I’m sorry to tell them this, but no, I at least, will not be saved by Zero!

As an unemployed middle aged male with no car, huge debt, and no relief in sight, I cannot be saved, no matter how powerful Zero is.

So how about this…Car loans for the unemployed! That’s right, jump start the economy by giving the unemployed with no car, a car to drive, so they can buy gas!

As a matter of fact, put me to work, doing the paperwork for all the unemployed people securing new cars! I could do that.

Then there is the question of how the unemployed pay for their car. Glad you asked. The unemployed could get bonuses by signing up unemployed people to get cars. This is how they pay off the car, is by referrals. Makes sense, right? So the more unemployed people you have driving, the more gas you sell, therefore jump starting the economy.

So for Zero to save me, there would have to be not only zero interest and finance charges, but Zero percent chance I would ever pay off the car.

By the way, I will not be saved by the Phenomenal Four from Mitsubishi either.

Stupidity Tax

I will vote for a candidate who proposes a tax on stupidity. This will reverse the national debt and allow blowhards of all ilks to put their money where their loud obnoxious mouths are. The grocery store that employs baggers that put the 10 pound bag of potatoes on top of the eggs would have to pay a stupidity tax.

Insurance Reform

I live in Florida. Insurance companies are very happy to drain my wallet and insure my home providing no one in the state of Florida ever files a claim. If anyone in the state of Florida does file a claim because of hurricane, they get very annoyed, terminate my policy and withdraw from the state. By the way, home insurance only covers damage due to wind. You need flood insurance to cover any damage done by water. This presumably is because not all hurricanes are wet. Insurance companies would be subject to the stupidity tax.

Pharmaceutical Company Advertising Reform

Pharmaceutical companies spend more on advertising than on research. I will vote for the candidate that promises to restrict drug advertising to press releases when the drug is put on the market. Further mention should be restricted to recalls or adverse reactions. Take all the money saved on advertising and reduce the prices of prescription meds. The only advertising that would be allowed would be public service announcements to raise awareness of a disease or condition. For example, osteoporosis is a serious condition. If you are a post-menopausal woman, talk to your doctor about a bone density test and treatment options. The company name and logo will be allowed to be displayed, but not the name of the drug. Who are you to be telling your doctor about a drug anyway? Who do you think knows more about it? If your doctor isn't aware of drug treatment options without your interference, you belong to a really bad HMO.

Campaign Reform

Television campaign ads cost megabucks and most of them make the Jerry Springer Show seem like a sermon. Candidates have to raise incredible amounts of money to mount a campaign for national office. How about only televising debates and town hall meetings? That's news. I'll vote for the candidate who proposes to use the money in the campaign war chest to reduce the national debt, fix the infrastructure and education of our kids.

Lobbyist Reform

Promise to feed all lobbyists to sharks or use them as subjects for medical experiments and you'll have my vote. Lobbying is just bribery and graft. It is institutionalized and sophisticated, but it is still bribery and graft. Perhaps the lobbyists who don't want to become shark chow can go to Iraq or some other garden spot and become hostages. Lobbyists who become hostages in foreign countries will not be allowed to return. Lobbyists should not be allowed to breed.

Food Additive/Food Labeling Reform

I'll vote for the candidate who proposes plain English on food labels. You shouldn't have to be a chemist to understand food labels. If the product has eggs in it, the label should say "Contains eggs". If the product contains sugar, it should say "Contains sugar". Currently, a product labeled as sugarless can contain high fructose corn syrup, evaporated cane juice, maltodextrin, and sucrose. FYI, your body thinks they are all sugar and will happily make fat out of them. There is zinc oxide in my breakfast cereal. That's what's in sun block. Is sunburn a big problem for breakfast cereal? Most of the stuff on food labels are unpronounceable and incomprehensible. What is disodium guanylate and why is it in my chicken soup? Will it give me cancer? Will it make me obese? Will it make me itch? Is that what gives it home-cooked flavor? Grandma made chicken soup and I don't remember her reaching for the sodium guanylate.

