Life on the Road – Trucking News Blog

Here comes Sara..if you have not heard – Palin – the former Republican VP nominee, resigned today as Governor of Alaska effective July 25th. What an interesting day to make the announcement as the mainstream media and many Americans were “out of the office” preparing to enjoy the 4th. I, of course, as a dedicated professional OTR trucker, am working this “holiday” weekend – headed to Long Island NY with a load of steel for a new Baptist church – as well as bringing you this breaking news.

According to The New York Times: “Ms. Palin’s announcement was another unusual marker in what has been a tumultuous year for this first-term governor since Senator McCain turned her into a national figure over night by shocking his own party and naming her his running mate. It also underscored the instability within the Republican Party as it tries to find a strategy and voice in the wake of losses in 2008.”

However, there has got to be more to all this than Governor Palin is letting on. Believe me. the “whole” story has yet to be told. Bottom line is that Palin is potentially worth mega-bucks, yes millions, as a nationally syndicated radio or television talk show host.

Hannity, Limbaugh, Ingraham and others have become rich as “unofficial” mouth pieces of the conservative right. In July 2008, The Drudge Report said that “Limbaugh signed a contract through 2016 that is worth over $400 million.” Howard Stern’s Sirius deal was reportedly worth $500 million! Limbaugh is not getting any younger or thinner and Stern, for now, remains on board the sinking Sirius/XM “Titanic” satellite radio ship. Palin could easily command similar numbers and potentially could have a larger audience with much more desirable demographics. Just recently, Palin signed a highly lucrative book contract rumored to be in the $7-11 million dollar neighborhood. Her salary as Governor is approximately $125,000 per year.

Again from The New York Times: “Take the words of General MacArthur,” she said. “He said, ‘We’re not retreating. We are advancing in another direction.’ ” Later in the afternoon, as questions reverberated around Republicans circles about what exactly she intended to do, she posted a notice on her Twitter site, reading: “We’ll soon attach info on decision to not seek re-election … This is in Alaska’s best interest, my family’s happy … It is good, stay tuned.”

You can read Palin’s remarks at http://gov.state.ak.us/ and The New York Times piece is at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/04/us/politics/04palin.html?hp

Photo credits: http://mikeresponts.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/laurai61.jpg, lounge.cigarfamily.com, kps186media flickr.com

Quoting Saul Anuzis:

“ABC News is giving away somewhere near $50 Million dollars in airtime to President Obama to promote his government take over of your medical decisions. The producers have refused, in writing, to air the Republican or conservative point of view–they have even refused to run a paid ad during the program…”

There’s more.

You’ve been being told for a long time that the media had turned on the American public, some more than others. When someone makes the statement that ABC news is “in bed” with Barack Hussein Obama, you can take it literally. These so called members of the press, are now the “official” news source for the White House and all its twisted dealings.

I suggest that this is just one more example of the Obama administration paying off major players in the DNC’s desperate drive for the Oval Office. Its also the typical bias used by both Obama and the Main Stream Media to  “lie by omission” about things that effect us all.

As planned, Obama will present, as truth, his socialist agenda for YOUR heath care. There will be no oversite, no transparency, no opposing viewpoints will be allowed and a large part of the American public, will stand there bleating, drool dripping from their Koolaid stained lips and believe every word they hear (or don’t hear) as planned by President “Hope and Change” Mr. Transparency himself, Barack Hussein Obama.

Well OK, I doubt “he” planned it. He has “handlers”, There are people being paid to do that, he just presents it. Then he presents the next outrage, then the next.

This time we’re fighting back.

Twitter and Facebook, the big guns of social media, are being brought to bare.

Tweet-4-Truth: Fact Checking A “News” Media Run Amok

Read it, join it, promote it, defend it and when the time comes, TAKE PART in it.

Or forever, shut your mouth.

Comrade.

t

During conversation and when writing I often say “Back before the Democrats wrecked the Economy”.  That is a true statement.  It is, however, not the WHOLE truth.  To explain everything would take a vast amount of time, even if I did understand it which I don’t pretend that I do.

What I do understand, or think I do, is this.

Some while ago, back before the Democrats wrecked the economy, the democrats were WORKING on wrecking the economy.  With the best of intentions of course.  They were doing many things at once. One thing they were doing was called the Community Reinvestment Act.  This goes a long way back, maybe before Clinton , perhaps even to Carter.  What it did was to force the banks to lend money to people who were a HUGE credit risk.  The  stated purpose was to buy homes. Incidentally a lot of “officials” became wealthy..purely coincidental I’m sure.

Very upstanding and all.  People should have homes.  Should it matter that they can’t afford them?  It didn’t seem so.

