February 12, 2009 by RBuffordTJ.

Which of these will actually “Stimulate” the economy?

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– $100 million for the Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control Grant Program

– $200 million to the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund Program

– $300 million for “Violence Against Women Prevention and Prosecution Programs”

– $900 million for the IRS for the “Limitation on Administrative Expenses”

– $1 million for the Railroad Retirement Board for administrative costs

– $2 billion for the Drinking Water State Revolving Act

– $50 million for Health and Human Services to carry out injury prevention programs

– $1.1 billion for studies on the effectiveness of different medical treatments — $200 million to upgrade labs and facilities for the Department of Agriculture “to improve workplace safety and mission-area efficiencies”

– $10 million for urban canal inspection

– $16 billion to pay for student financial aid

– $1 billion to pay for the U.S. Census

– $600 million to pay for a fuel-efficient federal auto fleet

– $650 million for the Digital Converter Box Program to help the constantly delayed transition from analog television

– $485 million to the Forest Service for “hazardous fuels reduction and hazard mitigation activities in areas at high risk of catastrophic wildfire”

– Up to $1 billion for “summer activities” for youths as old as 24

– $40 million for the occupational research agenda

– $3 billion for the Centers for Disease Control wellness programs and vaccinations

– $410 million for Indian health facilities

– $2.4 billion for carbon-capture demonstrations

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It seems my hopes for our new President to lead us in a positive direction are being torn to bits.
Bufford

Posted in Technology, Gas Prices, Decision 2008, Sanctity of Life, Workers Unions, Global Warming, Politics, Coherent Thoughts, Other, RBuffordTJ, Current Events | Print | 4 Comments »

November 24, 2008 by RBuffordTJ.

If a man cuts his finger off while slicing salami at work, he blames the restaurant.

If you smoke three packs a day for 40 years and die of lung cancer, your family blames the tobacco company.

If you crash into a tree while driving home drunk, you blame the bartender.

If your grandchildren are  brats without manners, you blame television.

If your friend is shot by a deranged madman, you blame the gun manufacturer.

If a street racer crashes into a law  abiding citizen and kills them, you blame the police for not cracking down.

If your unable to pay your mortgage on a house you could never afford in the first place, you blame the mortgage company.

If a teenager goes on a shooting spree at his school, you blame video games.

If you gain too much weight and become diabetic you blame McDonalds for their “Super Size” meals.

And if a crazed person breaks into the cockpit and tries to kill the pilot at 35,000 feet,  and the passengers kill him instead, the mother of the crazed deceased blames the airline.

If you lose your job you blame the government, even though you don’t work for the government.

If I die while my butt is parked in front of this computer, I want all of you to blame it on Bill Gates.

WAKE UP AMERICA!  It is time to stand and take responsibility, lets stop playing the balme game.

Bufford

Posted in Entertainment, Gas Prices, Decision 2008, RBuffordTJ, Other, Politics, Coherent Thoughts, Current Events | Print | 3 Comments »

July 28, 2008 by RBuffordTJ.

*Hold on to your hats for a sec*

All we are hearing from Washington, and I mean all of them from both parties, is “we are looking for a way to help the American people now”. They want to save you money at the gas pumps, they want to ease your burden and make sure you have what you need when you need it. Um, yeah. Anyone falling for this?

The government asked us to cut back out use of oil, which most people have done in one way or another because it is so expensive right now, but the point is WE DID. Most responsible people don’t leave extra lights on in rooms your not using, we don’t leave cars idiling just for the heck of it and many of us are cutting costs wherever possible to save our wallets. Good, all of that is good.

But wait…..

Now the congress is trying to slip a quiet $0.10 extra Federal tax onto every single gallon of gas you buy. What? Yes, it is that simple. Their reason? The American people are not buying enough fuel to keep the tax revenue coming in so they have to increase the cost to up the intake of the Federal government. Bufford! You can’t be serious! Yes, yes in fact I am.

But I thought it was the evil oil industry that was the enemy. Well, are they? Look at the numbers. First, in Florida the state makes $0.08 on every gallon sold. The Feds make $0.30 on every gallon sold in our country (and that will be $0.40 soon with the new tax). So the total they make off of us every time we pump is $0.38 (don’t forget the stupid .9 at the end) and that is without the upcoming tax.

Exxon, who posted profits that pissed off (what seemed like) every working person alive makes how much profit off of each gallon they drill, pump, refine and sell? Ready for the gross, horrific, inhumane number? Hold on…here it comes…. $0.08 cents for every gallon. What? No, wait, that can’t be right. Yes, yes it is. Add to that, if your a working American who has a retirement plan of any kind, your money is invested heavily with this and every other oil company out there. So what happens if the government does as one candidate is suggesting and takes control of that money and forces them to do with it as he wishes, or worse penalizes them with a huge tax for daring to make a profit that big? Your retirement is going down the crapper is what! You will suffer at the pump and in your retirement years too.

