Let me ask you something KEND...Are you retarded? Seriously...Did you at some point suffer from a lack of oxygen to the brain??? We do not have cheap GAS! From about 1981 to 1990/91 we had cheap gas...I remember because I raced motorcycle during that time and use to pay .89-.99 cents a galllon. And that was right here in warm and sunny Florida. Then the first illegal invasion of Iraq occured and prices went above 2.00 per gallon. By 95/96 it settled back a bit; about 1.75 a gallon but increased to over 2.00 by the end of the 90's.
Enter Mr G.W. Bush the prodical son...had to start his war w/ Iraq, and of course there was Hurricane Katrenia...Gas prices (trend) have increased drastically in a short 10 year time period. Today I payed 3.68 per gallon.
Meanwhile wages are equal to that of the late seventies and the value of the dollar is worthless.
Now don't get me wrong; I don't expect gasoline to be 99 cents again - not unless the U.S. could produce at the same level of other oil bearing countries. But that can't happen...we don't have the resources on that level; and even if we did it would all go to exports...Again screw our own people just so some corporate boob can own two Benzes a Bentley, and a whole bunch of crap! And not pay taxes!!

Why - KEND - are you dismissive of expanding on our Wind and Solar Energy usage? Especially when there is over 30 years of evidence that shows it lives up to the standards and expectations of producing clean and sufficiant energy, and in the long run cost pennies compared to conventional energy. If you are 50 and older you may not "reep the benefits" but those younger sure will...And it is our turn to steer the ship.

Solar and wind power are not illogical nor do they have to be economically unattainable. True it does take funding to get things rolling, but what we do today regarding advancing our Solar and Wind Energy abilities will in the long run reduce the over all expense. Both Germany, and China have been proving this since the late '80s.

As I've said under other topics, if you don't like that the government can kill people, the first form of killing you should want to get rid of is the use of lethal force by the police, since it prevents due process in the judicial branch.

MMmmNACHOS says "I would be all for the Keystone Pipeline - KEND - if the end product was not going to be exported."

I wouldn't, for two reasons: (1) According to what I've heard on Democracy Now, scientists have claimed the Keystone Pipeline would be a major environmental disaster and the nail in the coffin for us on climate change. (2) We need to switch to more sustainable sources of energy and cut the fossil fuel habit, because the price is simply too high; in lives, not just dollars. - Alice I.W.

Count on it. Their sacred little death merchants will always be fat and happy as ticks no matter what happens to the rest of us suckers. - Alice I.W.

Both options are possible, but the first is most likely, so I voted yes. The defense budget seems to be their only concern, which should concern most Americans if they were enlightened as to the extent of the domestic cuts and how it would affect them personally.

You ain't kidden !!!

I too want to here answers and comments to the statements you make and questions you raise. I'd like to know the names of the Coporatist Puppets that dismiss the voice of the people and pander to their masters on Wall st.

FREE THE WEED!!!

It baffles me DanneMarc, and pissess me off, those who admit to having smoked marijuana in the past- like yourself - but are against legalization, be it for medical and/or recreational use, than turn around and admit they enjoy alcohol; a drug that is far far more addictive and offers a much greater aray of adverse health affects.

Now I do agree that "hemp" should be being used for all it has to offer. It is the most well rounded resources that we have been gifted. Yet the Feds - greesed by Dupont and others - wont release their strangle hold...You can't get high from hemp...You'd have to smoke a mountain of it and by that point you will have passed out with a raging headache.

But back to the legalization of scheduled one controlled substances; namely good ol marijuaña. Now I will state right here that I am BIG fan of the stuff...been so for 20 years after trying it - my first time - in cookies when I was 22. Yes you read that right I was a late bloomer compaired to the rest of my peers who were all token their brains out at age 15/16. Back then I was a jock and didn't have any interest in puffing the magic dragon, but nor did I have anything against those that did. Most of my friends back then did endulge in the joys of Mary Jane. But I did drink alcohol, and in mass quantaties...blackout drunk. It makes me quiver thinking about it...I'm surprised I survived...Should have died many times before I was 21; in fact 3 of my friends died from alcohol related accedents. Can't say the same for marijuana. I'd rather my son smoke a spliff than get stoned on whiskey. Don't get me wrong I am not against drinking...I even support lowering the legal age back to 18. my reason...At 18 you are considered a legal adult (period).

