Here It Comes Again...

Anyone that picked up a paper or tuned in the news in the past several days has heard this all too often before.
Gas Prices Are Going Up.

And curiously enough, the rise in pricing follows right on the heels of one of Wall St's BEST days in years (actually a record). And are the motorists the recipients of this boon to the economy? Not by a country mile!

We're already seeing prices in excess of $3 a gallon (be happy it's not a LITER), and we're not even into the "real" season (Memorial Day through Labor Day). We're also hearing so many stories about "why" the prices are climbing.

"OPEC slowed production."
((funny, didn't hear anything about THAT))

"Oil companies are cleaning their pipes".
((and cleaning out my wallet))

"We're changing over from WINTER fuel to SUMMER fuel."
((fuel is fuel for Cripes sake...you just want more $$$))

"The CEO's sister's wedding is this weekend."
((I figured as much))

"The comapny dentist had a heart attack last Tuesday."
((and my heart skipped a beat when I saw the price at the pumps))

"Bin-Laden just farted."
((best reason I've heard all damn week))

Well, you get the idea...

We "could" bring back RATIONING (to hold prices down)...but NOOOOOooooo, that would (somehow) cut into the PROFITS those oil-mongering companies make, and we can't have the shareholders the least bit purturbed...can we? ((sure, why the hell NOT? I am right now...let's share the "wealth")) I mean if demand is THAT high...then portion it out so everyone gets a fair shake. It worked in the 70s to keep prices from sky-rocketing. It can work now. Funny thing is that the MIDWEST (along with the "left" coast) is feeling the price jump the worst. Amazing....simply amazing. EVERY time gas prices go UP...we get nailed the worst (far in excess of other parts of the nation)...could it be "price goughing"???

Of course this will hurt many that like to "get away from it all"...but others will simply thumb their (relatively wealthy) noses at all of this and do whatever they please. Personally, I like the idea of carrying a siphon pump attachment for my cordless drill and some lengths of tubing....got all the gas I would ever need. I wouldn't really do that, but rest assured there are those who WOULD do it... (Bob's First Rule of Security: Think LIKE the perps), and most likely WILL. To that, I can only recommend buying a LOCKING GAS CAP for your vehicle...pronto! There's nothing worse than filling up, then going shopping, only to find that on your way home you're out of gas AGAIN.

And with rising GAS prices comes another fun thing for Indiana...HIGHER PROPERTY VALUES (and the taxes they spawn). Seems we can't quite have ONE without the OTHER these days, can we? This "Annual market Trending" bull$hit is just that.....BULL$HIT!!!
According to Webster's:
TREND: (vt) - to extend in a general direction
or - (n) - a general line of direction or movement

Well if THAT is true, then *my* property value should be going DOWN...and it isn't (because the general direction of MY neighborhood sure isn't in the UPWARD persuasion). Interestingly enough, Allen County assessor Stacey O'Day states that these rates are based on BUDGETARY NEEDS.....OHHHhhhhh...Now I see, said the blind man, as he picked up his hammer and SAW!

SO..."if" the city, county or state needs more of MY money, then my property is worth MORE to them (as a homeowner)...I get it. It's got nothing to do with other houses in the area that are falling down around us, or the fact that my property is actually not worth as much as "they" say it's worth, but they're going to say it anyway. Boy, if that's not a f$cked up methodology, I don't rightly know WHAT is. Of course all of you living in better areas are going to pay MUCH more....so get out the Vaseline...you're gonna need it.

Whether it's at the gas pumps...or on the homefront, you can always be sure of one thing:

We ARE going to get boned....