07 January 2008

Monday Musings...
If you're hoping for some blogospherical pablum to go with your coffee this morning, you can just..."fagedaboudit" (as we used to say in Philly-speak). We don't do that here (at least not that we can recall...lol).

Christmas season is now "officially" over since Epiphany has come and gone (6 January), so time to put ALL the lights and decorations AWAY for another 11 months, because I DO NOT want to see those damn icicle lights hanging from ANY of your houses in MAY (guess we'll have to acknowledge those "special kind of LAZY" people this year), OK? What we will do is point out societal inconsistencies, call to task those that require chastening, and (virtually) slap the hell out of those most in need of it. So buckle up.

--I usually don't bother with the "Cheers and Jeers" part of Saturday's paper...although the wife reads it religiously. But she brought to my attention something that's curiously duplicitous in nature. One of the "Jeers" was directed at a FWPD officer that apparently pulled over a woman's daughter for driving with her car's HIGH beams on. And after explaining WHY she was doing so, producing a RECEIPT from a local store with the NEW LOW BEAM headlights in the back seat as well, (just purchased and obviously on her way home to replace the faulty headlight) and being courteous to the officer, he goes and cites her ANYWAY.
Now aside from saying that she "was" (technically) in violation of the ordinance stating that PROPER VEHICULAR ILLUMINATION must be maintained as required, and after seeing the EVIDENCE that the girl INDEED was in the process of rectifying the situation with her inoperable light, why didn't the officer just give her a WARNING? I think some officer made a bad call when he "could" have made a citizen a friend.
So much for "community-oriented policing" program (which will the topic of a future post as to why that isn't working here), eh? I know with so much IN the girl's favor, I'd manage to see MY way clear of citing her (unless she was impaired, evasive, or "tweaked" in some manner). I say tear up the ticket. And the girl should come to court and argue HER side...period. But then again, in MY book, stones should only be busted when NEEDED. It was a poor call on the officer's part, and let me explain why I think so.
In MY neighborhood (here he goes again) , I have forwarded vehicle descriptions to the proper personnel in the FWPD (on a monthly basis for the past several years) in regards to vehicles that have CHRONICALLY failed to display proper vehicle illumination. And you know what? These SAME vehicles have NOT been cited (in some cases for YEARS) because they are STILL driving around with inoperable headlights, tail lights, running lights, and license plate bulbs, and even a few MISSING bulb assemblies (due to damage).
That alone makes the best case for MANDATORY VEHICLE INSPECTION by Indiana's DOT and/or BMV, doesn't it? And it would bring much needed revenue to the state's coffers. But it's not like I've EVER said that in the past here (oh wait... I HAVE said that in numerous posts - check the archives). Of course if all these vehicles WERE to be "cited", the NAACP would most likely be back on top of the FWPD like flies on you-know-what, because the people being pulled over (down here) would practically all be ETHNIC in nature. I don't call it "driving while black"...I call it driving while STUPID. And we all know we can't pick on THEM (for skirting the law) now, can we?

--Speaking of "special treatment" (or the lack thereof), Brad Baumgartner of the street department's leaf pickup "patrol" was called by some people up north (and out in Aboite) about the leaf piles resurfacing now that the snow has melted away. Brad says his department will get back on it soon, and get that FINAL pickup done, because he states the ONLY part of town that DID get all THREE pickups was the southern part of the city.(WTH????)
Excuse me, Brad...but if that is TRUE, then WHY have I (and the rest of MY neighborhood) ALL these piles of leaves that have sat since the LAST pickup (supposedly to occur in the first week of LAST December) STILL sitting around and rotting? We down here only had TWO pickups (October & November)...time for a remedial math course. Another case of the "haves" complaining and getting something done, and the rest just have to "live with it", while being ignored. Well maybe MY email to you, Brad, will shake the cobwebs loose, and you'll get a truck down HERE to make the THIRD leaf pickup (we were supposed to get) a reality, hmm? Or would you rather I rake ALL of them out into the street, and make a REAL mess of it all by clogging up the culverts?
Your choice, Bub.
((Editor's Note - As of 1030 hrs, my neighbrohood was beseiged with a SWARM of city workers and vehicles with but ONE intent - to REMOVE all the leaves from our area, so my hat's off to Brad Baumgartner for sending his "A-TEAM" down here to get it done...WTG, Brad...let's hope the rest of the city departments are as enthusiastic this year))

