Demand @ MindSay

So, what I've read about the Gas Tax Holiday proposal by McCain and Clinton pretty much says that very little savings would be passed on to the consumer. And, in fact, may actually benefit the gas companies! What the Heck? Apparently, Clinton and McCain are not listening to the elitist economists, with their math and learning, who almost unanimously agree that both plans are pointless and costly.

Here are some quotes:

"The advocates of a "gas tax holiday" are exaggerating the benefits to consumers from their proposal. If the Illinois experience is a guide, there is likely to be some reduction in the price of gas, but it would fall well short of the size of the tax reduction. In order to pay for the tax cut, the government would have to cut back on highway construction and maintenance or find some other way of plugging the shortfall in revenues to the Highway Trust Fund."

"There's another catch to the McCain and Clinton proposals. Currently, the gas tax is deposited directly into the Highway Trust Fund, which is used to pay for upgrades to roads and bridges. The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that the three-month gas tax holiday could cost as much as $8.5 billion.

McCain has responded by pledging to fund the Highway Trust Fund out of general revenues. That, of course, means adding another $8.5 billion in federal debt, which in turn means adding as much as $383 million per year in interest payments."

"Clinton campaign spokesperson Geoff Garin said in a conference call this week that the proposal would save each driver $70. The Clinton campaign did not respond to our request to clarify how it arrived at that figure. But the non-partisan American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials estimates that the total savings for the average American motorist works out to about $28; for a two-car household, that would be $54.

That's IF prices actually dropped 18.4 cents per gallon. However, there's every indication that they wouldn't. Here's why: According to the basic principles of supply and demand, cutting the price of an item causes people to buy more of it."

"For all the legislative prowess of McCain and Clinton, we’re doubtful that either candidate can rewrite the laws of supply and demand. That 18.4 cents per gallon won't go to consumers. Instead, the proposal will simply shift that money from government coffers to the oil companies. We're willing to grant that if the laws of economics themselves took a holiday and the price did drop that much, the amount saved might be meaningful to many motorists, particularly those who are low-income and those who drive a lot. And there would likely be all kinds of ancillary benefits involving price reductions for food and other products that have to be transported, as well as airline tickets and the like.

But we can't find any economists who think we'll actually see that drop in the price of gasoline. Others have tried and failed as well. And the Clinton campaign hasn't produced one, either."

"Another economist, Jeffrey Perloff, of UC-Berkeley, agreed that a federal tax moratorium would likely have less impact on consumer gas prices than a state moratorium. He said his models showed that a suspension of the 18.4-cent federal tax on gasoline would likely result in a temporary 9- to 12-cent reduction in the cost of a gallon of gas to the consumer, with the remainder of the reduction coming in wholesale prices."

"The Obama campaign says that's a key reason why he opposes McCain's plan: there is no mechanism to make sure that consumers, rather than oil companies, reap the benefits of the tax holiday.

So on this point — how Obama voted in 2000 — the RNC glosses over an important detail. Yes, he voted for the tax holiday the first time, but he opposed an extension of it because he said consumers weren't getting the benefit."

Being a Pagan, I do feel empathatic towards Muslim folks of the US mainly because anyone that is a non-Christian usually gets the shit end of the deal when it comes to time off for holidays, spiritual events, and family events involving their spirituality.  Sure we have laws in place saying that companies and such can not discriminate towards anyone due to their religion but we all know it does happen.  Especially since most of the major holidays that are given Nationally are Christian Based.  Jewish folks have week long holy days, Pagans can celebrate their holy days anywhere from a day to up to a week depending on their path they follow, Muslims are required by their spirituality to pray 5 times a  day and so on and so forth. 

 

Most companies are actually pretty accomidating when it comes right down to it.  Companies do give time off for that popular holy days and holidays to everyone and in most of my working experencie and school experience I have gotten time off for anything I needed that involved Spirituality.  Sure it isn't paid unless I have chosen to use Vacation or Sick time.  Does it suck?  Sure but I also know that the majority of the higher ups and the nation is Christian and they are going to cater to the main religion.  They did it back in pre Christian times with the pagans when Chrstianity was just blooming.  Pagans got all sorts of time off and the Christians were told to get over it.  Much like anyone Non Christian is told to figure things out or get over it.

 

Now what brought this lil blog of mine up is the incidents in MN at the airport and now in Grand Island NE where Muslims are walking or stiring up legal problems due to the need to shove their religion down other ppl's throats by claiming they can't do something due to their religion.  I understand their need to pray when they need to pray.  I really do.  But I also understand that companies can NOT cater to every religion out there in aspects of RUNNING their businesses!

 

Between 70-90 Somilian Muslims walked out of a packing plant because they were NOT given their time to pray 5 times a day.  Now for those of you who don't know packing plants having almsot 100 workers pull off of a line in an 8 hour day is loss of money for the company.  Not to mention time and more work for the next shift of workers that have to make up the time and money that you cost the company.  Most companies that are packing plants are actually some of the best companies to work for if you are a non-christian mainly because they do reley on poor to middle class citizens and legal and illegal ailens to work their plant.  They don't care what religion or spirituality you are as long as your a good hard worker.  They are also some of the best paying jobs if your not afraid to do hard work.  These workers were informed that the company had no problem with praying and has accomedated them with spaces to pray but they had to do it on their breaks.  That was unacceptable to the workers who wanted special privlages to leave the line for all 5 prayer times.  Which is unacceptable for the companies to loose money and time in having that many employees leave their stations to pray.