While this was going on serious “stuff” happened overseas.  The Soviet Union collapsed for one.  Less publicized was China.  To make a long story short China became more capitalist and finally got it’s economy going.  Similarly so did India. We’re talking several Billion people here.

The emerging economies of China, India, Indonesia and to some extent Russia caused a demand for energy.  Over time this demand grew. It grew dramatically.

Now skip back to the United States.  Recall the term “SubPrime Lending”.  This was a carry over from the Community Investment Act.  It get’s really complicated (perhaps purposely so) and government agencies such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mack and various Politicians figure prominently.  The upshot of it is that there was all this money,in the form of mortgages,  just sitting there. Read the rest of this entry »

On their new web site http://www.gmreinvention.com and on some new commercials released nationally, G.M. (Gubberment Motors) will try to explain and convince us of all the new changes that will take place under the “watch” of their new Lord and Master, Obama.

They present a most convincing argument, unless of course, you have been paying attention.

I was paying attention.

I currently own, with the bank, a Ford. Had Ford taken “bailout” money, the dealership would have found my new car in their driveway the next morning. (Credit be damned) I also own a Dodge Dakota, I paid cash for this one a few years back, its MINE.

I will not consider, under any conditions, ANY new GM product and I would have to almost steal a pre-owned one. But then, I would not want to advertise for GM in any way.

Because they took taxpayer money, the same goes for Chrysler.

The jury is still out on Ford.

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Here I sit in Oklahoma.

Back around the first of May, I had a medical issue that forced me into emergency surgery followed by a six week convalescence (6 DAMN WEEKS!)

I’ve observed something political that I “KNEW” but have not really articulated.

I come from a family of Democrats,  NO Really!

Those of you that know me or have read my personal blog, are saying to your self; “he’s drunk again, there is NO WAY he comes from a Democrat family”.  “He will attack a liberal at the drop of a hat!”

You’re right, I will, I have been known to start political donnybrooks in the most unlikely of places and have even been known to scream at a TV in a truck stop when  Hussein or his racist wife are speaking. (The TA in Portage IN for one… sorry guys)

Liberals are not Democrats, never have been.

My mom and Dad have been Democrats all their lives. Partisan to the extreme for a long time; Strait party voting Democrats.

I don’t agree with strait party voting anything. Of course, that’s “my” business.

Now here I am in Oklahoma, (The Old Country for my German/Dutch/Native American family)

Oklahoma, the only solid “RED” state in the country. The State that reminded Hussein and his thugs what the word “Sovereign” means. And passed laws to ensure it.

Oklahoma. I’m here because I work for an Oklahoma trucking company. I stayed  here cause I have family that insisted that I remove myself from that crappy motel the company put me in and take an empty room at their place.

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There were two murders the other day.  They have political significance and are instructive in regards to how one should view the news media.

First from the Associated Press.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A man with “political and religious motives” killed a soldier just out of basic training and wounded another Monday in a targeted attack on a military recruiting center, police said. The shootings were not believed to be part of a broader scheme.

Next from the New York Times…

WICHITA, Kan. — George Tiller, one of only a few doctors in the nation who performed abortions late in pregnancy, was shot to death here Sunday in the foyer of his longtime church as he handed out the church bulletin.

Let me summarize.

In Little Rock Arkansas a couple of spankin’ new privates were standing outside the recruiting station, perhaps having a smoke.  We all know that smoking isn’t allowed indoors so one must stand outside and be a target.   They had just recently graduated from Basic and were participating in a program  to attract  “new recruits” to the Army.  As they were standing there a Muslim saw them, drove up…and shot them both.  One died.
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I remember, back before the Democrats destroyed the economy, and I was a high school student, I went on my first date.  Well maybe not the FIRST date but one of the first.  As it happens I later married the gal.  At any rate, my finances were, shall we say, limited.  We went “dutch”. I paid for the fuel (about a dollar, we were on a motorcycle) and she paid for the food (less than a dollar, we went to a burger joint). Yes,in the sixties, when the dollar was still worth something, two people could eat well for a dollar. (hamburgers and fries $.35, cokes $.05.  free refills)

Compare  that to what Obama did the other day.  Depending on who you want to believe he and she went thru a million dollars. On a date. The foreign news  are paying much closer attention than is our own news media organizations.  Why is that?

I realize that comparing what a hardworking, teenage, middle american couple of the sixties did to what a …..er…..to what .. ….ummmm.

…..to the current occupant of the whitehouse is NOT a valid comparison.  But stilll,  A million dollars on a DATE?

That’s GOT to raise a few flags.  Doesn’t it?