--Finally, a few thoughts on urban violence (I promise this will be a small can of worms). I was watching a History Channel program on the (what else?) "history" of the KKK, and I got to thinking about something very disturbing. Has anyone else made a connection between the way the Klan terrorizes while promoting their "message", and the way urban street gangs terrorize (and promote THEIR message)? Is the intimidation factor of the KKK and say, the Latin Kings, the Bloods, or even the "Seven Points" (a local gang in Fort Wayne) pretty damn SIMILAR in nature, while different in subject? Are their motives both the same, but with differing racial divisiveness? I'd have to say that street gangs are getting a "better rep" than the Klan ever has, and yet ANYTHING done by the Klan would get all the press, while inner city gang activity is played down a bit, except in cities where it's so blatantly out in the open even BLIND PEOPLE can see it.
Now don't get me wrong...I despise BOTH groups equally (how's that for embracing diversity?), and want absolutely NO part of either. But while the government has all but disbanded the Klan (less than 10,000 members nationwide that we know of), what is being done about street gangs (where in some cities the number of active members is well OVER 20,000)? At least the Klan is not supplying drugs to kids and funneling money to terrorist organizations for weapons and more drugs. And while having a black person hung (by the Klan or any other fringe group) is a heinous crime, what about all the crimes made BY blacks (in gangs or not) on other races, especially whites? That again is played down by the media...but statistics would show otherwise.
The "good" news is that black-on-black crime STILL has the highest frequency of occurrence (everyone else is breathing easier...I know). I sure hope all the "hate-crime" legislation is a TWO-WAY street. If this sounds a bit biased, so be it. I can only relate the truth from what I see, hear and experience on a daily basis in my little corner of the "ghetto". And I can say that if you're any other color than a shade of brown, expect to be intimidated, singled out, and most anything ELSE...except LEFT THE HELL ALONE (unless you're part of the white trash brigade that is an alcohol abuser, thief, or druggie...then they LOVE you...and want to spend time with you). That's what 10 years has taught me.
Still, there is one thing in ALL of this that we can always rely on, it's that we have way too many "two-edged swords" in the wrong hands, metaphorically-speaking.
Yeah...you just tell it's a Monday, can't you?
Have a good week...in keeping with the situation.

04 January 2008

Head 'Em Up - Move 'Em Out...


