fritz

"The 60's and early 70 Chevy pickups with colum shift would hang up in second gear at the linkage at the firewall." So did the 1955 Chevy cars. Dad had one, and I still remember having to raise the hood and knock it into position---in downtown San Antonio. Of course, San Antonio was not as big and crowded as today. Try that in Houston today! Then later I had a '52 Ford that was my first car. The fuel pump or something went out in downtown Houston, and some good Samaritan push-started me again. I got it home, then got rid of it for a VW Beetle. There wasn't much to go wrong with those. Houston wasn't as big and crowded then either. fritz

About that ark---has it rained for 40 days and 40 nights yet? Hell, it seems like it. But I don't think it's 40 yet. Just wait a few more days, and if it don't quit (the weather service says it won't), the ark may be needed. Remember the Boy Scout motto---Be Prepared! fritz

>Many will recall that on July 8, 1947, witnesses claimed that an >unidentified object with five aliens aboard crashed onto a sheep and >cattle ranch just outside Roswell, New Mexico. > >This is a well-known incident that many say has long been covered up >by the U.S. Air Force and the federal government. > >However, what you may NOT know that in the month of March 1948, >exactly nine months after that historic day, George W. Bush, Dick >Cheney, Donald Rumsfield, Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Condoleezza >Rice, Stephen Harper and Dan Quayle were all born. > >See what happens when aliens breed with sheep? > >This piece of information may clear up a lot of things. fritz

The best cars are those made in Mexico. You see, down in refried bean country, they don't get it right the first time---so they build it again. No need for recalls on a Mexican car. But if you got a car that needs repairing, the Mex are experts at keeping cars on the road, just look at what they have done with Bondo and baling wire! fritz

No rain at my place today, but there was a shower early this morning about a mile passed me. The only damage I've had is a tree blown down on a fence, will have to fix that someday. Tomorrow is the big day for fireworks. At least there shouldn't be any grass fires this year from them. fritz

Well, when the sky got light this morning I drove around in my high clearance truck to see what roads were still open. We had 6.5" last night, and that did not run off until about 9 this morning. The road was passable for about a mile past my place, but guys coming back from the other side told me the road was closed about a mile further down. There is a low place (we call it the Blue Branch) where the water comes up quickly, but goes down quickly. It was passable by 9. And beyond that into town it was less rain and no flooding. This is one time I got more rain than the city boys! The funny thing is that my newspaper carrier, who comes out of Victoria, decided to not deliver the paper today. But around 7:30 AM the Fed-X truck drives up and delivers a parcel. I asked him if he came from Victoria and if the roads were passable from there to here (they had more rain in that direction). He said the road was clear. Now, I wonder why the newspaper never got here, since it quit raining before the Fed-X guy drove up (and the highway department never claimed the road was flooded to Victoria). Our commissioner went on tv and said no roads in Goliad county were closed. Guess he slept late. Well, it's just a liberal rag anyway. That's where I get my best stories! BTW, the sun came out and it didn't rain all day, but as Curly (Jack Palance) said in the movie---the day ain't over yet! fritz

"Ford Fusion and Toyota Camry" Is that Ford the only American made auto you compared to a Camry? If so, I'm not surprised you bought the Jap. You know, there are other cars out there besides Ford (which even I would not buy). Shop around, and buy American! Stand up for what made this country great! After all, that Camry might be made from recycled Ford steel. But that's still better than Dodge steel! fritz

