How to Go On A Family Outing...

How To Plan And Execute (note use of word "execute") a Family Outing.

Step:
1 - do no planning whatsoever - make sure the trip is spontaneous to maximize the fun-potential and freedom

2 - begin to sigh a breath of relief about how you feel free because you're spontaneous and going out with your family

This is my kids right here....actually this was today...

3 - however plan to get up early on the day of the outing because going out late will not give you enough time to be fully free
4 - in the spirit of being fully free - and spontaneous - stay up wayyyyy too late so that getting up early isn't even a possibility

5 - refuse to set an alarm because that's too stressful
6 - oversleep
7 - enjoy oversleeping
8 - feel free and unstressed from oversleeping
9 - slowly wake up
10 - realize now you don't have all the time in the world you needed because you stayed up too late and overslept
11 - begin to stress
12 - continue to adhere to the plan of no plans and run around in chaotic fashion barking at the kids because they aren't moving fast enough
13 - get into an argument with the wife about how nothing's where you need it to be and the totally free and unplanned and spontaneous mentality has cut into your ability to be totally free and unplanned and spontaneous
14 - wife bark at dad for getting on the kids
15 - kids act oblivious and continue to run around like hellions
16 - as an alternative to 15 - begin to cry
17 - dad bark at kids for not being happy we're going on a family outing
18 - husband and wife get mad at each other as they rush over each other still maintaining the plan of no planning while trying to plan and trying to have fun
19 - kids go outside finally and make so much noise they aggravate the neighbors
20 - dad open car and let kids in and shut doors so they can't be heard murdering each other

I WISH it was this quiet....

21 - realize that even with the car doors shut and through the inside of the house when it's finally quiet you CAN hear the kids murdering each other in the car
22 - continue to argue with wife until you get outside late for your unplanned and spontaneous free day
23 - get wife in car so she can bark at kids
24 - FINALLY - family about to hit the road!
25 - dad forget something spontaneously unplanned and leave wife and kids in car to murder each other
26 - dad check to see if he can hear family being murdered from inside shut car through house
27 - decide don't want to hear it - take extra long taking one last pee-break enjoying the silence and freedom of a spontaneously unplanned day in the quiet of an empty house
28 - get back to car in bad mood because everyone's fighting
29 - remember forgot to say family prayer before leaving
30 - pull it together just enough to be reverent enough for a family prayer
31 - try to give a meaningful family prayer and ask for the family to get along

32 - become irritated at kids for not being reverent during prayer and try to be reverent while becoming annoyed
33 - immediately go back to barking at kids for not being reverent
34 - mom try to make peace by telling dad to calm down
35 - dad throw fuel on the fire by bringing up a past transgression of mom's when she didn't calm down
36 - mom bring up bad habit of dad of never forgiving or forgetting
37 - kids pay close attention to parents now and be quiet so they can listen to parents verbally sparring
38 - dad disengage from family and stew in silence and decide to have a happy free and spontaneous day while begrudgingly driving family out to do their activity
39 - kids fight now that it's quiet then family finally decide to calm down because family is on the road on way to fun outing
40 - dad realize he forgot something really important at store
41 - mom and dad argue about money and time lost going to store
42 -go to store
43 - dad feel peace while wife and kids locked in car murdering each other over being bored and dad take too long shopping for a bunch of things not even on the list
44 - dad come out happy from shopping
45 - mom glare at dad for taking too long
46 - dad totally be a guy and play stupid that since he got a break from the family while they murdered each other in the car they should all be in a good mood
47 - dad say something insensitive about family refusing to get along and not respecting each other and realize forgot what he went in for
48 - kids fuss so dad threatens to cancel trip
49 - kids beg to go and immediately behave

50 - mom plead with dad to continue hellish free spirited and unplanned and spontaneous trip for the kids because they didn't get out at all this week and they are driving her up a wall
51 - carry out unplanned hellish free spirited and unplanned and spontaneous trip
52 - kids occassionally start to murder each other in the back seat with increasing frequency while dad tries to ignore it
53 - dad completely withdraw into himself
54 - mom act happy looking out the window in an effort to cheer things up
55 - dad turn up radio to drown out kids fighting
56 - mom complain radio's too loud so dad withdraws back into self in silence
57 - finish activity and have a meaninful time in some fashion and try to forget chaos
58 - mom point out if it weren't for dad persevering family wouldn't have gotten out today
59 - mom thank dad for hanging in there
60 - dad realize this time really is precious and important
61 - dad apologize to kids for barking at them and threatening them with physical harm
63 - kids foolishly forgive dad and continue to wander within arms reach of spankings in the future
64 - have family prayer thankful for the day
65 - kids go to bed
66 - realize it wasn't so bad after all
67 - forget all the stupidity and fighting that went on all day
68 - not feel completely de-stressed from day however
69 - in the mood of the evening - talk about doing something else totally free-spirited and unplanned and spontaneous to counter not-yet-unstressedness
70 - wait until family is too stressed out and needs another break
71 - plan another totally free-spirited and unplanned and spontaneous activity
72 - go back to step 1

DONT LET YOUR KIDS HEAR THIS MUSIC/SEE THIS VIDEO!!!!! (R)

This is a radical song for today's youth that I don't know any teacher today would let their students hear this song - very ironic given that this is a group with radical music from the counter-culture-revolution - but - this song, nearly a half century later - is still "counter culture" and should probably be banned.  Just so kids don't get the right ide...er...wrong...er....get.....er.....think for themselves outside the indoctrina....brain washi.........CURRICULUM! Yes, curriculum!...of our fine fine public education. 

