amicus
Literotica Guru
- Joined
- Sep 28, 2003
- Posts
- 14,812
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090422...earth_day_27;_ylt=AvHL_c6H3jZnVDf2_aoY9mXuoZ5
As a newspaper reporter for a small Oregon Coast community, I covered meetings that concerned all aspects of life from politics to school activities and sports.
I took notes on meeting after meeting of a dozen agencies concerning a renovation project for the, 'old town' area, that had been basically deserted as business moved out of the heavily taxed district to strip malls and enterprises outside the jurisdiction of the City, for lower taxes.
It took a year and a half million dollars in local tax money, just to fill out the 'Grant Applications' to send to Washington, D.C.. They actually hired, 'Grant Attornys, skilled and experienced in preparing applications that would be acceptable to all the requirements of Federal Funding.
After the, 'Grants' were won, the real fun began as City Father's began to dole out contracts to local and regional 'friends', architects to design the improvements, down to the street lamps. Contractors to redo roadways, renovate empty buildings and facades to make the old buildings appear to be new construction.
Several million dollars were invested and spent and the Old Town area remained basically deserted, although it sure as hell looked better than before.
No problem; more Federal Grants to entice 'business', with subsidies and tax breaks to relocate. Enter now the politically correct little boutiques, flower shops, art venues, 'new age' coffee shops, subsidized housing for Section 8 recipients, State and County offices, all funded by taxation and still the old town area remained and does to this day, largely deserted, no business, no traffic.
That, I admit, is a lengthy backdrop for the subject of this post, the 'new' concept in solving the energy crisis, which isn't really new at all.
I should also add, that Federal requirements for the renovation projects I referenced earlier included insulation, heating, lighting, even down to the materials used and the type of light bulbs installed; all intended to conserve energy at any cost.
Less than two percent of the electricity in the US is provide by wind and solar power, and even that is heavily subsidized and the 'new' energy program calls for 'cap & trade' on the coal and oil industry to fund even further subsidization of wind and solar projects to create new sources of energy, at any cost.
There are to be huge subsidies for 'offshore' energy sources...ahm, no, not drilling for oil or natural gas, but, 'tidal generators' and 'wind farms', again, at any cost and paid for by fees paid to purchase, 'carbon credits' by the oil, natural gas and coal fired electric plants.
I listened to the entire speech, well, forced myself with clenched jaws to do so, and nary a word about licensing new Nuclear Plants, not a mention of drilling continental resources of fossil fuels, not a word about new or expanded refining sources or pipelines for gas or oil.
The little town of Newton, Iowa, where the energy speech was staged, lost a, 'Maytag' factory due to high Union wages, high business and corporate taxation, and the new subsidized factory produces blades for wind turbines, employing just a few workers at far lower than Union wages.
Those 'billions' in 'stimulus funds', are going, as we speak, to thousands of smaller bureaucratic enclaves across the nation, to be squandered on, 'government approved', projects that inevitably fail and never become cost effective, never achieve the well intended, desired results, but hey, they tried, didn't they?
Yeah, with your dime.
Oh, and I just gotta add this, as it enhances something said above about 'even the light bulbs'. Those new twisty energy saving light bulbs that your kid has been indoctrinated in school to have you buy?
Don't!
They contain Mercury, a toxic substance. So toxic that the EPA shut down the manufacturing plant in Kentucky and now the bulbs are imported from China, cost more, are less efficient and more dangerous and, get this, they are transported by cargo container ships that burn fuel oil and belch black smoke all the way from China to San Francisco.
There is even a 12 step procedure if you suffer the catastrophe of dropping and breaking one of those twisty little bulbs! Evacuate the immediate vicinity, keep children and pets away, open windows for at least 15 minutes, do not touch the bulb, use protective clothing and gloves, do not inhale deeply, clean with stiff cardboard, remove small glass fragments with duct tape, DO NOT VACUUM!, do not throw in garbage but locate a hazardous material location. There is more...but you should...uhm, get the point.
(How many of those lil twisty bulbs have you eco nuts bought and have in your house?)
