No doubt we've had it good in America. And compared to many, we will continue to have it good. But we sure don't like it when gas hits $4 a gallon. That seems to really stick in our craw.
And we don't want to hear how European countries have been paying the equivalent of $5-6 a gallon of gas for years. That's their problem.
Now our president says he's going to investigate the possibility of drivers getting gouged at the pump. But you have to wonder how serious he is. This is the same president who gets giddy at the mere mention of mass transit. This is the same president who reluctantly bailed out the auto companies. I think "reluctant" is the right word. He even made General Motors fire its boss before the bail-out could continue.
Does Obama really care if gas is 4 bucks a gallon? I think he privately believes that Americans will never embrace mass transit if the price of gas remains low.
And what about the car companies. We've read countless stories that say GM's future depends on the success of its electric car, the Volt. So maybe GM doesn't mind when gas prices are high. People will then feel more like buying an electric car.
I always thought the perfect way to pay for the bailout of the car companies was to impose a windfall profits tax on the oil companies. After all, they get rich off the back of the car companies' products. But not only did the government fail to target the oil companies, but Exxon and their pals continue to receive multibillion-dollar subsidies. Why? The rich can afford to lobby and donate heavily to political candidates.That's our system. It's part capitalism. People can do what they want with their money.
And you hate the idea of socialism, right? I thought so.

Ford executive Elena Ford said that when her car weaved and hit a median curb it was partly due to her trying to make a call on her cellphone. Somewhat ironically, Ford Motor Co. has taken the lead in outfitting its cars with the SYNC system, developed in conjunction with Microsoft. The system allows drivers to operate their audio system and make phone calls, through their blue-tooth phone, by voice command. Look mom, no hands!

Here's the story of Ford admitting to drunk driving, written by Michael P. McConnell of the Daily Tribune/Macomb Daily.

In a guilty plea punctuated with tears and sobs, Ford heiress Elena Ford admitted she had four glasses of wine and was intoxicated when she was arrested earlier this month for drunken driving with her 11-year-old son in the car.
“Being here is something I’ve never experienced before,” Ford, 44, of Birmingham, told Ferndale 43rd District Court Judge Joseph Longo on Thursday. “It’s a complete embarrassment to my family, especially my son and my friends … I can’t tell you how sorry I am this happened.”
Ford was arrested April 3 on Woodward, north of Nine Mile Road, after police said she was speeding in her Ford Explorer. The vehicle swerved before the driver’s side wheels went over a median curb and then she was stopped by police. Her blood-alcohol level was 0.14 according to a test taken at the police station, nearly twice the state limit of 0.08 for drunken driving.
Flanked by her attorney Todd Flood and other attorneys, Ford pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of impaired driving and child endangerment.
Ford, the great-great-granddaughter of Henry Ford and the director of global marketing for the automaker, was sentenced to two years probation, ordered to complete 240 hours of community service, attend counseling and pay $1,518 in fines and costs. She also has to pay a $35 monthly probation charge.
Longo prohibited Ford from using any alcohol or non-prescribed drugs during her probation, saying she will be given random drug-screen tests.
Longo told Ford he was giving her the same sentence he gives to any first-time offender — including a 93-day jail sentence that is deferred and dismissed once she completes her probation.
However, Longo warned that if she violates probation she faces jail time.
“If you mess up it’s going to cost you 93 days,” he said.
Flood unsuccessfully pleaded to have Ford’s probation reduced to one year while allowing her to attend private counseling sessions rather than those conducted through the court. He highlighted Ford’s character in admitting her guilt rather than delaying her case with more hearings and a trial.
“Ms. Ford stepped up to the plate,” Flood said. “She’s owning up to her responsibility.”
Ford does not abuse alcohol or show symptoms of alcoholism, according to a psychological test she took through the probation department before she was sentenced.
“I’m convinced … you don’t have a drinking problem,” Longo said.
Ford released a statement through her attorneys in which she apologized for her actions April 3.
“I deeply regret my decision to drive that night and am thankful no one was hurt,” she said. “My lack of judgment was unacceptable and was my responsibility alone. I hope through this experience I can help educate others against making the same error in judgment I have made.”
At the time of her arrest Ford told police she was trying to make a phone call when her vehicle swerved.
Officers first spotted her gray 2011 Ford Explorer traveling at 50 mph in a 35 mph zone about 10 p.m. police said.
Her eyes were reportedly glassy and her face flushed when she was pulled over and police said they detected a strong odor of alcohol. She flunked field sobriety tests.
She was only able to recite the alphabet up to the letter G before she faltered, according to a police report. Ford told police she had had two drinks, the last an hour before. She stumbled at the number 96 when asked to count backward from 100, police said.
Ford told police she did not want to take a preliminary breath test without talking to her attorney. After police told her she was under arrest for drunken driving, she relented and took the test, police said. Ford sucked in rather than blowing into the test device and had to be reminded of the instructions, police said.
She was handcuffed and put in a patrol car and taken to the Ferndale police station, while her son was taken there in a separate patrol car, police said.
The son was later turned over to Ford’s attorney at the station, police said. Ford, the mother of four, was cooperative and “nice as pie,” police Chief Timothy Collins said later.
Ford took a breathalyzer test at the police station about an hour after she was stopped that showed she had a blood-alcohol level of 0.14. She was released to Flood’s custody about 3:15 a.m. the next day after posting a $500 bond.
Because she had her son in the SUV with her, Ford was charged with child endangerment, a misdemeanor on a first offense, but a felony if there any subsequent offenses.