DONALD TRUMP BECOMES A BIRTHER!!!!! (Now I'm not crazy!)

Does this mean we're not a bunch of insane right wing lunatics now?  Somehow the birthers are just crazy.  Meanwhile Tea Partiers are extreme and dangerous.

I guess I'm both.

I was also labeled by the Department of Homeland Security as a threat to our country for domestic terrorism last year along with all the other white veterans who oppose abortion on moral grounds (not the neccessary abortions - just the "for fun" abortions). 

I guess that makes www.simplybecauseitis.blogspot.com an outlet for homegrown terrorism.

Not sure which part of my radical rhetoric is the most dangerous though.

Hmmm....could it be....don't kill unborn babies?

Sounds kinda dangerous.

What about where I said I think that radicals who kill government officials are the threats to liberty because that means our democracy has stopped working, our republic is in danger and the rule of law has ceased and we need to have faith in our constitution and principles?

I suppose the fact that I'm a trained veteran and have a concealed weapons permit and pack multiple firearms makes that possibly a propaganda lie and I must still be questioned and scanned by TSA just to make sure...

What about....smaller government and liberty and justice for all?

That....does sound kinda radical....kind of....John Adams-esque and we all know what a revolutionary HE was.

Could it be the "I wanna see the birth certificate?"

That just sounds outright hostile. 

Believing in the birth certificate is like believing in Santa Clause.  At some point you grow up and realize there isn't one. 

Anyways, Donald Trump's lawyer says "There's buildings named after the Trumps in New York, the only buildings named after Obama are all in Africa."  HA!  Poor little black man.  His presidency will forever be questioned over this.  His skin-color is not sacred enough to keep the big bad mean rich white man (never mind the Obama's are millionaires) from questioning him. 

We all know what that means!

These articles are a good read: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1371105/Obama-birth-certificate-clash-Donald-Trumps-s-lawyer-hits-back.html

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/03/30/donald_trump_obama_possibly_a_muslim.html
Way to go Trump.  Ridicule the man!  Ridicule is a good weapon when you don't feel like arguing.  In Obama's case, arguing with him is like trying to stuff a greased pig into a gunny sack.  Good luck!

Fortunately/Unfortunately - "This is Good!"

A king in Africa had a close friend he grew up with. The friend had a habit of looking at every situation that ever occurred in his life (positive or negative) and remarking, "This is good!" 

One day the king and his friend were out on a hunting expedition. The friend would load and prepare the guns for the king. The friend had apparently done something wrong in preparing one of the guns, for after taking the gun from his friend, the king fired it and his thumb was blown off. 

Examining the situation the friend remarked as usual, "This is good!" To which the king replied, "No, this is NOT good!" and had his friend sent to jail.

About a year later, the king was hunting in an area that he should have known to stay clear of. Cannibals captured him and took them to their village. They tied his hands, stacked some wood, set up a stake and bound him to the stake. As they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. 

Being superstitious, they never ate anyone that was less than whole. So untying the king, they sent him on his way. As he returned home, he was reminded of the event that had taken his thumb and felt remorse for his treatment of his friend. 

He went immediately to the jail to speak with his friend. 

"You were right" he said, "it was good that my thumb was blown off." And he proceeded to tell his friend all that had just happened. "And so I am very sorry for sending you to jail for so long. It was bad for me to do this." 

"No," his friend replied, "this is good!" 

"What do you mean, 'This is good?!'" How could it be good that I sent my friend to jail for a year." 

His friend replied, "If I had not been in jail, I would have been with you."

Dr. Kevin Patterson on Western Diets and Health

A few readers have pointed me to an interesting NPR interview with the Canadian physician Kevin Patterson (link). He describes his medical work in Afghanistan and the Canadian arctic treating cultures with various degrees of industrialization. He discusses the "epidemiological transition", the idea that cultures experience predictable changes in their health as they go from hunter-gatherer, to agricultural, to industrial. I think he has an uncommonly good perspective on the effects of industrialization on human health, which tends to be true of people who have witnessed the effects of the industrial diet and lifestyle on diverse cultures.

A central concept behind my thinking is that it's possible to benefit simultaneously from both:

• The sanitation, medical technology, safety technology, law enforcement and lower warfare-related mortality that have increased our life expectancy dramatically relative to our distant ancestors.


• The very low incidence of obesity, diabetes, coronary heart disease and other non-infectious chronic diseases afforded by a diet and lifestyle roughly consistent with our non-industrial heritage.

But it requires discipline, because going with the flow means becoming unhealthy.

Now That's Just Gross....

Nothing like sitting in a chair so long your skin actually fuses with the fabric and your insides (intestines) have become your outsides.... http://wtrf.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=96699

This happens in nature but I don't think this is as gross....

