..... Let's recap. The phone plan costs $11.99 each month. I pay $22.26 each month. Why?

Because of "Taxes, Fees and Other Charges". That's what the section of the bill says right below the heading that says "Current Charges Subtotal..$11.99".

Here is the breakdown for those "Taxes, Fees and Other Charges":

Taxes, Government Surcharges and Fees
Federal Excise Tax..................................   .55
FL Local Communications Services Tax.....  1.21 
Fl State Gross Receipts Tax.....................    .46
Telecommunications Relay Service...........    .11
County 911 Funding Fee..........................    .50

Verizon Surcharges and Other Charges and Credits
Federal Universal Service Fee....................  .94
Federal subscriber line charge................... 6.50

Total taxes, Fees and Other Charges........ $10.27

An Example of A Verizon Bill, Not Mom's

So $11.99 for the phone service and $10.27 for the taxes and fees, for a total of $22.26. Wow. The taxes and fees are almost as much as the entire charge for the phone service!


And does any consumer really understand what those taxes and fees actually are for? I don't. "Telecommunication Relay Service"? "Gross Receipts Tax"? "Communications Services Tax"? How about the "Universal Service Fee"? Does that actually cover the entire universe? And the largest charge of all, the "Federal Subscriber Line Charge"? When did I "subscribe"? And what did I subscribe for? Magazines? 

To be fair, I know that there has to be taxes and fees for certain things in this world. I can understand the "County 911 funding fee". As a retired law enforcement officer I must admit I am quite fond of the 911 system and 50 cents a month doesn't bother me. But the remaining fees really bug me. I'd rather pay a 7% state sales tax on the phone service or even a 10% total tax to be split by the state and federal government, even though I can't figure out why our federal government is getting a penny for a service that is being sold by a private company.

So take a peek at you next phone bill and see how you are being charged. And if you ever find out how I can "unsubscribe" to the Federal subscriber line, please let me know.

Are We All Just Crazy.....

My wife and I spent almost 3 weeks at our cabin in western Kentucky and I really just wanted to point out something that simply amazes me whenever I see it.

While taking a day-trip on our vacation we were in Bowling Green, Kentucky.This was back in late August. Gasoline prices for the area we were in, including the area around our cabin, was averaging about $3.59-$3.69 per gallon. When we got to Bowling Green and were on on of the main streets looking for a White Castle, I noticed there must have been a half-dozen gas stations within a 3 block area.
All of the stations were selling their gas for $3.69 and one advertised $3.68 per gallon. Then, in the middle of all these stations I saw a Raceway station with its huge sign advertising their gas for $3.44 per gallon. I'll let that sink in....... Go ahead, go back and read that again, I'll wait......

All of the stations were selling their gas for $3.69 per gallon and the Raceway was 25 CENTS cheaper per gallon! (I should have added about 10 exclamation points to show my amazement).

Now you would think my next comment would be that the Raceway had cars backed out onto the street waiting for gas and the other stations were empty. But I can't say that. Sure, Raceway was doing a good steady business and I filled up there also but all of the other stations had customers also. Lots and lots of people were paying the extra 25 cents per gallon and not using Raceway.

Please, can anyone out there explain to me why that would happen? I also saw that same scene at one other location while on our trip and it also involved another Raceway. It is mind boggling why people would pay more money for gas than they have to.

That's a perfect example of why we are paying whatever prices the oil companies want to charge us. Gas prices have been falling every week for the past couple of months, but only by a penny or two every other day. When gas prices rise they jump by 8-10 cents a gallon or higher EACH day. You NEVER see them fall that fast.

So please do me a favor and if you are one of those people that would pay even a nickel more for gas than a station a block away from you, please tell me why. And if you are one of the people that paid 25 cents more for gas in Bowling Green, please tell me you escaped from a mental home so I won't think you are just a stupid fool.

How Sweet It Is......

You may have noticed that most of my posts on this blog usually deal with examples of how we are losing control of our own country. Crooked politicians, crooked-greedy bankers and wall street hot shots, greedy over-priced oil companies, and the outsourcing of jobs and products manufactured in our country.

Well, on occasion, I come across positive articles about things that are still being produced in the USA and I love to share that information. Anytime I can knowingly buy a product that is made here I make sure I purchase that product.

Without going into too much detail about my eating habits and my cholesterol level I want to share with you a wonderful sweet. It is Creme de Pirouline, a 'rolled wafer' made in the USA by the Peter DeBeukelaer Corp., Madison, MS. I am enjoying the chocolate hazelnut version and I must say it is a great tasting, light dessert that you always have room for after any meal. The advertising on the cute tin they come in says, "Indulge in the swirl of life". 

According to their website, "the DeBeukelaer family has been baking premium Belgium Biscuits and Wafers since 1860. Their bakers still follow the same critical standards and traditions of our forefathers. With all that history behind the name, when we put DeBeukelaer on the package we promise it will be delicious and consistent every time." 