The first few days of 2008 have produced some interesting things in our little corner of the cosmos; some highly predictable, others...not so much.
For example, who'd have thought Obama and Huckabee would take the Iowa caucus (which in my opinion, means little)? Well, I plan to wait until "Kate Smith" is singing (which reminds me, to all you opera lovers - don't expect any *new* version of the 3 tenors...ain't gonna happen out of respect for the late Luciano Pavarotti).
Still, the first week of the new year might be a portent of THINGS TO COME (which was a damn fine movie starring Raymond Massey - 1936).
And I would never have dreamed that WANE on-air personality Terra Brantley would suffer a house fire which would devastate her residence (everyone got out OK...even the pet).
But I (and anyone else paying attention) COULD see the rising gas prices were on the horizon. Take a look around...we're back OVER $3 a gallon (makes one wish one's vehicle ran on MILK...at least THAT'S over fifty cents CHEAPER per gallon).
And with rising fuel costs comes.....(all together now, gang)...RISING FOOD COSTS. If it's not a frost hitting Florida and screwing with the citrus crops, it's the price to DELIVER anything and everything ELSE to our markets, so what I said LAST year about the domino effect is firmly in play with our economy THIS year (and if you regularly read this blog, you already KNOW that).
Speaking of FOOD...the NAFTA debacle stumbles on. Our "free trade" with Mexico includes (if you haven't already guessed)...CORN, along with dried beans (Mexico needs BEANS...gimme a break), powdered milk ( so much for the military getting their daily supplements...lol), and high fructose corn syrup (made from even more CORN...duh).
Now call be weird, but with all this CORN going south of the border, um....what exactly will be left to FEED our LIVESTOCK...or SUPPLY all those ETHANOL plants so we can have a "cheaper" form of fuel that provides less POWER per gallon than regular gasoline...or make freaking CORN FLAKES and FROSTED FLAKES for the masses HERE, in AMERICA??? (Another "chimp on the pony" moment, Mr. Heston?)
Never fear, though...Mexico is sending US stuff as well, like SUGAR (funny...that's what they USED to refer to HEROIN as, back in days of yore), as well as "certain horticultural products" (oh, so THAT is what they're calling all those wetback immigrants flooding into OUR country...glad they told us).
Nice to know Mexico is looking out for US, isn't it?
Still, it beats burning down all those slums in post-election KENYA, doesn't it?
Oh, and Ford is now the #3 auto-maker in this nation...Toyota has snatched the #2 spot from them, and is now gunning for the "Big Kahuna", namely GM. So I wouldn't sweat the fact that India's MATA car company (who will be unveiling their $2500 car at the Detroit Auto Show in a few weeks) is looking to buy out Land Rover AND Jaguar from Ford. What I would worry about is having CHINA send us some of THEIR cars (as soon as they get the emissions gig worked out). They're already sending us all the parts that GO INTO our vehicles as it is.
With all that going on, I did manage to find ONE thing highly unusual in my quaint little ghettoised neighborhood...BOTH recycling AND trash were picked up BEFORE 0700 hrs. And they didn't wake me up during EITHER process...simply A-frigging-mazing!
Like to see THAT trend continue (yeah, right...and I'm going to win the BIG lottery, become Fort Wayne's citizen of the year, AND be asked to serve on several of mayor Tom Henry's new committees by next week's end...bwahahahah)!
Well, one thing I CAN be sure of for 2008...the more things will CHANGE, the more they will STAY THE SAME.
Business as usual...the status quo...call it what you will, it's all inexorably coming to a town near you...like a jail on wheels.
And now...You know the news.
Do have a safe weekend.


03 January 2008

For Those That Refuse To Believe...
Be nice to have Sinclair Lewis sit in on this one. If having $100 a barrel oil prices, or high property taxes isn't shaking you from your complacency, perhaps this will.

People in Fort Wayne have looked down their primate noses when it comes to the SOUTH side of the city, and there are those among them that feel this perception is misplaced, and that indeed this part of town gets a "bum rap".
While I, on the other hand, have maintained for YEARS that this area of Fort Wayne has been inexorably going downhill faster than a runaway freight train down the old Matterhorn.
And it looks like I am right once again (get used to it...I have).
Today's paper has a small, but significant article regarding Gary, Indiana, the former murder capital of the nation. It appears as if the city would have that dubious title back...and quite soon. Last year's murder rate has risen to rival that of the current title-holder...New Orleans.
The entire article is here:


In the article, it explains that there is no "reason" for the rise in homicides, such as gang activity which was more prevalent during the 90s. One detective there says it is "all about me" when it comes to these murderers, adding that "these kids have no remorse".
I wonder how that bounces against ALL homicides or even the robberies we're seeing in OUR city, especially those committed by these "two black gunmen with dark clothing, ski masks and a silver handgun"? Looks like THESE two perps have no remorse as well, and it's only by the grace of God that THEY haven't killed anyone (that we know of) yet.

But the most devastating "nail in the coffin" for Gary was when city officials tried to attract a major retailer to the city (now pay attention...and take some notes). Mayor Clay said that this retailer "wanted the city to send them all kinds of statistics and promise to place a police (sub) station inside the big box". After a spike in homicides, the retailer backed out of the deal citing "operational cutbacks" (wink, wink...nudge, nudge) and that crime was "secondary".
But we all know the REAL tale of the tape, don't we?

It's all about CRIME, and as I have said here numerous times, NO ONE in their right mind would want to open up ANY business where there is a greater chance of shoplifting, robberies, burglaries, rapes and murder. That's not only putting shoppers at risk, but store personnel to boot...and that crap just won't float for ANY company's "bottom line".
They're in business to MAKE money...not see it fly out the window.