 

IMO if you know that your spirituality requires you to pray or even if you have specific issues that cause you to leave your job so many times a day then do NOT choose to work at that specific job.  Especially even if you think you are low man on totem pole and if you leave your position it is going to cause major problems for the company YOU chose to work for.  If you are moving into a situation where your lifestyle or spirituality is not fully embraced then you have two opitions.....You either change up your behavor with out comprimising yourself to much or you get out of the sitiuation.  I know folks out there are going it is their spirituality to pray 5 times a day or saying you don't know shit about the Islamic faith.  My response is that yes I know it is their spirituality jsut like being a Druid Student is mine.  I pray through out the day but in modern times I also know that I can't do everything the way it should be done because either items are not availble, time permiting, and even possible fear because ppl don't understand my spirituality.  So I change my behavor with out comprimising myself.  If something is needed to be said or done for my spiriutaily and I can't do it........I do what I can while doing what needs to be done in this modern day and age.  That means chopping veggies while talking to Anu I do.  If that means asking Mannan Mc Lir for some more paitence dealing with my children along the river while getting after them while helping them pull in a pike or a carp I do.  If that means I don't get time to meditate and I am a terrible meditator and I know I need to make the time I wait for the kids to be in bed and lock myself in my bedroom or if the kids are up I lock myself in the bathroom.

 

I would also say your right I don't know much about the Islamic faith besdies they have the Koran, the believe in Mohammad, and they pray 5 times a day.  And that woman should be covered and that woman according to them are evil in almost all aspects but they do respect Islamic women because they are important.  I am in the process of getting around to reading the Koran to have a better understanding and so I am not like the mass of ignorant folks in the world to automatically think all Islamic folks are evil or terrorist. 

 

But I do believe that nobody should have to accomadate their livilhood for someone's inability to comprimise.  If someone or a company is trying to be accomidating and you don't like it then instead of demand negoitating even more.  From what I read the workers walked out after asking and didn't bother negoitaiting more prayer time before they walked.  That would be like my Sister and Mother who are Catholic walking out on their jobs for working on Sundays which if you get technical is against the Cannon of Catholic laws.  They are both RN nurses and choose to be nurses.  They work hospitals that they are required to work weekends once in a while and most hospitals and nursing homes you work every other weekend for your schedule.  If they didn't work Sunday's but went to church instead; they would be held responsible just like their brothers and sisters of the Muslim faith are held responsible for choosing to work a job and then walking out on it due to their religion.  If one of the most feared Christian Faiths can start negoitating with their followers (Catholic church) by saying hey we understand you have to support your families and come to church when you don't have to work then so can any other religion out there.  For Macha's sake, I don't get in trouble by my Gods for blowing off some of the "holy" days as long as I make time for them sometime in the day to tell them hey I am still your daughter and I still honor you and please understand in today's world I have to accomadate not only you but my family and today's world.

I really really hate stupid people.  Yes I have said this many times.  But if any of you use the market place on amazon to purchase items beware of poney_express_books this gentleman is an idiot that far exceeds stupidity.

 

I purchased a book..........it is an older book.........the seller had a very good rating and I read their feed back.  I choose to use that seller for the book.  Their discription of the book (again older book so no flap cover imagies to check out before you buy) was misleading.  It wasn't what I expected out of the book.

 

I didn't leave Good feedback or Bad feedback or even Poor feedback............I left FAIR.  Meaning it was sufficient but not ample to what was discribed.

 

The seller then proceeded to email me demanding that I take the feedback off: 

 

otice that you left me bad feedback even though "fast delivery good condition" Please, that is all I can do is make sure I get it out to you quickly and describe it accurately. Feedback is not a place for book reviews, there is a different way that Amazon has buyers do that. Please remove the bad feedback. It is in a public forum and effects my business. This is the way I feed my family and pay my mortgage, these scores are important to me. Please use the steps to remove the feedback. If you've left feedback on a Marketplace or Merchant seller and would like to remove it, you can do this through Your Account. From the pull-down menu next to "View by Order," select "Open and recently shipped orders." After you sign in, you'll find a listing of your recent orders. Select the relevant order and click the "View order" button. If it is 60 days or less since you left the feedback, you will see a "Remove" link in the feedback section of the order summary.

thanks,

 

First off all I didn't leave a book review.  I said it was in good condition, it was a fast delivery but not what I expected according to what was described by the seller!  Second FAIR is NOT a BAD feedback.  And when you have a high 90s feedback a FAIR isn't going to affect you all that much.  Third try to guilt trip me cause your ass depends on selling books from your home as your only income to pay all your bills..........not going to happen.  Cause I don't care!  Fourth I rate on not only the condition of the item, the speed of delivery but the sellers discription and their manner of customer service. 

 

My response back to idiot:

 

Fair is NOT a bad feedback.  The book was fair.  Yes delievery was fast and
the book was in good condition.  I left fair feedback because the book
wasn't as what I was expecting according to the desription.  I still said it
was a good book. 

Sorry you don't like my honest opinion.  I will NOT remove it. 

Thank you for taking time to find out why I left the feedback even if you
don't agree with it.

 

This was their response.  Can we say we do NOT know how to fucking read?