RGV Life

In one of my jobs, I have to drive from McAllen to Mission to Edinburg to McAllen and to Mission again. The weather in the Rio Grande Valley is awesome this New Year's Eve. It's t-shirt weather. When I got off from my first job, I smelled barbecue. I drove to the second job to load up and still smelled barbecue. On the way from McAllen to Mission, I smelled barbecue. From Mission to Edinburg, I smelled barbecue. From Edinburg to Mission (I skipped McAllen today), I smelled barbecue. This is such a perfect New Year's Eve compared to other years when we spent the evening huddled inside to keep warm. Everybody is barbecuing! At first, I thought it was fog, as we had fog this morning. I realized, however, that it's smoke from everybody's grills. That's awesome! I'm going to spend the evening drinking Shiners and chilling out. This is the perfect New Year's Eve. I'll stop blogging now and go out to drink beer. The traditional Tejano drink is Bud Light, b...

While writing the last post, I was reminded of a recent experience with a mojado I met recently. I occasionally am called upon to give people a ride home. This guy I met, whom I no longer transport, is a mojado. In English, that's a wetback. For the sensitive crowd, an undocumented worker. Anyway, it's a common misconception that mojados are ignorant, stinky, dirty, and ill-mannered peasants. Well, most Mexicans, including the wealthy ones with whom I often mingle, are ill-mannered. However, many of them are well educated, even the poor ones. So, this guy works in construction. He knows everything about the field. He can roof, lay tile, frame, lay a foundation, set brick, and even make granite countertops. I have a tendency to get to know people; so I got to know him. This guy knew about the bible and about some of the books I've read like Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, and some other similar books. He is living in, shall we say "low-income housing". Yet,...

I was amazed that people like this think that building a wall across the border is similar to the Berlin wall. I would agree that it is similar to the Great Wall of China. You see, the Berlin wall was meant to keep people in more than it was for keeping people out. The Great Wall of China was, like the recent legislation's plan, meant to keep people out. Chinese people are not racist for one reason. Everyone in China is Chinese. This is probably mostly true because they had the wall to keep out Mongols and Manchurians. The biggest argument I hear from people that it's a bad idea to build a wall across our border is because it will not stop people from crossing it. DUH! It won't stop people from entering the country illegally. That is a given. It will, however, slow them down considerably. Well, no, it won't. The problem with the wall is that it's a government project. Let me tell you the reason why it's destined to fail. You see, the Great Wall of China was not...

A CAPITOL BLOG: Breaking News: Marching Valley Veterans Successful In Securing Clinic Expansion I wish to congratulate Rep. Aaron Peña and Valley Veterans on their small success in getting a Veterans clinic in the Rio Grande Valley. The Rep mentions that some vets see this move as a "crumb". I urge our vets to see this as a big step forward. Yes, it would have been great to get a hospital, but you have to realize that it's on the way. First, our local Veterans should realize that government is like cancer, it only grows and grows. You never hear about government cutting back. The cutbacks you hear about are cutbacks on growth, but not real cutbacks. Like your wife telling you she saved you money because she bought stuff on sale. She could have spent more. The same is true with government. Now it's a clinic with a certain fixed budget. Next year's budget will be bigger due to the high demand of Veteran health services in the Rio Grande Valley. Every year will have ...

I forgot to write about one of the important traditions in the Rio Grande Valley around Christmas time. Tamales! If you live far from the Southern border, you may have tasted canned tamales. Those things are crap. Please don't judge tamales by those standards. Tamales are great when they are fresh. There are chicken tamales, pork tamales, beef tamales, bean tamales, sweet tamales, and I recently tasted cream cheesa and jalapeno tamales. The Christmas holiday is the best time of year because of the abundance of tamales. Certainly they are greasy and can stain your clothes with the spice and chile coloring. There is no doubt that the carbs and high fat content will put you over the 2 million calorie mark. But who cares? They're delicious. If there is one thing that the Mexican culture has got right, it's tamales. The beauty of tamales is that they are delicious when they are fresh. If you have leftovers, you can freeze them. Afterwards, you can nuke them or toss them on a co...

We have had great weather in the Rio Grande Valley. It's cause for frustration amongst some here. It would have been nice to have a cold Christmas. No luck. It was a gorgeous day. We've had temperatures in the 70 and 80 degree range. The weather is expected to continue this great. If you're from up north, you may think that this is a great thing. The problem is this, you can't do hot chocolate and baking very well in warm weather. It just doesn't fit. This is iced tea and sandwich weather. We'd like to pretend this isn't a subtropical region once in a while.

