Hi Pals,
I'm against the $85,000,000,000.00 bailout of AIG.
Instead, I'm in favor of giving $85,000,000,000 to America in
a We Deserve It Dividend.
To make the math simple, let's assume there are 200,000,000
bonafide U.S. Citizens 18+.
Our population is about 301,000,000 +/- counting every man, woman
and child. So 200,000,000 might be a fair stab at adults 18 and up..
So divide 200 million adults 18+ into $85 billon that equals $425,000.00.
My plan is to give $425,000 to every person 18+ as a
We Deserve It Dividend.
Of course, it would NOT be tax free.
So let's assume a tax rate of 30%.
Every individual 18+ has to pay $127,500.00 in taxes.
That sends $25,500,000,000 right back to Uncle Sam.
But it means that every adult 18+ has $297,500.00 in their pocket.
A husband and wife has $595,000.00.
What would you do with $297,500.00 to $595,000.00 in your family?
Pay off your mortgage – housing crisis solved.
Repay college loans – what a great boost to new grads
Put away money for college – it'll be there
Save in a bank – create money to loan to entrepreneurs.
Buy a new car – create jobs
Invest in the market – capital drives growth
Pay for your parent' s medical insurance – health care improves
Enable Deadbeat Dads to come clean – or else
Remember this is for every adult U S Citizen 18+ including the folks
who lost their jobs at Lehman Brothers and every other company
that is cutting back. And of course, for those serving in our Armed Forces.
If we're going to re-distribute wealth let's really do it...instead of trickling out
< SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">a puny $1000.00 ( "vote buy" ) economic incentive that is being proposed by one of our candidates for President.
If we're going to do an $85 billion bailout, let's bail out every adult U S Citizen 18+!
As for AIG – liquidate it.
Sell off its parts.
Let American General go back to being American General.
Sell off the real estate.
Let the private sector bargain hunters cut it up and clean it up.
Here's my rationale. We deserve it and AIG doesn't.
Sure it's a crazy idea that can "never work."
But can you imagine the Coast-To-Co ast Block Party!
How do you spell Economic Boom?
I trust my fellow adult Americans to know how to use the $85 Billion
We Deserve It Dividend more than I do the geniuses at AIG or in Washington DC .
And remember, The Birk plan only really costs $59.5 Billion because $25.5 Billion is returned
instantly in taxes to Uncle Sam.
Ahhh...I feel so much better getting that off my chest.
Kindest personal regards,
Birk
T. J. Birkenmeier, A Creative Guy & Citizen of the Republic
PS: Feel free to pass this along to your pals as it's either good for a laugh
or a tear or a very sobering thought on how to best use $85 Billion!!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
How to Increase Fuel Mileage and Extend the Life of Your Vehicle
This is a list of do-it-yourself things you can do to increase your fuel mileage and extend the life of your vehicle.
Use a fuel injector cleaner additive each time you top off your tank. Lucas Fuel Treatment is a leading recommended additive you can use to increase your mileage by 3-4 mpg as quickly as the first tank; it also helps to extend the life of your injectors and fuel pump.
A K & N air filter, instead of a generic one off the shelf, will increase your mileage by 2-4 mpg; it will also increase your horsepower by about 1-4 horses. The K & N filter also never has to be replaced, it is washable and reusable, saving you money from future yearly air filter replacements!
Synthetic oil, like Royal Purple or Castrol Syntec, will increase your mpg by 1-2 mpg, but more importantly you will reduce your engine wear by about 50%. Royal Purple is not recommended if you have less than 20,000 miles on your vehicle, but it is considered the best oil on the market. Because of the better blend the oil does not breakdown as quickly as traditional oils, so you can go three times longer (9,000 miles) before an oil change is needed. Persons who do not do a lot of stop and go driving can extend that out to 12,000 miles, or four oil changes for the price of one. To go along with the better oil, instead of going with the cheap oil filter, use a factory filter (varies by make of vehicle), a Wix filter is a really good filter, or K & N also makes oil filters and claim to increase oil life by 50%...meaning if you go with a K & N filter and the K & N oil you only have to get your oil changed every 15-18,000 miles...and spend an average of $50 for that year’s worth of oil changes, doing it yourself.
