Hi Everyone,
Well, well, well! I am still here and I presume you all are still around. Therefore, all of the doom sayers were completely wrong about the end of the world. It didn't happen and all that has changed is the infamous Mayan long count calendar is now into its new calendar. I told you so....
Anyway, I learned something a couple of weeks ago that should flip your lids and get you all really angry. But first, we need to go back in history to AIG's bankruptcy a few years ago. We were all told that AIG, a huge insurance company conglomerate was too big to fail and it needed to be bailed out. And so it was bailed out to the tune of around $189 billion. What I am "mad as hell" about is that now we learn that HSBC, a huge banking/investment company conglomerate is too big to prosecute!? What?????? What am I missing here? HSBC was fined (settled) to the tune of $1.9 billion, the largest penalty ever imposed on a bank. Why the penalty? HSBC helped launder money for: Mexican drug lords, Iran, Libya and others. So let's make sure I got this right? HSBC agrees to pay $1.9 billion in fines, oh right settlement, because of years of illegal activity and now no one will be prosecuted? What is wrong with that picture? Just the amount of money transfers from Mexico HSBC between 2006 and 2009 was $670 billion!!!! And no one gets prosecuted? The total amount of illegal money transfers between 2006 and 2009 was an astonishing, wait for it............... $200 trillion!!!!! And no one gets prosecuted?
It seems that the story goes, that indicting HSBC could take down our financial system. So we should let people remain in their jobs, in one of the largest banks, where felonies were committed; to keep stability in our financial system? The Attorney General is so very wrong on this issue. My common sense screams at me that all those who were involved, should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Oh, but the office that is suppose to uphold the law says they won't prosecute. I just can't say it strongly enough how so very wrong it is not to prosecute those people. Unfortunately, even the $1.9 billion is just a drop in the ocean to HSBC. They will feel no pain and employees will remain at their jobs and continue to do what they do without repercussions. Is there something that we are not aware of? Maybe, but at face value, HSBC admitted its guilt and then no one gets prosecuted. How sad and how wrong!!! By not prosecuting, doesn't it send the wrong message to other "big" banks? I think so.
Til next week...
Peter
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Oh No, Not Again?!
Hi Everyone,
Again, recent events have forced me to change my topic. I have blogged about this before and I will blog about it again and again until a change is made. A change that must come and not soon enough.
Friday's massacre of 20 six and seven year olds and 6 adults in a school (not including the shooter and his mother) in Newtown, CT., means that tighter gun control must be made a reality and not lip service. Whether or not, the shooter was mentally handicapped is immaterial in this instance, due to the fact that it was his mother who legally owned the two handguns and the one semi-automatic assault rifle, which was the gun used in this unimaginable tragedy. Can someone explain to me why it is so damn important to be able to own an assault rifle? Are they used for hunting? No! Assault rifles were designed for one use and one use only. That use is to kill as many people, in as short of period of time as possible. So why do people think that they need to own one or more?
Are you aware that Michigan just last week, passed a bill that will make it legal to carry a concealed gun? Yes this is true. The Governor said that he had not made up his mind as to whether or not he will sign the bill into law. But here is another huge problem with the bill. It would allow people to carry their concealed gun into a school. Has Michigan lost its mind? Maybe that state has not experienced a mass school shooting. But approval of this bill will mean that instead of, if a mass shooting occurs to when a mass shooting occurs in a school. Schools and guns don't mix.
Add to the mix of gun control is the NRA, who has a hugely successful lobbying arm that seems to be able to get whatever they want. The NRA fights tougher gun control at every chance it has to and so far they are winning. This has got to stop. A minority of people, (gun owners), can not and should not make guns law controls for the entire country.
Are you aware that 40% of all gun sales in this country don't even have a background check done? Amongst other things, people legally sell their guns outside of each and every gun show. Those sellers don't care who their buyer is, they only care that their buyer has cold hard cash. How many more innocent kids and adults must die before we have tighter gun controls? This should not be a political issue, but it has and probably always will be a political issue. Politicians should get over their political differences and actually enact a law that will save and protect our kids as well as adults.
