Real Texas Freedom

Monday, June 18, 2007

Removing Old Cars From the Road-USA Today

This is a perfect example of building on a false premise, that being that testing is not needed now nor has it ever been. Seventy years without testing cars did no damage. What needs testing is airlines, buses, trucks, refineries and other industrial pollutants. Testing should have begun there, not with cars. Another example of stupid voters allowing testing to begin with. This shifting of blame to the general public from the real culprits, industrial giants, is common.

Sunday, June 17, 2007

New Mexico Smoking Ban

Well, things hit home yesterday here in Ruidoso. The state-wide smoking ban went into effect Friday. Casinos are exempt but one place I like to eat banned smoking anyway. The buffet at The Inn of the Mountain Gods has been non-smoking but I never had time to smoke anyway. At least you can eat in the bar and smoke. K-Bob's Steak House sold out a couple months ago. The Western Steak and Grill took over and went non-smoking ahead of schedule. They also did away with one of the best salad bars I've ever come across. I left without eating the last trip and haven't been back.

I don't know how things are going to work out but I foresee a lot of anger, frustration, resentment and a tremendous loss of tourist trade. Smokers are in the minority now, but this is a smoking, drinking town. I feel like I've done all I can. When the media, the politicians and the stupid part of the public is against you, free speech, what's left of it, doesn't count for much. Ruidoso means noisy in Spanish and there used to be bars and dance halls on every block. Now, there's a 2 drink limit at the race track bars and no drinks in the casinos. I guess it's prohibition by degrees. My parents and their generation knew how to deal with it but this is the American Idol generation and entertainment rules at all costs. I'm very disappointed at how smokers have reacted. Americans, it seems, just don't care anymore about anything but spending their economically unsound money and getting fat off the temporary prosperity. Paris Hilton gets more play than something as important as the freedom issues surrounding smoking.

If it was just smoking, I'd quit, just like I've done before, contrary to the addiction theory. Habits are easier to break than addictions.

What I'd like to do is what I did at our church camp when I was in the 6th grade. The camp was for kids 8 to 18 from area churches. A tattle tale followed me behind the rest room where I normally went to smoke. After he told on me, I took his pants off and ran them up the flag pole. I told the camp officials that he was too little to beat up so I took his pants off and ran them up the flag pole. I'd like to show off the ignorance of ban proponents in the same way.

Thursday, June 07, 2007

High Gas Prices

Contact With CaliforniaGasPrices.com

One point not brought out about gas prices is the true cost of crude oil. Once producing, the cost of reading meters and moving the oil from the well is not worth calculating. The cost of crude makes no sense. Oil wells are like water wells except they aren't regularly replenished. Until it's used up, there is no excuse for projecting what's going to happen when it's gone. Crude oil should cost no more than water. Even during drought conditions, $60.00 a barrel is too much for water. So much for free enterprise and competition.

Monday, June 04, 2007

USA Today Article - Sam Nettles Comment

Gas prices are budget busters for many

Demand is constant now and in the past. So is supply. Oil companies are showing massive profits while we are at war and struggling at the lower end of the economy. Free enterprise foundations, such as competition and balanced pricing, are missing in the oil and gas industries. Supply and demand do not deserve mention in articles about high gasoline prices.