Credit Card Interest Rates

You'll earn my vote if you can explain why the usury laws don't apply to credit card companies. How come a credit card company can state in microscopic print that it can, at any time, for any reason, change your rate from outrageous to astronomical. The Mafia has better terms.

Petroleum Company Profits/Pricing

To get my vote, propose that oil companies take their obscene profits and either put the money into renewable energy or reduce prices. Alternatively, they could put money into researching renewable energy AND reduce prices.

CEO Salaries

I don't understand why the CEO of a company should earn three hundred times what the people who actually do the work earn. Currently, a CEO can run a company into bankruptcy and walk away with golden parachutes worth more than the GDP of some countries. If any of the rank and file did their job as poorly, they'd be fired. I'll vote for the candidate who proposes to fire the CEOs who are driving companies into the ground and give them a parachute of dog poo. Better yet, pay them on a commission-only basis.

Health Care

My congressperson has comprehensive health care. Doesn't he/she work for me? Don't I pay his/her salary? How come I don't have the same benefits? What kind of employer offers their employees health care and doesn't have it themselves? Either come up with something viable effective immediately or I'll send my medical and dental bills to my elected representative.

That's what I'd like to hear on the campaign trail—a lot less about whether pit bulls or pigs wear lipstick more about what's important to me. I'm listening.

Because when it comes to many issues on Americans' minds the republicans are on their side of it. Like offshore drilling. When it came time to debate it on the house the democrats voted themselves a vacation. And the republicans are protesting it right now and trying to call back the democratic senators.

That alone is enough ammo to get thousands of votes. Not counting the economy and how the dems want to increase taxes on both small and big businesses. Making our economy weaker then it is now.

And the republicans have about five million more dollars for this election then the democrats do.

All of the issues. People in America now have more faith in Iraq then before. The economy, energy, and the republicans don't have in crazy sex scandals like most of the democrats do. But seriously democrats and their crazy sex scandals right? (Laugh quietly to myself)

So considering all this I know America will reelect the once strong republican senate. And in a few years when we do have a republican senate, McCain as out new leader, we will have a much better America then in the last sixteen years or so. (McCain isn't another bush; look at his record it's nothing like bush's)

I hope you enjoyed my article. If you have any thoughts let me know what you're think people I love a good debate or to sit around agreeing with people. Thank you.

The American people are blaming one person for its struggling economy: George W. Bush. I do not really think that it is right to place the blame on only one person, so I am going to place it on a group of people: the Democrats.

Ever since the Democrats have had control of the Senate, America has struggled. We have a never ending war, the rising price of oil, a slumping housing market, and struggling banks. I want everyone to know that the President is not to blame, it's the Democrats.

The solution is to let the Democrats do what they want for a while. Give them a little power. Then America will eventually permit every gay and lesbian couple to get married, and let everyone that wants an abortion get one. And as time goes by, there won't be any more democrats.

When you drive up to the gas station and give the attendant, two twenty dollar bills and receive a little less than ten gallons of gas, it is seriously real. Or, when the bank officials drive up to your home, with a Sheriff's sale sign, and you have to call a moving van, it is something that is actually happening, not a figment of your imagination. Or finally, when you travel to the grocery store, fill your cart, with your usual list of groceries, the clerk rings up the total and you have to take out twenty dollars more, than you did, two weeks or so ago. This is reality, not some mental illusion, that you can turn off. Where Mr. Gramm obtained his assessment, of what is occurring in this economy, is hard to figure out, but someone should provide him with the facts as they are. Especially when he is writing economic position papers, for Senator John McCain. This also ties into Senator McCain's thought, that if he plants the idea of drilling for oil, off the shores of the United States, then there will be a psychological effect on the oil market and the price of oil will go down. Alright, if this is so, why didn't we announce this, when oil was at two dollars a gallon, then the price would have stabilized on the belief, that in seven years, we would have new sources of oil. This seems quite absurd to me. Besides that, if this is what you believe, why would you state such a thing, the effect would not take place, if the markets believed that you were doing it, to depress the price of oil, based on perception and not reality.