An old one, but so true---- Cheap Labor Isn't that what the whole immigration issue is about? Business don't want to pay a decent wage, consumers don't want expensive produce, Govenment will tell you Americans don't want the jobs but the bottom line is cheap labor. "The phrase "cheap labor" is a myth, a farce, and a lie. There is no such thing as "cheap labor." Take, for example, an illegal Mexican who sneaks in here with his wife and five children. He takes a job for five or six dollars an hour. At that wage with six dependents he pays no income tax, yet at the end of the year if he files income tax he gets an " earned income credit" of up to $3,200 free. He qualifies for Section 8 housing and subsidized rent, He qualifies for food stamps. He qualifies for free (no deductible, no co-pay) health care. His children get free breakfasts and lunches at school. He requires bilingual teachers and books. He qualifies for relief from high energy bills. If they are or become, aged, blind or disabled they qualify for SSI. Once qualified for SSI they can qualify for medicare. All of this is at that taxpayers expense. He doesn't have to worry about car insurance, life insurance, or homeowners insurance. Taxpayers provide Spanish language signs, bulletins and printed material. He cannot be fired, harassed, or sued. He and his family receive the equivalent of $20 to $30 an hour in benefits. Working Americans are lucky to have $5 or $6 an hour left after paying their bills and his. They also pay for increased crime, graffiti, and trash cleanup. Cheap labor? YEAH RIGHT!" Work hard and pay your taxes, 12 million illegal aliens are counting on you! fritz