Politico is right about Omar Guerrero. The lies will be his undoing. If I were caught in the same circumstances, even if the weed weren't mine, rather than deny it, I'd say that I need help with my problem. I'd do this because nobody is going to believe that "somebody" left their bag of weed in my vehicle without my knowing. There's no way. Let's say it isn't his. Who is going to get on the vehicle of the district clerk and just leave his stash behind? I know stoners, they DON'T forget where they put their weed. If it's not his, he knows exactly who left it there.

I got a chance to speak with Laura Hinojosa today. She seems upbeat about her campaign, especially with the latest developments with her opponents. She expects to ratchet up her work in January. I think I'll make some time to go visit her campaign office and help out. Just to remind my readers, I don't really know Laura Hinojosa's views on politics. At the District Clerk level, they are not relevant. It would be stupid to help a Republican seek an office because the Democrats run the Rio Grande Valley. In any case, Candidate Hinojosa is nice to me, so I am willing to return the favor. I won't report any juicy secrets about the campaign, should I hear any. I will simply report my contribution.

There is a Mexican saying: Estan haciendo chile con el rabo. Loosely translated, it means "they're pretty angry". The literal translation is "they're making pepper with the tail". Something gets lost in translation. Anyway, the Dems are probably haciendo chile con el rabo over the president's recent rise in approval . GW is kicking butt on two fronts: Iraq and the economy. In Iraq, the recent elections are proof that he was right about the Iraqis wanting to govern themselves. Even the Sunnis turned out to vote. On the economy, just watch CNNfn, Bloomberg, or other financial networks. Listen to Bob Brinker on the weekends. You'll have known that the economy has been surging ahead like a machine. The only downer on the economy is the President's reluctance to reign in spending by the Republicrats. We have low interest rates, single digit unemployment, and a pretty steady cosumer price index despite fighting a war against terrorism, getting hit b...

Anybody who supports the McCain amendment is calling our troops thugs. We had a few jerks who stepped out of line. Overall, our troops have not been and are still not torturing people. This is a piece of feel-good legislation that doesn't do anybody any good. Here is my point. When legislators take on a cause to criminalize some behavior, they have not solved the problem. Let's say that we criminalize drugs, for example. People will still do drugs. The law only applies to those who get caught. If we criminalize torture, it only applies to those who get caught. I've broken so many laws, yet have not been caught. I break the law every time I go 56 in an 55 mph area. I break the law when I sell some crap in a yard sale and don't report the income. I break the law when my insurance expires for a couple days. I am a hardened criminal. The laws were meant to stop me from doing these things that I do often. More importantly, the fact that such legislation was ever proposed mak...

For Our Democrat Friends: "Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, our best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive, gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all. We also wish you a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2006, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to society have helped make America great. Not to imply that America is necessarily greater than any other country nor the only America in the Western Hemisphere. And without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physica...

Accuweather's Joe Bastardi is forecasting freezing temperatures for the Rio Grande Valley on Sunday and Monday. You can hear Joe on KURV 710 AM radio during the morning drive show. You have time to prepare your plants and pipes for the cold. Make sure you check out your heater early. The fire department gets many calls during this season because of poorly maintained heaters that catch fire. If you have a gas heater, check for leaks and provide adequate ventilation to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. And don't forget to bring your pets inside. Make sure you have plenty of Swiss Miss and pan dulce ready.

The Holidays are without a doubt, one of my favorite times of year. I love the cheer and goodwill that permeates the air amongst us. Even when we are older, we try to be good for goodness sake around this time. Then there is also the happiness of being with friends and family. We share food. We share gifts. We spend our time off together. Most people do not decorate their homes throughout the year, but will at least put up a Christmas tree. It's a wonderful time. I must admin that for me it's also a time of reflection on seasons past. I remember the days of my childhood as a poor migrant and the slow shift to where I am today. I am by no means well off or even comfortable. Thanks to my wife's job, we are officially above the poverty line, although with tons of debt. Prior to this year, our combined earnings were less than $20k per year. I look forward to someday being middle class. Still, I look back and see how poor we were and I am grateful for what I have. If you ever s...