Bottom line we have wasted so much money and time demonizing marijuana to the point that it carries a much harsher punishment than rape or murder. We have made it so taboo that it is still more popular a drug amongst teens and adults. And we are so caught up in this Anti Drug/Zero Tollerance policy that we wont even allow it to be legalized for valid medical reasons.
I much rather recreationally smoke a joint any night of the week than go out drinking on a friday night. When I smoke I don't get stupid, I don't put myself or others in danger, I remember the night, and I am not a wastoid the next day.
In fact for me I enjoy the stran I have found; it is very smooth has a taste of wild berries and just eases my anxiety. No it doesn't resolve my day to day challenges, nor does it make the world a better place; but it does help me to focus, think, relax, and not fly outta control with rage and anxiety.

On the political/legal front; For more than 3 decades the U.S. government has wasted billions of dollars on the War on Drugs, sentenced hundreds of thousands to unnecessary prison sentences, created a bigger underground, and kept a black market alive and thriving.
In reality it's the mirror of Prohibition during the '20s. Crime rate went up, prisons became over crowded with noncriminals, and the black market thrived. Then the government got smart and abolished prohibition and legalized and regulated alcohol.

Hmmm? So what "is" our government up to!?!? Today their are more and more people, (tax paying voters) who are tired of the bullshit rehtoric that has looooong proven itself to be more "the problem" than what it was originally against. The War on Drugs is a complete failure in that it destroys more lives and does greater damage to our communities than good.
Yet there are still too many old and crusty career politicians that continue to support the federal drug statutes and the schedule one status of marijuana.

Time to clean house...Just Say Yes!

Obama's tone and many things he said in his SOTU speech sounded right, but that has happened before with his rhetoric. It gets him elected -- and then he meets with oil magnates for golf when protestors arrive on the White House doorstep.

Tar sands technology should be stopped 100%.

When the tar sands goo gets to Texas -- via train tanks used now or the proposed pipeline -- its REFINING STAGE in Texas makes pollution AND LEAVES VASTE QUANTITIES OF TOXIC WASTE BY-PRODUCTS BEHIND FOR US TO DEAL WITH after the refined product is shipped to foreign buyers.

Tar sands technology and tar sands profiteering are a losing proposition in everyway for people and the Earth, and it is just an avenue of further CORRUPTION -- environmental, societal and moral -- for those profiteers who are forcing it on us.

I think it is shameful that the largest concession the most visible activists like McKibben are calling for is no tar sands pipeline. For all we know, the pipeline was the extreme the industry could do without -- as developers often formulate their projects at the extreme end so they can bargain down to what they wanted in the first place, in this case, unfettered access to tar sands and shale 'oil mining' in Canada and the USA.

I guess the feeling I have is that the arguments on the environmental side are wishy-washy and I feel we are forever struggling for scraps of recognition along the fringes of these horrendous pollution-generating profiteering scams.

IT IS TIME TO BE AGAINST PROFITEERING SCAMS from the start -- and that includes all kinds of destruction and pollution.

The position should be taken that If the Mining Profiteers can't clean up the mining damage -- they can't perpetrate the mining damage; if their technology pollutes, they have to create a new technology that controls pollutants or is free of pollution or STOP what they are doing.

The era of petroleum, plastics and other oil by-products has got to come to a close because in a little over one hundred years, IT IS KILLING US AND THE PLANET.

The oil economy and the oil experiment failed. Period.

It is time to move on, not time to just be thrown scraps of acknowledgment by the media on the White House lawn, if that. All that effort in the demonstrations -- yet these wonderful folks are NOT ASKING FOR ENOUGH to make a difference for our kids' and the Planet's future.

How does that cliche go? The Profiteering developers are playing chess and these activists are playing checkers.

RaleighMom ~ You are absolutely correct. I can't argue with you. All your fears are well founded. However, we suffer from so many problems I simply suggest that these issues are secondary.

Personally, I can't agree with you more about guns. My neighbors were recently robbed twice in the last month. They are also the only family on our street I am aware of that have guns and a pit bull. Yet they were successfully robbed twice in one month. The first time someone broke into their house through an unlocked window while they were home. He searched their dressers looking for car keys before he was caught. He escaped before any guns were retrieved. Two weeks later, the mother was mugged right in front of their house. Once again the guns were useless. Guns do little good in our society. I couldn't agree more. However, dangerously mentally illl people walking around in society in my opinion is a far greater problem.

