Americans Must Demand Energy Independence NOW!

What could be more important to America, our economy, our national security, and our long term survival as a nation, than energy independence? For over 30 years, successive administrations in Washington have given false promises and miserably failed the American people. Embroiled in politics and false premises no visible short or long term plan exists. Not only have we done absolutely nothing to achieve energy independence, we are now even MORE dependent on foreign oil than ever before. This is an inexcusable dereliction of duty at the federal level of our government.

Yet we have before us all the pieces, all the resources, and all the possibilities of clearly and rather easily succeeding with America establishing energy independence. All it takes is leadership and a committed national plan. Further, this plan would not cost the American people more for energy costs as currently claimed, but significantly less. Still further, the path to achieving it would create jobs and be a major boon to the economy. I would venture to say that a small group of bright college students could put a comprehensive, well thought out plan together, yet our federal government has failed with this vital issue for over 30 years!

The United States should embark immediately on the path of energy independence and cease our dependency upon foreign oil. The path to achieve this should include conservation, seeking alternate sources of energy such as natural gas, solar energy, wind generated energy, hydroelectric power, and responsible nuclear power, environmentally responsible coal energy...as well as new technology sources.

The gigantic opportunity, however, rests with responsibly tapping into the VAST amounts of oil readily available to us within our borders and off shore. We have within our borders many multiples of our needs for oil, far into the future. We have in our grasp the ability to cut off completely, that means 100%, of all of our dependence on foreign oil!

Information readily available from the US Geological Service, and the Energy Information Administration, show that over 503 billion barrels of oil are available from North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana...a reserve worth in excess of $5 trillion. There is an estimated 2 trillion barrels of oil available in the Rocky Mountains. There is another 896 million barrels of untapped oil in Alaska. All of this is within our borders. In addition, there is no doubt that offshore there are additional 2 million barrels per day available, some think much more. What in the world are we doing as a country? Where is the leadership? Where is the plan?

Not only is energy independence for years to come within our grasp, it will create jobs, be a major, major boon to our economy, and will cost homeowners and the American people significantly less (contrary to what we are being told today) and increase our standard of living. By the way, if we embark upon a national committed plan of energy independence, watch how fast OPEC and all those who are currently manipulating our energy costs scramble to lower costs in an effort to deter us.

The goal should be to reach energy independence within 10 years. We need the leadership and a national commitment to achieve this. It is extremely doable to accomplish this. It is time that the American people stand up and demand this. We need to start NOW. IMMEDIATELY.

Unbelievable Hypocrisy

The media, the NAACP, and many others from the left called the Tea Parties racist with full knowledge that it wasn't true. They looked for any signs that they could find, anything at all, that might be associated with "radical" . They then used this to try to make it appear that the whole Tea Party movement is radical. Nancy Pelosi stood there in tears, frightened of the outcome. President Obama called for "civility". The media reported it. Yet the American people held on and knew better.

Yet here we are in Wisconsin where people, organized by union leadership, are being stirred up and used. Radical, inflammatory, and uncivil signs are everywhere...and not just a few...many. One shows a target on the face of Governor Scott Walker, another images him as Hitler, another as Mussolini, another calling him a Communist, and many, many more as radical as you can get. People shout out hate talk, almost foaming at the mouth. "Doctors", in violating their medical profession, give out phony excuses for absence from work. State legislators, who apparently don't believe in democracy, act like cowards and hide out in Illinois.

Where are Nancy Pelosi's tears? Where is President Obama's cry for civility? Where is the media that seemed so intent on reporting the faux radicalism of Tea Parties?

Never before have we seen such blatant hypocrisy in America.

USA Today Poll on Union Issue Questioned

If the Muslim Brotherhood conducted a poll and reported that the people of the world favored Islam as a religion, that would have as much credibility as a USA Today / Gallup Poll saying that the "Public favors union rights". (USA Today Feb. 23, 2011) It is no secret that many of the "polls" conducted by the main stream media, including USA Today, are used to influence public opinions, and even influence elections. A former executive of Gallup in a book revealed how polls can definitely be influenced to obtain a desired result.

In the USA Today / Gallup Polls we don't know specifically WHAT QUESTIONS were asked and HOW they were asked, and in WHAT CONTEXT. We also don't know WHO was asked and if, indeed, they are a representative sampling of the population. Oh yes, we know about sampling plans and statistics, but we are talking about the complexities of sampling human beings here, not widgets off a production line.

Given the above, the American people should think about the following. According to the US Census the 2008 voting age population of the United States was 226 million people. The USA Today / Gallup Poll that was conducted on the union issue supposedly polled 1,000 people. We don't know the answers to the questions above on how the poll was conducted. Add to that the extreme complexity of polling human beings (not widgets). Add to that the known fact that USA Today WANTS the result to turn out as they claim. Then think about the fact that the polling sampled 1,000 people out of 226 million or 0.000004, or .0004 % of the voting age population!

Before anybody in America puts faith in the USA Today headline, "Public favors union rights" they should think about the above. A great disservice to America is being done by these types of polls and claims. Especially since just the opposite may very well be true.