Me and the wife are staring bankruptcy in the face and it’s not a pretty sight, as are countless other families.  Millions of workers in America have lost their jobs, their homes, their automobiles.  Increasingly millions more are going hungry. The nation is threatened by foreign nations acquiring  atomic weapons, (Iran and North Korea).  The world health organization says that the  world is on the brink of a devastating pandemic.  Al Gore and Jim Hansen are almost panicy with terror regarding climate change and global warming. Muslims are shooting down american service men….in Little Rock Arkansas. General Motors went Bankrupt, Chrysler went Bankrupt.   And on and on and on.

BAD things are happening.   Really, really bad. (if you believe the Main Stream News Media)

So the President takes his wife on a date and in the process spends a million dollars.

In one night.

A. Million. Dollars.

What does this say about him?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Playboy writer Guy Cimbalo wrote an piece of trash called; “Top 10 Conservative Women We’d Love To Hate F**.”

And Playboy.com PUBLISHED IT!

After an almost immediate response by women’s groups, Playboy PULLED the article, but the damage is done.

Unsurprising to me, none of the women’s groups ticked off about this, are so called “Feminist Groups”. Today, Feminists are not about women, but about the promotion of liberal sniveling.

I’m done, I leave you with the links to the kind of gals I like the most and the ones standing up for all women, even the ones that support this kind crap.

First a link to my friend Tabitha Hale, over at Pink Elephant Pundit “Playboy Publishes Rape Fantasy List”

Then, more important, A press release from Smart Girl Politics. “SGP Condemns Playboy Article”

Lets see if Playboy can “Man up” and Apologize for allowing an idiot to spew hate through their pages. Maybe even force Cimbalo to apologize, IN WRITING.

Or find a new place to preach his message of Hope. (Hate)

Gentlemen, reach back there in the bunk and toss that Playboy where it now belongs.

The trash can.

t

Its enough to make you wonder if the clean water and fresh air they’re getting with all of the environmental regulation has maybe cleared some fog from the brains of State legislatures: Both Minnesota and Ohio have actually passed-and their governors have signed-legislation that makes it considerably more bearable to truck their respective states.

With a law going into effect June 9th, Minnesota now gives you the extra ten miles an hour needed to actually pass another vehicle without risking a speeding ticket. Time was, the local cops would give you the leeway for those extra few miles an hour as long as it was just for passing purposes. Recently, state legislators have been fielding calls from constituents saying they were ticketed for that little burst of extra speed and decided that, in the interest of smooth traffic flow, they should make it legal.

So, on any highway with a speed limit over 55 mph, you can now kick it up to pass. Not actually afterburner speed, but it should really make some of the two-lanes more enjoyable. And, just to make sure we don’t get too incredibly happy over their magnanimity, they will now add seatbelt use to primary enforcement. So, click it or ticket-but at least you can get around Harold and Enid out for their Sunday drive.

And, Ohio has finally done the unthinkable and raised the truck speed to 65 mph as of July 1st. You had to know the time had finally come when they raised the Turnpike speed in 2004. Given the speed at which most legislatures work – except for when raising their pay – I’m amazed at the speed with which they did this. It only took five years. Finally! I can now quit saying “Sloooo-hio!”

Legislators said they decided that having all vehicles at a uniform speed might make the highways safer. However, at the same time they were claiming the benefits of uniform speed limits, they raised the passenger vehicle speed limit to 70 mph! Reason? They didn’t want the cars to have to get ‘stuck’ behind the trucks!

I’d never make a legislator-my mind simply won’t think like that!

I got up this morning.  As is my custom the first thing I did was drink copious amounts of very strong coffee and light up a ceegar. And read the news.

Generally reading the news is one of the last things I do before I go to sleep the night before, and the first thing I do in the morning when I wake up.  Internet addiction does that to you. I’ve been doing this for years now.

I feel that I’m fairly “up” on current events, politics, and especially new technology.  In an “overview” sense rather than in an “in detail” sense.  In other words I scan a lot of headlines relative to the number of articles I actually read.

Last night, among other things,  I read about the “California Tax Revolt” as well as Obama’s declaration from on high that all new cars must average 42 miles per gallon.  Never mind that that will increase the safety hazard dramatically and insure a huge increase in traffic fatalities.
In Louisana a man was stopped for having an “extremest” bumper sticker.  “Dont tread on me”….duh…where have I heard THAT before?

In Arizona the EPA States that “

“Schools that do not contain asbestos-containing material must still
develop a management plan that identifies a designated person and
includes the architect’s statement or building inspection and the
annual notification to parents, teachers, and employees regarding the
availability of the plan.”

(NO ASBESTOS…yet all the paper work must be maintained as if there WAS asbestos.

Read the rest of this entry »