The Threat of Zombies.....to the US

Seems more a real threat than Libya - lobbing missiles to promote democracy is like having drive-bys to improve education - but okay...

weekend cooking and potluck

I had a fun weekend of cooking and we had a nutritarian potluck too. It was great fun. I made Dr. Fuhrman's famous anti-cancer soup. It was good but I like my soups better. It makes a huge batch though, which is great. Here it is in my giant stock pot:

We had that at the potluck, and still had tons leftover to freeze into lunch-size portions.

For the potluck, Jim brought spring rolls and dipping sauces which were yummy. Colleen brought baked apples with a raisin cashew sauce. And Sue brought tomatoes and bananas. We enjoyed our food and gabbed for hours. Sue left me with large a ripe banana which I froze and then blended up for breakfast on Sunday--with nothing else! It's yummy.

On Saturday, after I made the soup and before the potluck, I made house-mate's smoothies for the week. But first I had a yummy fruit salad with some of the fruit.

On Sunday, we had soup and manna bread for lunch. Then at dinner I was back into my weeknight routine of making confetti salads for the next day. This is my last week of eating carrots. I have about 10 lbs left but they are probably not going to last for more than a week. It was a great year for local carrots. But the end of carrots is also the start of spring produce. The California strawberries were on special today and they are good. Soon we'll have local spinach and salad greens.

My weekday meals this week will be confetti salads, beans or soup, and manna bread for breakfast and lunch; and carrots and other veggies at dinner.

new cookbook

Chef AJ has published her cookbook Unprocessed. I haven't tried any of the recipes yet (just got the book last week) but have read the book cover to cover. It looks great. For one thing, the chapter on her story is amazing. Wow! What a turn-around she had when she replaced unhealthy (processed) food with healthy (unprocessed). She follows this with a few short chapters on why and how to eat healthy, concise, entertaining, and to the point. For another thing, she starts the recipes with desserts. That's my kind of cookbook. And finally, her recipes look easy to make, with usually less than 10 ingredients, and 1-2 short paragraphs describing how to make them. I'll tell you what I want to make: chocolate fondue. holy cow: peanut butter and chocolate. I might have to forgo the chocolate and just make it a peanut butter fondue.

banana bread

Not my recipe, another one from Virtually Vegan Mama. I'd like someone to make this and give me a piece. :) It looks good.

Late Night Pics

Man knows what he wants!

ME! PICK ME!

WAAAM Trip! (Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum)

Went with the wife & kidlets to Hood River, Oregon to go see the WAAM (Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum) Link here: http://www.waaamuseum.org/

It was a pretty impressive collection of cars and aircraft!  If I was going to give a critique of the museum - well - everything in there does fly or drive - but - with all these exotic and rare vehicles, having a plaque telling you fun facts about them would have pretty much rounded it out for me.

For example, is this a little known fact?  I don't know - either way - I do now you won't find automobiles in the US produced between 1943 and 1945 because there weren't any manufactured that weren't for wartime use because all automobile industry plants were commandeered by the US Government for war materials manufacturing.  (Yes, WWII started December of 1941 for the US, but in December of 1941 you're going to have your 1942 models out and there were a couple 1941 and 1942 models of vehicles there).

Anyways, I don't know much about a Franklin Automobile - or even a Packard - or why they aren't around or the features of said vehicle.  Mostly I know I was looking at some really exotic cars - but beyond that and the restorative efforts - I didn't know a whole lot.  I *DID* however see *the* hot rod from "American Graffiti" in there (I put a picture in here).

As far as the aircraft go - they had some unique makes and models but - again - more info would be needed.  I'm an aviation enthusiast and know aircraft inside and out until you get to some "odd-ball production-number:8" type variant and I can usually tell what they were working on in terms of development but still.....anyways, here's some pictures - they are all clickable-onable so you can embiggen them (if you like or dare!)

1909 Franklin model D

American Graffiti Hot Rod

And again...

1928 Boeing Model 40C

1929 Graham Paige Model 612

1931 Ford Model A Deluxe Phaeton

1935 Packard Model E-12 Coupe Convertible

1939 Packard Model 626 Sport Coupe (Why do I think that's labeled wrong? 1939? This??? Okay - I'll leave it)

1966 Super Performance MKIII Cobra

A view of some aircraft in the museum

a line of cars

Inside a home-made-submarine in the kiddie section - I actually managed to squeeze my rear end into this thing

Outside of the sub....

 Here's some scenery from the road trip back - I enjoy photographing tunnels because my grandfather was an Italian Stonesmason and worked on many of the bridges and tunnels and other Architecture in the Portland Area.

On SR 14 with train and vehicle next to each other.

The other side from way too far away

Fantastic picture of the Eiffel Tower as you walk into the Men's Room in Wal Mart....I had no idea Wal Mart was so upscale....going to the bathroom was such a....regal experience after seeing that after I walked in.

DEMAND BETTER

Dr Sanjay Kumar and I are very pleased to announce that our brand new book, entitled DEMAND BETTER,is now available. DEMAND BETTER is the result of nearly two years of planning and writing....it comes at a time when the nation needs real leadership for real health reform. We carefully lay out the key "myths" surrounding healthcare in our country and then we debunk them with the evidence. The book covers all the important topics such as unexplained clinical variation, the lack of an evidentiary basis to much of medicine, and it lays out specific tools for reform. It is provocative, engaging and altogether a great read. It should appeal to everyone in the nation who cares about improving health at a price that we all can afford. You can order the book right now at SecondRiverHEalthcare.com or call 406-586-8775.We are anxious to hear your feedback as well so do be in touch!! DEMAND BETTER, something everyone ought to be doing regarding our current dysfunctional healthcare system...........DAVID NASH

Dixie Chicks: SHUT UP AND SING!