Any new gun control laws should be implemented in steps. The first step in my book of common sense rules, tells me to outlaw the ownership of any assault weapons. The only people in this country who should have and use assault weapons are the police and military. There is no necessity for any one else to own them, period. Step two is for all owners of such guns to mandatory turn them in, maybe for cash. Step three is to have a minimum jail time of say, 10 years, if convicted of having one. More jail time if it is used in a crime. Step four is that all gun owners must have their guns safely stored in one of those gun safes with a combination lock and no key lock! We must do something to prevent these type of tragedies from happening again.
Schools should be a safe haven for kids without the fear of being killed. Not only did the shooter take away 27 lives prematurely, he stole the innocence of countless other children who survived. Whether or not they heard or saw something, their class/school mates, teachers and Principal were killed and are never coming back. To make matters worse, the shooter's actions will cause an undetermined amount of kids to have some kind of mental issues down the road. Some may even have problems that will be with them for the rest of their lives. Do we as a country, want that scenario to keep repeating over the issue of assault weapons? I hope not. It's time for a change regarding gun control and it's not happening soon enough, especially for all of the survivors, including parents of what just happened in Newtown.
I believe that the Newtown tragedy will become the straw that broke the camel's back and more and more people are going to open their windows and scream at the top of their lungs, that they are mad as hell and aren't going to take it anymore!!! Time will tell.
Til next week.
Peter
Again, recent events have forced me to change my topic. I have blogged about this before and I will blog about it again and again until a change is made. A change that must come and not soon enough.
Friday's massacre of 20 six and seven year olds and 6 adults in a school (not including the shooter and his mother) in Newtown, CT., means that tighter gun control must be made a reality and not lip service. Whether or not, the shooter was mentally handicapped is immaterial in this instance, due to the fact that it was his mother who legally owned the two handguns and the one semi-automatic assault rifle, which was the gun used in this unimaginable tragedy. Can someone explain to me why it is so damn important to be able to own an assault rifle? Are they used for hunting? No! Assault rifles were designed for one use and one use only. That use is to kill as many people, in as short of period of time as possible. So why do people think that they need to own one or more?
Are you aware that Michigan just last week, passed a bill that will make it legal to carry a concealed gun? Yes this is true. The Governor said that he had not made up his mind as to whether or not he will sign the bill into law. But here is another huge problem with the bill. It would allow people to carry their concealed gun into a school. Has Michigan lost its mind? Maybe that state has not experienced a mass school shooting. But approval of this bill will mean that instead of, if a mass shooting occurs to when a mass shooting occurs in a school. Schools and guns don't mix.
Add to the mix of gun control is the NRA, who has a hugely successful lobbying arm that seems to be able to get whatever they want. The NRA fights tougher gun control at every chance it has to and so far they are winning. This has got to stop. A minority of people, (gun owners), can not and should not make guns law controls for the entire country.
Are you aware that 40% of all gun sales in this country don't even have a background check done? Amongst other things, people legally sell their guns outside of each and every gun show. Those sellers don't care who their buyer is, they only care that their buyer has cold hard cash. How many more innocent kids and adults must die before we have tighter gun controls? This should not be a political issue, but it has and probably always will be a political issue. Politicians should get over their political differences and actually enact a law that will save and protect our kids as well as adults.
Any new gun control laws should be implemented in steps. The first step in my book of common sense rules, tells me to outlaw the ownership of any assault weapons. The only people in this country who should have and use assault weapons are the police and military. There is no necessity for any one else to own them, period. Step two is for all owners of such guns to mandatory turn them in, maybe for cash. Step three is to have a minimum jail time of say, 10 years, if convicted of having one. More jail time if it is used in a crime. Step four is that all gun owners must have their guns safely stored in one of those gun safes with a combination lock and no key lock! We must do something to prevent these type of tragedies from happening again.
Schools should be a safe haven for kids without the fear of being killed. Not only did the shooter take away 27 lives prematurely, he stole the innocence of countless other children who survived. Whether or not they heard or saw something, their class/school mates, teachers and Principal were killed and are never coming back. To make matters worse, the shooter's actions will cause an undetermined amount of kids to have some kind of mental issues down the road. Some may even have problems that will be with them for the rest of their lives. Do we as a country, want that scenario to keep repeating over the issue of assault weapons? I hope not. It's time for a change regarding gun control and it's not happening soon enough, especially for all of the survivors, including parents of what just happened in Newtown.