Listening to radio statioin KURV, you may hear Sergio Sanchez refer to the weather we had recently as "caldito weather." Mmmm, caldo. I have to agree with Sergio. Caldo is awesome in cool weather. For the uninitiated in Rio Grande Valley culture, caldo is soup. It can be chicken or beef soup. Caldo generally has cabbage, carrots, potatos, corn on the cob, and chayote, a kind of squash. Some people add some celery or other greens. You garnish the soup with cilantro. You also squeeze some lemon into the soup. In the Valley, we hardly use yellow lemons, we use limes. We just say lemons because we don't use lemons and the only thing close to one is a lime. Geez, my mouth is watering while I write this. If you just have the soup by itself, it's not really filling. You need to eat caldo with a rolled up tortilla in the same way most people eat food with a roll or a biscuit. This may be enough to introduce you to one of our favorite dishes. To really make your caldo complete...

This morning, the temperature was 37 degrees. It has gone up into the 40's today. Things will get better later in the week. I can't wait. I had a low tire, which was a bit worn out around the edge anyway, so I went to a tire shop and had the two front tires replaced. It was on my list of things to do, so I can pass the state inspection. So, for $50, I got two front tires with mounting included. Used, of course. It was damn cold out there. It must be tough for the guys changing tires. I had a quick trip to HEB down the street to get cash. My face, ears, fingers, and brain were almost frozen stiff. I can't imagine what it must be like to work outside in the cold all day like that.

Just want to post a quick, see, I told you so. The Mexican AFI, their version of our FBI, has agents under investigation for "probably committing crimes." Come on, probably? Let me tell you that drug cartels are much better financed than the federal government in Mexico. There is no way the government can afford to pay agents better than drug lords. In addition, there is no way the government can protect agents and their families from drug lords. The irony, as mentioned previously, is that we pay for all this. When we reduce supply on the streets, it increases the price of drugs. This is more incentive for cartels to do everything in their power to bring their stuff in. The additional money also gives them more options by allowing them to pay off officials in both countries and to afford better logistics. Vicente Fox and the succeeding presidents of the Mexican Republic simply cannot win so long as there is poverty in Mexico. Easy money is just too much of an incentiv...

I once had a research paper regarding the drug trade. The way things are now, we can only expect one result: increased violence. You have to know some people in the business to understand that it's business. Take away the profit and you've got no incentive. I don't know when the drug war started. I'm sure it was back in the 60s or 70s sometime. In the Reagan years, our country began to crack down on drugs (pun intended). Then George Bush, the father, had his turn to defeat drugs. Bill Clinton did his best. I haven't seen any evidence that the current Bush puts fighting drugs as a priority. On the other hand, by adding more people to the Border Patrol and Customs, it's likely that more drugs are interdicted. It seems like the more our country fights drugs, the richer and more powerful the cartels become. It's simple supply and demand economics. The more we restrict the flow of drugs into the country, the more valuable the drugs that get through become. The in...

Listen to Rio Grande Valley news as recorded live. What I was trying to convey here was that my wife and I attended the Hidalgo County Christmas Party, hosted by Judge Ramon Garcia. Also in attendance was Eric Cardenas. The party included live music and brisket dinner. It was held at the Pharr International Convention Center, which is located right off Hwy 281, North of the Sioux Rd Exit. Towards the end, there were prizes awarded to lucky ticketholders. Compared to last year, the location was much roomier with more parking. Last year's party at Nellie's Ballroom was great, but a little crowded. Last year's party also had a better band, Latin Beat . In any case, it was fun.

Join the Laura Hinojosa for District Clerk of Hidalgo County Campaign Open House on Saturday December 3rd from 10 am - 5 pm. The campaign headquarters is located at 120 N. 17th St in McAllen, on the Nortwest corner of Bus. 83 and 17th St. There will be food and refreshments available.

I've been pondering the political scene lately and am seeing discrepancies. Call it ying yang, dichotomy, or just plain contradiction. What I mean is, there are opposites in play. This goes beyond just the Republican v Democrat fight. At the moment, they are like an old couple that likes to argue for the sake of arguing rather than trying to solve anything. But this is not what I mean. Let me point out some things and perhaps you can help me explain it better. Hillary Clinton. We know she will run for President in the next election. As a senator, she could stay liberal and remain in office in New York indefinitely. Yet, you see her moving her position to the center. Today, she is advising against an Iraqi pullout . Of course, she has been known to criticize the current administration of lying to the public and the regular slew of anti-Bush talking points. Here is the opposing point. Her husband, the notorious Bill Clinton, recently told students in the Middle East that going to Ir...

