What Confounds You?

Dear Victorious,

You seem to have a lot of answers to questions. There must be some things in life that confound you. What are they?

Allen R. - Memphis

Dear Allen,

Yes, I have a lot of answers to questions. But you're right in that there are many questions I would still like to have answered myself. In fact, the vast sea of questions seems to continue to unfold before me, week by week! What are some things that confound me? Here's just a small sampling off the top of my head:

1. Why did God make skunks? If everything is "purpose driven," what is the purpose of skunks in the grand scheme of things?
2. Why didn't President Barack Obama make an appearance at any public prayer event on National Prayer Day this week?
3. Is there any way the United States could ever significantly reduce dependence on automobiles?
4. What would the world be like if the British Empire had not been disassembled? Most of the countries that were set free have not fared so well on their own!
5. How could White House aid Louis Caldera have thought it would be okay to spend more than $328,000 to get a new publicity photo of the Air Force One? (He's the guy who quit this week after all of Manhattan got upset that he buzzed the city with this big plane and two Air Force fighter jets.) The scandal of flying a jumbo jet low over Manhattan and scaring the crap out of the people who live there aside - that's a stupid way to be spending taxpayer dollars.
6. What would my life have been like if my father hadn't died when I was a toddler?
7. What would my life have been like if I hadn't been so rebellious, self-centered and immature in my youth?
8. Why can't weather forecasters get their predictions any more accurate than they do? Their accuracy seems incredibly low. Is weather really that unpredictable? If it is, why do we keep trying?
9. If the U.S. has such a strong immigrant heritage, why are immigrants such a big problem for us now? Wouldn't letting them all in who want in and assimilating them be easier than fighting the illegals?
10. Who invented carpet?
11. Why don't Americans think it's okay to eat horse (like some Europeans do) or dog and cat (like some Asians do)? Is there anything we eat that they think is gross?
12. Where do paper clips go in an office? They never seem to wear out, but we have to keep buying them!
13. When will the U.S. national debt ever get paid off? Does it matter?
14. Is global warming really as serious as we think it is?
15. What will Arab countries be like when they run out of oil?

Okay, there you have it. These are just a sampling of the unanswered questions in my mind on any given day!