I believe that the Newtown tragedy will become the straw that broke the camel's back and more and more people are going to open their windows and scream at the top of their lungs, that they are mad as hell and aren't going to take it anymore!!! Time will tell.
Til next week.
Peter
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Why Is Chicken Little Screaming Again?
Hi Everyone,
Recently I have been doing some online research on a topic that will affect every living thing on our planet, or will it? The subject of today's blog is 12/21/12. Hopefully you have not been living under a rock and recognize that date as the last day of Earth, before the supposed end of the world as we know it.
Thousands of years ago, the Mayan's created a calendar, and not just any calendar. The Mayan's were an advanced civilization who were able to figure out that observations of the sun, moon and stars translated into a method to figuring out how long a day was, how many days there were in a month and how long it took for the Earth to travel around the Sun. Using their new found information, they were able to create a calendar that was not just a yearly calendar, but a two thousand year calendar. Their two thousand year calendar ended on 12/21/12. So does that mean the end of the world, since the calendar ends? Last year, while doing Christmas shopping, I found 2012 calendars for sale that ended on 12/21/12. Well my research has found some very interesting sites that give numerous reasons for the end of the world. There are other reasons than what I will give you, but these are the top six reasons and are in no particular order.
1) There will be an alignment of the universe that will destroy the Earth.
2) A meteor or an asteroid will strike the Earth.
3) A mysterious planet called Nibiru is on a collision course with Earth.
4) A giant solar storm from our sun will hit the Earth.
5) A polar shift will occur on Earth.
6) There will be a reversal of the Earth's rotation.
Well, well, well!? There seems to be a lot of destruction heading our way. What are we as a planet going to do to avoid the end of the world cliff that so many people truly believe is coming? My reaction was to investigate this further. So I checked out NASA's web site. NASA says that since 12/21/12 is less then 2 weeks away, they would definitely be able to see a meteor, asteroid or a planet heading our way. NASA states that nothing is heading our way, not even a so-called close call one. NASA also says that there is no universe alignment, solar storm, polar shift or a reversal of the Earth's rotation is going to happen. They stated that the Earth is over 4 billion years old and they fully expect the Earth to still be here on 12/22/12. NASA concluded that there is absolutely no science to believe that the end of the world is coming. There is just no evidence!
So, if NASA says the Earth is not going to end any time soon, how did this theory come about? When the Mayan's put chisel to stone to create their calendar, or long count calendar as we call it, they went out two thousand years from when they were living. The long count calendar just happened to end on 12/21/12. It is just like the calendar hung in your kitchen. Every year, your calendar ends on 12/31. Did the world end on the following January first? Obviously not. So it is true with the Mayan's calendar. 12/21/12 just happened to be the end of their long count calendar and 12/22/12 would just be the first day of their next long count calendar. Makes perfect sense to me, doesn't it?
Since the beginning of humans, people have believed in different and numerous Gods. But almost all of their beliefs were based on what was happening with the sun, moon and stars, as well as floods, drought and storms occurring here on Earth. People are entitled to their own beliefs, but not their own facts. And the facts here absolutely don't support the Earth ending on 12/22/12, or any time soon after that, for that matter. So with that in mind, I will be blogging as usual on 12/23/12.
Til next week.
Peter
Recently I have been doing some online research on a topic that will affect every living thing on our planet, or will it? The subject of today's blog is 12/21/12. Hopefully you have not been living under a rock and recognize that date as the last day of Earth, before the supposed end of the world as we know it.
Thousands of years ago, the Mayan's created a calendar, and not just any calendar. The Mayan's were an advanced civilization who were able to figure out that observations of the sun, moon and stars translated into a method to figuring out how long a day was, how many days there were in a month and how long it took for the Earth to travel around the Sun. Using their new found information, they were able to create a calendar that was not just a yearly calendar, but a two thousand year calendar. Their two thousand year calendar ended on 12/21/12. So does that mean the end of the world, since the calendar ends? Last year, while doing Christmas shopping, I found 2012 calendars for sale that ended on 12/21/12. Well my research has found some very interesting sites that give numerous reasons for the end of the world. There are other reasons than what I will give you, but these are the top six reasons and are in no particular order.
1) There will be an alignment of the universe that will destroy the Earth.
2) A meteor or an asteroid will strike the Earth.
3) A mysterious planet called Nibiru is on a collision course with Earth.