It's always a pleasant surprise to pick up an item in the store and see the "Made in the USA" logo with a picture of our flag. So whenever I see that proudly proclaimed on any package I make sure I buy their product and pass along the information to my family and friends. 

Check out their products and their website at Pirouline.com . That's pronounced, 'peer-o-lean'. If you have an extra minute, drop them a quick comment to just say thanks for keeping their company in America.

How Can You Argue With This?

I came across this following letter to the editor that I believe came from the Iosco County News Herald in Michigan on June 9, 2011. Even though you could come up with dozens of other comparisons, this article pretty much sums up the mess we have made in our country. Click on the article to see it full size.

*******

I received a comment about this post and I couldn't reply to it in the comment box because it wouldn't accept that many characters. So I'll add it to the post now:




1) "if the congress lies to us its just politics" you vote for them, if you don't like them vote them out. if you don't like the candidates get active in the primaries. if you don't like money in politics organize for campaign finance reform. don't just be bitter and complain.
**How can you vote them out if the people that don't think they lie outnumber those that do?
2) "if we dislike a black person, we're racist and if a black dislikes whites it's their 1st amendment right" not going to comment besides saying that really isn't very subtle.
**You can't dislike someone because of what they say or do and it have nothing to do with their race??
3) "the government spends millions to rehabilitate criminals" maybe in sweden. **You can't even accept something when it's completely factual. Look at any prison in THIS country and see what money is spent on rehabilitation programs.
4) "you can teach that homosexuality is OK" (god forbid!) "you better not use the word God in the process" (why would you? and of course you can, you just can't encourage religion)
**'Why would you'? maybe because a lot of people believe God says it is a sin. Who encourages religion in public schools? By reciting the Pledge of Allegiance?
5) "you can kill an unborn child". well no you can't if it hasn't been born you can't possibly kill it. the guy's complaining about terminating a pregnancy. if only he was so compassionate about what happens to people _after_ birth.
**This is probably your most ridiculous statement of all. So as it is growing inside a woman for months, with a heartbeat and brain activity it is NOT alive?? It has to come outside the body to be killed? Please tell me you are writing from a mental hospital.
6) "its wrong to execute a mass murderer" the government poisons criminals to death all the time so that's just a flat-out lie.
**We actually agree on something! Yes, execute murderers! The closest a criminal gets to being poisoned is by eating their meals.
7) "we don't burn books in America" of course not. "we now rewrite them" another lie.
**I haven't seen a pile of books being burned for decades. Pretty sure he is referring to the rewriting of Huckleberry Finn as one example. Plenty more to come I'm sure.
8) "we got rid of the communist and socialist threat by renaming them progressives". nonsense. communists were defeated in the cold war. progressives are as american as apple pie. who got women the vote? progressives. who passed civil rights? progressives. who passed ss and medicare/medicaid? progressives. what was teddy roosevelt, the biggest alpha male pro-american president of all time? a progressive.
**"Communists were defeated in the cold war"? Someone forgot to tell China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea and Vietnam that they were defeated.
"[we] have no problem protecting the 38th parallel in Korea" nope. it's that whole thing about not wanting the north to start a god awful conflict with the south.
**He's not saying we shouldn't be in Korea for that reason, he's saying we don't put enough effort to protect our borders.
9)"you can have pornography on TV or the internet". yes, that's called freedom, that's called liberty. "you cannot put a nativity scene in public" not if you're the government, no. ever seen muslims get away with put up their stuff in similar situations? nope.
**So a city or county, that wants to display a nativity scene can be told no? By who? A select small group of people who don't believe in God? And it is OK? You agree with that? I didn't know Muslims had a 'similar situation' like nativity scenes or Christmas.
10)"it's wrong to use an animal" some people might think that, they might have compassion or something terrible like that, but apparently no one cares. animal testing is alive and well, hope that makes you feel better.
**He IS saying that there is plenty of animal testing, and there is more protesting about that then using a fetus for testing! Yes, it's alright to have compassion for animals but how about a little more for a baby? Oh, wait, they aren't alive because they aren't 'born' yet according to you.
11)"give [money] to those who don't want to work" since bill clinton did welfare reform welfare basically doesn't exist anymore, so no not true (again).
**You're off your medications aren't you?? Welfare "doesn't exist anymore"??? Free health care, food stamps, housing, extended unemployment payments, etc., aren't forms of welfare? Just because they quit referring to it as "waiting for my welfare check" doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
12)"raises our taxes" obama cut taxes 18 times, you just didn't pay attention.
**He's not referring to specifically Obama, but to tax raises in general to offset certain crisis's. As to Obama's 18 tax cuts: Many are renewals of tax breaks that already existed. Others are expansions of previous breaks. And every time a measure gets renewed, the Obama administration is counting it as yet another tax cut. If extensions or expansions aren't double counted, the list comes out to 14 tax breaks -- and only FIVE are still around.
13)"parenting has been replaced by ritalin and video games" i think he's trying to say he'd prefer it if parents beat their kids more? not sure.
**Could it be that he is saying parents should be spending actual time with their kids at home, at a dinner table, at a homework table, reading to them at bedtime, playing with them outside in fresh air?? Or I guess to you it just means beating them. A reflection of your buried childhood memories?
14)"we still have freedom of speech but only if we are being PC". let's see: muslim? peter king will start a congressional hearing. hate muslims? you have free rain to provoke an international crisis that kills god knows how many people. hate gay people? you can protest with your despicable signs at funerals and antonin scalia and clarence thomas have no problem with it (or the rest of scotus).
**Not sure what you mean at all. It works this way: If one group can protest their beliefs then another group can protest theirs. Even if you don't agree with it or if it is despicable.


