Random Thoughts

"DA NEWS"

1. Today, the President announced relaxed gasoline production environmental controls to help ease potential shortages. Commodity traders responded enthusiastically by lowering the upcoming gasoline contracts by 8 cents a barrel. If the move was to contain prices, let's see: prices are up around 50 cents in the last 30 days and today's cut was 8 cents. So, May will start at $3.25 instead of $3.33 per gallon. OK, thank you for your help.

2. Doesn't less environmental controls mean more pollution? Since healthcare costs are already out-of-control in the US, breathing thick, lung choking smog should help keep people in hospitals and not working (or vacationing with their new found 8 cents).

3. It's too bad the President's advisors who thought relaxed environmental controls was an answer don't read newspapers. If they did, they would see that people are using mass transit and buying 4-cylinder cars in greater numbers. This is the kind of response you would expect in a free market system. Make prices unreasonable and people will find a way to conserve. Of course, conservation doesn't help the oil companies continue building record profits.

4. Congress, here's a thought: take a large chunk of the oil companies' profits and make it available to states to pay for next winter's heating bills. (Don't pay 100% because people will abuse the gift.) Offer to pay at least 50% of each month's bills -- that way the working-poor won't have to decide between food and freezing.

5. Education is in the news again. This time it's about women and girls outperforming men and boys in the classroom. Well, duh! As long as America is fascinated with sports, scholastic and collegiate, men and boys will play games and not study. You can get a guy to give up his August to practice football all day for 2-3 weeks, but try to get the same kid to read a book, any book, even comic, everyday for 2 weeks. Women/girls: do well and excel -- you've got to be better than the men have been at running businesses and this country. Thanks to your maternal instincts, I'm sure the first thing you'll do is take care of domestic issues!

Thanks for reading.