Senator McCain distanced himself, from Mr. Gramm's remarks, saying that Mr. Gramm did not speak for him, he spoke for himself. It was reported that Mr. Gramm, was at the Wall Street Journal, today, on behalf of Senator McCain, so much for not speaking for Senator McCain. The fact that Mr. Gramm is a millionaire, may be why Mr. Gramm, is not in touch with what is going on in society, he is no doubt, untouched by the higher prices, ordinary people pay, from day to day, for just about everything.

Another of Senator McCain's surrogates, Ms. Carla Florina, former CEO, of Hewlett Packard, spoke at a meeting, where she stated that she thought that the law, which allowed insurance companies, to pay for prescriptions for Viagra, but not for birth control pills was unfair. Fine for her own opinion, but she represents Senator McCain and he voted against the bill, allowing the insurance companies, to pay for prescriptions for birth control pills. Reportedly, his staff said at the time, that he thought it should be a personal choice for a woman, regarding the purchase of birth control pills. After Ms. Florina's remarks, a reporter put a microphone in front of Mr. McCain, and asked him if he agreed with the co-chairman of his campaign. He squirmed for what seemed, to be a long period of time, not knowing what to say, he finally said that he would get back to the reporter, as he did not remember the bill at the moment. Hoop de do, if your surrogate has not coordinated with the candidate, what is one to think. Senator McCain, first of all is pro-choice, which is fine, but that is in conflict with the words of Ms. Florina, who is supposed to be representing Senator McCain. So the surrogates are roaming off the ranch, doing their own thing, and embarrassing the candidate, every now and then.

Tying up the loose ends, would be a very good idea, especially since a new campaign manager, has recently been installed, to tighten up the message. Indeed, Senator McCain's advertisements have had a sharper look to them, although the information depicted, is a bit misleading, if it is analyzed, but that is for public determination.

On the other side, Senator Obama, is having his own problems with his campaign and his message, as he tries to tack to the center, as he enters the general election cycle. He is trying to explain himself to his base, regarding certain changes, that they perceive he has made recently, which have made them uncomfortable.

The two campaigns will be trying to right their positions and tighten up their messages and their messengers, as we move forward, toward November. At this time, Senator Obama has 210 potential electoral votes, from states in his corner, by a certain percentage over Senator McCain, and states that are leaning his way. Senator McCain has a potential of 187 electoral votes, from those states in his corner and leaning towards him. One of the candidates needs to secure 270 electoral votes on election day, or whenever the votes are completely counted, to secure the presidency.

Part of me wants the government to step in, impose some harsh restrictions on what oil companies can charge, in order to give us some relief. Economists were thinking that these stimulus checks would help boost the economy, but so far people are using them to fill up their gas tanks so they can get to work, to earn their money, which in turn, goes back into their gas tanks.

Another part of me wants the government to stay out of it, because more oft than not, it ruins whatever it touches. Their intentions may be good, but if they do impose some restrictions, will the oil companies implement a new tax in some other area to make up for lost revenue? I wouldn't be surprised if they did.

An interesting article in a local paper addressed the issue of the big oil companies testifying before Congress on the high gas prices. The long and short of it, is that the execs said that they pay more in taxes on the oil they produce than people realize, and that the money they pay in taxes, exceeds their profits. I don't know if that's true, but if it is, then the problem is worse than I thought. What that means is that somewhere along the line, the buck has to be passed to someone, and I personally don't want to be that someone.

Right now I find myself putting anywhere from $40-$50 a week into my truck, and that doesn't even fill up the tank. I know that others pay more, much more, just to get to and fro. I live in the country, so I'm not that close to my job or where I go to school. On average, it's a thirty to thirty-five minute drive to go to either, so I find myself putting gas in my tank quite often, or at least it feels like it.