Something else to increase mileage is to have your differentials and transmission serviced (front wheel drive vehicles do not have separate differentials) Royal Purple makes transmission fluid and gear oil for this. You could see an increase in your mpg by 5mpg and will increase your horsepower. The Royal Purple fluids and oil will decrease the wear of the internal transmission parts, if the servicing is done on a regular basis of every 35-40,000 miles you should never have transmission problems due to wear, it is still possible to have transmission problems due to the electronic components of it, but that is electronics, oil can’t prevent those problems.
Finally, the simplest, easiest thing that absolutely anyone can do to help increase their gas mileage and reduce the wear on his or her vehicles is to clean it out. If it is not absolutely necessary, do not haul it!
These few things can increase your MPG by an average of 10mpg. These few things will also help extend the life of your engine and transmission allowing you to get longer use out of your vehicle and save money on repairs or replacement.
Use a fuel injector cleaner additive each time you top off your tank. Lucas Fuel Treatment is a leading recommended additive you can use to increase your mileage by 3-4 mpg as quickly as the first tank; it also helps to extend the life of your injectors and fuel pump.
A K & N air filter, instead of a generic one off the shelf, will increase your mileage by 2-4 mpg; it will also increase your horsepower by about 1-4 horses. The K & N filter also never has to be replaced, it is washable and reusable, saving you money from future yearly air filter replacements!
Synthetic oil, like Royal Purple or Castrol Syntec, will increase your mpg by 1-2 mpg, but more importantly you will reduce your engine wear by about 50%. Royal Purple is not recommended if you have less than 20,000 miles on your vehicle, but it is considered the best oil on the market. Because of the better blend the oil does not breakdown as quickly as traditional oils, so you can go three times longer (9,000 miles) before an oil change is needed. Persons who do not do a lot of stop and go driving can extend that out to 12,000 miles, or four oil changes for the price of one. To go along with the better oil, instead of going with the cheap oil filter, use a factory filter (varies by make of vehicle), a Wix filter is a really good filter, or K & N also makes oil filters and claim to increase oil life by 50%...meaning if you go with a K & N filter and the K & N oil you only have to get your oil changed every 15-18,000 miles...and spend an average of $50 for that year’s worth of oil changes, doing it yourself.
Something else to increase mileage is to have your differentials and transmission serviced (front wheel drive vehicles do not have separate differentials) Royal Purple makes transmission fluid and gear oil for this. You could see an increase in your mpg by 5mpg and will increase your horsepower. The Royal Purple fluids and oil will decrease the wear of the internal transmission parts, if the servicing is done on a regular basis of every 35-40,000 miles you should never have transmission problems due to wear, it is still possible to have transmission problems due to the electronic components of it, but that is electronics, oil can’t prevent those problems.
Finally, the simplest, easiest thing that absolutely anyone can do to help increase their gas mileage and reduce the wear on his or her vehicles is to clean it out. If it is not absolutely necessary, do not haul it!