Can you believe we were in the upper 40s last night? It rarely gets that cold in the Rio Grande Valley. That's getting close to freezing. Once in a while, we'll have freezing temperatures. Those last a day or two, and only at night. Last year was a freak event, we had snow! That was a real Christmas treat. Global warming my.... Anyway, the RGV really has only two seasons, summer and not summer. Or, similar to white, there is summer and off-summer. Things are warming up today. We'll probably have a warm Thanksgiving day.

I have got more comments about the Prop 2 post than any other. I don't think I made myself clear. I will address a couple items and then clarify my position. Just to make it known, I don't see how gay marriage is anything other than a property rights issue. I will give reasons why. So, put your politically correct bigotry aside and read ahead with a true open mind. And, so you don't get lost, my main point is, work with what you've got. First, why are politically correct people so intolerant of bible thumpers? Just because they are different from you? Why don't bigots get the same protection and respect as politically correct people? How is it that it's OK to hate some closed-minded people and not others? Radical muslims (Koran-thumping) who are bent on killing you and your family somehow cause PC people to bend over backwards to show that Islam is accepted and celebrated. There are many other religions out there that don't raise a stink about Christianity. ...

Here is an article from the Progress Times in Mission, Tx. This is about County Judge Ramon Garcia's announcement to run for office. There will be an Hidalgo County Christmas Party on December 2nd by another County Judge. My wife works for Hidalgo County, so I have the opportunity to attend. Last year's party was a blast. The band, Latin Beat (668-9609) was very entertaining and energetic. We'll go again this year. Hopefully Latin Beat will be playing again.

I love walking and biking, so this is welcome news. The Rio Grande Valley needs more public areas like this to encourage our citizens to get out and do something. Our heavily Hispanic population is prone to diabetes. Anything that can be done to get people out and exercise is a benefit. Personally, I can't wait to go try out the hike and bike trail when it is completed.

I was just watching some Democrat Doublespeak on video. Disappointing. Click here .

I was just reading an article in The Monitor related to the recently passed amendment known as Proposition 2 . My reaction is, shut the heck up. This is complex, so I will have to take it one section at a time. I am not anti-gay, I just think the gay community is being stupid about this. First, let's establish this. I supported Proposition 2. This amendment basically cements the definition of marriage in the state of Texas as a union between a man and a woman. I have reasons for this. I am a bad Catholic, so I won't use that as a reason. I will use history as an argument. Long ago, a man chose a woman as his wife and if her parents agreed, she was his. That was it. That was marriage. Then, the whole thing was formalized to protect children. If a man married a woman and fathered children, his property was passed to them. If there was a mistress, she did not count, nor did her children. That is all that official marriage is. It protects the rights of official offspring to inheri...

Being smarter, better, or different are not celebrated in society. Oftentimes, if you are unusual to your approach to things, you are ostracized. Often as a child, I had teachers tell me, "that's not the right answer, we haven't learned that yet". I also heard plenty of "don't get ahead of the rest of the class". I also heard "give the other kids a chance to answer questions". My wife, received a BA in History. She never took an education course. Unfortunately, she needs to take a few courses to become a teacher. Fine, she'll jump through that hoop. As a HeadStart teacher for Hidalgo County, however, she is facing obstacles. She has a different approach to education that works for her and her students. Yet, the system starting from her aide to administration keep telling her that "we don't do things that way". My daughter, a young nerd in her own right, faces the same challenges I did as a child. She has enough sense not to ma...

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Valley Veterans are conducting a 6 day, 225 mile walk to San Antonio. The walk is a protest to show how far our local Veterans must travel to visit a VA hospital. State Representative Aaron Pena, Jr. has joined the walk on a spur of the moment. The Rep has posted news about his first day on the walk . I must say that I identify with the plight of these Veterans. My father recently had to have heart bypass surgery. He had to visit the VA Hospital in San Antonio. Unfortunately, his scheduled surgery date was too far and he had to have the surgery done here at the McAllen Heart Hospital. Still, while disabled from his heart condition and the ensuing recovery, it was a hardship for him and for us to travel to San Antonio. I am sure that other Veterans and their families have similar difficulties. I wish the Veterans luck and good luck to the state rep. Write your Congressman and Senators about this if you wish to help. Let them know that a closer VA hospital would make a world of differenc...