Apparently CMT played the Dixie Chicks "documentary" "Shut Up and Sing" which was all about Natalie Maines treasonous rhetoric against President Bush back when the Iraq War was fresh and about making one of their albums. http://www.cmt.com/news/news-in-brief/1659371/cmt-will-air-dixie-chicks-shut-up-and-sing.jhtml

They had great music - and - then - you go and drop that you think our President's an idiot overseas when we've got a war going on and your audience is the conservative country crowd - and - well....that just doesn't work in America....didn't work then for them - and it doesn't work now.

I'm a quasi-country fan and I refuse to listen to them on principle anymore after that career killer move they made bad-mouthing their country overseas.

In defense of the Iraq war - first - I used to be a cop - when I think you got a weapon and I say "Show me your hands! Keep your hands where I can see them!" and you talk smack and refuse to show me your hands or keep them where I can see them....you're close to getting shot if not going to.  Iraq?  Same way.  Though word on the ground over there is they DID have WMD just the Russians trucked them out into Syria as the invasion came in and US intel decided to just keep tabs on the stuff and gain intel rather than go up against Russia at a time when the US's hands were full.

Going back in history - had British Prime Minister Chamberlain gone to war against Germany - he'd have been extremely unpopular and what would they have found?  Nothing.  Not until the holocaust had been well underway would something have been found.  Meanwhile, Chamberlain would have unknowingly averted the Holocaust (presumably) and everyone would have called him an idiot for it.

Hindsight's 20/20 but sometimes foresight averts what-we-don't-know - democracy in Iraq?  Sure....not that I'd have gone over there just for that - but - the world's a better place for it - gotta pragmatically make the best of if.   Can't just lob some missiles and screw up someone's country and then leave in shambles.  The polite thing to do is leave it cleaner than you wrecked it...I mean found it.

At any rate - now we have to listen - or did listen to the Dixie Chicks whine about how they weren't liked anymore and they have free speech and were being punished for their opinions because nobody wanted to hear their music anymore.  Sorry babes, that ain't how America works.  Or should I say, Sorry babes, that IS how America works.  You're free to say what ever you want.  And I'm free to listen - or not listen - to whatever I want.   

When you're an entertainer?  Everyone who likes you assumes you think like them. Believe the same thing as them.  Like the same things as them - or would.  They see themselves in you.  Your bread and butter comes from living up to that expectation - false though it is.  That's why people pay to see you - they see a successful version of them - in you - their dreams - in you - their hopes - in you.  And you'd better live up to it! 

And when you're a country star?  Well....in America - you're more likely to hear country on a radio station anywhere in the US than you are anything else - America is center-right-conservative - that is the country crowd - forget what our media shows you.  Piss off the country crowd - the white-country-gun-toting-militia-crowd and you're a country singer?  Forget it.  It's over.  You're a wanna-be after that.  Good luck

And - no use whining about it - anyone from the country would be able to tell you that.  Buncha spoiled rotten rich-girl-brats who couldn't even talk the talk let alone walk the walk.  And their music?  I don''t wanna hear it anymore like millions of other Americans.

I'd rather they shut up and didn't sing.

I doubt they will ever make it back still.

However - CMT did show their stuff....hope it doesn't tank CMT. 

A day with my son....

Sent to me by my Brother in Law CD...being a dad is harder than being in the military...

Randy Tobler Show: Welcome

This morning, I had a conversation with Dr. Randy Tobler on his radio show "Vital Signs", on 97.1 FM News Talk in St Louis. Dr. Tobler is an obstetrician-gynecologist with an interest in nutrition, fitness and reproductive endocrinology from a holistic perspective. He asked me to appear on his show after he discovered my blog and found that we have some things in common, including an interest in evolutionary/ancestral health. We talked about the history of the American diet, the health of non-industrial cultures, what fats are healthiest, and the difference between pastured and conventional meat/dairy-- we took a few questions from listeners-- it was fun.

The show is available as a podcast here (3/26 show), although as far as I can tell, you need iTunes to listen to it. My section of the show starts around 8:20.

To everyone who arrived here after hearing me on the air this morning: welcome! Here are a few posts to give you a feel for what I do here at Whole Health Source:

The Coronary Heart Disease Epidemic
US Weight, Lifestyle and Diet Trends, 1970-2007
Butter vs. Margarine Showdown
Preventing and Reversing Tooth Decay
The Kitavans: Wisdom from the Pacific Islands
Potatoes and Human Health, Part I, Part II and Part III
Traditional Preparation Methods Improve Grains' Nutritional Value
Real Food XI: Sourdough Buckwheat Crepes
Glucose Tolerance in Non-industrial Cultures
Tropical Plant Fats: Palm Oil
It's Time to Let Go of the Glycemic Index

Bad Day at Work...

And Now...for something completely different....

If you want to try something interesting - if you have little kids - go shopping with them and let them "shop" - and see what you come home with.