Heroes Emerging at State Level

While we have a federal government that has abdicated its responsibilities, more recently there has been an emergence of a number "hero" governors at the state level. Chris Christie in New Jersey, has taken a state in financial shambles and has begun to bring it back to fiscal reality. With the absence of the federal government doing anything about the dangerous anarchy at our southern border, Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona has had the courage to enact state legislation to begin to deal with illegal immigration that threatens her state. Governor Cuomo of New York has begun to attack the financial crisis in that state. In New York this, in particular, takes a lot of courage. The same is true of Governor Jerry Brown of California who at least is starting to deal with the massive financial crisis in that state. Let's see if they have the guts to carry out what is necessary.

Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin has necessarily taken on the unions to deal with the financial crisis in that state. Governor John Kasich of Ohio has begun to deal with the financial crisis in his state.

The American people, for many years now, have LONGED for and have been looking for leadership to do...not what is politically correct, not what is popular...but to have the courage to do what is right. We have several leaders who are now emerging at the state level who are demonstrating the courage to do just this. They are heroes.

In spite of the biased media coverage that attempts to convey a different impression, the VAST majority of Americans support these "hero" governors and what they are attempting to accomplish.

FANS FIRST Distribution of Super Bowl Tickets

Ray Anderson
Executive Vice President of Football Operations
The National Football League
280 Park Ave # 12W
New York, NY 10017

Dear Mr. Anderson: The Following is proposed:

A "FANS FIRST" Distribution of Super Bowl Tickets - The Way It SHOULD Be Done

It has been well documented how each and every year season ticket holding fans of participating teams get screwed out of their opportunity to acquire tickets to the Super Bowl through the NFL. These are the fans that make professional football what it is today; these are the fans that week after week, through thick and thin, through cold weather, snow, rain...or whatever the conditions... faithfully support their team. Their thanks for this is a total screwing by the NFL and by the NFL owners. It has been shown, and proven, how only approximately 20% or less of the available tickets are actually made available for season ticket holding fans of the participating teams. This means that over 80% of the tickets are distributed elsewhere.

Here is what should be done:

65% of the available tickets should go to the participating teams, 32.5% to each team. Of those 30% MUST be made available to season ticket holding fans of each team through a 3 day lottery where the fans would have to make a financial commitment within those 3 days. If there are any tickets left over they would go to the team and / or to the NFL. The 30% that are made available for season ticket holding fans should be some of the best seats in the stadium. This would demonstrate true appreciation for the fans that make the game of professional football.

5% of the 65% available tickets distributed to the teams above would be for the coaches, players, and team choices; 2.5% for each of the participating teams.

35% of the available tickets would be available to the NFL to use as they choose.

The NFL has the responsibility to do everything possible to keep tickets out of the hands of scalpers and the continuing and escalating outrageous prices that they ask for.

If the NFL really cares about the game of football and the fans that make it, this should be done.

Letter to NFL on Super Bowl Ticket Fiasco

February 16, 2011

Ray Anderson
Executive Vice President of Football Operations
The National Football League
280 Park Ave # 12WNew York, NY 10017


Dear Mr. Anderson:

Still another year that the loyal season ticket holders of participating teams get screwed when it comes to acquiring tickets to the Super Bowl. Each team playing in the Super Bowl was allocated 17.5 percent of the roughly 100,000 seats in Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. The Cowboys received 5 percent and the remaining 29 teams received 1.2 percent of the seats (29 X 1.2.). The league distributed the other 25.2 percent. What actually occurs is that the teams place a lower percentage of their 17.5% allocation toward a lottery for season ticket holders. Teams use some of their allocation for players, coaches, sponsors, big money people, and celebrities. They are often secretive about how many tickets actually go into a lottery for season ticket holding fans. These are the people who sat through cold and blistery weather in Green Bay and Pittsburgh in support of their team. As an example, generously, I would guess that about 10% or 10,000 tickets went into the lottery for each team. (My research has shown in the past it was MUCH less than this.) That means that over 80,000 tickets (80%) went to those other than season ticket holders. This should NEVER be.

Now these same loyal fans, if they wished to attend the Super Bowl in support of their teams were stuck with paying anywhere from an average price of $4,000 a ticket, upwards to $30,000! Isn't it interesting that scalpers ALWAYS seem to get plentiful tickets, in fact they are so confident that they advertise tickets sales weeks in advance to the game. The fact is the NFL system is set up to feed the scalpers the Super Bowl tickets each and every year. Face value of the tickets runs from $600 to $1200, yet they charge many multiples of these numbers.

The "celebrities" at the Super Bowl should be the season ticket holders of the participating teams, but they are last on the list. Taking precedent over them are coaches, players, sponsors, big money people, celebrities, and of course, scalpers.

Year after year the NFL and owners receive complaints over Super Bowl ticket distribution. You have demonstrated over and over that you could care less.

We Are Being Fooled in Egypt

For now the Muslim Brotherhood are playing it low key, saying they aren't interested in politics and running the government...that they are "secular" and more. All of this is being done to relax the United States and Europe, and to fool the media which is easy to do since this is already their agenda. Yet within two years Egypt will be transformed into a radical Islamic theocracy, just like Iran and fiercely opposed to the United States.

As we sit idly by thinking one thing, being fooled due to a major failure of our foreign policy and intelligence, the mid east will become totally destabilized. There will be a major threat to our ally, Israel, with the probability of a world war as more mid eastern countries turn toward radical Islam. It is already happening, yet we allow the media to have us think otherwise. Our federal government, under the Obama administration, doesn't have a clue. They believe only what they WANT to believe...or what they WANT the American people to believe, not the truth.