And the very SAME can be said for the SOUTH side of FORT WAYNE. Sure, we have a brand new Wal-Mart and a Menards, but we also have a spanking new police and fire academy within a stone's throw of those businesses, so that's a relatively moot point. What we do NOT have is shopping (practically) anywhere ELSE on the south side. We don't even have ONE damn BOOKSTORE down here. And wherever we DO have remnants of retail...that's where the crime is.

Southgate Plaza is a prime example.
If you had a dollar for every police call and/or crime in that area, you could retire early. And that's what happens EVERY damn day there. That's also why "we" don't shop there unless absolutely necessary (as well as very early when the perps aren't out of bed yet).

Those that think that crime isn't a problem down here...wake the F$&K UP! Stop sitting on your asses wondering WHY retail isn't chomping at the bit to develop down here...it's the CRIME...it will always be the crime (and those associated with it), and until the city starts taking this a lot more seriously, everyone from central city south that needs to shop (and that's pretty much anyone) will have to go everywhere else.

And that makes THOSE parts of town (or even OTHER TOWNS) smile all the way to the bank.

The city has spent the past 25-30 years creating this "quasi-ghetto" down here, so they must have a vested interest in having "all their eggs in one basket" , societally-speaking (where they can keep an eye on them). In my eyes, that smacks of a racist mentality, but the criminals are loving it to no end.
Time to call the city's marker in on this one, and get them to turn it back around so decent people can live here without threats or intimidation.

Sticking something like Renaissance Pointe here is nothing more than another "ye olde carrot dangle" for whatever jackass is pulling the wagon. IF the city manages to fill all the houses they intend to build (yeah right...we can only hope), how long before it starts DEVOLVING (again) into what it currently is?
And whether you do a search for sex offenders, area crimes, or just look around the neighborhoods, you WILL find crime in abundance. They're mostly ALL down here, thanks to our severely-flawed judicial system. The homicide numbers bear that much out, as do the locales where robberies tend to occur.

Just start to worry when these criminals come to YOUR (nice, quiet) neighborhood, because they're running out of people to assault and accost down here. You'll wind up (Dennis Miller used this analogy) like Charlton Heston in that field, looking up, and seeing the chimp on the pony with a rifle, and then wonder to yourself "what the hell is going on HERE"?

Time to get right with what's right.

If anything can be gleaned from this, it's that we DO have the capacity to mimic Gary, or even Indianapolis....question is...WILL we?

02 January 2008

Well, there's at least TWO of us that "Get It"...
Local columnist Frank Gray had a very good article in yesterday's paper.
In it, he talked about making resolutions for the new year, which I think is all well and good, providing you sincerely plan to keep them. And like any "promise", don't make it unless you intend to KEEP it (thanks, Dad...it still works for me).
I, therefore like to keep mine simple, and apparently so does Frank.
Here's the entire article:


He basically said he'd make an "easy" one this year; not to KILL anyone.
All I can say is that Frank honestly "gets it". And I'm totally with him on this with one..."small"...provision. I will not kill either...UNLESS I feel the health or safety of myself, my family, or my friends is in imminent danger. Sometimes life doesn't allow for any other option.
Then I WOULD kill...immediately, because any hesitation will kill YOU...JUST as quickly. And I would hope that I can still do it with 1 shot (always practice your point-shooting).

But Frank's right...life WOULD be better if EVERYONE thought as he does regarding not killing anyone. The only problem is that damn human ability of CHOICE keeps getting in the way. It would still be a good resolution to make, none the less.
Frank puts it this way: "Still, this year (referring to 2007) plenty of people broke that resolution, some because they had no choice, but others because they just didn’t have what it took to keep such a simple promise to themselves. They killed wives because they were going to leave them and killed acquaintances because they got into two-bit spats. They killed people so they could take their cars for joyrides before abandoning them, killed people because they were in the way of the bullet intended for someone else. They killed people for dissing them and killed others, for want of a better term, because they didn’t run in their crowd."
Curiously, there is no mention of shooting anyone for self-defense. I would take it that Frank believes that acting in self-defense is not the thrust of his article, but rather actively going on the offensive with intent to kill. Frank continues, as he wonders what goes through the mind of someone just about to shoot another person.
Well, Frank, the short version goes something like this:

You have set your mind on ONE thing, namely eliminating a threat to YOU, and you know, without a doubt that the next few tenths of a second will result IN that threat being eradicated, so that YOU (and maybe those around you) can continue TO LIVE.
Simple, huh?
That's the textbook response for rules of engagement.
(defensively -speaking)

What goes through the minds of the street thug, or the jilted lover, or anyone else wishing to sate their criminal libido, is nothing more than achieving their goal of pulling that trigger when their needs aren't met (much like a spoiled child). This "tantrum" always has dire consequences. They are not eliminating ANY threat, as there never WAS a threat to THEM...THEY ARE the threat. We call it "transference". They cannot perceive another AS a (real) threat, or even admit that THEY are the threat, so they manufacture a threat (anyone else) to divert it away from themselves. In that, they become emboldened enough to callously pull a trigger, tossing consequences to the wind.

And that's why too many INNOCENT people are killed by random gunfire. It's also the primary reason that any "gun control" law would never work (except to disarm the law-abiding populace). The bullet doesn't know any better...it's the PERSON wielding the weapon that FIRES that bullet who is accountable. That's like blaming your car when YOU are driving drunk.
Now, I could also go on record as saying that "if" I were to break Frank's resolution (and mine), I could, in all likelihood make our city a much safer place to live, simply BY pulling some triggers and eliminating a LOT of threats (actual - NOT perceived). I like to think of it as "Urban Renewal" of the best kind...and it works. Give the criminals a "bloody nose" first...and often, and they will go somewhere else (if they're still alive). Granted, it's NOT the perfect solution, but one has to admit that we DO live in a far from perfect world (or city).

And since current laws don't allow such "positive social" activity to be the norm, I wake up every morning and plainly state that "I will not kill anyone today (provisionally speaking)". And I have to admit that there are quite a few people out there (just in my neighborhood) that are benefiting daily from that adherence to my "daily edification" of not killing anyone. Problem is, they're not aware of it....and maybe they SHOULD be.
Perhaps knowing that they're always a heartbeat away from eternity might sober them up. I know there ARE situations that do it quite well...ask anyone who's been in combat...or any other position where death can come at the snap of a finger, or the crack of a firearm.
And with that, there is no need for any type of "forgiveness". You do what you need to do, as the situation requires for self-preservation. That's instinctual. You can run from the threat, but that could just get you shot in the back. If the threat is eliminated, you go on living.

Basically stated, we, as a race (the HUMAN one that is) are NOT violent by nature. We become violent by NURTURE. It's all the ancillary input we receive as we grow up that comes from our family, friends, surroundings, and experiences that determine who and what we eventually will become, or at least what we can become capable of. Any one of us can go from Jekyll to Hyde in seconds, given the proper "motivation". Like the character David Banner (aka The Incredible Hulk) used to say: "Don't make me angry...you won't like me when I'm angry".

And that is something we ALL have inside us...the mindless primitive...otherwise called the ID. Some people just mentally allow that boy to come out and play a lot more often that the rest of us...and with the usual results.
As Frank would no doubt agree, it STILL comes down to personal accountability and personal responsibility. The net result is to simply not succumb to those aspects of life that can only produce more harm to everyone involved.
And that's why Frank won't kill today.
Nor will I.

How about you?

01 January 2008

2007 in Review - Through A Glass Darkly...
In Chinese culture, the calendar year 2007 was "The year of the Pig" (which describes one DUI felon down my street who just can't seem to STAY in jail, to a freaking "T"). This year will be the year of the RAT (I guess that means snitching will be OK then). I was born in the year of the DRAGON (1952) as was Bruce Lee (1940), so I'm in pretty good company at least. My wife was born in the year of the dog (...and not one word or comment, please).

But after all is said and done, 2007 could really be called the year of the MORON...and for so many of the right reasons. If we look at the celebrity list, we had our fill of MORONS. Whether it was Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Barry Bonds, Rosie O'Donnell, or (insert most any current rap "star" here), we can speak with conviction (and most all of them were convicted as well...or will be) when we say they were practitioners of the fine art of STUPIDITY. But stupidity and moronic behavior was NOT solely limited to the world of glitz & glamor.

In Fort Wayne, we also had our share of candidates for that "Special Kind of Stupid".