I was just reading an article by Chris Ardis at The Monitor . Chris mentions how teaching is no longer an enjoyable job and how the stress of teaching makes people sick or want to quit. I know exactly what the problem is and I know that it can only get worse. Public education needs to be reformed. Let me give you an example about why teachers are in the position they are in using my own experience. I helped open up a store, almost 3 years ago. I've been a central figure in establishing operations there. At first, none of us knew what to do. We opened for business, but none of us had worked in the type of business we operate. We had great lattitude and freedom in what we could do because there were no rules. Basically, it was help the customer find what he or she needs and check them out. With time, we noticed that some actions were time consuming and if continued would cost more than we would earn. So, we made a rule. Don't do that unless certain conditions exist. Then, we had ...

I was just reading a short piece by William Kristol from the Weekly Standard . He mentions how October 2005 had been a tough month for the President. Something that had come to mind last month when the President's popularity rating was at an all time low and we had Harriet Miers as the prospective SCOTUS Justice was that GW was at his most popular and strongest when he didn't give in to the Dems. In fact, whenever he goes against the grain is when I like him the most. When he wimps out and gives in to the Dems, I lose a little respect for him. I know he wants to be a uniter and not a divider, but they don't play that game. Working with the Dems is like working with the devil. Ted Kennedy, for instance, used the President to get his education bill passed. Once that happened, Kennedy has become one of the President's worst critics. The Dems in Congress have no interest in getting along with the President. Whatever it is that he and the spineless Republicans in Congress pr...

Click here for audio story. It is a good thing that credit card companies have decided to raise minimum payments. They have been trying to find ways to reduce minimum payments so that you can stay in debt to infinity. A new Citibank card, for instance, lets you skip a monthly payment so long as you charge at least one item per month. Can you believe that? I've become a fan of the Dave Ramsey approach to debt. The approach is to not have any. Pay for what you need in cash. The only plastic you need is a debit card. Just pay off everything you owe. So, I am working on that as much as I can now. By raising the minimum payment, credit card companies are giving debtors a way out of the hole in which they are. Of course, it doesn't address the real problem, overspending. This doesn't mean spending more than you thought you would. Overspending means spending more money than you make. I am a financial sinner, but have seen the light. Credit cards will not be a part of my future. I...

A report from NPR News this morning talks about a lawsuit agains cell phone insurance companies . I used to work at T-Mobile as a customer service representative and sold the insurance provided by Asurion. Here are some things you need to keep in mind when you buy cell phone insurance: Your $4 to $5 per month will total up to $60 a year. Most companies will give you a free phone as you get closer to the end of your contract. T-mobile, I can't say about the other companies, will repair your phone for about $70 or give you a new for $70 if yours is irrepairable. You will get the same model or one of equal value, which will be refurbished. If it is defective, you'll get another at no charge. So, if you break your phone, or drop it in the water, or somehow damage it so that the warranty is voided, you'll spend $70 using T-mobile warranty. Using the warranty, you do need to send in the poor phone. With insurance, you'll spend the $60 per year in premiums, plus a deductible. ...

I was just reading more about how to argue. I did not realize it, but this guy is a coauthor of the Copi book, Informal Logic . This was the textbook I used for my Logic class years ago. I have to admit that I have not maintained my logic skills nor my ability to form a consistent argument. One thing that is most poignant for me is his suggestion that I must tailor my arguments to the audience in question. Writing this blog, I have a "general audience" in mind. What the hell does that mean? This blog currently has no core direction. I write about living in the Rio Grande Valley. I write about politics. I write about local news. I'm all over the place. I need to rethink this setup. I want to report and opine about what happens in the Rio Grande Valley. I also want to pursuade my audience to join me on the right side. It is their destiny. How do I go about it? Aw, geez.

I was just reading a post on Analphilosopher.com about Proposition 2 . This guy is pretty smart, judging by the degrees he has. In an earlier post, I wrote that we should just go ahead and vote for the proposition to become an amendment to the Texas Constitution. If at a later time it is judged that society would be severely impaired by this amendment, we could always repeal the amendment. Keith Burgess-Jackson further argues that by leaving the issue to simple legislation, we would argue the issue over and over. By letting Texans decide on the issue, it will not be up for debate by politicians or struck down by courts. As a nation, we ought to take up amending the U.S. Constitution to prevent politicians from meddling with issues that are obviously over their heads. Amending the constitution also keeps the Supreme Courts of Texas and the U.S. from legislating from the bench. They would both be bound by the Constitutional amendments. Just my two cents.

