George Clooney’s character, Everett McGill, in the movie, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, was trapped in a barn set aflame by evil pursuers.
Everett, along with fellow chain-gang escapees Pete Hogwallop and Delmar O’Donnel were feeling the heat. McGill’s exclamation, upon seeing their dilemma was, "We’re in a heap of trouble."
Stan Laurel was oft to exclaim in Laurel and Hardy flicks, "Well, here’s another fine mess you’ve gotten me into, Ollie," referring to antics by his bumbling sidekick, Oliver Hardy.
Speaking of trouble and a mess, gas station price marquees have been going up faster than a speeding locomotive, to coin an old Superman phrase.
They’ve been more upwardly-mobile than an 80’s Yuppie. The Music Man, in staccato-like lyric, put it this way: People, Trouble, oh we got trouble, Right here in River City! With a capital "T" that rhymes with "P" And that stands for Pool, that stands for pool. We’ve surely got trouble! Right here in River City, right here! Gotta figger out a way to keep the young ones moral after school! Trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble… Could help be on the way from our politician "friends"?
Well, Hillary and McCain seem to be in favor of foregoing the federal gasoline tax, for the summer months, at least. How much would that be; 12 cents?
Hey, this would only serve to save the gasoline marquee boys from having to go up and change their numbers for a day or two. It really boils down to ‘they’re tossing us peanuts.’
Obama doesn’t even want to give us the 12 cents. He’d rather give us "change" and promise the moon…or some other mega-governmental hand out, which he couldn’t deliver...or afford, even if he really wanted to.
And no, it doesn’t appear President Bush and Company…or the Republicans…or the Democrats...or Wall Street...or Exxon-Mobil have a plan, other than to drift along as gasoline prices continue their staccato-like Times Square- marquee impression; squarely attop a hurting American people. Same uselessness for the alphabet soup governmental agencies.
Matter-of-fact, when and if somebody really does come along with a solution, these bureaucracies would be able to delay, block, or genuinely screw up implementation until we’re all in our 80’s...have given up and don’t give a hoot any more.
And, if the government doesn’t stop viable solutions, the mega multinational conglomerations will. Ever wonder what happened to the 100 mpg carburetors? Oh, I know my old alma mater General Motors, along with Ford, Chrysler, the Japanese, Germans, Koreans, Italians, et al; have various alternate fuel and/or hydrogen cell vehicles on the drawing board or even on the market.
Problem is, they’re too much like the twelve cent peanuts thrown our way by McCain and Hillary; too little, too late.
Twill amount to getting our corn-a-hol or hydrogen cell refills for about $3.50 a gallon, instead of the current $3.55.
Big deal! Any minute solution will be more than offset by the rising prices at the pump. A local TV channel has been singing the praises of Texas’ Barnett Shale in recent days.
Hey, I’m happy for whatever benefits this geological formation brings to citizens, schools, companies, etc. in our Lone Star State. It will not, however, be a panacea for every-day citizen fuel consumers.
The gas marquee merry-go-round will continue until… Until either a Thomas Edison, Nicola Tesla, or Henry Ford comes along…and is able to somehow dodge, sidestep or otherwise avoid the alphabet soup governmental agencies and multinational corporation buy-out agents who will spell THE END to anything with promise for improving the personal freedom, liberty, economics and sovereignty of We the People. Actually, I believe the Toms, Nicks and Henrys are already out there.
I also believe solutions, discoveries and rediscoveries have already been uncovered and are within near-grasp of regular Americans…IF. May God bless.