Here's a thought...........print this article out and keep a few copies close-at-hand. When a neighbor or family member starts going on about their "superior" foreign made vehicle give them a copy to read. Facts such as those revealed herein are very important to all Americans .........working, retired, or about to enter the workforce. American Perception Problems of the American Auto Industry by Roger Simmermaker Roger Simmermaker, Author How Americans Can Buy American www.howtobuyamerican.com Ford and General Motors have taken turns besting the Toyota Camry in quality surveys for the past two years, but if you talk to many Americans - especially the ones who would never consider supporting home-based auto companies - you’d never know it. Last year, the Chevrolet Impala beat the Toyota Camry in initial quality according to J.D. Power & Associates, and Consumer Reports just announced that both the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan scored higher than both the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord this year. After the announcement, Ford’s Director of Global Quality Debbe Yeager commented “It’s a perception gap,” referring to the struggle American companies have had overcoming the perceived and seemingly untarnishable reputation of their foreign rivals. Even as GM and Ford have accumulated award after award on vehicle quality, you’d almost never know about such quality gains made by American companies - or quality declines of foreign companies - by listening to the media. Did you hear about it when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that Toyota r ecalled more vehicles than it sold in the U.S. Last year? Probably not. Did you hear about Toyota making an “elaborate apology” for their “worrisome series of recalls” that has “tarnished its reputation for quality?” Probably not. Did you hear about the Toyota senior manager quote that stated “We used to do quiet recalls called ‘service campaigns’ to deal with defects but we’re not going to hide anything anymore?” Such a statement suggests Toyota ’s past recall numbers were probably much higher than we were led to believe, and they profited handsomely by having a perception of higher quality than they deserved. In Japan , prosecutors are looking into possible negligence on the part of Toyota for shirking recalls for the last eight years. How ironic. You probably didn’t hear abou t that one either because the American media doesn’t like to bash foreign auto companies – only American ones. Then there’s the mythical perception that foreign automakers produce the most fuel efficient cars and that Detroit only makes gas-guzzlers when the truth is that all automakers - including Toyota , Honda and Hyundai-Kia alike – have allowed fuel economy to slide in the past 20 years since they all now sell bigger trucks and more SUVs. One of Toyota ’s senior executives was even quoted in the Wall St. Journal September 28 saying that both the Toyota Sequoia and Tundra “are big gas-guzzling vehicles” and expressed “concern about the longer-term prospects.” These longer-term prospects about their admitted gas-guzzlers are questioned because they know that Ford’s F-150 and Chevy’s Silverado have led the pack in sales year after year. Yes, gasoline has been getting more expensive – at least until recently – but the fact that Americans continue to buy it in greater quantities qualifies us as hypocrites for suggesting GM and Ford stop building so many big trucks and SUVs. After all, GM and Ford are only responding to demand as any company would and should if they want to remain profitable in a cut-throat competitive market. According to a Business Week survey, we Americans bought 10% more gasoline in the first six months of 2006 compared to the first six months of 2000 even though gas prices rose 75% in that period. Maybe here I could also mention that the Chevy Tahoe beat the gas-guzzling Toyota Sequoia in quality surveys and gets better gas mileage to boot. But what has happened since gas prices have been on the decline in recent months? The Wall Street Journal reported a “slight” increase in truck sales by American companies, as Ford Expedition sales were up 41% and Lincoln Navigator sales were up 44%. The American media even tries to restrain its applause for home-based auto companies by referring to gains of over 40% as slight!” Perhaps the biggest perception problem is that American automobile companies GM and Ford (Chrysler is now German-owned) squander all their money on plants overseas and foreign automakers build their factories in the U.S. Foreign car lovers will surely point to Kia’s plans to build its first-ever U.S. Plant in Georgia, but they probably won’t mention that they received $400 million in tax giveaways to do it, which translates into $160,000 per job. Among t he many benefits for the foreign-owned company, your tax dollars are going to be used for road improvements surrounding the complex, complete with flower beds and other beautification features. Hey, as long as we’re going to allow states to bid for private jobs with our public tax dollars, we might as well make it look good, right? And the foreign car lovers will probably also not tell you (or maybe they just don’t know or don’t want you to know) that GM and Ford pour more money into existing American facilities than foreign automakers spend on new plants, usually with little or no tax breaks. GM has already spent over $500 million upgrading two transmission plants this year, and has spent nearly a billion dollars over the last decade, for example, for facility upgrades in Texas . And what do GM and Ford get for making their existing plants more efficient? It isn’t tax breaks. Instead, they get accusations of not being “competitive” enough! Maybe here I should also mention that the average domestic parts content for Kia is 3%, while the average domestic parts content of Ford and GM is 78% and 74% respectively. Th is means that buying a U.S.-assembled (or even foreign-assembled, for that matter) GM or Ford supports more American jobs than a U.S.-assembled car or truck with a foreign nameplate. Fortunately for our benefit, the U.S. remains the overall global leader in research and development, and a big reason for that is that American automakers – according to the Level Field Institute – invest $16 billion in R&D (Research & Development) annually, which outpaces any other industry one could name. Admittedly, the Level Field Institute counts German-owned DaimlerChrysler as an American automaker, so Ford and GM’s combined R&D contribution to America is closer to around $12 billion. But who’s counting, right? Certainly not the American auto-bashing media. Japanese companies do employ 3,600 American workers in R&D, but that still leaves the foreign competition behind in the dust staring at American rear bumpers. 3,600 sounds like a big number until you realize that 65,000 Americans work in R&D facilities in the state of Michigan alone. In fact, two of the top four R&D spending companies in America as reported by the Wall Street Journal are – you guessed it – Ford and General Motors. The other two are also American companies: Pfizer and Microsoft. Ford has recently made headlines as the American automaker with the most challenges to its future, but these challenges certainly are not because they “aren’t making cars people want to buy.” Toyota did outsell Ford in July, but since then, Ford has reclaimed the No. 2 spot and has held it ever since. GM has the highest market share, increasing over 2 percentage points from a year ago. So apparently they can’t be accused of not making cars people want to buy either. Ford sales are also up in Europe, and Ford doubled their sales in China , where GM has the highest market share of any automaker. General Motors also reported a 3.9% rise in August vehicle sales despite high gas prices and a supposedly slowing economy. And even though Toyota reported record sales that month, they coul dn’t match the non-record setting sales volume of Ford. GM’s sales rose 17% in October from the same month in 2005 and Ford sales rose 8% in the same period. Ford also sits on $23 billion in cash, so they have plenty of money to focus on and fix any problems. And for all the talk about the lack of fuel efficiency of American automakers, it seems three-fourths of all automakers failed to meet Europe ’s improved fuel-efficiency standards intended to cut carbon-dioxide emissions. Japanese and German automakers topped the list of the study’s worst performers, but according to an environmental group’s study, GM’s Opel division and Ford both “come out well.” In closing, I’ll leave some encouraging numbers for those of us who actually like to root for and support the home team. The J.D. Power 2006 Vehicle Dependability Survey reports that Mercury, Buick and Cadillac (in that order) grabbed the number 2, 3 and 4 spots to beat Toyota, Honda, Nissan, BMW and everyone else (except Lexus) in having the least number of problems per 100 vehicles. &n bsp; Perhaps someday the American media will give GM and Ford the credit they deserve. And once they do, perception among the majority of the American public will rightfully change. GM and Ford aren’t only doing what they should to make gains in the American market to deserve American consumer loyalty; they’re also doing what they should to make gains in the markets of China , Europe and across most of the rest of the globe. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And now I read where Toyota says it will build no more American plants. fritz