The state spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on those swell electronic signs that can tell you the mundane (Click it or Ticket!) or actually give you information that you can use, like telling you the road up ahead is closed. The problem is that we never know if the sign is up to date. We have all been victimized at one time or another by highway signs that mislead. Maybe the signs don't tell you that construction is up ahead. Or maybe the signs do warn of orange barrels, but you get there and nothing is going on.
I'm not sure of the answer: Maybe the electronic signs could include a time signature so we would know if the information is current. The responsibility of posting a time might cause the MDOT staff to be more prudent.
Here's some info you can trust, with dates:

The ongoing work on I-696 includes:

In Macomb County, on Wednesday night (4/20), westbound I-696 will be reduced to a single lane (right lane open) at Van Dyke Avenue for ongoing bridge work. The lane closures begin at 9 p.m., by 10 p.m., only a single lane will be open. All lanes will be open by 5 a.m. on Thursday. 

The Detroit area has its share of interstates: I-75, I-94, I-96 and I-696. Throw in the M-10 (the Lodge) and the Davison Freeway (the first freeway in the country) and it becomes clear that urban planners believed the Motor City would need to move around a lot of cars, and maybe at a high rate of speed.

Our freeway system ranks up there with any other city's. But the main reason is not because our freeways are so wonderfully designed and maintained. The reasonably smooth traffic flow on our freeways is due to our diffused population.

The city of Detroit, as you learned recently in the 2010 Census, is bleeding people. That means it's bleeding motorists. Three of our interstates, I-75, I-94 and I-94 pass through the city of Detroit. Over a quarter-million people have moved out of the city since those freeways were designed. Many of those people have stayed around here, but at least they're not all bunched up in one urban area. Believe me, people who drive daily in New York City, Chicago or Los Angeles think we have it made.

One of SE Michigan's interstates is always under construction, if not all of them. Hopefully the work gets spread out. If there are orange pylons on I-75 in southeast Michigan, it'd be nice if the next patch of repair on I-75 is located somewhere far enough north that road workers are toiling in the shadow of an "Elk Crossing" sign.

This spring, it looks like I-696 ("The Ditch") is getting the brunt of the work. Here's this update from the Michigan Department of Transportation: In Oakland and Macomb counties, eastbound I-696 will have a daily single lane closure from Mound Road to Gratiot Avenue for retaining wall construction. The single lane closure will begin at 5 a.m. and end by 3 p.m. daily and is expected to last until mid-June.

Did you catch that last part? Yes, mid-June.

What's the opposite of heaven? Well, that's where you'll find the guy who's lucky enough to not only work nights but still commute during rush hour.
It's not that unlikely of a scenario. I'm sure I have co-sufferers. You are familiar with the saying "It's happy hour somewhere." Same goes with rush hour.

I live in Grosse Pointe and work in Mount Clemens. I head off to work at around 4 p.m. and take Eight Mile Road to my beloved Interstate 94. Truth be told, in this blog more distain than praise will be heaped on that ancient artery.

As I merge onto 94 I join a race in progress. It's like a relay race. I almost expect that a fellow driver might hand me a baton.
I merge, accelerate to the pace of the crowd and generally try to act like I've been driving with them the whole time. No one likes late arrivals. If it's a race then I feel like one of those marathon runners who hops on the subway and rejoins the front of the pack.

I am joining drivers who, for the most part, work in Detroit and are headed home to some far-flung suburb. They're not afraid to drive a bit. Maybe they live some place you've never heard of. How about Clyde Township? I have a co-worker who lives there. You should visit him. He and his far-flung neighbors are having a war. I'll just say this: The war involves mailboxes, snowmobiles and guinea hens.

I don't want to go to war with my fellow drivers. I do not have my game face on. I am, however,  leaning over and messing with my satellite radio. And I am repeating my mantra: These other drivers should realize that I am in more of a hurry than they are. They are going home to kiss the dog and pet the wife. I am special. I am headed to work.