Sunday, August 22, 2010

Green Government

A while back I wrote about installing a rain barrel. The greenness of the rain barrels can be debated but mine work because they were cheep enough to make me try them.
Another example of green living is recycling. A year ago the company we contract with to pick-up our trash changed the way they function. They issued us two garbage cans that can be automatically grabbed by the truck and dumped. While I didn't like it at the time it forced me to recycle. You see they only gave me 2 cans and one was for recycling. Sometimes one can isn't enough so I began recycling or at least expanded. You see I always sorted out aluminum and cashed it in myself. The trash company also offered a rewards program for those who chose to recycle, after a year the points add up to almost a ten dollar gift card.

Now when the government goes green things work differently 1st there was the cfl mistake. This was the plan to give away the inferior bulbs and raise every ones electric bill to pay for the free bulbs and to compensate the electric company for the reduced electrical work. This was not entirely the electric companies plan they must work with a utility commission to set rates.

The latest from Cleveland is that they want to put electronic chips in the garbage cans to monitor garbage and the amount of recycling. They have already run a pilot program on 15,000 residence, Wednesday they voted to issue 25,000 new cans a year at a cost of 2.5 million dollars each year. They plan to monitor who is using their recycle can and who isn't, anyone who doesn't will get a call from the garbage police. Garbage police is my term actually the service department will come and go through the non recyclers garbage and if more than 10% is recyclable they will receive a $100 dollar fine.

Is it just me or does so much of the governments greenness seem an awful lot like big brother is watching.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Who should decide

With the recent appointment of Kagin to the Supreme Court the abortion debate has been raised again. Reading the paper this morning one of the letters to the editor abdicates any right to comment on abortion and claims I should too. His reasoning is that being male eliminates you from having a say on the legality and morality of abortion. Well I refuse to give up my voice on any issue.

Many people voice the idea that being able to get pregnant is the sole criteria for having a say on abortion because it can only effect a woman who has gotten pregnant. However people seem to forget that the woman isn't the only one effected by the abortion. Not only is a man necessary for her to get pregnant there is also the life that is snuffed out.

We all have the right to speak up for those who can't defend themselves. No I'm wrong we have the responsibility to speak up not only for the defenseless but against all injustices.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Craziness

A few random thoughts occurred to me yesterday.
Everybody talks about these great government jobs in Cuyahoga county we found out exactly how great. Recently the county board of property tax revisions joined the rest of the county government in being investigated. One piece of information we learned is the salary for the three appointed administrators is 64,000 a year. A good wage but not great but wait there's more they also work less than 30 hours a week and sometimes hold second jobs. Sixty four thousand a year guaranteed extra income pretty good.

A second thought came to me when I read our fearless leader Pres. Obama"s remarks to UAW members in Chicago. Obama was stressing how his bailouts to G.M. and Chrysler saved the U.S. auto industry. I don't agree but I can see how he might make that point. The oddity comes in when you realise he was speaking to Ford workers, Ford being the company that was run intelligently enough to not need government financing to stay above water. Obama can spin these bailouts any way he likes but to say giving money to someones competitors is good for them is ludicrous.

Last but not least I think we are finally moving away from recession a little based on two signs. One at work I'm starting the second month of 12 hour days, and this month it may even be hard to make deliveries with just expanded hours. Hiring can't be too far behind if extra hours isn't cutting it. Secondly the money supply is starting to flow again. This is based on a pocket change analysis I'm finally seeing some change dated 2009 this is extremely odd in that the norm would have been to see change dated 2009 in Feb-March 2009. If people aren't spending then there is no need for change and the banks don't need to order more coins from the Fed.

Okay I'll admit it my economic analysis is mostly wishful thinking but the experts aren't much better.