4) A giant solar storm from our sun will hit the Earth.
5) A polar shift will occur on Earth.
6) There will be a reversal of the Earth's rotation.
Well, well, well!? There seems to be a lot of destruction heading our way. What are we as a planet going to do to avoid the end of the world cliff that so many people truly believe is coming? My reaction was to investigate this further. So I checked out NASA's web site. NASA says that since 12/21/12 is less then 2 weeks away, they would definitely be able to see a meteor, asteroid or a planet heading our way. NASA states that nothing is heading our way, not even a so-called close call one. NASA also says that there is no universe alignment, solar storm, polar shift or a reversal of the Earth's rotation is going to happen. They stated that the Earth is over 4 billion years old and they fully expect the Earth to still be here on 12/22/12. NASA concluded that there is absolutely no science to believe that the end of the world is coming. There is just no evidence!
So, if NASA says the Earth is not going to end any time soon, how did this theory come about? When the Mayan's put chisel to stone to create their calendar, or long count calendar as we call it, they went out two thousand years from when they were living. The long count calendar just happened to end on 12/21/12. It is just like the calendar hung in your kitchen. Every year, your calendar ends on 12/31. Did the world end on the following January first? Obviously not. So it is true with the Mayan's calendar. 12/21/12 just happened to be the end of their long count calendar and 12/22/12 would just be the first day of their next long count calendar. Makes perfect sense to me, doesn't it?
Since the beginning of humans, people have believed in different and numerous Gods. But almost all of their beliefs were based on what was happening with the sun, moon and stars, as well as floods, drought and storms occurring here on Earth. People are entitled to their own beliefs, but not their own facts. And the facts here absolutely don't support the Earth ending on 12/22/12, or any time soon after that, for that matter. So with that in mind, I will be blogging as usual on 12/23/12.
Til next week.
Peter
Sunday, December 2, 2012
The Virtues of Wood
Hi Everyone,
Before I get into today's blog, I have to again give my opinion regarding the upcoming fiscal cliff that this country is fast approaching. It appears that the GOP is again holding this country hostage over the one issue of increasing taxes to the wealthy 2%. Will history repeat itself? Romney and his plans/policy lost the election and President Obama and his plans/policy won. Did you know that 65% of recently polled people approved increasing the tax rate of the wealthy. What's not to get? Now is the time to compromise on both sides and that includes tax rate increases for the wealthy and cuts to government programs. It will be the GOP's fault if the fiscal cliff becomes a reality and this country goes into another recession. A small minority of GOPers, tea party members, are themselves holding their own GOP hostage. Something has to give soon, or else!!! Time for the GOP to do the people's will and stop being selfish worrying about their re-election and the wrath of Grover Norquist.
And now for today's blog... Those of us old enough will remember when it was affordable to heat one's home. Those days seem to be a far distant memory, especially when heating bills just keep going up and up. Isn't there a solution to heating your home without breaking your bank account? If you think about it, the three main stream ways to heat your home are: oil, propane or natural gas. There are accessories that you can add to your heating system to make it more efficient, i.e.: hot water solar panels, geothermic wells and upgraded burner units etc. All three are pricey and the payback will take years.
My common sense solution is an obvious one.......... a wood stove. Now I fully understand that wood stove use is not a viable option for all applications. But for those who are able to use a wood stove, the benefits are immense. When a gallon of oil went to $4.25, that's when my wife and I decided to buy one. That was four years ago and we have never looked back for many reasons. The first reason is that at $4.25/gal, times the number of gallons of oil we didn't have to buy, for that first winter, the wood stove actually paid for itself within one year. Unheard of. We also use the wood from our property and have only had to buy two cords of wood during the second and third year of use. The second reason is that the cost of a full cord of wood, 4'/4'/8', is about 80% less then what it costs to fill our 275 gallon oil tank and they both last the exact same amount of time, 2 months. One cord of wood costs $200.00 or $100 per month and filling up a 275 gallon oil tank costs approximately $1,000 or $500 per month. The third reason is that instead of lowering the thermostat to save money and then having to wear sweaters to stay warm, using our wood stove, the temperature is a balmy 75-80 degrees. If it gets to hot, you open a window or as many as you like. The fourth reason is that we no longer have winter time static electricity. There is a kettle on top on the wood stove and that gives the house a very comfortable 45-50% humidity level, instead of around the 30% humidity level when we used our boiler. The fifth reason is that wood is a renewable fuel source, enough said. And finally the last reason is that new wood stoves now come with a catalytic converter which makes them burn wood cleaner and more efficiently.
