A few days ago, I posted about how we are becoming more and more isolated as a community. We don't know our neighbors, we are only looking out for ourselves. Maybe, if we took the words of Keb' Mo's "Just Like You" to heart and realized that we are all the same "under our skin" then the world would be a more civil place. We are all brothers and sisters in the end.
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I understand the anger of folks with BP regarding the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. There is no telling what the total impact will be on the environment and economy of the region. The pictures of oil covered pelicans and other wildlife is heart wrenching to say the least.
I am not here to be an apologist for BP. They should be held accountable for the devastation taking place in the Gulf right now. If it turns out that BP was criminally negligent, as opposed to this just being a horrible accident, then appropriate punishments should be meted out. Having said all that, the call to boycott BP will hurt small business more than it will hurt BP.
The vast majority of gas stations that carry the BP banner are not owned and operated by BP, but by independent operators. Most of the big oil companies are out of the gasoline retailing business. For every BP or Exxon station you encounter, you are most likely dealing with a local business and not Big Oil.
Jonathan Berr wrote a piece for AOL's Daily Finance page regarding how the boycott of BP hurts small business and not BP. He quotes Jay Ricker who owns a chain of convenience stores in Ohio that operate under the BP banner. Ricker is also president of the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS). NACS members account for 80% of the gasoline sold in the US, and 56% of the gasoline sold is from operators that own one store. Unfortunately for those operating under the BP banners, they have contracts that prohibit them from changing banners. Those are the folks who are hurt by a BP boycott.
I have been, and continue to support drilling for oil, this disaster not withstanding. Historically, our drilling has been remarkably free of spills. Our political leaders continue to talk about weaning ourselves from our dependence on foreign oil. One way to reduce that dependency is through utilizing our own resources. Until alternative energy sources are commercially viable, oil continues to be the energy source that drives the economy.
Have you heard? The World Cup started yesterday. Supposedly it is a big deal, but I couldn't care less. In fact, I already wish it were over. For the last week or so leading up to the "big event" I have seen a lot of hype about the World Cup on the news.
To paraphrase the first George Bush and his "I do not like broccoli," I proudly and unabashedly proclaim that I do not like soccer. Sure, I have heard all the arguments. You don't like it because you don't understand it. Hogwash! But it is the most popular sport in the world. So what!
Apparently, I am not the only one that feels this way. A recent Zogby poll showed that 63% of American men said that soccer would never be as popular as football, baseball, basketball, or hockey in the USA. Overall, 54% of all Americans felt that way. Only 24% of us plan to watch any of the World Cup at all.
In my mind, I can only think of a handful of reasons to kick a ball during a sporting event; kicking a field goal or extra point, punting, or playing a rousing game of kickball. About the only good thing to come out of soccer is the soccer style field goal kicker in football. Although, I have to admit, I miss the good old straight on kickers like Mark Mosely.
As I said, even though the World Cup has just started, I already wish it were over. For the next month, the news media will be bombarding us with how great the sport is. Sportscasters will be giving us scores like 1 to nil instead of the usual 1 to nothing or 1 to zero. Or they will talk about the pitch instead of the field. Thank goodness the World Cup only comes around every four years.
I am trying to figure out when it happened. Somewhere along the way, we have become an uncivil society. When I was younger, neighbors looked out for one another and helped one another. Now we don't even know their names. More and more, it seems everybody is looking out only for themselves.
A case in point would be my townhouse complex during the blizzards of this past winter. Our home owners association requires that we shovel the walks in front of our houses. In our complex we have assigned parking. Unfortunately, my parking spaces are more in front of one of my neighbors houses and not mine. Rather than shoveling his entire walk, he only shoveled a path to his cars. I ended up having to shovel part of his walk to get to my cars.
No better place to see how uncivil we have become than on the highways, especially in heavy traffic. It used to be that if somebody put their turn signal on to change lanes and you let them in they would give you a thank you wave. Now if you turn your signal on, the other driver is more likely to speed up so you can't get in. I can't tell you how many times I have been in bumper to bumper traffic and made the cardinal sin of letting a couple car lengths come between me and the car in front of me. Such an action is sure to bring an angry honk.
This is not to say that I am not without sin myself. When that other driver speeds up so I can't change lanes, or cuts me off in traffic, I am not above flipping him/her the bird. As much as I support 2nd amendment rights, there is a reason why I am not a gun owner. Did you ever see the movie "Falling Down?" I am Kirk Douglas.
Let's face it, when it comes to taking a whiz, guys have an advantage over the ladies. If we are driving down the road and have to stop to pee, we can just stop some place, discretely whip it out and pee to our heart's content. Women on the other hand, have always had to find a toilet to take care of those needs.
