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 Gifts
for all occasions in the Galleria!July 16, 2006 Summer of Despair? By Jan A. Larson Once we said, "it's summertime and the living is easy." Far from easy, the summer of 2006 is looking more and more like the summer of despair. I am, by nature, an optimistic person, but for all but those oblivious to the world around them, there are more that a few reasons to be despondent this summer. War in the Middle East. Soaring energy prices. Border insecurity. Fiscal irresponsibility. Al Gore. The list goes on. The actions by Israel against Hezbollah and Hamas are necessary and overdue. These terrorist organizations have been allowed to operate and wreak havoc far too long. Now Israel has said enough is enough. Both sides are calling it war, so war it is. It is very possible that Syria and Iran will become involved and the war will escalate further. Only time will tell how the situation will be resolved, but at this point, there is no reason to believe that there will be a quick or peaceful resolution. There is no end in sight for the war in Iraq, despite John Murtha and others' calls to mark the calendars and get out. While most people, the rational as well as the Murtha-like crackpots, in the United States want to the war to be over and our troops to come home, it is utterly naïve to believe that pulling out of Iraq is going to return us to those "easy living" summers of years gone past. The so-called "war on terror" is about defending the Western way of life against an eighth century mindset with 20th (and soon to be 21st century) weapons. Just how long and what will it take before the majority of Americans come to understand that this war will likely not come to an end during our lifetimes? It isn't going to be over by next summer, the summer after that or many summers to come. During this summer of '06, energy prices are a concern for a lot of people and there is only one direction that prices will likely go in the foreseeable future - and that is up. It is hard to optimistic about energy when it takes $50, $60 or $100 to fill up the tank these days, but until the day came that the man on the street felt the pain at the pump, there was never going to be any serious research and development on domestically produced, alternative energy sources. Fortunately, that work is progressing at a rapid pace today and while the United States' dependence on foreign oil will continue for years to come, there may be some light at the end of that tunnel. In the meantime, eliminating ridiculous restrictions on oil exploration and drilling offshore and in Alaska could bring some relief at the pump. Border security is a hot (no pun intended) topic this summer. In May, the Senate authorized the construction of 370 miles of fence along the Mexican border. Now it seems that the esteemed solons in the United States Senate have decided not to fund that construction. And people wonder why the public's approval rating of Congress stands at less than 30%? The London Daily Telegraph reports that the United States could be going bankrupt. Is this a surprise? Social Security is nothing more than a Ponzi scheme that is destined to collapse and the Medicare drug benefit program by itself could bankrupt this country, but until the public realizes that politicians can promise anything but most of it will never be delivered, the entitlement train will continue to careen toward the cliff. Summer always brings higher temperatures so can the subject of global warming be far behind? Former vice president Al Gore has gone on a global warming crusade with warnings of consequences so dire that it almost makes one want to hide under the bed. Come to think about it, hiding under the bed would certainly be preferable to listening to Al Gore talk about global warming. So, as war rages, gas prices climb, illegals stream across the border, the government pushes the U. S. to bankruptcy and Al Gore spouts nonsense, grab another slice of watermelon, a lemonade and enjoy your summer. -- Send feedback to the author. The "What is the Deal?" column will appears weekly on the Pie of Knowledge website. Guest submissions are welcome and encouraged. To submit an article to "What is the Deal?" click here. To subscribe to the "What is the Deal?" mailing list and receive early notification when a new column is available, click here. The Pie of Knowledge will never, ever divulge email addresses to any third party for any reason unless so ordered by a court of law. Contributions to the Pie of Knowledge are greatly appreciated. 
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