Colorado Tornadoes

Weld and Larimer Counties were hit by a series of tornadoes yesterday. Since we live in southwest Weld County, friends and family have contacted us to make sure that we are okay. Fortunately, the tornadoes were to the northeast of us, however, one did touch down in Dacono, about 8 miles from us. The Denver Post has some good coverage of the weather event.
Interactive Site
Article

Obama Video

I have been trying not to deluge you with too many Obama posts, but this is all that I am really interested in at this time. This election is just too important. Here are a couple of videos that are worth watching.

75,000 People at Rally in Portland

Foreign Policy Speech in Montana

The Root of this Blog

Back in February of 2005, I started this blog. As I noted in my very first post, my friend Colin gave me the idea to start this thing. I barely even knew what a blog was at the time. Well, Colin stopped blogging for awhile, but now he has started again. Here is a link to his new site.

Iraq Corruption

Aid that the US has given to Iraq to fund the new government has been siphoned to fund Shiite militias that have fought and killed US soldiers. Plus, the current administration has done little to investigate or prevent such corruption and the waste of taxpayer dollars. Disgusting.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080512/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_iraq_corruption
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-waxman5nov05,0,3402211.story
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-10-25-dems-rice-iraq_N.htm

Junktown Geniuses

There are some real smart folks back in my hometown.

90210 Remake

Despite the impossibility of living up to the original, there is apparently going to be a Beverly Hills 90210 remake. Rob Thomas, one of the creators of Veronica Mars is going to helm the project. There are also reports that a brother and sister will have the last name Silver, but no word on any relation to David Silver. Another report names one of the characters as Hannah Zuckerman-Vasquez. Yup, Andrea and Jessse's kid. Thomas wants Jennie Garth to come back as a fashion teacher, but she may be signed on to another project. Also, Tori Spelling wants a role, but no one has contacted her yet. It could be good, but nothing can measure up to the original.

Debunking the Gas Tax Holiday

Both Senators McCain and Clinton have stated that they support a suspension of the federal gas tax from Memorial Day to Labor Day. This tax is approximately $0.18 per gallon of gasoline. At first glance, this looks like a nice little break at the gas pump, however, this break is about political pandering for votes and not about smart policy. As it turns out, it is gas producers and retailers who pay this tax, and there is no guarantee that this savings would be passed down to consumers. I have read and heard estimates that this "tax holiday" would likely amount to a total savings of $18 to $30 for the consumer. One side of effect of this suspension is that it would take money away from construction projects to improve the condition and safety of our transportation infrastructure. (Have people already forgotten about the I-35W Mississippi River bridge collapse last August?) This would then create a decrease in the amount of construction, an industry already hit by the housing crisis, and cause a loss of jobs (up to 300,000 according to a Newsweek article). I don't know about the rest of you, but it just doesn't sound worth it to me. Obama's solution to ease the burden at the pump is to create a permanent $1,000 tax rebate for working families. Here are some other articles with more information on the gas tax holiday.

www.taxpayer.net
Newsweek
Washington Post 1
Washington Post 2
New York Times