That is, until now. Now women can pee standing up just like the fellas with the Go Girl urinary device. Yes, ladies, you no longer have to search for a bathroom, only to get there to discover it is disgustingly filthy. The Go Girl website advises women not to take life sitting down. They say that the Go Girl device is perfect for active women, women who like the great outdoors, world travelers, and many others.
I immediately thought of the 1970's and 1980's when I used to go to a lot of concerts at the old Capital Center. It was built to be a sports arena, and had more mens rest rooms than ladies rooms. Consequently, the lines at the ladies rooms were much longer than the mens rooms. It was not unusual to have the women join our lines. The Go Girl would have been perfect then. Fortunately, Congress is working towards potty parity to make sure there are enough ladies rooms out there.
In all seriousness, I have some questions for the ladies out there. Have you ever had the desire to pee standing up? Is this something you could ever see yourself using? The Go Girl website says you can keep it in your purse or pocket. If you were to use the Go Girl, would you want to put it back in your purse or pocket?
The future is definitely looking brighter here in the DC area. No, I am not talking about Barack Obama and his policies. That looks as bleak as ever. Instead, I am talking about the debut of Stephen Strasburg as the ace of the Washington Nationals pitching staff.
Tuesday night was the night that Nationals fans have been waiting all year to see. Stephen Strasburg was the first player selected in the 2009 baseball draft. In spring training, he was arguably their best pitcher, but started the season in the minor leagues at the AA level.
Strasburg pitched five games at the AA level before being promoted to AAA. In AAA, he pitched six games before being called up to the Nats. In eleven minor league starts, Strasburg went 7-2 with a 1.30 ERA with 65 strike outs. He dominated.
To say the least, his debut was impressive. OK, that could be an understatement. He was tremendous. In seven innings, Strasburg struck out 14 batters, a franchise record. At one point, he registered 101 mph on the radar gun on one of his strikeouts. He made one mistake, giving up a two run home run and left with a 4-2 lead.
The bullpen did it's job, shutting out the Pirates for the final two innings. His teammates added another run in the eighth inning. So the Stephen Strasburg era in Washington DC is off to a rousing start with a 5-2 win in his major league debut. Yes, things are looking good in Washington.
When Bob Ehrlich lost his reelection campaign as Governor of the state of Maryland in 2006, Maryland was rated in the middle of the pack (#25) in the Tax Foundation's State Business Tax Climate report of 2006. After four years of Martin O'Malley's alleged leadership, Maryland has fallen to #45 in the 2010 report. I supported Ehrlich in 2006, and am doing so again in 2010. In fact, I plan to be an even more active supported of Ehrlich this time around. Below, is an email newsletter I received from the Ehrlich campaign outlining his agenda to help Maryland improve it's climate towards business. Let's face it, it is business that creates jobs, not government, and Ehrlich wants to get the government out of the way to let entrepreneurs create jobs.
Dear friend,
I wanted you to be among the first to receive “The Entrepreneur Agenda,” a new plan I unveiled today to help Maryland small businesses create jobs and turn the economic tide in Maryland. With 3,000 small businesses closing last year and nearly a quarter million Marylanders unable to find a job, we must have higher expectations for Maryland’s economic future.
My Entrepreneur Agenda, which is product of conversations with more than 100 small business owners, is centered on three big ideas:
First, I will fundamentally change the mindset in government so that we are encouraging entrepreneurs to succeed rather than discouraging them. I will propose a Small Business Bill of Rights that guarantees small business owners a fair, timely, and predictable business environment so they can expand and create jobs.
Second, I will lower Maryland’s tax burden to jump start economic activity and put more money in the pockets of Maryland families. To achieve this goal, I will work to repeal Governor Martin O’Malley’s 20% increase in the sales tax and identify ways to make our corporate income tax more competitive so that Maryland employers stop moving across state lines.
Third, I will shake-up Maryland’s most inefficient programs, especially Maryland’s unemployment insurance system. By streamlining Maryland’s bureaucratic maze we can unleash entrepreneurs to do what they do best: innovate, hire new workers, and help improve our overall quality of life.
To read the entire “Entrepreneur Agenda,” just click here.
Thank you for sharing my interest in turning the economic tide in Maryland. I know you have higher expectations for Maryland’s economy. I do too. Together, we can create a brighter future for Maryland.
Sincerely,
Bob Ehrlich
Our mailing address is:
Bob Ehrlich for Maryland
P.O. Box 2
Timonium, MD 21094-0002
Copyright (C) 2010 Bob Ehrlich for Maryland All rights reserved.
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