These few things can increase your MPG by an average of 10mpg. These few things will also help extend the life of your engine and transmission allowing you to get longer use out of your vehicle and save money on repairs or replacement.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
I am the latest Victim
...of the idiot drivers. Brian called me just after 11 this morning, needing a new contact, one of his fell out into a vat of used oil...so I gather up the kids, get in the van, bring him his new contact lens and some lunch. I come back to the town where I live, and decide to go ahead and go to Wal-Mart to get some more diapers since I was already in town. I stop at the light in town, as it was red. Wait a few minutes, it turns green...just as I go to move my foot off the brake I am already halfway across the intersection. I am in severe pain and Mikaila is screaming, I am also PISSED! I pull over into the parking area on the side of the road, jump out of the van, barely knowing what exactly happened, just freaked out worried about the kids. I unbuckle Mikaila, she calms down in a few minutes, I have to lean against the van to keep myself on my feet, my head is throbbing so badly. Mikeal seems to be fine, just curious as to what was going on...what that thud was and why I'm crying. That is when a young, teenage gal comes up to me, just crying her eyes out, instantly my heart goes out to her, I've been in her shoes before. Her mom was following behind her, so is also there at the scene...had it been the mother that hit me I likely would of slugged her so hard her head would of been spinning like mine was. I call Brian, one of the girls he works with answered the phone, she of course has to know why I sound so upset so I give her part of the story, I've been rear ended, the kids seem fine, I need to talk to Brian. He just hears the part that I've been in an accident, wants to know where, and instructs me to stay right there, he's on his way. I exchange insurance and contact info with the mother and teenager, and I assure them that I will contact their insurance and have it taken care of, no need for the cops to be called...I'm still considered under suspension, meaning I'd get a ticket, I really didn't want a ticket. A little bit later I call my mom to meet us there so she can drive me to her place or back to my place. I was way too dizzy to even stand, much less attempt driving. Brian gets there and flips out because the other driver was no longer there, and the cops hadn't been called yet...he didn't hear me tell him I'd prefer no cops...the cop gets there two minutes later, a report is done, they decide that I need to be taken by ambulance to the hospital to be checked out. Its been 20-30 minutes and I still can't stand on my own and I was nauseous ...I'd just finished eating Taco Bell on my way into town...I make the trip in the ambulance, full restraint. My mom follows behind with the kids so that they can also be checked out. I'm given several x-rays, everything looks to be not broken, just severe whiplash, both kids check out to be just fine, Mikaila has a small seat belt burn/rash by her neck but alright, Mikeal seems to be fine, might have a seat belt bruise show up in the next day or two. My neck, back, and shoulder muscles hurt so bad and are so stiff that it hurts to turn, even my jaw muscles hurt. But I'm basically alright, I'll eventually heal.
My van will likely be totaled, blue book value on it is only about $2200...to just get the parts to fix it is going to cost at least $3500, then labor costs, then a new paint job. My father-in-law, who just gave us the van the first of February called Brian later this afternoon at work, yes he returned to work when we all checked out alright, and is coming out for a visit on the 20th of this month. Brian explained to him about the accident, from what I gather he's just glad that everyone is alright and gave Brian some pointers on how to handle filing the accident with the insurance to get it settled as quickly as possible.
This is the very reason neither myself nor my children EVER are without a seat belt. Mikaila was in her standard infant rear facing car seat and Mikeal was in his booster seat with lap and shoulder belt on.
My van will likely be totaled, blue book value on it is only about $2200...to just get the parts to fix it is going to cost at least $3500, then labor costs, then a new paint job. My father-in-law, who just gave us the van the first of February called Brian later this afternoon at work, yes he returned to work when we all checked out alright, and is coming out for a visit on the 20th of this month. Brian explained to him about the accident, from what I gather he's just glad that everyone is alright and gave Brian some pointers on how to handle filing the accident with the insurance to get it settled as quickly as possible.
This is the very reason neither myself nor my children EVER are without a seat belt. Mikaila was in her standard infant rear facing car seat and Mikeal was in his booster seat with lap and shoulder belt on.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
My LOooooooOONG Afternoon
Some of the BIGGEST IDIOTS drive down this road I swear to it!!! Its been raining here for the last 24+ hours, straight. The roads are WET! Yes, the speed limit is 65 on the highway that runs right in front of my house, yes there is roughly a 2 mile straight stretch, right in front of my house, but in NO WAY does that mean that it is by ANY MEANS SAFE! to be traveling at those speeds in these conditions! An hour or two ago I step outside to sit on the porch, 6 vehicles are traveling down the road, a compact car, an SUV, a bread truck, and three pick-ups behind that. The three pick-ups decide it is a good time to pass the other three vehicles, they start off about the same time, one behind the other...now, less than 3/4 of a mile from where they start passing is a curve in the road...a very blind curve, if you're driving. From my porch I can see the other part of the road, through the pasture...there are a few vehicles headed towards the passers. Truck 1 makes it around all 3 in front of him, truck 2 BARELY makes it around 2 of the ones in front of him. The bread truck SLAMS on his brakes, trying to give truck 3 room to get back in the correct lane, its only a 2 lane out here. Instead truck 3 also slams on his brakes and proceeds to skid...right off into the ditch of the oncoming traffic.