A little Mexican boy goes into the kitchen where his mom is baking. He puts >his hand in the flour and wipes it all over his face. > >"Mom, look, I'm a white boy." His mom slaps him in the face and says "Go >show your father". > >He goes to his dad in the living room and says "Look dad, I'm a white boy." >His dad slaps him hard in the face and says "Go show your grandmother." > >The boy goes in his grandmothers room and says "Mira, abuelita, I'm a white >boy " His grandmother slaps him in the face and sends him back to his >mother. > >His mother says "See. Did you learn anything from that?" > >To which the boy replies, "Sure did. I have only been white for five minutes >and I already hate you Mexicans." fritz

Well, a day later, the damned rain has gone from just a shower to continous downpours. I am sitting here at the pc because the dog is barking so much I can't sleep. She gets terribly scared when it thunders and lightning strikes any where in sight. She's better than radar when it comes to weather predicting. When the morning light comes, I will have to see just how high this ground is. It is being tested pretty good today. There are a few low places on the road to town, and mrs fritz will need to get to the office in a few hours. But her beeper has not gone off yet, so I guess there is no emergencies yet. Jerry, I am beginning to wonder how long I can continue to say "Let it rain!" Enough is enough! fritz

Tony, Best wishes on your travels. I have never been to Hawai, but I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed South Florida and the Everglades when I was in the service. I heard that it is completely changed now with all the Cubans and retired people. Do send us some pics of your surroundings when you get settled. Are you a fisherman? Bet they have good fishing there. That was the best part of the Everglades, and when I got back to Texas I lost interest in fishing for awhile. It just didn't compare with the solitude of the Everglades. But I suppose that most places are spoiled now, with tourists and speedboats, etc. Take care, fritz

All the flooding has been north of me, I live 90 miles south of San Antonio and from there through the Hill Country it has been very heavy rain. And it is supposed to stay this way for most of the week. Down here I have been getting one shower a day on average. And only small showers, around a tenth of an inch most days. For the month just past, I got around three inches, just right. I have hay ready to cut, but it's grass hay and can wait awhile. Not like grain crops that must be harvested on time. Jerry's post the other day about all the crops being wiped out in his area, for the second year in a row (last year from drought), made me thankful I got out of grain farming years ago. fritz

When you run for public office, the highest office in particular, you have to watch what you say---and who to say it to. Remember the time when newcomer Clayton Williams made some stupid remarks, and was beaten thoroughly by Ann Richards? If you ain't got what it takes, and it takes more than money sometimes, it's best to stay out of politics. fritz

