Musings of a Dumb Ass

Musings of a Dumb Ass...... Today I experienced my first $40.00 tank of gas. I know most regular folks passed this milestone long ago, but I have one of those small pick-up trucks that does about 27 mpg on the highway and over 20 mpg as I command my universe in my small world. I don't know what the true capacity of the gas tank is, but the most bone dry condition I've ever ventured to never went beyond 15 gallons at the pump to fill it up. There are those who fervently hope to see fuel return to the paltry $2.00 range it was such a short time ago, but I say " All of you will go by the wayside along with those who have wished for lower prices all the way back to minus .30 cents a gallon which I remember well." It ain't gonna happen folks. Not now, not ever. There are reasons for our government not forcing a rollback of prices. I've never particularly believed the Government engineered prices so much, as many of my friends do, I simply believe the government would be injurious to itself and all the social gimme programs that have kept the politicians so employeed if it suddenly became concerned about your pain over higher costs of living. No, Dumb Asses, the politicians answer to easing your pain will NEVER.... repeat NEVER be to roll back prices. Instead, the answer will be to increase wages, and that will happen beginning soon. I predict some well known elected saviour will be calling for an increase of the minimum wage pretty quick, and as the ignoramus damn fools we've always been, we'll cheer that idea on, which as a whole is how we've arrived at such unbelieveable prices and a government in our faces 24-7 chipping away at what made us Americans to begin with. No, before some flapping lips not connected to a brain begins supposing I think there's something wrong with poor folks and the working man doing well, be advised I remember a time when poor folks and working men kept a hell of a lot more of the earned wages than they do now. It was when a family man worked for a dollar an hour. We are tuned to always think more is better, but not so. At a dollar an hour so many years ago, a family mans withholding, assuming he carried say, 4 dependents, husband, wife, and 2 children, would find his deductions for all state federal, and local taxes to be less than 4% on his weeks labor. Those who have no memory might say "I certainly wouldn't want to go back to that"! and remain content to pay sometimes up to 37-38 percent and more of their wages through withholding, unable to realize the one dollar an hour counterpart from so long ago bought new automobiles that paid out in two to three years, and homes that paid off in their lifetimes, and mostly paid for health care out of pocket, visiting doctors and hospitals who served them well. Soooo..... enough of this.........!!!! What has driven such a nice guy as myself to these stupid opinions? And why isn't the answer just 'more pay'? Because folks, more pay in the end only goes to the government and you, the worker, will actually get less for your money, even though rest assured, your paychecks will be getting larger soon, and you'll be able to pay the probable $3.49 or so a gallon that it will surely be, much easier, and the only thing to worry about will be what to do when it gets to 5 or maybe 6 bucks a gallon, which it will, plus. So what's my basis for such an unfeeling position on the entire inflationary spiral? And how could I possibly not want the poor folks (me and my neighbors) to not do better and have relief? To be sure, I do want better times, but More is not Better. The example I'll use will be your social security withholding from your pay check, and the formula will have some simularities to all your withholding. Here 'tis, boys and girls, pay attention now. If today's 6 dollar an hour wage earner is raised to 12 bucks an hour, which WILL happen over the next few years (remember, it ain't been so long ago that the six buck guy only made three!!!), the withholding for social security on the wage earners part PLUS the equal contribution of their employers amounts to 15.3% in total, or at $240.00 a week at 6 bucks an hour will tally out at $36.20 each week. When the politicians save us from disaster and get those lowest wages up to 12 dollars an hour then the worker/employer will pay$72.40 on the $480.00 earned by the lowest paid worker in America. The government has created twice as much flowing into the treasury as before without doing anything except 'letting it happen'. Then.......... if they can lie to you about inflation, and make you believe it........... the inflation figures for the first quarter of 2006 are now in and they are admitting 2% excluding food and gas, that means in the end there will be only about a 4% cost of living increase on the social security checks in January next year and 'voila!!! Social security will get a mysterious shot in the arm!!!!............. all ya' gotta do is believe!!!!!!........... and they'll give you a lift right into oblivion giving more of what you don't have away. Truth folks!!!! It won't set you free, but you'll at least understand the screwing you're getting,......... and perhaps you'll take charge of your country again. But, sadly, probably not. We deserve whatever we get.............