He does not stop there, his truck rolls 2 1/2 times, through a barbwire fence, wrapping the fence around his truck. All and all by the time his truck left the road to the time it stopped he'd traveled almost 150 ft. Fortunately he was the only one involved in the wreck. The really screwed up part of it was I was the only one who called for help, I ran inside when I heard the boom of crunched metal, called the police dept, explained what I'd heard and seen...but because of my angle and distance I could not tell for sure how many were involved, or the exact extent of the wreck, a house sits in my way for complete view. I get off the phone with them finally, pack up Mikaila, and drive down there, its a good 10 minute immediate drive out here from town, granted there is a county cop actually in town. :roll:
I get up there, see that its just the one truck, but its on its top, I park my van in the field as close as I safely can...there was a gate just a little ways up the road... I helped the guy get out of his truck, took what seemed like forever to get him out of the truck, but I did get him out. Since its raining I drove him back to my house to call and find out where the assistance vehicles might be, and let them know where the driver was. An officer will be out in maybe another hour or two I'm told, the fire/rescue dept are already on their way out. I also call the tow guy to have him come out to pick up the truck.
I then drive back to the scene, see that there are cows out in this field. :doh: Great! So I drive to the one neighbor's place, no one home, I drive to another person's place that was close to there, no one home. So I take my mini van across the field to see if there is another gate, there usually is, that I can try to herd the cows through so that they don't get out into the road. I was in luck, there was a gate, a barn, and a feed bucket. By beating on the bucket I get their attention and they easily herd into the other part of the field. THANK GOODNESS! I go to drive back across the field...and get stuck. :doh: :roll:
Lucky for me it turns out that the tow truck gets there, he's just right up the road around the other corner from my house, so maybe 3 miles from where we're at. It also turns out that this is HIS pasture, and gives me a free tow out of the field. :happy: For corralling his cattle.
I am now drenched, back home, just in time for Mikeal to get home off the bus. Did I mention I was wearing a pair of black leggings and a long white t-shirt to do all this in, sans bra? Mikaila took her nap in the carseat through the majority of this, and never seemed to mind. I am STILL waiting on the highway patrol to come out and take a report. :roll: :doh:
So after I get Mikeal ushered in the house, he was taking his time getting in the house, because he likes to play in the rain, my phone rings. Its Brian's Aunt, the one that took his mom down to TX. Supposedly, according to Brian's mom we, as in Brian, myself, and the kids, are moving into a large house in Austin, TX tomorrow, and its big enough for her to move in with us, and that is the plan. That is the reason she's not going to pay rent at an apartment that AIL had found for her, that she can afford, and she supposedly can't afford to pay the deposits on the utilities...phone, cable, internet...that she mentioned. Also MIL called AIL's mother and told her that AIL said she could live with her for 6-12 months, and that she (MIL) was not welcome to even eat dinner with the rest of them, also MIL told AIL that if she makes her move out before Brian and I had our house there in Austin ready for her to move into that she would OD on her medications, and that she WILL succeed this time. OY!!! So AIL calls telling me that Brian needs to come pick up his mom TODAY, or at least figure out something to do with her. I told her to call the mental hospital and have someone come pick her up because she's taking all these medications, that she has no business taking, she's threatening suicide, and is highly delusional...all VERY true facts. She wanted me to call Brian and talk it over with him. He seconded my suggestion without me saying what I'd told AIL. We don't know what else to do. She refuses to help herself, she refuses to let anyone else talk to her docs and specialists to see what all needs to be done for her to be properly taken care of, and we're all at the end of our ropes with it. She threatens to OD if she doesn't get her way, I'm sorry, but this childish bullshit has GOT to end!! And this is the only thing we know of to do to help her. We tried when she was here, AIL has tried in the last two months or so that she's been there, MIL's grandmother has tried, other family members there have tried, she can't tell a truthful sentence to save her life, AIL has also caught her shoplifting. :evil: :gaah:
To top it all off, Brian doesn't get home until around 9 tonight, and I'm so ready for a long, hot bubble bath and stiff drink right now that I could scream and it not do any good!
