Off the Editor’s Desk – 1-28-2015

HE IS A GREAT SPEAKER!

For the sixth time in six years I watched President Obama deliver his State of the Union address last week. He does a very good job of speaking and putting his message forward.

I don’t remember if I watched all the State of the Union from former presidents. But then, I believed what they had to say and do, would not have a negative affect on my life, or my pocket book.

Do I disagree with everything that President Obama had to say and what course he wants this country to take? Of course not, but then I do not agree with many of the things that he wants this country to do, especially things that we cannot afford. We are already $17 trillion dollars in debt. We have created a society where half of us live off the government and he wants more immigrants on the rolls and that will milk the public treasury of money they we do not have.

He wants to move government benefits that currently are available to the poor moved into the middle class, plus adding many new items.

He wants to play Robin Hood. Taking from the rich and giving it to the poor. Except, now he calls it the middle class. I wonder where the money will come from, to support his vision.

His idea of supporting the middle class will have a very strong negative impact on business, especially the small towns. He wants new taxes, indicating that the wealthy can pay more. He wants to tax educational savings accounts.

An item that I heard on Friday was that he has a couple hundred thousand dollars in a mattress for his daughter’s education. But according to the aired story, he will not have to pay tax on that because he will be grandfathered in.

The federal government is very dysfunctional, nothing has moved out of the senate in the past couple of years. I was hopeful that with the Republicans taking control of both houses that something would move. But, the difference in the thinking of the President and the congress is so far apart, that I cannot see anything coming together in a compromise.

I was appalled at him for taking credit for the lower gas prices at the pump, saying: “The average family will save some $700 annually because of the lower gas prices.” I will wait and see what he does with the Keystone Pipe Line bill that will be coming out of the senate shortly.

With the thought about gas prices in mind, I read a front page story in the Barron New-Shield last week about what affect the drop in oil prices would have on the Frac sand industry.

According to the story, Superior Silica Sand will not curtail its operation in Barron County during 2015, CEO Rick Shearer said. If anything, the Texas-based mining and processing company has plans to expand in the coming year.

“One factor is as simple as having rail cars,” Shearer said. “We went from 2,300 a year ago to 5,800.” The company expects to have 6,000 cars in place soon, and is aiming at 11,000 in a year, he indicated.

Thanks for reading! — Carlton