Ok....WARNING rant

I don't normally post things like this but I've just gotta have some outlet for what I'm feeling in response to stuff I've been reading and hearing about lately.

First The Dixie Chicks. Everyone knows that they are outspoken about their disappointment in President Bush....I can't believe though that many music stations are not playing their music because of this, I also can't believe they are being sent death threats. To that I say " This is America, people, it is our right and it's in the constitution that we question those in power, and speak our minds freely."

I understand that people would retort with some good points about how speaking freely and questioning our president may not be patriotic but it's just the opposite....Look at our founding fathers folks what was it they did?

Me for one, I don't agree with a lot of things George has done or says or believes (what does it matter what language the national anthem is sung in if it's being sung by someone who loves our country).....But if he weren't supposed to be President he wouldn't be. Everything happens for a reason, it might not be clear what that reason is now but all will work out the way it's supposed to.


Secondly, this whole oil business! Why, for gods sake, would we need to drill for oil in the artic wildlife refuge if we have other means for oil, (CORN!?!?!) that won't damage one of the last pristine environments we have? If we are one of the richest countries in the world and are having such difficulty depending on "foreign oil" why not put all those resources into producing and distributing "domestic oil." Seems to me we've got some smart people here who can come up with alternative ideas and it seems to me we've got lots of corn (hey that's an alternative idea!!) that grows around this country and lots of Farmers who are struggling who could use the income......And then there's the whole Hybrid issue.

I hear that it's just as bad for the environment because of the lead in the batteries, but can't the batteries be recycled? Or can't research be done into recycling them...Aren't we supposed to be one of the richest nations in the world???

As for gas companies and their "Record Profits" I'd like to think they have enough money (and moral fiber?) to research and come up with lots of ideas involving Ethanol and other types of fuel that will make them more money in the future but cost less and rely less on foreign nations. Perhaps making the US and themselves richer in the long run cause we'll start exporting our knowledge and maybe even our oil will be used and called "foreign oil."

Maybe they could come up with some way of using garbage as fuel, like in Back to the Future!!! Yeah...Right....

And what is up with the whole Iran thing now? Are we just running around telling everyone how to run their country? Of course I don't really know what I'm talking about when it comes to this......But no one has said anything about it except the negative "they are making bombs" remarks...

My question is, and I keep forgetting to ask my dad cause he'd know, Can enriched Uranium be useful for things other than making bombs? Like I don't know, nuclear power plants and stuff? I honestly don't know....But no ones said anything about that on the news it's all " Iran is making bombs, they are the new Iraq" crap. I thought Iran was on our side before all this. Whatever I just wanted to know about that. AND I say let the UN deal with them, lets finish what we started in Iraq and Afghanistan before we go stretching our troops too thin.


Ok and Baseball!!! What is up with all the players using steroids??? Why?
I gotta say Barry Bonds may have made those hits but I don't think he should be inducted into the Hall of fame, it's like one of those posters said at one of his games "Babe Ruth did it on beer and hotdogs"
It just doesn't seem right. I'm sorry too I don't believe people who say they didn't know what they were being injected with......Professional Athletes are people who know, or should, about nutrition and taking care of their bodies as it's their livelihood. If you are being injected with something and you don't know what is it, and people tell you oh it's just vitamins....And you start noticing your balls shrinking and your muscles getting bigger.........It's a no brainer to get yourself checked out.

Medicare, what is the deal with that??? These people who are signing up for it now are our parents and grandparents. The people who raised us and made us who we are today (either through love and all things wonderful parents do, or through strife cause some people are just clueless). In either case, why is it so difficult for them to get the medications they need when they need them. Why do medications cost sooo much, why is the paper work that must be filled out to sign up so difficult to understand. These people aren't stupid, the forms are all legal jargon and confusion. It's crap!! Why is there a deadline for signing up too? Why not postpone it if people are having such a hard time filling out the paperwork, why not get the forms rewritten to make them easier to fill out? It shouldn't be hard, we are one of the richest nations in the world, we shouldn't have all this difficulty.

Social security. Can someone explain to me how it's supposed to be bankrupt in however many years they are saying it's going to be bankrupt. Is it because the people who are now claiming it and will be claiming it in the upcoming years and draining it are paying too much for medications and medical treatments they need, when they didn't get their Medicare forms filled out correctly or on time???

If that's a problem can't a system be set up where people just have their social security deposited into their own personal IRA or CD or something so that they keep what they earn? Or am I wrong in thinking the government has borrowed from it when they've needed a little extra money to pay for a war or what not, and don't have the funds to pay it back?

And finally, all these Vets who's SSI info was stolen. How's that for national security? These people fought in wars for our country (not a fan of war but a fan of people who fought and are fighting) how is it that something like this could have happened? What are these people going to be expected to do when their identities are stolen and all their Social security benefits are spent by someone else? And for those people who haven't had their info stolen, how about those people who try to claim it and then get run through the mill trying to get their check when they really need it? Why do they have to go through lawyers to claim what is rightfully theirs (this being before all the stealing) That's not right!!! How can this be a problem if we are one of the richest nations in the world???

Of course I could sound like a complete idiot about all this stuff. Feel free to comment and let me know if I'm being ignorant of somethings, I'd rather not continue feeling the way I feel about some of this stuff if it's just my own ignorance that's fueling it (wish ignorance could be bottled, man we'd have a never ending source of fuel in that case wouldn't we!!). But (and this is for people who aren't family of course) unless you've got the facts and not just your opinion I'll keep thinking what I'm thinking.

Who is in charge of all the spending and money usage of our rich rich nation? Families do better jobs of budgeting than our government, I know there's lots that goes into it but if you don't have the money for something then you can't have it....Otherwise you are writing bad checks and you can go to jail for that......And why is it that companies with record profits aren't turning those extra profits around and helping out other companies that would benefit from more money?

Just imagine the boost our school system or social security would get from the record profits from the oil companies or others who are experiencing "record profits"!!! Take the extra money and put it towards things that need it, that'll improve national moral and intelligence. Farmers could do with extra money, schools could do with extra money. I guess that's my idea of a "trickle down effect." I've seen no evidence of it in my little corner of the world, I'll keep thinking happy thoughts for things to turn around though.

Sorry for the rant guys, but it had to come out.