Still want to hang Exxon? Well you better hurry, that company is a whole 3% of the world’s oil market. Yes, a whopping 3%.

Why are we mad at the company? Why are we not screaming for the heads of our elected ‘representatives’ in Washington? They get more of your money with every gallon pumped!

This is fact, not opinion, so if your upset about me saying it I guess you need to find a wall to beat your head on, because these are facts that won’t change by screaming about little bitty Exxon and its 3% of the world’s oil market and $0.08 cents per gallon profit. I hope they keep my retirement fund strong because I look forward to it one day.

Bufford
*if your going to get mad, get mad at the facts, there is no need for propaganda*

Posted in Gas Prices, RBuffordTJ, Coherent Thoughts, Politics, Current Events | Print | 3 Comments »

May 9, 2008 by Jeremy.

This is a valid question. Common Sense tells us that the value we get from a gallon of gas, as opposed to the alternative, is well worth the price. That really isn’t a valid argument for most so we need to look at it a little deeper.

Coherent Thought has addressed this issue in the past: HIGH GAS PRICES GOT YOU DOWN? which I suggest you read before going on here.

But its been a year so we’ll talk about it again. I recently came across a website that says that gas prices are indeed too high. The site has some great points on its “What Can I Do?” page. Those are all great ideas that will help drive the demand for oil down. Unfortunately, it would take quite literally everyone in the world to take to these ideas to have any impact whatsoever. Also a lot of fuel is used in industrial ways making all of those points invalid in that situation which would leave China with a continued high demand for oil.

The site also makes a huge error in saying that the government has no fault in the high gas prices which is absurdly untrue. The oil companies make about 8 cents on the dollar, refiners about 4 cents, and the U.S. Federal Government has an 18.4 cent tax on every gallon of fuel not to mention state taxes on gasoline.

So Common Sense tells us that the government does indeed have something to do with the price of gasoline.

As to whether its too high, it looks like to me most of you are still DRIVING to work every morning.

So until the price gets so high that you won’t get in your vehicle and drive to work the gas price is not too high.

Posted in Gas Prices, Jeremy, Coherent Thoughts | Print | 3 Comments »

May 16, 2007 by Jeremy.

I recently read this article and it reminded me of something I wrote a year ago but is extremely relevant to Coherent Thought. So some of the information may be relevant at the time like the info on China and the CEO, but it is still a good read.

Here are some interesting graphs to look at and I want you to look at them with common sense!

HIGH GAS PRICES GOT YOU DOWN?

Well you won’t get any sympathy from me. People that make a lot more money than me come and complain to me every day about the high price of gas and I’m tired of it.

The oil companies are making lots of money but their profit margin is only about 10% which is not good for any business regardless of how much money goes into the business. It’s about margin people not dollars.

The price is not dictated by the oil companies. They have to pay certain amounts for each barrel of oil based on the market. The price per barrel is very high right now because China and India are buying lots and lots of oil. They are using more than they ever have which is sending the price up. This is common economics. When demand is greater than supply the price goes up. Exxon and others like them can do nothing about that because they make up a VERY SMALL percentage of the oil industry world-wide.

The few million that Exxon gave it’s CEO for a retirement package was a small amount on the grand scale and if he gave it all back wouldn’t bring the price of gas down one penny!

Thoughtful Insight
Banks charge a hight interest rate to those they think are a higher risk. That is how they make money. Every business has intrinsic risks in it. So (and this is only speculation and not necessarily happening) why wouldn’t the gas companies raise prices right now due to the current unrest of some of our oil suppliers. It makes sense from a business point of view.

Also, why are we mad at companies for making profit. It helps dramatically stabilize and strengthen our US Market. If a farmer that harvested corn (keep in mind his cost is set up months in advance) took all this corn out of the ground at the same time some great discovery was made about corn that made everyone want it. Would be mad at the farmer for making more money than he would have originally. NO because the market dictated his price not the farmer. The same is true for the oil industry.

For many years now gas prices have not kept up with inflation. What does this mean? It means we’ve been making more and paying less for gas than we should be compared to everything else.

Another interesting fact about gas is that the Government makes a lot more per gallon on gas than the oil companies do. Their taxes on the gas is more than the oil companies make per gallon. So when you hear the news media or a politician blame the oil companies keep in mind the Government could greatly take some of the burden off. They would rather take the money away from the oil companies though who actually produce the oil, and if they don’t make a profit they won’t make fuel. Then we’re in big trouble!

I could go on and on with my explanation of the way things work but I hope this enlightens you a little. If you have any questions feel free to ask. Snide remarks, lay em on me!

I too wish we were paying less for gas, but even at the current price gas is a BARGAIN! for what you get out of it and compared to the rest of the world.

Posted in Gas Prices, Jeremy, Coherent Thoughts | Print | 10 Comments »