If you live in the Rio Grande Valley, you can forget about supporting a Republican for office. The Democrats run the show here. If you are conservative, your only hope is to run under the Democrat party. Even so, you need to mask your beliefs well. You have the local newspapers against you. Our reporters may not admit to it, but they vote Dem. About the only conservative voice you will read in The Monitor is Michelle Malkin, a syndicated columnist not from the RGV. Her column runs in the Opinion section. The other leftward slanting articles are not in the Opinion section; they make front page.

GW was wussing out by nominating Harriet Miers to the SCOTUS. I'm sure she is very talented and accomplished. Knowing Bush's track record on judicial nominations, she was probably "The One". The only issue that most conservatives have is that she has no track record as a judge, which makes everybody squeamish because they've been burned before (See Justice Souter). Now, GW has gone to the other end of the spectrum, he has nominated somebody with a well known track record, judge Samuel Alito. You know that he's a great judge because the Democrats are screaming bloody murder about him being an "extremist". I am pleased with the President's choice. I wanted to see a good dust-up in congress. The more time they spend arguing over this, the less time they have to reach into our pockets and curb our rights. That segues nicely with the next topic. Yes, it does. The reason that we should like judges like Scalia and Alito is that they follow the intent an...

I was just reading Steve Urquhart's blog . He proposed some changes that the Utah Education Monopoly could make to improve education in that state rather than the union's effort to get more money. The teachers think that by spending more money students will learn better. He proposed some things that the Utah Education Monopoly should rally behind if they really care about students. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently interviewed on a similar issue. The unions talked about tenure, pay raises, benefits, and other topics. According to Arnold, they never once mentioned what was good for students. Steve's suggestions are these: 1. Increased pay for the best teachers. 2. Increased performance in math for grades 4-6. 3. Increased ability to terminate the worst teachers. 4. Increased pay for starting teachers. 5. School choice. Obviously, the Education Monopoly of Utah won't support these things. My problem with the Education Monopoly is as follows. Essentially, public schools take ...

There is some cheating going on about Proposition 2. You've probably heard the news about how a former legislator is heading a group opposing the proposition with deceptive recorded phone calls. The opposition line is "Don't risk it, vote against it". It reminds me of Horse Feathers , a Marx Brothers movie (reminds me of the Dems in Congress too). I don't know what they have to say, it makes no difference anyway - whatever it is, I'm against it! No matter what it is or who commenced it, I'm against it! Your proposition may be good, but let's have one thing understood - whatever it is, I'm against it! And even when you've changed it or condensed it, I'm against it! I'm opposed to it. On general principles I'm opposed to it. For months before my son was born, I used to yell from night to morn - "Whatever it is, I'm against it!" And I've kept yelling since I first commenced it, "I'm against it!" You can ...

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People are up in arms because oil companies are reporting record profits. Leave them alone. We are paying high prices for gasoline because of legislators. They have regulated refineries so much that oil companies won't build new refineries. There is plenty of oil, but little capacity to refine it. It's funny that Congress acts like the oil companies are some kind of monster that just cropped up. They created them! Just leave the oil companies alone. These record profits don't just disappear never to be seen again. The money gets paid out in dividends, capital gains, salaries, bonuses, and capital expenditures. With the United States being such a financial powerhouse, the money will come back to us. Corporations don't just "pocket" money. The money gets paid out. Consequently, it gets spent or invested. It is my hope that oil companies will use some money to lobby for relaxed refinery legislation. If law makers really want to reduce gas prices, they'd reduc...

DiCaprio is a Moron .

This is an issue that I have with the whole Education monopoly and specifically a few people. I applaud Arnold Schwarzenegger for his work on reforming education in California. I think that Texas could use a little reform too. Here are my issues with education in Texas. The first point is that people who go through the Education department rarely pass their EXCET. We've all heard, "those who can do. Those who can't, teach. (Those who can't teach, teach gym)." Most of the people who go through the education department at UTPA tend to embody this saying. They don't pass the EXCET! On the other hand, people who go through other majors: business, biology, math, and whatever, have no problem getting certified. How is this possible? Why does't UTPA do something to fix the problem? They should do it as a matter of pride. Next issue. The TAKS test. I think I have GW to thank for this. The TAKS is such a colossal waste of time. Teachers spend a lot of time teaching...