Thanks for the comments jatkins. Now go take your meds.

Spinning Out of Control.....

Below is an article published by The Washington Times. If you need further proof that we are losing our America then read this slowly:

"Air Force Buys Chinese Planes"

The Air Force Academy recently purchased 25 advanced trainers from Cirrus Aircraft for its powered-flight program, an integral part of the cadets pilot training.

After Cessna, the Minnesota-based Cirrus Aircraft is the worlds second- largest manufacturer of single-engine general aviation aircraft. The new planes, known as T-53A trainers, come with sophisticated avionics and the most advanced flight safety and recovery design and systems. They are custom-designed for the Air Force based on Cirrus SR20 model.

The deal is worth $6.1 million. Delivery is already under way and is expected to be completed by 2012.

One problem is that Cirrus Industries Inc., the aircraft maker’s parent company, is 100 percent owned by the Chinese communist government. It was purchased by the Chinese in March 2011 for a reported $210 million.

The sale was not blocked for national security concerns by Congress or the Obama administration, even with opposition from Rep. Chip Cravaack, Minnesota Republican, who stated in a letter to the Treasury Department in March that the sale could compromise U.S. national security. Despite alarms coming from several sides, the sale was finalized by the end of June.

Only days after the purchase was completed, the new Chinese owners received the aircraft order from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. The Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece newspaper Peoples Daily on Tuesday called the transaction “revolutionary” because it marked the first time the U.S. Air Force ordered an entire set of aircraft from China for military training equipment.

Cirrus was sold to a Chinese firm called China Aviation Industry General Aircraft Co. Ltd., or CAIGA, a subsidiary of China Aviation Industry Corp., a government-owned conglomerate formed in July 2008 under direct orders from the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party. With seemingly unlimited financial resources from the newly rich Chinese government, China Aviation Industry Corp. is the Chinese company with the most state-owned banks loan guarantees, more than $50 billion in 2009 alone. It was created with the goal of gobbling up the worlds general aviation assets during the historic global financial downturn.

Reporting on the significance of the Cirrus deal, the government-controlled English newspaper China Daily said “the acquisition of Cirrus will be an important step for [China Aviation Industry Corp.s] global expansion plan, which aims to set up R&D, sales and service centers in China, the U.S. and Europe. The company currently has its manufacturing base in Zhuhai, Guangdong province.”

That's right folks, the U.S. Air Force has ordered planes to be built by the Chinese communists! I actually had to research this and I found out that it is all true. I guess the next step is to buy all of out White House phone equipment from them and have their technicians install it all...... 

Want more proof? Click on this link: Company Merger

 

They Have Their Cake and Cheat It Too......

My wife and I recently took a three week vacation out wets and we visited a number of national parks and landmarks throughout 20 states. I mention that only to show you that I have a pretty good idea of gasoline prices in a lot of different areas of this country. Prices for the most part averaged about $3.74 per gallon, with the lowest being $3.48 and the highest at $4.04. 

Near the end of our trip we visited friends and family in the northern Kentucky area. We arrived on a Monday and the local gas prices were mostly $3.65 per gallon. Now, I have lived most of my life in the Florence, Ky area which, for many years, has had a "weekend price hike". Somewhere near the end of the week gas stations across the board raise their prices. Not by a penny or two but by 10-15 cents per gallon or more. Then, toward the beginning of the new week they drop back down but not as fast as they rose.

On Wednesday morning during my visit the prices were still around $3.65 but by late morning all the local prices were now $3.95! ALL of them! A 30-cent jump out of nowhere. To make it even more suspicious,  it seems that when these large increases occur, every station somehow manages to have the exact same price. During normal times most stations have a couple of cents differences and you can pick and choose which station you want to use. But not on these weekend price hikes. They all somehow happen to be the exact same price. This has been going on in this area for many, many years. Locals even know to get their gas early in the week. BUt since Florence is loacted on I-75 and is the main corridor for north-south traffic to many states, travelers must pay a premium.

