Not a lot worthy of comment lately, but here's a little bit.
Al and Tipper Gore are getting a divorce. Bummer. I don't like Al Gore's politics, but I don't like to see anybody get a divorce. The breakdown of the family is probably the number one cause of collapse in this country.
I can solve the Israeli-Palestinian problem--and most terrorism--in a heartbeat. All that needs to happen is for Israel to give the land back they've stolen from the Palestinians over the last 60 years--and pull out. That would solve the problem immediately. Not going to happen, of course, any more than the United States is going to give land back to the Indians and Mexico that we stole from them in the 19th century (however, it looks like Mexico is about to steal it back). "Might makes right" in historical politics.
They are saying now that the BP oil spill might go on until August, and if the currents hit just right, the oil might sweep up the east coast. Obama, wrongfully, will get much of the blame, except he's now taking much of the responsibility for doing something about it. But then, he doesn't know the purpose of government, either. Read my earlier post on the inability of the federal government to handle such matters. I won't repeat my comments here.
"Shouldn't the federal government at least regulate the building of oil rigs, pipelines, etc. to make sure this sort of thing never happens?" For the most part, no. All the government (and this is mostly a state matter) should do is pass stringent liability laws--you hurt somebody, you're going to pay, big time. Other companies will get the message, and if they don't, then they can pay super-fines for disasters as well. We don't need bureaucrats telling private business how to build its buildings, etc. Just fry them if they cause damage to people or property. Companies will then set proper buiding codes themselves. Make this oil spill so financially painful for BP that they'll make sure, as best as humans can, that another one never occurs. Or, better yet, totally ban them from the country. "If you can't do business in this country without destroying lives and property, then you aren't going to do business here, period. You want access to our markets, make sure you don't damage people and property." That would rattle a few cages. Accidents can happen. Negligence and incompetence should be severely punished.
But, government regulation? Remember, folks, it was the Army Corps of Engineers that build the dikes that busted that created the flooding and catastrophe after hurricane Katrina. Do we really want people like that overseeing building projects? "Negligence" and "incompetence" are two very good words describing most government agencies.
Oh, and somebody else to fry: the wacko environmentalists who demand that oil rigs be built so far from land that disasters like this truly become disasters.