--I would have to place the Harrison Square project (and pundits) at the top of this heap, with their incessant ram-rodding this venture down the throats of over 70% of the TAXPAYING PUBLIC that DID NOT WANT this project (as proposed) to come to fruition. But in spite of numerous debates, protests and questions, the city went ahead and bought up land & properties for several times their actual value, bulldozed established businesses back into the ground they sprang from and are moving full speed ahead with this potential white elephant (that "we" will be paying for in the coming decades...trust me).

--Next, I'd have to include the FWCS for it's "proposal" of over $500 MILLION in building repairs, upgrades and constructs, especially at a time where property taxes were soaring out of control. Thank the maker for Evertt Moll and his petitioners who instituted a remonstrance against FWCS, stating the money asked for was excessive, and that a more frugal approach was needed.

--Since I touched on property taxes...well, the Governor at least tossed us a (small) bone in the form of a rebate check in the interim, until something is done to stop (or at least slow) the government's chronic dependency on OUR houses and businesses (that we're paying for several times over). And we all have heard what weaning an addict off of drugs can be like, haven't we? They (the politicians and all the other civil SERVANTS) work for US...NOT the other way around.

--Another item was this "witch hunt" against mayoral candidate Matt Kelty. Those who wanted this man ostracized at any cost are one group of morons that should be taken out into the street and run the hell over. Even the trials in 17th century Salem Massachusetts couldn't have been run better than this campaign to malign someone with trumped up charges. If the LAWS were to blame for Matt's predicament...CHANGE THE DAMN LAWS. And if the people pointing all their fingers at Mr. Kelty would look in their OWN closets and clean out some skeletons, maybe this town wouldn't be so f$cked up.
Never knew the Spanish Inquisition would come back in vogue.

--Those people in our very own local judicial system need to be called on the carpet as well, for turning SO many criminals back out onto OUR streets. With few exceptions, we've seen so many cases plea-bargained into non-existence, case dismissals, and many other non-prosecutable motions put forth that we might as well not even HAVE any form of adjudication in this city. It's high time we had a MAJOR overhauling of this system, starting at the Prosecutor's office door. Let's find out where the REAL crimes lie, shall we?

--Speaking of crime...while the officers of the FWPD are doing their jobs to the very BEST of their abilities, why are certain areas of the city STILL NOT seeing an appreciable drop in criminal activity? It makes one think long and hard when we can't get a handle on drug-ridden neighborhoods, even when citizens DO come forward (and wind up being summarily dismissed), placing themselves at risk, because they know hardly anything gets done to halt this scourge. It's getting to the point where every normal law-abiding citizen will HAVE to strap on a gun JUST to go to the mailbox, or walk their dog without getting accosted. I'd have to say there are some people at the top that are just not making the grade when it comes to diminished drug and gang activity. Maybe some more federal assistance is required, as in internal investigations.

One good bust (per year...if that) does not a safe city make.
And while we're at it, let's get a handle on the burgeoning "immigrant" scene and figure out who is here LEGALLY, hmm?

--Speaking of even more crime, for the year 2007, I can cite (just in an area 3 blocks square) 390+ police calls (of which at least 10 were calls I placed to the FWPD for assorted idiots). This averages 7.5 per week in an area that has barely a 70% occupancy rate. I've had 20+ "wrong numbers" at my phone (all asking for "Ray", and some from as far away as Mississippi), 35 items of "lawn trash" tossed (just) on my property, and have witnessed (and in some cases managed to get pictures of) at least one drug deal per month on my block. We also had over 3200 BOOMCARS come through the area (a few with real gag-a-maggot paintjobs to boot), with many of them "repeat" offenders to the noise ordinance. We even had a house that had 1300+ "visitors" (any of you even come CLOSE to THAT number?) over the past year.
Wonder WHY a house worth less than $30,000 is SO damn popular, hmm?

And this has been going on at that house for the past 2 years, in spite of detailed tips sent to Crimestoppers by yours truly. And no one can seem to catch these people.Now remember, this is ONLY in THREE SQUARE BLOCKS. We had 27 homicides in Allen County for 2007, with all but ONE occurring IN Fort Wayne, mostly on the SOUTH side of the city, so my "guesstimate" of 25 was pretty damn close. I predict we're going to see close to that same number AGAIN, if not a nigher number, and of course, everyone will be wondering WHY this happens (the "DUH" factor at work). To date, only 8 cases have been solved (including the VIP video store holdup attempt and the police action shooting over a week ago, so drop that final count to SIX).

