war, baseball and hope

  I didn't listen to the state of the union address. For that reason, I will have to refrain from making any comments. I did hear a poll was taken and over 80% of the respondents gave him a failing grade. I expect the respondents were generally Republicans. I say that because I have noticed the Democrats haven't been saying much lately on the social media platforms supporting Biden, yeah, mostly crickets. And the little they do say is almost always about Trump and how much they hate him. 

 I listened to Governor Hogan speak briefly. He is the first one I've heard say openly, Putin has to go. He said he didn't know how that was going to happen but that it needed to happen. I haven't been very happy with Hogan lately as I feel like he is preparing to make a run for the Presidency. In those preparations he has been leaning a little to the liberal side. I'll say this much, he gained a little respect back from me with that statement. Putin does have to go at this juncture. He has backed himself and his country into a corner. What scares me is that Putin isn't likely to back down. His ego is well known. A president that was often seen riding horseback, bare chested, doesn't strike me as the type that will quit. Remember he was KGB and has a degree in martial arts as well. Type A personality? You bet he is. 

 In other news, baseball is being delayed. I haven't paid much attention to that either. I'm sick and tired of millionaires fighting over their money. Lockouts, walkouts, strikes or whatever. You are all very blessed, very lucky, that you get to play a game for a living. The minimum wage for a major league ball player is 400,000 dollars a year! That is the same base salary of the President! I think the pressure and responsibility of the two "jobs" are a bit different. Yes, I know how hard it is to get there get. Yes, I know you had to "sacrifice" and work hard. But the thing is you were given a gift, the ability to play that game at that high level. Make no mistake about that, it was a gift given to you. You honed the skill, you worked for it, but that ability was inherent to you! A private in the Army earns just over twenty thousand a year! His job description involves getting shot at! It isn't a game of Army; it is their lives at stake. Yeah, this time it is the owners, they want to make more money by paying the players less. As I said, millionaires fighting over their millions with other millionaires. 

 So, my wife has a doctors' appt, eye doctor, and I have to fuel up the car. But I heard that Biden is releasing 30 million barrels of oil from the strategic reserves. According to the EIA, that's America's Energy Information Agency, we use a bit more than 18 million barrels a day. So, we ought to be good until Friday morning, I guess. Better be sure to get that gas first thing. Maybe closing that pipeline was a mistake? Well maybe Joe could talk with his son Hunter about all of that, he's an oil expert. Ukraine and Russia have been doing business over the years you know? It is just that Putin doesn't want to pay Ukraine anymore, he wants the profits for himself. Free, unrestricted access to the black sea is pretty important to Russia. 

 As for myself. I'm anxious for warmer weather. Time to get the grill out and mow the grass. I have to be careful about cyber-attacks but I am in no danger otherwise. Yes, energy prices are going up for various reasons and will continue to do so. The only question is where they will settle next? How does 3.20 a gallon sound? Not bad right now and I expect that will become the normal price for a while following this mess. Mid-terms are coming up and with that a change. At least that is my thinking and my hope. I'll be singing happy days are here again when that happens.