We merely suggest narrowing the spectrum of serious problems to those whose resolution will do the most toward remedying our seriously flawed Governmental system. We don't exclude other problems; but, rather put them on a back burner that will more easily be addressed when the larger problems are resolved. Sorry If that rubs you the wrong way. What is important is that we are all fighting for the same thing--a secure, strong and prosperous society. To succeed at that Noble goal we must act in unisom in the proper sequence of reforms to achieve the common goal in the most efficient manner.

Do any of you watch the 6:00 local news? Pretty much every single night we get stories of people, young and old, being shot and killed. We also get stories of 4 year olds killed by random bullets, once while they slept in their beds. There was another story of a 5 year old who had the bullet whiz past her head by about three inches while she slept soundly in bed. The reason you don't think it's an important story is because a numb-nut Congressman put language into a budget bill to kill any possibility of real research on gun violence. These are Raleigh stories: Newtown made all of us aware of the daily carnage due to guns.

President Obama is smart to respond to external events. It's pretty apparent, to everyone, that the pressure to do something about guns is coming from the American people more than anything. The gun nuts aren't just shouting out crazy stuff unchallenged anymore. The vast majority of Americans have had enough and want something done.

Immigration reform is also very smart. If we granted citizenship to every undocumented immigrant tomorrow, it would be very good for working people. Why? Because the majority of these people are working class people, who send their children to public schools. I've noticed (if you haven't) that these immigrants don't just join unions, they often become leaders. They have suffered at the hands of the private-prison corporations (who love our current system for detentions/deportations). They know that the U.S. lacks affordable housing. In other words, it's safe to say that their interests are OUR interests, because THEY ARE ALREADY A PART OF US!!! In fact, in most communities, they are de facto citizens who have been denied the right to vote. We should be yelling and shouting about this -- not arguing against letting them into our democracy. If our country benefits from the labor of these people without letting them vote, what do you think the 1% will want to do? They will want to move ALL working class people into that category. Rather than giving citizenship to undocumented immigrants, the 1% will want to move the rest of us into the "labor without voting," category. Anyone who isn't in the 1% should think long and hard about that.

Outback wrote: "I can't possibly respond fully to all that, other than to say that you and I are not so far apart in our views." Actually we are closer than you think. Perhaps even kindred spirits. I too believe in Reincarnation. I believe there is scientific evidence that backs up that theory. I also don't care to much for smoking pot. Haven't touched it in years. My concern is to legalize the plant for industrial uses only. I too prefer wine or Tequila in the evening. Sometimes just tea.

I also believe in a totally non humanoid God. I believe I met him once before being born. The memory is of a huge ball of cosmic energy with a conscience. It had complete reign over all time and space and if I remember correctly a wonderful sense of humor. The only way I could describe the feeling of being in its presence was complete natural euphoria. There is also a memory of knowing everything there is to know and complete understanding. This God can assume human form; but, it is not bound by the human experience. In fact, it can assume any form it wants. In it's presence you are not bound by the human experience either.

Also I don't believe in a "afterlife" in heaven as much as what you stated about the evolution of our spiritual essence into a non-carnal state. I could't have said it better myself. In "Heaven" you are only spirit; and, as such have no carnal motives at all. You also have no secrets because communication is telepathic and you know everything. The biggest issue in Heaven is boredom. Boredom is the price you pay for perfect euphoria. Nice trade!

I just turned 50; but, just like you love to vent my lifetime of frustrations for cathartic reasons. Don't worry, I won't be too judgmental and I'd be happy to "humor" you, Buddy. Hope you do the same. That's what we're here for. Enjoy the Holiday!

Peace

Campaign Finance Reform. Before ANYTHING can get done, this MUST be done. Unless and until elected representatives are free of the yoke of corporate campaign donations, all their efforts will be directed towards corporate profits rather than nation building. Any reforms attempted whilst corporations control how politicians vote, will be watered down or skewed towards corporate benefit rather than the common good of the country. There are a LOT of issues that our nation desperately needs to address. Most of these issues are the fallout from the pro-corporate policies implemented in the past 30-odd years since Reagan.

It's time to rebalance the benefits of our collective efforts. In the past 30 or so years, MOST of the growth in the economy has been sponged up by the upper 1%. It's time for the REAL "takers" to start paying their way, but the only way to implement this and other reforms is for REAL humans (NOT corporation type people) to regain control of the government. And the only way to do that is to end the corruption of campaign donations. Then and only then, can the obscenely misnamed "Citizens United" decision be overturned and other issues such as Anti-trust, Too big to fail, health, education, gun control, abortion, same sex marriage and a host of other issues be dealt with in a sensible manner.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE REFORM FIRST.