FYI, there are even wood stoves that can be connected to your hot water baseboard heating system. There are also whole house wood burning furnace systems that are located outside your home, in its own little building. Some counties have laws restricting the use of those outside wood burning furnaces though. Besides the regular looking wood stoves, there are wood stoves that are highly artistic and futuristic looking and others that are unique in style and colors. There are wood stove inserts that fit directly into your existing fireplace. They aren't as efficient since the majority of the stove sits directly under the fireplace's flue opening.
Using a pellet stove is more expensive then a wood stove due to the fact the the cost of pellets is about $300-$400 per month vs. $100 per month for the wood.
If you would like to pay considerably less to heat your home and if you like to have a warmer than normal home and if you have the ability to have a wood stove, why not consider one? It just makes sense and can save you cents.
Til next week,
Peter
Before I get into today's blog, I have to again give my opinion regarding the upcoming fiscal cliff that this country is fast approaching. It appears that the GOP is again holding this country hostage over the one issue of increasing taxes to the wealthy 2%. Will history repeat itself? Romney and his plans/policy lost the election and President Obama and his plans/policy won. Did you know that 65% of recently polled people approved increasing the tax rate of the wealthy. What's not to get? Now is the time to compromise on both sides and that includes tax rate increases for the wealthy and cuts to government programs. It will be the GOP's fault if the fiscal cliff becomes a reality and this country goes into another recession. A small minority of GOPers, tea party members, are themselves holding their own GOP hostage. Something has to give soon, or else!!! Time for the GOP to do the people's will and stop being selfish worrying about their re-election and the wrath of Grover Norquist.
And now for today's blog... Those of us old enough will remember when it was affordable to heat one's home. Those days seem to be a far distant memory, especially when heating bills just keep going up and up. Isn't there a solution to heating your home without breaking your bank account? If you think about it, the three main stream ways to heat your home are: oil, propane or natural gas. There are accessories that you can add to your heating system to make it more efficient, i.e.: hot water solar panels, geothermic wells and upgraded burner units etc. All three are pricey and the payback will take years.
My common sense solution is an obvious one.......... a wood stove. Now I fully understand that wood stove use is not a viable option for all applications. But for those who are able to use a wood stove, the benefits are immense. When a gallon of oil went to $4.25, that's when my wife and I decided to buy one. That was four years ago and we have never looked back for many reasons. The first reason is that at $4.25/gal, times the number of gallons of oil we didn't have to buy, for that first winter, the wood stove actually paid for itself within one year. Unheard of. We also use the wood from our property and have only had to buy two cords of wood during the second and third year of use. The second reason is that the cost of a full cord of wood, 4'/4'/8', is about 80% less then what it costs to fill our 275 gallon oil tank and they both last the exact same amount of time, 2 months. One cord of wood costs $200.00 or $100 per month and filling up a 275 gallon oil tank costs approximately $1,000 or $500 per month. The third reason is that instead of lowering the thermostat to save money and then having to wear sweaters to stay warm, using our wood stove, the temperature is a balmy 75-80 degrees. If it gets to hot, you open a window or as many as you like. The fourth reason is that we no longer have winter time static electricity. There is a kettle on top on the wood stove and that gives the house a very comfortable 45-50% humidity level, instead of around the 30% humidity level when we used our boiler. The fifth reason is that wood is a renewable fuel source, enough said. And finally the last reason is that new wood stoves now come with a catalytic converter which makes them burn wood cleaner and more efficiently.
FYI, there are even wood stoves that can be connected to your hot water baseboard heating system. There are also whole house wood burning furnace systems that are located outside your home, in its own little building. Some counties have laws restricting the use of those outside wood burning furnaces though. Besides the regular looking wood stoves, there are wood stoves that are highly artistic and futuristic looking and others that are unique in style and colors. There are wood stove inserts that fit directly into your existing fireplace. They aren't as efficient since the majority of the stove sits directly under the fireplace's flue opening.
Using a pellet stove is more expensive then a wood stove due to the fact the the cost of pellets is about $300-$400 per month vs. $100 per month for the wood.