Jason, I'm glad you mentioned that about school districts spending money like drunken sailors. I know that in some cases money (more money than what the current taxes are bring in) must be spent to improve older facilities and add new classrooms when the enrollment increases. But when I see a brand new football field, new tennis courts (those things can be very expensive if built right), and other athletic facilities being built with the extra tax money they are robbing us of, then I get pissed. Especially since the present facilities are adequate, and our enrollment has not gone up that much----we are still a 3A high school, just as when I graduated 45 years ago. But like you said, what can we do? They have their own lawyer, and he is paid for with our money. Lawyers don't come cheap, and only the rich can afford one for a civil case. The thing that gets me is that folks complain about our county taxes and never mention the school taxes (we get two separate bills). The school tax used to be about the same amount as the county tax since both were taxing on the same property. Today the school tax has gotten to be about three times more than the county tax. My county taxes are not that bad, and the county runs a law enforcement facility, maintains roads and bridges all over the county, and I don't see why the school district needs all that extra money. But as you said, it ain't their money so they ain't worried about it. fritz

Well, it's just a joke--- Subject: Wreck ... After over 40 years of accident free driving I finally had a wreck. I am fine, but it was one of those stupid rear end collisions, where it could have been avoided. It was really nobody's fault. To my surprise, the guy I hit was a dwarf and he stormed out of his car, stomped back to my car and shouted at me, "I AM NOT HAPPY!" So, I asked him, "Well, which one are you?" Learned one thing about dwarfs, they don't have a sense of humor. fritz

Glad to oblige. Listen to this one---- Ex-Marine, 72, fights off pickpocket June 29, 2007 - Posted at 12:00 a.m. GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) - Bill Barnes says he was scratching off a losing $2 lottery ticket inside a gas station when he felt a hand slip into his pants pocket, where he had $300 in cash. He immediately grabbed the person's wrist with his left hand and started throwing punches with his right, landing six or seven blows before a store manager intervened. "I guess he thought I was an easy mark," Barnes, 72, told The Grand Rapids Press for a story Tuesday. He's anything but an easy mark: Barnes served in the Marines, was an accomplished Golden Gloves boxer and retired after 20 years as an iron worker. Jesse Daniel Rae, 27, was arraigned Monday in Rockford District Court on one count of unarmed robbery. fritz

I was wondering what all that rain was doing to agricultural crops, you won't see it in the news. Instead you see how many homes and cars were washed away. Nothing about the crops in the fields (and in the case of wheat farmers, ready to harvest now). Down here in south Texas we have been lucky, we get rains but no floods. And our crops are not ready for harvest, not the grain crops like corn. In fact this rain is only helping fill out the ears of corn grain. Cotton will not be affected until about August or September, when it is ready for harvest (and rain can hurt the quality of the lint). All the rain around San Antonio will probably cause flooding on the San Antonio River that runs through here. The golf course may get flooded if it continues upstream. But that has happened several times before. One of the perils of living on a river. As to hay, we made a good first cutting and this rain will ensure a good second cutting. Last year we were lucky to get one cutting. I am looking for three cuts this year. And the price of hay is not dropping----someone has finally figured out just how much it costs to raise it, and the fact that we often lose money on just one or two cuttings. As for me, let it rain. But, as in all things, modesty is the best policy. fritz

Not at the time for me anyway. I get these notices about every six months from the Social Security Administration about my eligibility to enroll now that I am passed 62 years of age. My "full retirement age" is 66, since I was born in 1943. I will be 66 in 2009. If I start to draw benefits now, at the age of 63 going on 64, I will get $413 per month, less the penalty of one dollar in benefits for every two dollars I earn until I reach the year that I turn 66 on earnings over $12,960. Between the first of that year and my birthday, I will only get penalized one dollar for each three dollars I earn on over $34,440. Yes, I read it correctly. Although it sounds like something a mad scientist would come up with, it does come from a mad system (and that's an overly kind way to describe the system!) $12,960---that's about two loads of calves, not counting on the hay I sell or the interest I earn on investments. Can someone explain to me why I should "retire" now? I could not afford it! When and if I ever do apply, I'll try this-- SOCIAL SECURITY >> >> After retiring, I went to the Social Security office to >> >> apply for Social Security. The woman behind the counter >> >> asked me for my driver's license to verify my age. >> >> I looked in my pockets and realized I had >> >> left my wallet at home. I told the woman that I was very >> >> sorry, but I would have to go home and come back later. >> >> The woman said, "Unbutton your shirt." So I opened >> >> my shirt revealing my curly silver hair. >> >> >> >> She said, "That silver hair on your chest is proof enough >> >> for me", and she processed my Social Security application. >> >> When I got home, I excitedly told my wife about my > experience >> >> at the Social Security office. >> > >> >> She said, "You should have dropped your pants... >> >> you might have gotten disability, too." >> >> >> > > fritz

