Back With A Vespa
****Tree Hugger Alert 2.0****
Just when you thought it was safe to trade in your SUV for one of those spiffy, new, fuel efficient electric shavers with wheels (also known as hybrid vehicles), the government of California may soon begin "rewarding" drivers by replacing the gasoline tax with a tax on miles driven. To enforce the new tax, big brother will ride along by way of a GPS tracking device monitoring your vehicle's mileage. According to an LA times article, "The notion has not been endorsed by (California Governator) Schwarzenegger but is gaining acceptance among transportation and budget experts. As Californians drive increasingly more fuel-efficient cars, state officials are alarmed that the gasoline tax will not raise enough money to keep up with road needs. Charging people for the miles they drive also worries some owners of hybrid cars, because it could wipe out any gas-tax savings they now enjoy." My suggestion is that in lieu of the highway tax they just raise the taxes on soybeans, hummus, and sprouts to make up the difference.
Remember when this was a campaign issue?
For those of you that still doubt the leftist bias in the mainstream media, I offer this:
During the 2004 Presidential election, George Bush was forced to defend himself needlessly against the so called flu shot shortage. ABC, pMSNBC, and CBS led the leftist media in one of their final attempts to derail the Bush campaign in the weeks before the November election. Further fodder was provided by John Heinz-Kerry, "This is another example of President Bush's incompetence", and Hillary Rodham-Clinton, "They're more interested in tax cuts for the rich than for flu shots for everyone who needs them, and we've really paid a big price for their negligence." The Nation's seniors were allegedly at risk due to the President's failures.
Well, the fact aside that there never was a flu vaccine shortage to begin with, and that there there is now a large surplus of the vaccine that may go to waste, a study from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, MD states that....
------drumroll please, buKit----------
Giving flu vaccine to seniors may not save any lives.
Excuse me?
According to news reports published on Monday, "A new study based on more than three decades of U.S. data suggests that giving flu shots to elderly people has not saved any lives.
Led by National Institutes of Health researchers, the study challenges standard government dogma. For decades, doctors have been advising people 65 and older to get flu shots because they are most susceptible to serious or fatal complications from the disease."(link1, link2)
Retractions and/or apologies from the leftist media, Senator Heinz-Kerry, and Senator Rodham-Clinton still to come.
Just when you thought it was safe to trade in your SUV for one of those spiffy, new, fuel efficient electric shavers with wheels (also known as hybrid vehicles), the government of California may soon begin "rewarding" drivers by replacing the gasoline tax with a tax on miles driven. To enforce the new tax, big brother will ride along by way of a GPS tracking device monitoring your vehicle's mileage. According to an LA times article, "The notion has not been endorsed by (California Governator) Schwarzenegger but is gaining acceptance among transportation and budget experts. As Californians drive increasingly more fuel-efficient cars, state officials are alarmed that the gasoline tax will not raise enough money to keep up with road needs. Charging people for the miles they drive also worries some owners of hybrid cars, because it could wipe out any gas-tax savings they now enjoy." My suggestion is that in lieu of the highway tax they just raise the taxes on soybeans, hummus, and sprouts to make up the difference.
Remember when this was a campaign issue?
For those of you that still doubt the leftist bias in the mainstream media, I offer this:
During the 2004 Presidential election, George Bush was forced to defend himself needlessly against the so called flu shot shortage. ABC, pMSNBC, and CBS led the leftist media in one of their final attempts to derail the Bush campaign in the weeks before the November election. Further fodder was provided by John Heinz-Kerry, "This is another example of President Bush's incompetence", and Hillary Rodham-Clinton, "They're more interested in tax cuts for the rich than for flu shots for everyone who needs them, and we've really paid a big price for their negligence." The Nation's seniors were allegedly at risk due to the President's failures.
Well, the fact aside that there never was a flu vaccine shortage to begin with, and that there there is now a large surplus of the vaccine that may go to waste, a study from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, MD states that....
------drumroll please, buKit----------
Giving flu vaccine to seniors may not save any lives.
Excuse me?
According to news reports published on Monday, "A new study based on more than three decades of U.S. data suggests that giving flu shots to elderly people has not saved any lives.
Led by National Institutes of Health researchers, the study challenges standard government dogma. For decades, doctors have been advising people 65 and older to get flu shots because they are most susceptible to serious or fatal complications from the disease."(link1, link2)
Retractions and/or apologies from the leftist media, Senator Heinz-Kerry, and Senator Rodham-Clinton still to come.
posted by kjungleboy at 3:34 PM