If you would like to pay considerably less to heat your home and if you like to have a warmer than normal home and if you have the ability to have a wood stove, why not consider one? It just makes sense and can save you cents.
Til next week,
Peter
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Sandy's Aftermath
Hi Everyone,
So Sandy has come and gone, but her aftermath will be here for years to come. Even though the majority of people have gotten their electricity back, there are still tens of thousands who have not. Why? To find the answer all one has to do is look at any ocean shore community in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. Those shore communities still look like WWIII had hit them. The media has tons of print and screen stories about the damage done and the beginning of the rebuilding effort in these affected areas.
Here on the East Coast, recent history, just using the past 1 1/2 years, has shown that hundred year storms, or storms of the century, lately occur more on a yearly basis. We have not gotten an increase in the number of storms that hit us, but more of the storms have become monsters, with the monster damage that accompanies them. Is global warming to blame? And if not, what is causing these monster storms? Will there be another monster storm next year, like on 10/29/13? So I have a question that needs to be at least contemplated before this current rebuilding process is completed. Does it still make common sense to keep rebuilding in known flood zone areas like ocean beaches and barrier islands etc.? Even though the Federal Government mandates flood insurance in areas prone to flooding, how many times can you rebuild in the same area, over and over again, before it no longer makes any business sense, or common sense to repeatedly rebuild. I think the time is coming now for a major discussion about when a building, be it a home or a business, does not get rebuilt. Maybe after being demolished for the third time? Does it make any common sense to keep rebuilding when the question is not if, but when the next storm will hit? The answer/solution will be hard to get since you are talking about not rebuilding peoples homes and/or businesses after a certain number of storm related demos. But, even if you don't agree with me on this, you watch what is going to happen.
This is what I think is going to happen sooner rather then later. First of all, some one will figure out that just the tri-state region, (NJ, NY and CT), damage total will reach over $100 billion. Yes $100 billion, in just three states, which doesn't include all the damage done to: D.C., Maryland, Delaware, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Maine. Add that to the damage from the tri-state area and the real damage total will be an astronomical amount, never before seen. That will make Sandy the costliest storm, by far, in U.S. history. Then the discussion will begin and sometime down the road, the cut off amount and/or number and how close one can build to an ocean and/or even a river, will be decided and then implemented. After the "third strike", an affected owner should be bought out based on the fair market value as of the date of the storm. There really is no other way, is there? It is an unfortunate statement of fact that humans are no match against mother nature. She will win every time. So why would it make sense to keep rebuilding in flood zones that can also be hit hard by hurricanes? That's a double whammy that is a lose-lose situation.
Til next week.
Peter
So Sandy has come and gone, but her aftermath will be here for years to come. Even though the majority of people have gotten their electricity back, there are still tens of thousands who have not. Why? To find the answer all one has to do is look at any ocean shore community in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. Those shore communities still look like WWIII had hit them. The media has tons of print and screen stories about the damage done and the beginning of the rebuilding effort in these affected areas.
Here on the East Coast, recent history, just using the past 1 1/2 years, has shown that hundred year storms, or storms of the century, lately occur more on a yearly basis. We have not gotten an increase in the number of storms that hit us, but more of the storms have become monsters, with the monster damage that accompanies them. Is global warming to blame? And if not, what is causing these monster storms? Will there be another monster storm next year, like on 10/29/13? So I have a question that needs to be at least contemplated before this current rebuilding process is completed. Does it still make common sense to keep rebuilding in known flood zone areas like ocean beaches and barrier islands etc.? Even though the Federal Government mandates flood insurance in areas prone to flooding, how many times can you rebuild in the same area, over and over again, before it no longer makes any business sense, or common sense to repeatedly rebuild. I think the time is coming now for a major discussion about when a building, be it a home or a business, does not get rebuilt. Maybe after being demolished for the third time? Does it make any common sense to keep rebuilding when the question is not if, but when the next storm will hit? The answer/solution will be hard to get since you are talking about not rebuilding peoples homes and/or businesses after a certain number of storm related demos. But, even if you don't agree with me on this, you watch what is going to happen.
