Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Government in Action or Inaction

Today's Link
A Place I Call Home

Today's Saying
Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys. ~P.J. O'Rourke

Today's Picture
Pennie and the Young People that served
the Mother's Day tea at St. Mark's

We are moving into an age when the Federal Government is expected to and will take on more and more duties.
The question is how well will the government do with its new tasks.
Well let’s take a look back.

On August fourth 1977 then President Carter proposed to Congress and got a bill passed to create the Department of Energy. It had one purpose:

“ To lessen our dependence on foreign oil” .

Thirty two years have passed.
The Agency now has a budget of $24.2 billion.
It has 16, 000 federal employees.
It has 100, 000 contract workers.
It now has a huge number of tasks related to global warming.

But the question is how good a job has it done on fulfilling its original purpose?

Are we now less dependent on foreign oil than we were in 1977?

A wise man once wrote “ It is the task of any government agency that can not fulfill its original purpose to recreate itself and find some other reason for existing.”

But how well is it doing at its secondary purpose ?

Have any of the advances solar power, wind power, tide power come from the Department of Energy?

No they came from private risk and private capital. Only after the break through did the government offer to help.

But rest easy because soon your health care , your banking system, and possibly your car company will all be run by the government.
It does such a good job.

News from Pigeon Falls
The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and life is back to normal
Tommy Uk, Herman, and Oops stood on the main street of Pigeon Falls fighting for their lives and the very existence of Pigeon Falls. They watched as the demon gained strength moment by moment. The power blasts against them became more and more powerful. They were using almost all of their power just to protect themselves and had nothing left to attack the demon with.
Tommy and Herman were hoping the Enforcers would show up soon.
Then the power bursts began to push against their defenses so hard they were pushed backwards. Tommy began to doubt that they would be rescued. But he hung on. He could not let the demon destroy Pigeon Falls. He didn’t know if Tammy had left or was at home. He could not let her be destroyed. He pushed to get all the power out of his ring that he could.
Still they were pushed backwards.
Herman continued to both fight and pray. He believed that God would not let the demon win. But when would God intervene ? How would God intervene? Perhaps , it was not part of God’s plan to save them. Herman knew that in the end God would not lose but did God’s plan involve saving Pigeon Falls?
Still they were pushed backwards.
Oops knew that the Enforcers were still light years away. It had been centuries since any demon had dared break inter-dimensional law. The penalty for failure was so severe. But this demon had timed it perfectly. What few Enforcers that were left were at the other end of another universe in another dimension investigating some minor infraction. She now was sure that the demon had a confidant that had caused the infraction to draw them away. She had little hope of their showing up. But it was the only hope she had.
The demon continued to increase the power of his bursts.
Suddenly Herman , moving backward, tripped and fell.
Is this the end for our three heroes? Is this the end of Pigeon Falls.
Wrap UP
It was a good day. We sent off February blogs to my sister who has no internet. Then we left for Green Bay. We ate at a Perkins restaurant then went to the handicapped place. They put a lift in the back of my van so now Betty can get my scooter out by just pushing a button. We stopped at Top Lots and Betty used the lift for the first time. It went perfectly. Then she wanted to come home because she was sure a big storm was coming and she didn't want to drive in it. I was navigating and managed to get us lost on the route around the road construction. I don't know how I missed that sign. Well we saw a lot of places we wouldn't have seen. Once home I visited all the blogs that visited yesterday. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA
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20 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Please no not the end of Pigeon Falls. May the force be with Tommy Uk, Herman and Oops

Yeah I can't wait until the government runs everything...and that seems to be the direction our current President wants to take us. Scary

1:36 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Well said!!

1:43 AM  
Blogger Russell said...

Goodness... it looks as though Pigeon Falls is one the precipice of diaster! Still... I am hopeful the Forces of Good will win out...!

I enjoyed your observations about the government -- so, so true and so, so sad...

I am still upset with President Carter for his grain embargo (which was a complete diaster for American farmers and agriculture) and for his decision to boycot the Olympics. To me, he is right along side President Hoover (a man born in Iowa) as a truly nice, intelligent man who never should have been President.

Take care.

4:23 AM  
Blogger G-Man said...

Lets face it...Unless you have an overwhelming sense of Patriotism, the best of the best that is going to develope or invent something, is NOT going to work for the Federal Govt... They won't or CAN'T pay enough.

4:39 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well put!

Now let's see good triumph over evil!

4:49 AM  
Blogger LoieJ said...

I guess your statements about the department of energy shows that we gave them money WITHOUT power.

5:42 AM  
Blogger Jientje said...

I loved todays saying, and the picture is a line up of good people!! Have a great day, dr John!

5:59 AM  
Blogger Melli said...

OR... is it the beginning of God's intervention??? I vote for THAT!


Thanks for depressing me ROYALLY today! I'm going to go crawl under a rock now and pray that the government goes away... or something.

6:33 AM  
Blogger Noe Noe Girl...A Queen of all Trades. said...

Very good Dr. J

7:05 AM  
Blogger Jeni said...

Excellent post from start to finish! I agree quite heartily with your choice of a blog to link to today too! Mary Anne puts up an excellent blog. And the assessment of governmental operations -spot on!

7:07 AM  
Blogger Voegtli said...

You are making a very good description of what government bills do. They inflate some things and do not deflate others.

9:32 AM  
Anonymous quilly said...

I wish I were there! I would sneak up behind the demon and cut those rope-like thingies!

11:33 AM  
Blogger Akelamalu said...

That's the trouble with Governments - they're all talk!

11:53 AM  
Blogger Cindy said...

I'm still wondering where all the money is going to come from to fund all these monstrous "bailouts". Who's going to bail us taxpayers out, when we're through paying for all this junk and have no money left to live on?

12:33 PM  
Blogger juliana said...

you love to keep your readers in suspense, don't you?
do we need to sign a petition for saving pigeon falls? ;)

12:51 PM  
Blogger Robynn's Ravings said...

What a LOVELY group! Nice of you to post them here. Government in charge? Think DMV. Pigeon Falls? Must SAVE it!

2:47 PM  
Blogger Bill ~ {The Old Fart} said...

Our Leaders try to do what is best, but once the Civil Servants and the Back Room Boys & Girls get a hold of it, a lot of things that originally planned are not what is placed into operation.

Got to love the Government Bureaucrats who don't have clue and are only worried about themselves.

Not to fear Dr John, just look north of the 49th Parallel and see the bungling that has happen to this country, you are not alone.

One has to have faith and put it in the hands of God.

4:17 PM  
Blogger Melli said...

YAY!!! YAY!!! Clap clap clap clap!!!
You GOT the lift! AND you had your first ADVENTURE! AND you got lost and got to SEE stuff! Whoooo hooo! I guess next you'll be getting a GPS! LOL!!! (but honestly - life is MORE fun without one!) I am SO happy you have that lift! SO HAPPY!

6:36 PM  
Blogger aims said...

How lovely that your vehicle is set up for Betty's ease (and yours).

There's nothing like seeing new territory when you get lost is there.

7:59 PM  
Blogger KB said...

Love the pic. Where is Ella?

9:02 PM  

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