My two cents worth by G.B.:
All my life I’ve been told that its not the tires that need to be balanced it’s the wheels on your car, truck etc. This Scotsman will bet you his last dollar that if you buy a new automobile and right away you decide that you want a better set of tires on it. You have the money for the best. So you take it to one of the best known tire dealers to buy the best. You will be told that they need to be balanced.
Weren’t the wheels on the brand new car balanced? Who is getting to Who?
Just a point to think about.
G.B. Robertson
Gasoline Prices:
If President Obama’s new task force formed to investigate speculation and fraud in the oil market sounds familiar, that’s because it should. In 2005 and then again in 2006, Congress directed the Federal Trade Commission to investigate “price gouging”. The results concluded that there wasn’t any conspiracy to raise gasoline prices; higher costs were simply the result of supply and demand. In 2008, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission conducted a similar investigation and only uncovered one minor infraction. In 2009, a Federal Reserve study concluded that there was no correlation between speculation and commodity prices, and went on to say “commodity spot price changes are driven by world economic activity and financial investors are merely responding to these price changes”.
Speaking of commodities and the Federal Reserve, shouldn’t somebody look into the effects of the Fed’s loose money policy? Many experts attribute at least part of the rise in oil prices to the decline in value of the dollar versus global currencies. It’s not a mere coincidence that the price of oil is up almost exactly the same as gold, about 40% over the past year. But, take a look at silver – its doubled in price. What about wheat and corn – that’s right, doubled in the past year. Are speculators running rampant throughout all of our markets? Of course not. Global demand for commodities is up and the increased prices are exacerbated by the weak dollar.
The fact is that speculators, and the major oil companies, are easy targets for the President as he begins his re-election campaign. It may sound good to blame oil companies for high gas prices, and he may think its popular to suggest higher taxes on those companies. But, while the election rhetoric heats up, the facts show that major oil companies already pay 41% of their gross revenue to the federal government, compared to only 25% for the S&P 500 on average.
Seriously, politics aside, everybody should realize by now that gasoline is refined from crude oil, and we have to import almost 70% of our supply from foreign sources. We don’t set the price. How does anybody really think that tinkering with the U. S. tax code will have any effect on world oil prices? Shouldn’t it be obvious that we need to increase domestic supply? Does it make sense to take away tax incentives for companies trying to expand production here in the U. S.? Meanwhile, the President’s new task force along with his agenda to use taxpayer money to subsidize uneconomic sources of fuel and transportation won’t do anything to offset the high price of gasoline.
King Tomlinson
Port Lavaca
Quote Of The Century, Maybe Even The Millennium:
I can not positively identify the source. But it is from the Czech Republic. It has been attributed to High government officials and/or a newspaper editorial or “Letter to the Editor”:
“The danger to America is not Barack Obama but a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him with the Presidency. It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of an Obama presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to a depraved electorate willing to have such a man for their president. The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr. Obama, who is a mere symptom of what ails America. Blaming the prince of the fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince. The Republic can survive a Barack Obama, who is, after all, merely a fool. It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools such as those who made him their president.”
Who better than the Czechs to recognize an Elitist using Socialism to consolidate Totalitarian Power? Not only did they have their own home-grown Marxists after WWI, but they received the “Blessings of Socialism” from the German National Socialists under Adolf Hitler 1939 – 1945 and then a half-century of terror and tyranny in the name of world communism under the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, starting with “Uncle Joe” Stalin! I see a very frightening truth here. Our Democrat Party has been highjacked by the most radical elements of the Progressive/Liberal/Socialist/Communist (or whatever they want to call themselves today) Far-Left wing of American politics. They may pretend to be Democrats, but are Marxists and Alinskyites determined to destroy our Constitution, our industrial capitalist economy, and the US Dollar and install an International Socialist Totalitarianism based on theory and ideology that has failed repeatedly!
Bill Brayshaw, Seadrift
Actions behind the Community Center:
I would like to know which parents are bringing their kids out to the community center and then not supervising them. Last Sunday afternoon I went out there to hit some golf balls at the driving range and some kids had turned over the bucket of balls and scattered them about. I picked up over 200 balls. I know these kids had been brought out there by parents because most kids here in POC are to lazy to ride their bikes that far.
We put those balls out there for responsible people to use. If some youngster is serious about learning to hit golf balls and get interested in the game I will be glad to bring clubs and come out and help them. Until then parents please keep your children under control.
G.B. Robertson
Thank you:
Thank You to everyone that joined us in our Grand Opening Celebration. We had a great time, spent time with friends, family and made lots of new friends. A special Thank you to Donnie of Port O’Connor Rods for the great pigs and to all of you for the messages of well wishes for our success. If you were not able to join us we hope you can stop by for a visit real soon. We are open Tuesday through Saturday 8am to 5pm. Rose Stringo was the lucky winner of the Ice Chest and Cushion.
Thanks Again,
BB Upholstery LLC aka Becky & Bubba
People of Port O’Connor,
Thank you for the kindness your community showed my husband and myself while we visited the last week of March, 2011.
My husband was on his two week RNR from Basra, Iraq where he is stationed as a combat medic.
We spent three precious days in your town – falling in love with it and each other.
Please know how kind, considerate, warm and safe your community was to us.
We will always treasure those memories. We hope that when my husband returns from his tour this fall we may return. Until then, please know the peace and happiness you gave a soldier and his wife while we go through the hardest year of our 13 year relationship.
Warmly,
SGT & Mrs. James Kettner
The Dolphin welcomes letters from our readers on any subject that is of general interest to our audience. Letters should be 300 words or less (with exceptions at the Dolphin’s discretion). Letters reflect the opinion of the writer, and not that of Dolphin Talk staff, and we retain the right to determine suitability for publication. It is the policy of this newspaper to promote area interests: therefore, complaints against local businesses should be directed elsewhere. Letters must be signed and include day and evening phone numbers, which will not be published. Your name will be withheld upon request, but anonymous material will not be considered for publication.
Letters to the Dolphin:
Dolphin Talk P.O. Box 777
Port O’Connor, TX 77982
dolphin1@tisd.net