Presidential Politics: There’s some good news and some bad news for the President. First the good: back when gas was about $3.39 a gallon (locally) I predicted that if it went up another 40 cents then President Obama would lose in November. Gas did go up by that much and more, but it has come back down below $3.00 a gallon, which means more disposable income, which means more retail spending, which means an uptick in the economy, which is all good news for the President.
The bad news is that the plan known as “Fast and Furious,” which allowed a bunch of American guns to get into the hands of Mexican drug dealers, continues to make news. Some Democrats have tried to link this to the Bush Administration, but what Bush officials did was smaller in scope and there were other differences besides. And if it was all Bush’s fault then why invoke executive privilege? More information is needed.
Influential Christians: my church, Wallace Memorial Baptist, is sending out missionaries to Africa and Asia in July. We’ve got some missionaries who are spending the summer in the States on a break from their work in the Czech Republic. And we have some who were on a break who just recently went back to Poland. Oh, and a bunch of our youth are heading out to Montana to help a church there. It is a great thing to be a part of a church that has a vision for making a difference with the entire world.
College Advice: Hey, students, are you really concerned about tuition increases? Here’s one of the best things you can do to combat college costs: graduate on time. I heard recently that the majority of students at big state schools do not graduate in four years. I’m sure the numbers would be better if students would stop drinking their way out of school. You, individually, can’t control what a state legislature does with college funding, and you can’t stop schools from raising prices. But by taking the appropriate number of hours each semester, and passing your classes, you can avoid piling on some of the debt.
Sci-Fi: Okay “Battleship” was better than I thought it would be. I thought it was going to be about alien spaceships vs. US Navy vessels. It was that and more. The action was good and the characters were quite interesting. I liked the Hawaiian setting. I thought it was cool that the star from “John Carter” was in this movie. I’m glad he found work. I do have one complaint though. Here’s the scenario: a man of extraordinary talent is a total screw up, but he manages to grow up in time to use his talents and save the day. Man, that character is really getting done to death, don’t you think? “Battleship,” Captain Kirk, the Green Lantern, how many more times are we going to have to see that same scenario play out? Still, overall, I enjoyed the movie and will probably watch the inevitable sequel.