This is what I think is going to happen sooner rather then later. First of all, some one will figure out that just the tri-state region, (NJ, NY and CT), damage total will reach over $100 billion. Yes $100 billion, in just three states, which doesn't include all the damage done to: D.C., Maryland, Delaware, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Maine. Add that to the damage from the tri-state area and the real damage total will be an astronomical amount, never before seen. That will make Sandy the costliest storm, by far, in U.S. history. Then the discussion will begin and sometime down the road, the cut off amount and/or number and how close one can build to an ocean and/or even a river, will be decided and then implemented. After the "third strike", an affected owner should be bought out based on the fair market value as of the date of the storm. There really is no other way, is there? It is an unfortunate statement of fact that humans are no match against mother nature. She will win every time. So why would it make sense to keep rebuilding in flood zones that can also be hit hard by hurricanes? That's a double whammy that is a lose-lose situation.
Til next week.
Peter
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Chicken Little Was Wrong
Hi Everyone,
This past election day, the citizens of Colorado did something that no other state has ever, ever done. Who would have thought that a mid-western state would be the first? All I can say is, what took so long? I even blogged about this back on 10/16/11. In a million years, I never would have guessed back then that it would happen so quickly. Are the voters in Colorado just plain crazy? I think not.
What am I talking about? The legalization of marijuana. On November 6, 2012, Colorado voters approved a change to their state's constitution that legalized pot for personal use. Yes it is true. The personal use of pot is no longer illegal there. FYI, Colorado approved medical marijuana with a doctor's prescription, three years ago. And guess what happened with medical marijuana? Nothing bad happened and the sky didn't fall, as some prominent politicians had predicted. Instead of something bad happening, something good actually happened. A new, high revenue source was discovered. Somehow the lawmakers in Colorado managed to agree to put the legalization question to the voters; and vote they did. More people voted to legalize pot then voted for either President Obama or Mitt Romney. It is apparent that the citizens saw a great opportunity to increase their tax base from just medicinal use to now include personal use. It will be very interesting to see just how much more tax revenue they take in.
I know that there are a lot of people who are totally against legalizing pot. But maybe now is the time to seriously think way outside of the box in order to find new tax revenue sources that people will approve. Alcohol prohibition didn't work in the 1920's and early 1930's and marijuana prohibition is not working today. In addition to the new tax revenues that Colorado will now receive, think about all of the cost savings from all of the law enforcement agencies used to enforce the old laws. There will be less prisoners also. It is a win-win situation for everyone, isn't it? Maybe states with huge deficits should consider this option.
Unfortunately I did think of a potential speed bump for Colorado. The federal government still says that marijuana is still illegal. I sense a U.S. Supreme Court date looming. As always, time will tell what will happen.
Til next week.
Peter
This past election day, the citizens of Colorado did something that no other state has ever, ever done. Who would have thought that a mid-western state would be the first? All I can say is, what took so long? I even blogged about this back on 10/16/11. In a million years, I never would have guessed back then that it would happen so quickly. Are the voters in Colorado just plain crazy? I think not.
What am I talking about? The legalization of marijuana. On November 6, 2012, Colorado voters approved a change to their state's constitution that legalized pot for personal use. Yes it is true. The personal use of pot is no longer illegal there. FYI, Colorado approved medical marijuana with a doctor's prescription, three years ago. And guess what happened with medical marijuana? Nothing bad happened and the sky didn't fall, as some prominent politicians had predicted. Instead of something bad happening, something good actually happened. A new, high revenue source was discovered. Somehow the lawmakers in Colorado managed to agree to put the legalization question to the voters; and vote they did. More people voted to legalize pot then voted for either President Obama or Mitt Romney. It is apparent that the citizens saw a great opportunity to increase their tax base from just medicinal use to now include personal use. It will be very interesting to see just how much more tax revenue they take in.
I know that there are a lot of people who are totally against legalizing pot. But maybe now is the time to seriously think way outside of the box in order to find new tax revenue sources that people will approve. Alcohol prohibition didn't work in the 1920's and early 1930's and marijuana prohibition is not working today. In addition to the new tax revenues that Colorado will now receive, think about all of the cost savings from all of the law enforcement agencies used to enforce the old laws. There will be less prisoners also. It is a win-win situation for everyone, isn't it? Maybe states with huge deficits should consider this option.
Unfortunately I did think of a potential speed bump for Colorado. The federal government still says that marijuana is still illegal. I sense a U.S. Supreme Court date looming. As always, time will tell what will happen.
