What are your thoughts about America, our history and our future? The call in number is (718) 664-9725 or click on the link above and find the click to talk link if you have a mic hooked up to your computer.

The chat room is about to be opened. See you there.

I’m also getting some things ready for tonight’s Independence Day Warm-up.

Finally, for now, an update on this post. When I wrote that two days ago I had 29 cigarettes left. Right now that number is down to one. Even that is quite a reduction in normal consumption. The good news, yeah I know there’s all that health stuff too, is that I haven’t given the state of Florida or the federal government any more money. And I’m not going to.

The show starts tomorrow night (7/3/09) at 11pm eastern. We (I’m including you in all of this) will be talking about our nation’s birth, what makes the U.S. great, and where we go from here. It will be a one hour show ending at midnight.

If you want to participate you can go to the show page linked above. If you have a mic hooked up to your computer you can click on the “click to talk” button or call in at (718) 664-9725. The chat room will be open just before the show starts.

See you tomorrow night.

#Honduras: Zelaya postpones his trip back “for the weekend”

Honduras: What was on the referendum ballots printed in Venezuela

Honduras defends its democracy

and

Coup in Honduras – Correction: This is NOT a coup

Thanks for the great work Fausta!

The tax on cigarettes goes up $1.00 today in Florida. That’s on top of the increase in the Federal tax that has been in place since April.

The first increase prompted me to go from my regular brand to the generic brand that, I believe, is manufactured from the sweepings around the “good” cigarette machines and grass clippings. As of today those cheap cigarettes will cost just over $4/pack, over half of that in various taxes (which tells you just how cheap those generics are).

I’ve told you in the past that I’m a bit of a numbers geek. I spend about half of my work day immersed in an excel spread sheet. And I like it. That’s the background. This morning I ran the numbers on my habit.

At the end of a week, July 7th, I will have saved $28, almost enough for a family run through McDonalds.

When we get to the end of July I will have saved $124, about the equivalent of an extra day of work without the drive, conference calls, and complaining.

Lets move out a little further. School starts around here on August 24th. I can have an extra $220 in my pocket. Who wouldn’t like that? Of course, with what it takes to equip three for school, my pocket will still be empty.

My birthday falls on Thanksgiving day this year. If I put all of the money that I save away (an if that isn’t going to happen) I could have $596. That’s a lot of turkey and cranberry sauce.

By Christmas eve, just in time to do my shopping, I could have $708 to take on my frantic dash through the empty-shelved stores that are going to close in just a few minutes. Either that, or I could buy a whole lot of presents at the nearest gas-n-shop.

Finally, in a year from now (making the probably inaccurate assumption that prices won’t go up any further) I could save, are you ready for this, $1460!

Dude, I’m getting a Dell.

Fundamentally, the bill fails to ensure that an adequate amount of renewable or alternative energy sources are developed and deployed to compensate for the bill’s declining cap on fossil fuel emissions, as well as foster development of clean nuclear power. Instead, it would impose 397 new regulations and 1060 new mandates on the American public.

Wow! No wonder they didn’t want anyone to read it before they voted. It has hard to imagine a more intrusive, destructive piece of legislation (although I’m sure they’ll try). We must stop this in the Senate. Call, write, fax, email your Senators today.

What I really would like you to do is join in by calling (718) 664-9725 or by using Blog Talk Radio’s built in VOIP with your computer and microphone.

I’m going to head on over an open up the chat room. See you there.

This bill, named for Democrats Henry A. Waxman of California and Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts, would have adverse and lingering consequences for every American. It would raise the cost of electricity for our homes, fuel for our cars and the energy that produces our manufacturing jobs, with little or no environmental benefit. Further, independent experts estimate it would cost Americans more than $2 trillion in a little more than eight years.

Just think about the ways this will impact the economy. Energy is used at every step of every thing we make, buy, and consume. Not only will we be impacted directly by higher gas and utility prices, but indirectly on every single thing we do or purchase.

Let’s go to the grocery store. Want to buy a loaf of bread? The farmer growing the wheat will be paying more to plant, grow, and harvest that wheat. It’s going to cost more to ship and process it into flour. Add a few more cents when the flour is made into bread, packaged, shipped to the stores, and don’t forget the additional costs to the grocery store just to keep the lights on and the doors open.

You can do that exercise with every single product in your shopping cart.

Read this editorial as well.

This bill, if allowed to pass in the Senate, will cost all of us. A lot. Don’t wait, contact your senator and tell them to vote no!

(h/t pomalom via twitter)

We have a leak in the pipe leading to the water heater. Not a small leak, an “I can hear the water running behind the wall” leak, a “water pressure in the rest of the house is next to nothing” leak.

I am not a plumber, but I have lived long enough and in enough different places that I am pretty comfortable performing most household repairs. The question is going to be access. If I can get to it without too much trouble a quick trip to Lowes for a few bucks worth of parts should have water flowing again. I already know it’s behind a wall, but it is in a place where enlarging the hole where the pipe comes through will not be a problem. It’s how far behind that wall that could cause the problem.

I wonder what Samuel (Joe the Plumber) Wurzelbacher is up to this morning?

Think good thoughts kiddies. I’m going in.
UPDATE: We have hot water!! And in time to watch the NASCAR race, too.

• The church of Global Warming has convinced 219 U.S. Representatives that they can legislate temperature. News Flash – you can’t.
• They are trying to sell this as a jobs bill. That’s true. The jobs are in India and China.
• If you believe this bill is a good idea you probably believe the Reps who voted for it read it. Evelyn Wood couldn’t have read this bill/amendment in the time they had.
• There are eight Republicans who voted for this farce. They need to go. Not a dime for their campaigns, not a vote for their reelection, not a good word for any of them. Let them know what you think of their legislative proctological exam. They are:
  • Mary Bono Mack (California’s 45th district)
  • Michael Castle (Delaware’s at-large)
  • Mark Kirk (Illinois’ 10th district)
  • Leonard Lance (New Jersey’s 7th district)
  • Frank LoBiondo (New Jersey’s 2nd district)
  • John McHugh (New York’s 23rd district)
  • Dave Reichert (Washington’s 8th district)
  • Chris Smith (New Jersey’s 4th district)
  • (h/t to Steveegg for the names and links.)
• Oh yeah, RNC? No money for you either.

I’m about to fall asleep at the keyboard. More later.