I did this with my daughter while I was on a business call the other day and was stuck in a grocery store because I don't like being on the phone in checkout and the nature was such I couldn't call back...so - to keep her happy - I let her shop while I talked on the phone. 

I came home with three cans of tuna, a box of brownies, a box of cookies, some goldfish crackers, a can of hominy, some Easter eggs......we didn't get too carried away but she did enjoy getting to shop and it was an interesting checkout....Try it some time - see what happens!

Another "Just Plug the Damn Hole" Moment of Leadership

Obama - the Freshman Senator from Ohio - has shown himself again and again to be an inept leader.

Bigger is not neccessarily better.  Just because you have the largest bill in American history (Obamacare) get passed on the floor of the US Congress (which nobody has read) - doesn't mean you were successful. 

Just because it's big doesn't mean it's doing the job...

Then with the BP oil spill - Obama's leadership provided the insightful leadership maxim while the crews were struggling with crushing pressure at the bottom of the ocean floor - "Just plug the damn hole!"


Anyways - now we can compare Obama's "strategy" in Libya - to bring about regime change - believing that by lobbing a few cruise missile into Libya will bring about democracy - to "Just Plug The Damn Hole!".

Look at how long the US has been in Iraq.  Heck - look how long we've been in Japan!  Japan came about much faster though (no terrorism there and stupid insurgents) their constitution was written (more overseen and guided) by an American (General MacArthur) - one of the greatest Americans to live - these things take time!

So now he thinks that after all of George Bush's stupidity for the "quagmire" in Iraq - which was a war-crime-illegal-war-for-oil - launching a few missiles was all that it would take to instill democracy in Libya? 

I think, personally, Obama and Khadaffi were....boyhood friends who shared some intimate moments - lovers - soul mates across the miles - growing up as Muslim Marxist Revolutionaries - or Khadaffi has some compromising photos of Obama and all this talk by Khadaffi saying "Obama's my friend...".......and Obama's just trying to shut him up....I think this is much smaller and bigger than we think it is.....

Ant Farm:Day 4/5

These ants suck.  They don't do anything.  They hang out in the wood hole for the skybridge - about the most entertainment I get is blowing them out of the hole from the tube and watching them charge back into the hole and then realize it just blasted them out - get second thoughts - run away - not know what to do except hang out in the hole - run back - remember getting blown out - run away - over and over again.  Its mildly amusing.  I think I'll seal it up a  tiny bit better and let the harvester ants go to work when they get here......

Breaking the Rules: Costs Pilot His Wings....

Pretty sweet flyover:




The altitude on this was 16 feet over the scoreboard and at 400 knots with them at 176 feet AGL when they were supposed to be at 1,000 over the population and doing no more than 300 knots.


At any rate, the Flight Leader was getting ready to leave the Air Force, got disciplined and fined 2 months pay ($6k - I make more than a USAF fighter pilot Major) but he called bull puckey on the USAF's insistence that rules are always followed.  http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2011/03/ap-air-force-pilot-at-fault-for-flyover-032311/

Yeahhhhhh I wasn't USAF - I was USN and I'll call the same on that too....it all depends on who and what you know and what's going on.  Just like the XO of the Enterprise with his Risque Videos to the crew - no big deal made until a bunch of homo crybabies in the civilian world got their feelings hurt over something that has nothing to do with them and made a stink about it and got the Navy to bend its knees to their whim and relieve him.   So also was the flyby no biggie until it got all over the internet - not like the FAA didn't know their altitude to begin with and couldn't have called it in if it was such a concern.

Military life is dangerous - it's about managing risk - but - some things will get you killed....like this guy if you haven't seen it - day before the airshow and his retirement and died in front of his wife and kids and family:

Haw! Not much of a man....

A grizzled old man was eating in a truck stop when three Hell's Angels bikers walked in. The first walked up to the old man and pushed his cigarette into the old man's pie, and then took a seat at the counter. The second walked up to the old man and spit into the old man's milk, and then he took a seat at the counter. The third walked up to the old man and turned over the old man's plate, and then he took a seat at the counter. Without a word of protest, the old man quietly left the diner. Shortly thereafter, one of the bikers said to the waitress, "Humph, not much of a man, was he?"
The waitress replied, "Not much of a truck driver either. He just backed his truck over three motorcycles."

A Tax On Your MILEAGE?????

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/151765-cbo-says-taxing-drivers-based-on-miles-driven-a-real-option-for-raising-revenues
 So - what's the current federal tax on gasoline? 18.4 cents per gallon.  In Oregon the state tax on gasoline is 24 cents per gallon.  For a sum total of 42.4 (42) cents per gallon.

And what does the government do for that?  NOTHING.  FREE MONEY FOR THE GOVERNMENT - never mind the taxes on the tires and customs and shipping and licensing for the drilling and processing and such just to get the gas into the ground to pump it out and tax you on it.

So given our current gas prices for regular - $3.50/gallon - without taxes - would be ~$3.00 (rounding for simplicity).

But take that $0.42 per gallon and multiply it by a 20 gallon tank - and you get $8.40 PER TANK in taxes.

That's just ME.  Times that time ~2-3 times per month - and you get say 36 times per year or $291 in taxes - for just one vehicle - multiply that times two (I have two) and I pay nearly $600/year in taxes just to drive.  Never mind what I pay at DEQ for my tags.