I have a wrenching feeling in my gut that before this summer is over, prices will hit $5 a gallon. I know what you're thinking, "the government won"t let it get that bad.' My argument to that is that so far they've let it get as bad as it is now. I don't have an end-all solution to this problem. I do what I can to conserve gas, by not running around doing things, and even have gone so far to pretty much cut off any remnant of a social life. It's not exactly what I want to do, but it's what I need to do. The less I put in the tank, the more money in my pocket - and who couldn't use more money?

The report proves that some gas stations are fine, some give too much and some give too little.

Gas stations that give a lot could give as much as half a gallon per 20 gallons. As for the others, some give an ounce less per gallon.

As soon as the owners found out about the problems, they immediately went to fix it.
The report says that 31 out of 836 gas stations were giving to little, while 40 were giving too much.

Even though you can't inspect how much gas that you're getting at gas stations in other states, just be aware that some could be giving you a bit of free gas or less than you are paying for.

The defence that the bosses of Britain's main energy suppliers plan to use is that the price rises are out of their control and they are expected to blame the hikes on the dramatic increase in cost of crude oil and natural gas.

In 2007 the average household paid £924 for gas and electricity but according to independent gas and electricity watchdog, Energywatch, consumers could now see their energy bills rising to over £1000 per year.

The price of crude oil has doubled since the end of last year and wholesale gas and electricity prices have gone up since the start of this year alone by 82% and 64%. This cost unfortunately gets passed onto the consumer and one energy expert estimates that Britain's major energy suppliers would need to raise prices by between 30-40 per cent this year to maintain their profits.

Despite all this, the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) issued a statement earlier this year saying that the UK has the most competitive energy market in the EU and G7.

A few of the Chief Executives expected to face the Committee of MPs, which is expected to address a range of issues as well as this, are from major British energy companies such as Centrica, Scottish Power, Scottish & Southern Energy, Welsh Power, E.On, EdF Energy and RWE npower.

Well, Mr. Winehouse I am glad that you are finally standing up to what obviously has been ruining your daughter for a long time. Maybe perhaps you too can take the lead from Britney Spears's parents and help your child before she actually kills herself.

Amy Winehouse may have a sultry and unusual voice. Her voice has been compared to some of the great vocalists of our time, but one look at Amy Winehouse and you know she has lived a long, rough life. After all she is only 24 and looks decades older and scarier than her biological age. Not to mention the great catch she made as a husband, who at the moment is serving time in jail.

I hope that Daddy Winehouse takes charge of his daughter and reins in her self-destructive lifestyle. She needs major rehab and we won't take “No, no, no” for an answer.

I just want to take a moment to congratulate Jaime Lynn Spears on the birth of her daughter. Just think in 16 years, she too will have a 16 year old daughter and perhaps be a grandmother herself at 32! Amazing! If the pattern continues then at the ripe old age of 48, Ms. Spears will be a great-grandmother, At this rate she could be a great, great grandmother at 66 and a great, great, great……..well you get my point. Yuck!

According to Yahoo news, a photographer in Malibu was attempting to take pictures of Matthew McConaughey and some surfers allegedly threw his camera in the ocean. A shark's camera being thrown to the sharks-I like it. Whatever, but it does look like the paparazzi are not especially popular in Malibu. I guess they want actors to have their privacy. But maybe if people would just quit buying the rag mags there would not be a market for the photographers. Oh my gosh, that makes sense and I am scaring myself.

Another Yahoo report states that to cope with the higher gas prices people are abandoning the suburbs and returning to the cities. Mass transportation in the cities is always plentiful. Also higher crime, more traffic, more congestion, more pollution, less space, more grime and it makes me want to rent a U-Haul today.

Those are my random bits of truth for today. The truth is tough to hear, but someone needs to stand up and speak it.