Our neighborhood also saw several trash days where we had a MISSED PICKUP (someone forgot people STILL live down here all of a sudden?), and I blame SERV-ALL for that alone. Cable reception suddenly got worse for my house on certain channels (only the ones I happen to watch...go figure), and after several trips to the house, COMCAST has yet to alleviate the recurring problem (hint, when the digital cable box is taken OUT of the loop, the reception is FINE...work with that).

We also had ONE LESS leaf pickup in our area (as usual) thanks to the weather, which somehow manages to soak whatever leaves we have and then freezes them solid for a week). And plowing the snow from our area was hap-hazard at best, with the crews coming along after the snow had been packed down to form a nice SKATING venue on the side streets.

ALL major roads were fine...getting OUT TO THEM was another matter.

If there is some small sliver lining to this cloud, it's that we saw a lot fewer roaming dogs and cats in 2007. So when it comes to last year being THE YEAR OF THE MORON, seems we've got the market pretty well covered down here.

Yet, in the death throes of 2007, we're hearing rumblings about a 300% RISE (they did say 3 times as in 3x) in water/sewer rates for improvements. We're also looking at a RISE in garbage pickup fees. And if the cost to RECYCLE gets any higher, I suppose even that will fall by the wayside, which should make our landfills all the more attractive to developers.

As for local fuel prices? Well, that's going to become the new weekly crapshoot. We already KNOW that home heating fuels (be they oil or natural gas) are RISING every season. And since THOSE fuel costs are rising, it's only logical that ELECTRIC prices will RISE (they need fuel as well, unless they're hydro-electric plants or nuclear). Food costs will RISE in conjunction with higher fuel costs...we've already seen the tip of THAT iceberg at the grocery stores. Looks like a pattern is developing...yes?
We DO have ethanol...the "savior for the masses".....uh, hold that thought. With more CORN needed to produce ethanol, farmers will have to switch from other crops, and that means less "other" food sources, with even feed grain becoming scarcer. So what will feed the livestock then? All the energy pundits (another batch of morons) jerked their knees about a mile past their primate heads on this impending fiasco. Ethanol must be a stop-gap measure...PERIOD, and not "Dr. Erlich's magic bullet". Why bother to turn a society over to a fuel source that costs MORE to produce and yet yields LESS power per gallon than gasoline?
That makes absolutely no sense.

It is, however quite profitable to the right people (who will be able to afford gasoline at whatever price it winds up at).

But never fear...we DO have FIOS in the city now (yaaaay)....and we all know THAT makes all the other problems go away, don't we? Better to watch that important game on your 50 inch big screen LCD TV that's consuming more power than your damn refrigerator, isn't it? Now that's being energy-conscious! The ONLY "carbon footprint" will be MINE...planted squarely on all the asses of those trying to "green me up" while they do whatever the hell they damn well please.

And lastly, the morons that have provided us with ALL this technocrap we "can't live without", such as iPods, picture cellphones, MP3 players, blutooth headsets and other similar nonsense, should be gathered up and pushed off the nearest (and highest) cliff.

The societal fallout from such garbage is self-evident. We have so LITTLE privacy these days, thanks to anyone with a thumb and a picture-taking cellphone. Just ask any woman wearing a skirt and coming down a flight of stairs. We're acclimated to becoming oblivious to everything, thanks to those ear buds crammed in our skulls. We're so wrapped up in some form of "entertainment", that we're simply NOT paying attention to things we SHOULD be these days..and with such a faster-paced society, that can be real bad...real fast. We have men with doctorates from MIT that can't program their damn TVs these days...what's wrong with THIS picture (pun intended)? Whether it's in the front seat of our gadget-laden vehicles to our classrooms...and beyond, it's simply bad for us (but good for the manufacturers and CEOs of this techno-tripe).

Hopefully, we can all wise up a bit in 2008, and start looking where we're going and get pointed back in the right direction...though I'm NOT holding my breath.

I am, however paying attention...as should you.