(If you work for a living....why do you kill yourself working?)

Now - according to the EIA (US Energy Information Administration) we consume 378,000,000 gallons of motor gasoline per day.  Go by the Oregon gas rate with federal tax rate and you get $158,760,000 in taxes daily or $58 106 160 000 in taxes yearly - $58 BILLION - ONE HALF THE COST OF OBAMACARE (Over half) - AND - now they want MORE. 

Anyone else want $8.40 taken off your gas bill? That'd drop me from about $70 to fill my car to $62 - and when I bought my car - it only cost $32 to fill it.  We're over 200% increase in prices. 

For anything else...

That's your Happy Meal instead of costing $5 - costing $10.

Your $20 shirt - $40.

Your $1.00 burger - $2.00

Your $1.50 soda - $3.00

Your $150 shopping bill to buy groceries - $300.

And you don't get a raise to pay for it.

You're still making $10/hr or whatever and have to pay rent -  pay for your health insurance - all that jazz.

And now - you're going to in addition to paying nearly $100 just to fill up your tank - you're going to be charged on MILEAGE - how far you drive.

So - now it's bad enough that you HAVE to drive to get to work - you're going to be taxed additionally on working in addition to the taxes you pay out of your paycheck.....

Now....how about the poor....who barely can afford a car and get it as  a way to relax and go out and de-stress a bit so they can enjoy some sort of a life - and now - it gets even more expensive?

Now don't think that this is about mileage.  Just like Obamacare's not about healthcare - it's about the government getting up in our business.

How are they going to track it?  GPS?  Tracking devices?  Is it ANYONES BUSINESS how far *I* drive?  And how are you going to know how far I drove without knowing WHERE I drove?

Why should I suddenly pay for what I didn't pay for before? Why?Given I already pay for mileage because the further I drive the more gas taxes I pay.....why not just raise the gas tax?  Why tax mileage?  Why.....why develop technology and all these new systems and hire new government employees and create new agencies and pay for new healthcare of the new employees - which sucks up your revenue made off the new tax - to track mileage when you just raise the gas tax for free without having to develop tracking or pay for reporting.....?  Anyone else think that's suspicious?  It doesn't "add up."

Granted the article talks about more people switching to hybrids - but - hybrids really don't give you back what you put into them and even the hybrid market isn't doing as well as people would like to think because of the price.  If you're looking to save money - you're going to be buying a $20k car at minimum which is ~$400/month (not including the insurance you pay for it) - just so you don't have to fill up on gas as often.  Also, given that the environmental harm done by mining the materials for the batteries isn't offset by the gas you save anytime soon after buying it....

But I digress....

What if.....I only drive on MY property?  Do I "owe" the government (of the PEOPLE by the PEOPLE for the PEOPLE - essentially - ME) money - for driving MY vehicle - on MY property (which I rent from the government with property taxes - that's what property tax is  - rent to the government - if I don't pay it they evict me and take it....)

Sooooo.....what do YOU think?

I'll tell you what though - this is ONE time I'm glad I live in Oregon because Oregonians I *KNOW* won't put up with that one - this state has the lowest number of police per-capita in the US because they don't like anything to do with anybody knowing their business (yet voted for obama....idiots) - but - we don't have police checkpoints here - violation of constitutional principle and against the 4th amendment  - and even the mayor of Portland refused to allow the FBI to be headquartered in the city unless he had access to the same info they did which they wouldn't give him so he said no....covering something up?  I dunno - our Sheriff refused to turn any records over to the idiot activists on concealed weapons permit holders.....

I just don't know how this is going to go over.....who's going to submit to this?

Where does it end?

We could be incredibly wealthy as a nation if we turned much of this over to the private corporations who could do much of the government's work much cheaper and more efficiently - but it's about power and control my friends....

Although you have to admit as Rush said today - we know not all Democrats and liberals want the country completely trashed because they still want the power that comes with America when they get to the top of wherever they are headed...

How about instead of RAISING taxes....DECREASING costs?

(In the two days since I wrote this gas has gone up to nearly $4.00/gallon - and my idiot senator Jeff Merkley's solution is releasing fuel from the strategic reserve).

Blacks Losing Majority Status in DC

Why is it I have to call them "African Americans" - and it's generally poor taste to call them blacks - when nobody calls "whites" Caucasians - is it poor taste to refer to white skin color?

I don't really care - I just am asking the question.   When I was a missionary for the LDS church - I remember calling some families in the ghettos of Baton Rouge and the little black kids might answer the phone - and you can tell what race people are (human race?) by their voice over the phone.  Didn't know that? Yes - you can.  Blacks' voices tend to be lower.  And yes, I've been made fun of for "talking like I'm white" (it is pretty funny to hear an impression of the way I talk done by those in the hood) or even overseas in Asia made fun of for my ROUND EYES ROUND EYES ROUND EYES!  But - I remember a little girl - maybe four - answering the phone and I asked to speak to her dad - he was a minister and she hands him the phone and says "It's a white guy."  Her dad was soooooo embarassed.  He said "We don't teach her that - I'm so sorry!" "And I was like....well....I am!  You CAN tell I'm white on the phone AND I'm not from the south."  I didn't get what the big deal was but I still remember it.  I hope nobody feels uncomfortable noticing I'm not from Africa.  Because I don't feel uncomfortable.  It IS my skin color.  And culture.  A lot of times people wouldn't talk to us on the phone cuz we's white so I did learn to sound black on the phone though - next thing I knew I had girls jumping over the phone to talk to me about a missionary appointment cuz I sounded like their boyfriend Rasheed or something. 