The killing of the amnesty bill was long overdue. But wasn't there some other news that was unfavorable to Bush today? I thought I heard some discouraging words from Iraq today also. Whatever. fritz

Jimro, You just don't seem to understand how tax rates and appraisals are set in Texas. The Texas Legislature (governor included as the Chief) sets a cap on the RATE per hundred dollar valuation of property. It has no control on the VALUATION (appraisal) on the property. So, like Jason said, when a school district or county gets in a bind because of less money coming from the State----they skew the valuations so as to garner the same or more tax than last year. It has absolutely nothing to do with what the property is actually worth. If that were so, then it would be a fair system. BUT IT AIN'T! Valuations (appraisals) do not necessarily go up everywhere, which should answer your question. Only those entities that get in a bind because of the laws that our elected officials pass (cutting the tax rate) go the way of the skewed valuations. The sorry thing is that most school districts and counties have become so accustomed to receiving all the State money they have been getting in the past, that they get in a bind because they either cannot or will not make cuts in their spending. So they skew the valuations, and blame it on the inflationary economy. We have, in my county, a tax appraiser who is known as a "silver-tongued zopilote". You can go into his office and complain about the skewed valuations---and you will leave his office feeling like you are not paying enough taxes. And that's the truth! fritz

As a result of using more corn for ethanol, milk prices are going up. The dairy cows eat a lot of corn, and it is going up. Of course, you could always buy a cow and milk her and get "free" milk. But she eats corn, so you are back to square one. And you have to milk her twice a day, so call in late to work in the morning and leave early from work so you can milk her again. On the way home from work, be sure to stop by the local feed store and buy (you guessed it) more corn! Or you could just skip all the above and buy a gallon of milk at the grocery store. Tank up your suv on ethanol in town, so you will feel better about helping the environment. I am beginning to worry, with everything made from corn going up, won't corn squeezings (Tennesee whiskey) go up too? Now I am concerned! fritz

This probably would fit better in the "TAXES" topic, but bear with me, as I address Jimro's views here. This is from a letter to the editor--- "Today I called Community Action on behalf of a shut-in, blind, elderly friend, who has expressed a desire to remain independent as long as possible. I asked if she could receive Meals on Wheels and was told they are not taking applications because of lack of funding. We are spending millions of our national treasure to kill people in distant countries, but choose not to care for our own. Should we reconsider our priorities?" fritz

Marble Falls, northwest of Austin, had 19+ inches last night. Their normal yearly total is 30 inches. The Colorado River swept away just about everything when it rose ten feet rapidly. Maybe now that areas near the big towns are getting so much water, maybe they will store some of it and not be coming down here and trying to steal our water. But, and there is always a but (sometimes spelled with two Ts), I doubt if they will take advantage of the windfall that Mother Nature has given them. My stock answer to big cities crying about running out of water is this: build some damned dams and reservoirs. Don't come down the river and use ours. fritz

I was about to set Jimro straight about Texas taxes, it is obvious he doesn't pay any here. But Jason and Jerry said it before me. So I will work on his assertion about all social programs being bad. That is so wrong that it really needs to be addressed. BTW, AZ--you are correct about owning rent houses. It is certainly true that if a person cannot pay for his own house, he will likely not be able to pay high rent (which will go up with the increased appraisals on the property). fritz