Pennsylvania is robbing me blind. Probably you, too.

We went to buy new tires yesterday. After a long, hard decision process, we're going to stay with a smaller car for a couple more years.

And used tires really weren't working out for us.

So, I don't know about you, but when I go to make a purchase, I have a rough idea when I get to the register how much my bill will be.

Usually within a couple of cents.

A couple things worth mentioning: We were in Walmart, and the lady who wrung up our tires was remarkably nice, polite, AND competent. I probably should have proceeded directly to the lottery vending machine and bought out every ticket they had. But I digress, I had entered the pits of hell (Walmart) in order to purchase tires and had succeeded admirably.

The cashier's fingers moved with an unforeseeable quickness-and the bill was roughly fifteen dollars more than I expected it to be.

I geared up for a fight. Not just any fight. A Walmart fight. You know, the fight you have to have where the dingbat behind the counter who doesn't give a crap about their job, the economy, or the fact that they are robbing you blind. That kind of fight. To be fair, it can happen in any store, but Walmart is what it is.

My husband is a smart man. He sensed the pending storm and glanced at the work order and asked for an explanation.

The girl actually knew what she was talking about. I can't get over it. There was a tire disposal fee. I hadn't figured that in. It's robbery, but it's okay. Then, there was the tax. I'd forgotten it. Ten dollars, straight to the good ole boys in Harrisburg. That's cool.

And then there was this...

PA tire fee. $1.00. (per tire!!!!!)

PA actually gets a buck a tire. Just so they can have a dollar. This is kind of amazing to me. They GOT MONEY. Almost 11 dollars, just because I bought something! That's a reasonable amount of money, right?

No. They get a buck a tire. Just for being PA. I'll probably go to Jersey to buy tires next time. Provided they don't charge a buck a tire.

Update on the Moving Budget.

Well, here we are, six weeks out, and I realized that while I've expounded on everything from gay marriage to hamburger helper, I haven't actually updated you on our moving budget.

I'm proud to say, I'm well on our way to coming up to the positive! (and no, I'm not using that very special fuzzy math known to politicians near and far).

We've sold several items on ebay, and our profits total over $145 dollars used. Now, if you remember, I had appliances and a new couch to purchase, a deposit to pay on electric service, a moving truck to pay for, and food for the moving party.

We've decreased our expenditures considerably by purchasing used appliances and a set of couches from my brother in law. That takes our out going budget down to a tenth of what it was... yay us! Those totalled $180, the truck is $150 up front, the electic is $200, and I think maybe $150 for food, beer, and soda for the day of.(The food budget is high, but that includes the cost of me possibly ordering pizza for everyone if I'm losing my mind that day.) So the whole budget is -680, I've added $140 in ebay sales, leaving me at -500. I'm sure I can make that up in the five or so yard sales it's going to take to get me through all this stuff!

What do you think? Can we do this?

A Letter to the White House

Dear Mr. President,

I am no one. I don't have any outstanding accomplishments to tell you that I am qualified to judge your work. Come November, 2010, I am but one vote against the corruption long sustained in Washington. Yes, I am angry. Yes, I sent you tea wrappers. Several times. There would have been some lovely tea in them for you to drink, but you're office was kind enough to say they'd refuse the tea, based on the Whitehouse's policy on food for gifts. Thank you for allowing me to make my point and keep the tea.

Unlike most conservatives, I had a moment after the election where I thought change might be good. I thought, perhaps, you might take steps to legalize gay marriage, or step back the patriot act a bit. I thought, maybe, I'm jumping the gun in my dislike of the guy. Maybe he can patch up the holes in NCLB. Maybe a fresh start is what we need.

Well, you did bring change. You had the largest inauguration in the history of the US to celebrate your ascension to the highest position of power in the world. That should have been a warning to the American people, but it wasn't. Then, you served sixty dollar a pound steaks at the expense of taxpayers, many of whom are struggling to afford food at all. It has become apparent that you think the American people have elected you to enjoy a four year party and golf outing.

And yet, you seem to enjoy an odd kind of teflon status. Your predecessor received word of Katrina, while reading a book to grade school children. He paused, finished the book, and went to work. That pause made history. It was several minutes at best, and yet it was proof positive to millions of Americans that George Bush didn't care.

Now, oil is streaming into the gulf of Mexico. The environment that you claimed to care about is flooding with oil. Birds and turtles are dying. Tar balls are washing up on the shores of Texas. Other countries have been offering their help since moments after the story broke. And you went golfing.

Your administration has blocked reporters from photographing the damage faced by fellow Americans, and stopped Lousiana from cleaning oil soaked waters. I don't understand how this is not a bigger deal for you. If your predecessor had done this, PETA would have been protesting the White House in droves. The environmental groups would have been screaming for days. And yet, it appears that American interest in the oil spill is waning. Your rule is working. Out of sight, out of mind, right?

I am writing this, not so much to you, Mr. President, but in the hopes I can remind even a few fellow Americans of your callous lack of regard for the environment you claim to care so much about. As a manager I never would have take a vacation while my restaurant was burning down, and yet that it exactly what you have done, not once, but several times.

This morning, I read that sand is being artificially moved to beaches to appease tourists and cover oil on the beach. Your administration is much more concerned with conceiling the damage than remedying it.

I don't know how you sleep at night. And I don't particularly care. I do hope, that you stop waiting for the EPA to give you a go ahead, admit that you don't know what you are doing, and let one of the other countries step in and fix this mess.

Mr. President, you can point the finger at BP, even though your administration failed to inspect the apparatus several times in the last year, and we will agree with you. However, it is now YOUR JOB to fix this mess. To me, this is your Katrina. You have failed the American people, the environment, and those little turtles you claim to care so much about.

Please, step aside and let someone who knows what they are doing fix this mess. You don't.

Thank you for your time,
Heather