Anyways, there are more Hispanics growing in the US and more Asians than there are blacks and whites do what they always do.


I just wonder if black people are panicking and thinking "We gotta do something!" about it or if they even care....go make more babies?  While Planned Parenthood aborts more for FREE! 

The way racial issues are presented in this country its usually like the Caucasians are going to get their ass kicked when they are no longer the majority by our government etc.,

Let me tell you this though.  I'm an employer.  I'm a white employer / supervisor.  I've talked to other white supervisors at various levels at this company and other companies.  And I can tell you this.  We ain't got it so good.  The deck is stacked against us on matters of race and gender and sexual orientation.  Most of us are tired of it and are very aware of it.  But you aren't allowed to speak out about it either.  Bring it up?  Automatic allegations of you being a racist.  

My black employees called each other nigger on the floor of the workplace but then brought allegations against me for racism because I was holding people accountable for poor work performance.  You're automatically LEGALLY wrong on this issue if you're white.  Now we got a DOJ who's said they won't pursue cases against black people where white people are the victims (Notice the use of the word "people").  I'm sorry - but Dr. King's dream?  Lost.  He wanted people judged on the content of their character.  Not given money and jobs on the basis of their skin color.  Many of these people have unfortunately become so full of hate that they have become what they hated in too many ways: racist.  It's not "reverse" discrimination.

Liberty and Justice FOR ALL. 

I enjoyed my time in the service because color didn't matter there.  We lay down our lives for each other there.  And while racism is present in the US and it wearies me - it's nothing like the rest of the world where it is a way of life - but I do believe we can do better. 

Why am I writing about this?  Because I can.  Because I think it needs to be talked about.  People are too uncomfortable talking about it.  Unfortunately, there are a lot of currents in this country that take us places we don't want to go on this issue or make it feel like we're swimming upstream. 


http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/black-dc-residents-plummet-barely-a-majority/2011/03/24/ABtIgJQB_story.html?hpid=z2

Muslimes in Libya are Racist Against Obama!

In the US you can make a film about the assassination of George W. Bush or burn an effigy of him because he's white and the media hated him and nobody bats an eyelash.  But hang an effigy of Obama - because he's black - and it's automatically a hate crime - anyone remember all this?  Anyways, now the Muslims (Arabs?  People? Humans? Libyans?) in Libya are showing their true colors and are burning an effigy of Obama in protest against his lobbing missiles into Libya in an attempt to bring about a regime change and install democracy. 

I really think it's time we stop this war criminal president in his illegal war for oil however.

I'm waiting for the FBI to show up on the Muslims (Arabs? People? Humans? Libyans?) doorsteps and interrogating them about their commitment to affirmative action and diversity with all this. 

On This Day In History!.......

Here's a cool web page where you can type in a date and find out what happened of significant note on that date in history.  However, given the magnitude of the "butterfly effect" there are many dates in which I suspect butterflies were flapping their little wings and setting chains of events in motion thereby causing tsunamis or atomic bomb blasts but which aren't noted in this little history recorder.  However, for the amateur historian or student of history, this will do: http://dmarie.com/timecap/step1.asp

For the Technologically Impaired...

Science Experiment

see more The Daily What

Happy Birthday!

Simplybecauseitis turns one year old today!

  1,824 post, 103,204 hits from 112 countries and averages ~500 hits per day - and I've made $0.00 off it!   Not bad for a first year! 

I've thought of changing the name of it, something more military to reflect my military service, but there's much more to life and me than my military service and much more to the world than war. 

I feel kind of non-descript as an individual - as in not easily summed up in just a phrase - yet dynamic and multifaceted - so for now - simplybecauseitis it is! 

This isn't what it looks like!

A farmer is sitting in the neighborhood bar getting soused. A man comes in and asks the farmer, "Hey, why are you sitting here on this beautiful day getting drunk?"

Farmer: Some things you just can't explain.

Man: So what happened that's so horrible?

Farmer: Well, today I was sitting by my cow milking her. Just as I got the bucket about full, she took her left leg and kicked over the bucket.

Man: Ok, but that's not so bad.

Farmer: Some things you just can't explain.

Man: So what happened then?

Farmer: I took her left leg and tied it to the post on the left.

Man: and then?

Farmer: Well, I sat back down and continued to milk her. Just as I got the bucket about full, she took her right leg and kicked over the bucket.

Man: Again?

Farmer: Some things you just can't explain.

Man: So, what did you do then?

Farmer: I took her right leg this time and tied it to the post on the right.

Man: and then?

Farmer: Well, I sat back down and began milking her again. Just as got the bucket about full, the stupid cow knocked over the bucket with her tail.

Man: Hmmm

Farmer: Some things you just can't explain.

Man: So, what did you do?

Farmer: Well, I didn't have any more rope, so I took off my belt and tied her tail to the rafter. In that moment, my pants fell down and my wife walked in.....