Til next week.
Peter
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Hope
Hi Everyone,
I'm back.......... finally. One year to the day, 10/29, but this time due to hurricane Sandy, we lost our electricity again. But this time, the outage lasted for 8 1/2 days, the longest ever for us. You may have watched or heard of the TV show, Breaking Amish? Well my family and I were really becoming Amish. Not so much fun with no phone, no lights, not a single luxury, oh wait that was from another TV show. Remember it? Anyway I digress.
Today's blog isn't about the completely and utterly total lack of common sense of almost every electric utility company in the tri-state region regarding their response, or should I say lack of a response to Sandy. Today's blog is about hope. Hope that common sense is used by the people who seem to never be able to use it, no less heard of it. The people I speak of are of course politicians. Even though President Obama won the popular vote by a small percentage, he won a decisive win with the Electoral College, 332 to 206 with Florida's votes finally counted, 4 days after the election was over. What is Florida's problem with elections? Can anyone explain that to me?
The bottom line is that the American people have spoken by casting their ballots. Now where does that leave partisan politics in D.C.? Hopefully DOA in the morgue and not to rear its ugly zombie head for at least the next four years. Now is the time for common sense to rule in D.C. and compromise to become a good thing and not a dirty word. Both sides need to and absolutely must begin to start compromising ASAP, for the sake of our country. But, the GOP must immediately take off the table, no tax increases for the rich. That's because that's part of what the majority of people voted for. If the GOP continues with their no tax increase stance, they will again be seen as obstructionists and will loose even more seats in the mid-term elections in two years. It is now time for Grover Norquist to crawl back into the hole from whence he came from, (see my blog dated 11/27/11). But I stress that both sides must compromise and do what is right for the people of this country. Although I wish that politicians would just do what is right for us and stop worrying about doing what they think they should do in order to get re-elected. That really is wishful thinking, but one can hope right? Maybe it is really time for term limits. No more life time jobs with life time benefits.
In the spirit of today's blog, I hope that civility also returns to D.C., ASAP! Additionally, the lies, rhetoric, distortions, name calling and the vocal sore losers who say they will move to another country must stop now! We can only hope!
Til next week,
Peter
I'm back.......... finally. One year to the day, 10/29, but this time due to hurricane Sandy, we lost our electricity again. But this time, the outage lasted for 8 1/2 days, the longest ever for us. You may have watched or heard of the TV show, Breaking Amish? Well my family and I were really becoming Amish. Not so much fun with no phone, no lights, not a single luxury, oh wait that was from another TV show. Remember it? Anyway I digress.
Today's blog isn't about the completely and utterly total lack of common sense of almost every electric utility company in the tri-state region regarding their response, or should I say lack of a response to Sandy. Today's blog is about hope. Hope that common sense is used by the people who seem to never be able to use it, no less heard of it. The people I speak of are of course politicians. Even though President Obama won the popular vote by a small percentage, he won a decisive win with the Electoral College, 332 to 206 with Florida's votes finally counted, 4 days after the election was over. What is Florida's problem with elections? Can anyone explain that to me?
The bottom line is that the American people have spoken by casting their ballots. Now where does that leave partisan politics in D.C.? Hopefully DOA in the morgue and not to rear its ugly zombie head for at least the next four years. Now is the time for common sense to rule in D.C. and compromise to become a good thing and not a dirty word. Both sides need to and absolutely must begin to start compromising ASAP, for the sake of our country. But, the GOP must immediately take off the table, no tax increases for the rich. That's because that's part of what the majority of people voted for. If the GOP continues with their no tax increase stance, they will again be seen as obstructionists and will loose even more seats in the mid-term elections in two years. It is now time for Grover Norquist to crawl back into the hole from whence he came from, (see my blog dated 11/27/11). But I stress that both sides must compromise and do what is right for the people of this country. Although I wish that politicians would just do what is right for us and stop worrying about doing what they think they should do in order to get re-elected. That really is wishful thinking, but one can hope right? Maybe it is really time for term limits. No more life time jobs with life time benefits.
In the spirit of today's blog, I hope that civility also returns to D.C., ASAP! Additionally, the lies, rhetoric, distortions, name calling and the vocal sore losers who say they will move to another country must stop now! We can only hope!
Til next week,
Peter
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