Day 6 IKE Aftermath - Shock of Caveman Whose DOW stock drops 450 pts

Photo: Destroyed house on Galveston Bay/Seabrook, TX

What a Caveman Does When DOW Drops 450 Points

When you have been a caveman for nearly a week without power, and emerge from the darkness to hear that the DOW has plunged 450 points, it makes you think that maybe it was better not having power. Or maybe it's a way of seeing the light even more clearly.

Last night a weird event occurred. Sometime around 7:30 p.m., in the dark, a light came on. I wasn't really sure what it was for some time, since I was whacking weeds out of trees when it happened. It seemed so alien. What is that bright light? Hey, I can actually WASH all the dirty clothes!

But it isn't uniform. People I know a few blocks to the west and east in the same area of Kingwood still do NOT have power. The one thing that has saved us was a cool front that dropped high's into the 80's. If not for the cooler temps 1 million sweating, powerless people would be shooting each other. I saw utility trucks from Georgia and Florida yesterday. THANKS!

After days of getting only battery-powered local news about us, us, us, I was finally able to get cable and real NATIONAL (and world) news -- like Dow plunging 450 points off a cliff. At that moment I decided that maybe it was better being in the dark with no news. Then this morning it is announced treasury bills yielded the smallest price since World War II. The dollar used to be worth more than Europe’s Euro – now it is the reverse. Want to check out my cave?

But then most people seem to be in the dark about what is really going on even when they have power. Maybe the solution is to totally unplug America. The current picture of the hangover that comes after a drunken Wall Street that let things get out of hand can only be appreciated when you have been in the literal dark a few days. It makes you wonder why our leaders that let Wall Street drive the economy to this state, with us and our kids’ future in the back seat. America's financial security is in serious jeopardy as a result.

Another thing I noticed last night. Despite the return of lights last night it took FOREVER for the generator people to realize it -- and turn off their droning machines. One is still running this morning. But at least it's not next door and all the neighbors don't have to listen to it with open windows anymore - until the next outage. Some restored power has gone out again in places in Houston.

I had to go 30 miles to find gas yesterday - at I 45 and Rankin near the airport. The next door fast food McDonald's and Popeye's were 20 deep in people wanting something more than an MRE or dry food. Everyone stayed civilized even in the jammed gas line.

Now that my fallback shelter has power and I have some gas I have to go clean out a dead refrigerator at a still powerless Seabrook. The boat is now out of the pool.

Now I can do something to help others who are in worse shape.

We need major reforms and major change if America is to get back on the right track to lead and succeed globally. If you don't think so, spend a few days in the dark. It will make you see the light.