Get Rid of Acne: Acne causes- Acne Types-Acne Treatments

Acne is a skin disease most common in the United States. Over 60 million Americans have acne, and more than 20 million acne so bad it leaves scars. And only 11% of acne suffer from medical care. 85% of teenagers suffer from acne at some point, and 20% of adults suffer from acne.
Acne can have serious effects on the mental health of a person. Acne can cause the following symptoms: low self-esteem, low self-esteem, depression, anger, frustration and social withdrawal. Fortunately, acne is completely treatable. This article discusses how to get rid of acne to get one for all.

What Causes Acne
Acne is an inflammation of the sebaceous glands, which produces sebum. This gland keeps a person's skin and hair from drying out. During puberty, hormones cause the sebaceous glands become more active.

Factors that contribute to acne may include:

Hormonal changes - puberty and the onset of menstruation usually announce the arrival of acne.

Genetics - If your parents had acne, chances are you will too.

Stress - Too much stress in your life can be all sorts of problems for your body. If you're stressed, you can break your skin rash, hives, or even acne.

Blocked follicles - dead skin cells and oil can clog pores, which is most often the instigators of acne.

may include certain medications, lithium, halogens, barbiturates, or lead to an acne outbreak - drugs.

Steroids - Steroids increase levels of certain hormones. While hormones (eg, puberty) can cause acne, it is natural that the use of steroids would too.

Do It Yourself way to get rid of acne:

You can fight acne on your own. Most people have only mild cases and with a little care you can get rid of or reduce acne outbreaks. Here is a common method do-it-yourself is to get rid of acne.

1. Stop popping the pimples. Each time you insert a zit, damage your skin under the surface. The bacteria that causes pimples, then spreads into damaged areas of the surface, creating more pimples. And every time you insert a zit, the risk of a scar.
2. Stop oil-based makeup and beauty products. This includes some shampoos, facial creams and cleansers. One of the main causes of acne is the construction of oil on the skin. Oil clogs pores and causes infections.
3. Do not use harsh soaps or exfoliate your face, because they can damage the skin, so it dries out too quickly. If this happens, your pores work overtime to make enough oil to treat dry skin. So you're back to square one with too much oil. Only a soap-free facial oil with salicylic acid to cleanse pores.
4. Touch your face. Your hands contain a variety of oils by bacteria. If you have acne, the bacteria could aggravate the hands of the problem.
5. Stay hydrated. Drink a good amount of water a day helps keep your skin hydrated. If you are dehydrated, your skin becomes dry, which then causes the dead skin cells. These dead skin cells clog the pores leading to acne infection.
6. Change your pillow. A dirty pillow case full of oil on the hair.
7. Use approved a dermatologist acne fighting lotion. Your local pharmacy offers different brands of lotions and medicines against acne. Be sure to include things that salicylic acid, sulfur or resorcinol.
8. Get rid of stress in your life. Stress can cause acne. You can wash your face and clean all day, but if your life is stressful yet, you could not much change in your state.

Among the medical options to get rid of acne

Severe acne requires medical attention. Dermatologists can prescribe medicines against acne that you can not get over the counter. One such drug is an antibiotic lotion, ingredients that retinoic acid and adapalene, vitamin E contains extracts. These ingredients help with what your body to fall dead skin cells, rather than clog the pores.

Another prescription medication is an antibiotic in pill form. Oral antibiotics are powerful and can control the spread of bacterial infection.

UV radiation has had some success in treating acne. Also known as "acne treatment known, the UV rays of the sun studios and offices of dermatologists is available.

Some patients may go on restricted diets acne on the amount of oil and reduce harmful chemicals in their bodies. The method of diet is usually performed in conjunction with medical treatment. A healthy diet means a healthier skin.

Meanwhile...

 

 

 

You've Got to be F***ING KIDDING ME!

Okay - here's the new military training: What to do if you see two Marines in uniform kissing in the mall: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/mar/22/military-set-to-train-for-end-of-dont-ask/

I know what Iran does if that happens - if they are American - they open fire - if they are Iranian - they open fire / have a hanging.

Here's an example of other behavior troops will be trained on coping with...

Tax the Taxers!

Okay - so here's a call for taxing toilet paper in a city: http://www.omaha.com/article/20110323/NEWS01/703239866

I was thinking - how about for a lawmaker to pass a law hiking taxes - that lawmaker has to be the first to pay the taxes they are wanting to pass? 

Just a thought.

What about poor people?  They smell bad enough - now you're going to just make it worse because they won't be able to pay the tax - they can't buy toilet paper - so then they smell worse - have even fewer opportunities for employment - make less - smell worse - until they become hopelessly unemployable and putrefy from the rectum out.

WAY TO GO! 

Maybe I could go into business selling TP-Rocks or TP spoons - a spoon or rock you use to scrape your rear and you just wash it in the sink and put it in your pocket and thereby avoid the tax - I could suggest hands but then I wouldn't make any money - so obviously I need to market a spoon or a rock.

Below are some victims of the proposed tax....

Hey bubba! You got any TP I can borrow?

Look like crap....gonna smell like it too....way to start the day....cigarettes or TP - pick one....can't buy both...cigarettes man!

Gonna smoke one to cope...

Ain't even gonna bother - go straight for the bong...

Wealthy & good looking - can wipe AND smoke