Doncha jes love Amicus? I mean, like, I just did a public service, warning you of a potential hazard right there in your own home!
As a newspaper reporter for a small Oregon Coast community, I covered meetings that concerned all aspects of life from politics to school activities and sports.
I took notes on meeting after meeting of a dozen agencies concerning a renovation project for the, 'old town' area, that had been basically deserted as business moved out of the heavily taxed district to strip malls and enterprises outside the jurisdiction of the City, for lower taxes.
It took a year and a half million dollars in local tax money, just to fill out the 'Grant Applications' to send to Washington, D.C.. They actually hired, 'Grant Attornys, skilled and experienced in preparing applications that would be acceptable to all the requirements of Federal Funding.
After the, 'Grants' were won, the real fun began as City Father's began to dole out contracts to local and regional 'friends', architects to design the improvements, down to the street lamps. Contractors to redo roadways, renovate empty buildings and facades to make the old buildings appear to be new construction.
Several million dollars were invested and spent and the Old Town area remained basically deserted, although it sure as hell looked better than before.
No problem; more Federal Grants to entice 'business', with subsidies and tax breaks to relocate. Enter now the politically correct little boutiques, flower shops, art venues, 'new age' coffee shops, subsidized housing for Section 8 recipients, State and County offices, all funded by taxation and still the old town area remained and does to this day, largely deserted, no business, no traffic.
That, I admit, is a lengthy backdrop for the subject of this post, the 'new' concept in solving the energy crisis, which isn't really new at all.
I should also add, that Federal requirements for the renovation projects I referenced earlier included insulation, heating, lighting, even down to the materials used and the type of light bulbs installed; all intended to conserve energy at any cost.
Less than two percent of the electricity in the US is provide by wind and solar power, and even that is heavily subsidized and the 'new' energy program calls for 'cap & trade' on the coal and oil industry to fund even further subsidization of wind and solar projects to create new sources of energy, at any cost.
There are to be huge subsidies for 'offshore' energy sources...ahm, no, not drilling for oil or natural gas, but, 'tidal generators' and 'wind farms', again, at any cost and paid for by fees paid to purchase, 'carbon credits' by the oil, natural gas and coal fired electric plants.
I listened to the entire speech, well, forced myself with clenched jaws to do so, and nary a word about licensing new Nuclear Plants, not a mention of drilling continental resources of fossil fuels, not a word about new or expanded refining sources or pipelines for gas or oil.
The little town of Newton, Iowa, where the energy speech was staged, lost a, 'Maytag' factory due to high Union wages, high business and corporate taxation, and the new subsidized factory produces blades for wind turbines, employing just a few workers at far lower than Union wages.
Those 'billions' in 'stimulus funds', are going, as we speak, to thousands of smaller bureaucratic enclaves across the nation, to be squandered on, 'government approved', projects that inevitably fail and never become cost effective, never achieve the well intended, desired results, but hey, they tried, didn't they?
Yeah, with your dime.
Oh, and I just gotta add this, as it enhances something said above about 'even the light bulbs'. Those new twisty energy saving light bulbs that your kid has been indoctrinated in school to have you buy?
Don't!
They contain Mercury, a toxic substance. So toxic that the EPA shut down the manufacturing plant in Kentucky and now the bulbs are imported from China, cost more, are less efficient and more dangerous and, get this, they are transported by cargo container ships that burn fuel oil and belch black smoke all the way from China to San Francisco.
There is even a 12 step procedure if you suffer the catastrophe of dropping and breaking one of those twisty little bulbs! Evacuate the immediate vicinity, keep children and pets away, open windows for at least 15 minutes, do not touch the bulb, use protective clothing and gloves, do not inhale deeply, clean with stiff cardboard, remove small glass fragments with duct tape, DO NOT VACUUM!, do not throw in garbage but locate a hazardous material location. There is more...but you should...uhm, get the point.
(How many of those lil twisty bulbs have you eco nuts bought and have in your house?)
Doncha jes love Amicus? I mean, like, I just did a public service, warning you of a potential hazard right there in your own home!