He does not stop there, his truck rolls 2 1/2 times, through a barbwire fence, wrapping the fence around his truck. All and all by the time his truck left the road to the time it stopped he'd traveled almost 150 ft. Fortunately he was the only one involved in the wreck. The really screwed up part of it was I was the only one who called for help, I ran inside when I heard the boom of crunched metal, called the police dept, explained what I'd heard and seen...but because of my angle and distance I could not tell for sure how many were involved, or the exact extent of the wreck, a house sits in my way for complete view. I get off the phone with them finally, pack up Mikaila, and drive down there, its a good 10 minute immediate drive out here from town, granted there is a county cop actually in town. :roll:
I get up there, see that its just the one truck, but its on its top, I park my van in the field as close as I safely can...there was a gate just a little ways up the road... I helped the guy get out of his truck, took what seemed like forever to get him out of the truck, but I did get him out. Since its raining I drove him back to my house to call and find out where the assistance vehicles might be, and let them know where the driver was. An officer will be out in maybe another hour or two I'm told, the fire/rescue dept are already on their way out. I also call the tow guy to have him come out to pick up the truck.
I then drive back to the scene, see that there are cows out in this field. :doh: Great! So I drive to the one neighbor's place, no one home, I drive to another person's place that was close to there, no one home. So I take my mini van across the field to see if there is another gate, there usually is, that I can try to herd the cows through so that they don't get out into the road. I was in luck, there was a gate, a barn, and a feed bucket. By beating on the bucket I get their attention and they easily herd into the other part of the field. THANK GOODNESS! I go to drive back across the field...and get stuck. :doh: :roll:
Lucky for me it turns out that the tow truck gets there, he's just right up the road around the other corner from my house, so maybe 3 miles from where we're at. It also turns out that this is HIS pasture, and gives me a free tow out of the field. :happy: For corralling his cattle.
I am now drenched, back home, just in time for Mikeal to get home off the bus. Did I mention I was wearing a pair of black leggings and a long white t-shirt to do all this in, sans bra? Mikaila took her nap in the carseat through the majority of this, and never seemed to mind. I am STILL waiting on the highway patrol to come out and take a report. :roll: :doh:
So after I get Mikeal ushered in the house, he was taking his time getting in the house, because he likes to play in the rain, my phone rings. Its Brian's Aunt, the one that took his mom down to TX. Supposedly, according to Brian's mom we, as in Brian, myself, and the kids, are moving into a large house in Austin, TX tomorrow, and its big enough for her to move in with us, and that is the plan. That is the reason she's not going to pay rent at an apartment that AIL had found for her, that she can afford, and she supposedly can't afford to pay the deposits on the utilities...phone, cable, internet...that she mentioned. Also MIL called AIL's mother and told her that AIL said she could live with her for 6-12 months, and that she (MIL) was not welcome to even eat dinner with the rest of them, also MIL told AIL that if she makes her move out before Brian and I had our house there in Austin ready for her to move into that she would OD on her medications, and that she WILL succeed this time. OY!!! So AIL calls telling me that Brian needs to come pick up his mom TODAY, or at least figure out something to do with her. I told her to call the mental hospital and have someone come pick her up because she's taking all these medications, that she has no business taking, she's threatening suicide, and is highly delusional...all VERY true facts. She wanted me to call Brian and talk it over with him. He seconded my suggestion without me saying what I'd told AIL. We don't know what else to do. She refuses to help herself, she refuses to let anyone else talk to her docs and specialists to see what all needs to be done for her to be properly taken care of, and we're all at the end of our ropes with it. She threatens to OD if she doesn't get her way, I'm sorry, but this childish bullshit has GOT to end!! And this is the only thing we know of to do to help her. We tried when she was here, AIL has tried in the last two months or so that she's been there, MIL's grandmother has tried, other family members there have tried, she can't tell a truthful sentence to save her life, AIL has also caught her shoplifting. :evil: :gaah:
To top it all off, Brian doesn't get home until around 9 tonight, and I'm so ready for a long, hot bubble bath and stiff drink right now that I could scream and it not do any good!
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