Stop whining, America!

Jay Honeck wrote:
Everywhere, every day on the radio, television, and in the
newspapers, all I hear is how the "Record Price of Oil" is killing
America.
Yet, strangely, Americans keep driving *more*. And I don't see anyone
flying less.

It was the major factor in my decision to sell my flying club share; I'm
out.

So why is everything doom and gloom in the media? Why are none of
these facts brought to the fore? Is it a not-so-hidden agenda? An
ax to grind? Or is it that Americans are just not happy unless
they've got something to bitch about?

Fuel went up 50% in the past year with a well-connected-to-the-oil-companies
president at the helm, with these same companies making record profits. The
agenda is not-so-hidden, is it?

Get out and fly, people! Life is good!

Definitely do it while you can. Fuel aside, GA is nearing it's end. Go
Bush! And take Cheney with you.

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:axEPe.281435$x96.54920@attbi_s72...
You know an awful lot about boats for a guy who lives in a place where
the biggest body of water most people ever see has a four legs and a
drain at the bottom

35 years living on the shores of Lake Michigan (in Milwaukee, Racine and
Kenosha, WI) teaches you a thing or three about boating.

"Turbulence" out there is no worse than we get
in the air and often less, especially in the summer. Most of these
boats have no business in serious weather.

"Turbulence" on Lake Michigan will turn the stoutest blue-water Navy man
green. When it gets rough on the Great Lakes, get off the water --
period.

BIG difference between fresh water and salt? Or _relatively_ shallow water?

Just curious...the closest I ever got to water was McHales Navy.

Dave Stadt wrote:
wrote in message
ups.com...

The key is speed. A boat runs most efficiently at "hull speed" which is
a function of length. If you want to push the hull faster than that,
fuel consumption goes up ridiculously, even worse than with airplanes.

Only true when talking about displacement hulls. Has nothing to do with
planing hulls which include the vast majority of power boats. Planing hulls
burn a tremendous amount of fuel untill they reach planing speed.

A planing hull can still be driven more efficiently (in MPG terms) at
hull speed than at or above planing speed. It is true that a planing
hull is least efficient at the speeds above displacement but below
planing, but even up on the step you'll get lower MPG. Even on a boat
like a Cigarette which has a hull and drive system optimized for
nothing but go-fast, you'll get better mileage running at hull speed:

http://powerandmotoryacht.com/boatte...te/index2.html

Likewise, hulls designed for planing are vary bad when you get serious
weather. The very characteristics which allow them to go so fast also
make them prone to pitchpoling and broaching.

-cwk.

"Jay Honeck" wrote:

Well, a very serious argument can be made that the environmental
regulations of the last 30 years have seriously harmed our economy.

It can if one ignores the economic benefits of a clean environment and
unrealistically magnifes the impact of environmental regulation.

China is now faced with the very serious public health and productivity costs
of ignoring environmental protection over recent decades of industrial
growth. The former Soviet block nations also provide many awful examples of
just letting things slide.

Remember when America used to actually *make* things? If you're under
35, probably not.

Blaming the loss of America's industries on environmental protection is talk
radio bs. Cheap foreign labor is what's taking American factories away.
When Americans are willing to work for ten bucks a day, we'll get our
factories back. If that day comes, I hope I'm long gone.

--
Dan
C-172RG at BFM

"Seth Masia" wrote in message
...
Well, all that may be true, but rising fuel prices are now cutting into
corporate profits, which will affect the stock market. See the NYT piece

http://www.mywesttexas.com/site/news... 474107&rfi=6

I like your point about the fact that we're now using energy about twice
as
efficiently as we did 30 years ago. Note that the economy hasn't suffered
as a result. Which raises the question, what the hell was the
administration
talking about when it refused to promote further conservation measures on
the grounds that they'd hurt the economy? Could it be because this
administration is a parasite on oil industryn profits?

Probably because a whole slew of studies have shown conservation is only a
stop-gap at best.

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:bNEPe.283840$_o.83175@attbi_s71...

Well, a very serious argument can be made that the environmental
regulations
of the last 30 years have seriously harmed our economy.

Not environmental regs per se, but the pletoria of abysmally
stupid/bureaucratic ones. They not only tell you WHAT to do, but HOW to do
it.

It used to take companies something like 6 percent of employees to handle
government paperwork (and that included taxes); now it takes something like
30-45 (depending on the industry).


Remember when America used to actually *make* things?

Yeah, before Japanese firms had 3 defects per hundred and US manufactureres
had 117.

If you're under 35, probably not.

America has sure priced itself out of the world markets...and it's pathetic
QC records only worsens the situation.

"N93332" wrote in message
news
"Seth Masia" wasted electrons writing in message:
I am flying less, using the plane only for necessary trips and making my
hamburgers at home.

What are 'necessary trips' via plane?

Business. Like, to places 450 miles away in which the nearest direct airline
served city is the one you live in.


Matt
---------------------
Matthew W. Barrow
Site-Fill Homes, LLC.
Montrose, CO

"Matt Barrow" wrote:

It used to take companies something like 6 percent of employees to
handle
government paperwork (and that included taxes); now it takes something
like 30-45 (depending on the industry).

30-45%? Which industries, and says who?

Fred F.

On 2005-08-26, Jay Honeck wrote:
"Turbulence" on Lake Michigan will turn the stoutest blue-water Navy man
green. When it gets rough on the Great Lakes, get off the water -- period.

Probably no worse than the north Irish Sea (where we had two hurricane
force storms within a week last winter, and it's not that unusual
either).

I've been on the Ben my Chree (a bloody great big
car/truck/passenger/cargo ferry belonging to the Isle of Man Steam
Packet Company) when it was so rough that people weren't just going
green, they were being thrown out of their seats. The lights went out
once or twice, and the ship was slamming. I'm glad I wasn't on a fishing
vessel that day.

--
Dylan Smith, Castletown, Isle of Man
Flying: http://www.dylansmith.net
Frontier Elite Universe: http://www.alioth.net
"Maintain thine airspeed, lest the ground come up and smite thee"

"Jay Honeck" wrote:

"Turbulence" on Lake Michigan will turn the stoutest blue-water Navy man
green.

Tee-hee! Don't be silly:

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7793