We left there on Thursday morning with a half tank of gas and I was determined not to pay the gouging prices. I drove south and every station in the Florence/Boone County area was staying at $3.95. We continued into Kenton and Grant counties and the prices were still at that price, minus a cent or two. To show you how much of a rip-off it really is, once we traveled south to the Lexington area we saw prices dropping into the $3.80's and $3.70's. I pulled off at an exit just north of Berea, Kentucky and the price was $3.85. I was  still steamed at the gouging rip-off and told my wife I would go one more exit and then I'd have to pay whatever it cost since we were almost empty. I got off at the first Berea exit and saw a Shell station that had a price of $3.55 per gallon! Yes, 40-cents cheaper than the northern Kentucky area! Can someone explain that to me? 

It just shows you that we are getting ripped off every day not just by the oil companies but by the station owners as well. The price of a barrel of oil during our travels did not increase but actually decreased some during our travels. It also did not increase during our stay in the Florence area. Yet, gas jumped 30 cents within one hour on a Wednesday morning. When will we stand up together and stop this gouging? If no one had bought an ounce of gas from Wednesday and all through the weekend how fast do you think those prices would have fallen? 

Give my plan a try. STOP buying ANY gas from Exxon/Mobile. Period. Use any other station. Watch the prices fall like a rock.

Here We Come America!

I know it's been a long time since I added a new post but it seems like I can never get the free time to sit and write. Plus, with all the crazy things that are still happening in this country I'd be writing a dozen posts a day to keep up with it all. 

But I'm about to jump right out into the heart of this country and see how things are going. My wife and I are leaving Friday for a three week vacation. We're heading out west and will be stopping at almost a dozen National parks and other landmarks. 

Thankfully, all of those places are still owned by us (Americans) and haven't be bought by the Japanese or Germans.

I'll try and post some details during the trip and I'll write in detail after we return home. We'll be driving an American made Dodge van, converted into a Roadtrek RV by our Canadian neighbors. 
So look out America, here we come!

Hugs & Kisses From Exxon

I have to tell you up front that I'm being a little lazy these days with writing new posts on this blog. But I'll get back in the groove soon, I promise. Below is a post that I wrote on another blog of mine,  Gasoline Costs Too Much. I just wanted to get this out to as many people as possible so I'm copying it to this blog. Enjoy.

Are you buying your gasoline from Exxon/Mobile? If so, then you are partially responsible for a 53% growth in their net income in the fourth quarter of 2010. Thank you from the bottom of their hearts. They'll be sending out thank-you cards on Valentine's Day.

We've all seen gasoline prices steadily climb the past 3-4 months and it is predicted that the increase will continue. Is it because of a shortage of supply? No. There's plenty of gasoline sitting in storage tanks all across the country. According to newspaper reports, global consumption of petroleum products increased during the last quarter and oil prices rose 12% to an average of $85.14 per barrel. Higher prices made production operations more profitable and increased demand boosted margins at refineries.

So, let's see.... when production is down for any reason then the price at the pump increases because of a shortage of product, making larger profits for the oil companies. And when consumption goes up, production increases to meet that demand and more gas is sold, making larger profits for the oil companies. Isn't that a win-win for them and a lose-lose for us?

Exxon/Mobil earned $9.25 billion ( yes, BILLION) in the last 3 months (yes, in 3 MONTHS) of 2010. That was it's most profitable quarter since the third quarter of 2008, when it set a record for quarterly net income by a publicly traded company of $14.83 billion.

All of that was a result of only a 2% increase of total world oil consumption. It's not as if the world was suddenly increasing it's oil demand by any large margin. Wouldn't the oil companies have loved it if demand increased another 1%!
Exxon increased production by 19% in that quarter. So they produced a lot more oil when they wanted to get a little bit of that extra 2% demand. Don't people in the world buy gasoline from other companies other than Exxon/Mobil? If they increased their production, which you can bet a quart of oil that they did, then wouldn't we have oil storage tanks sitting full all over the world?? They must have because Chevron, Conoco/Phillips and other companies reported vastly improved results. Chevron said net income soared 72% for the fourth quarter and Conoco/Phillips reported a 54% increase. So don't feel too sorry for them.

For the full year, Exxon/Mobile earned $30.5 billion in profits with an annual revenue increase of 32% to $383 billion. All that tells me is that someone is buying plenty of gasoline from Exxon/Mobile. If you are still one of their consumers then they thank you and adore you but don't ask for a discount because you're a loyal customer. If you stop by their corporate office they'll give you a kiss and a cup of coffee for only $2.

If you're like me and didn't give them one cent for their products then we can bend over and show the corporate idiots where they can give us our kiss...