December 13, 2011

SandBox Comments: Red State "The Omnibus: 3 x 24 = 72 "

Good grief.

Hey, that half-time congress and senate thing is sounding better day, isn't it?

"The House is set to pass a trillion dollar spending bill. Sources say we can expect the bill to be posted online sometime close to midnight tonight. I have no doubt that the bill will include all kinds of hidden earmarks and spending gimmicks. But the clever bill writers will make these hard to find. This is why it is so important that the public and Members of Congress have a chance to read the bill before it comes to the House floor.

In the much ballyhooed Pledge to Nowhere, the House promised to post all bills online for three days prior to consideration.

Jo Maney of House Rules Committee clarified that three days does not mean 72 hours. According to my math, 3 x 24 = 72. But thanks for the clarification...."
(Erick Erickson)

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SandBox Comments: Weasel Zippers "Obama: My Presidential Achievements Surpass Any Other President “With The Possible Exceptions” of Lincoln, FDR And LBJ…"

Zip:  "He'll be lucky if he's judged higher than Jimmy Carter."
"President Obama suggested, during his recent CBS interview, that his domestic and foreign policy achievements over his first term surpass any other United States president, “with the possible exceptions” of Presidents Lincoln, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson.
“I would put our legislative and foreign policy accomplishments in our first two years against any president — with the possible exceptions of Johnson, F.D.R., and Lincoln,” Obama told Steve Kroft, “just in terms of what we’ve gotten done in modern history.”
Keep reading…(Beltway Confidential via Weasel Zippers)

SandBox Comments: SkyHi Daily "Former Grand Lake Chamber director, accused of stealing, changes plea to not guilty"

"Former executive director of the Grand Lake Chamber of Commerce, Brad Taylor, 42, accused of stealing funds from the chamber while overseeing its functions, has abandoned his plea agreement with the district attorney and has entered a not guilty plea.

A five-day jury trial has been set for May 14, 2012.

Taylor's former attorney, Jeffrey Herren of Winter Park, quit the case on July 26, claiming his client “failed to pay financial obligations” and did not comply “with requests of his attorney.” Taylor did not file an objection to the claims, according to court documents.

Taylor, who is free on bond, is now being represented by Emily Wickham, deputy state public defender, of Steamboat...."
(Sky-Hi Daily)

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SandBox Comments: Aspen Times/Jill Gruenberg "Angry over abuse and harassment"

"I understand that anger is not always the most effective catalyst for social change. At times, the sheer force of anger can be both paralyzing to ourselves and polarizing to others.

I know this, and yet still, I am angry. I don't know how to deny it. I am frustrated at the thought of having to justify it. I certainly don't want to have to apologize for it. In fact, I think it's about time more of us got angry based on the violence against women, girls and boys and the attitudes that condone this injustice that is occurring in our community, our nation and our world. As the popular bumper sticker says, “If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention....”
(Jill Gruenberg)

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SandBox Comments: Summit Daily News "Liddick: Education funding ruling a boondoggle"

"Hold on to your wallets, everyone, this is going to hurt. District Judge Sheila Rappaport has single-handedly decided your taxes should go up by 50 percent, minimum. And no whining, because “It's for the children...”
(Morgan Liddick)


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SandBox Comments: Aspen Times/Letter to the Editor "Make Aspen more bicycle friendly"

Hear!  Hear!

The boondoggle that is the "We-Cycle" and Mirte Mallory and Philip Jeffreys is so unpopular with residents and commuting locals who work in Aspen every day (not to mention the taxpayers who're forced to pay for it) there is no way this is going to be a business that thrives.

And then there's that pesky uncomfortable truth of the bikes costing $6,000 each.

just sayin.

"While We-Cycle might appear to be just the thing, the numbers just don't work, and I can't imagine that the program is financially sound, given the assumptions. Poll a bike shop or two. Use a spreadsheet or the back of an envelope. The goals are laudable, and it's great to take advantage of federal funds. But when I work the numbers, I'm convinced the program will never break even.

Around here, suitable town bikes are nearly free! My current townie bike (with dead front shock and XT shifters) cost me a 12-pack! Isn't that about $6,488 less expensive per bike than the startup costs for We-Cycle?

I suggest we dedicate a couple of parking spots in the Rio Grande garage to bike parking and charge users a monthly fee to lock up a bike there. We can grow the service in response to demand. Fewer cars in town is a laudable goal, but there are many ways to achieve it.

Mike Tullar and others have suggested acquiring cheap bikes and painting them the same color for around-town rides. This solution would at least avoid the boondoggle of We-Cycle. But someone would still have to maintain those bikes. We should make it easy for those so inclined to have their own bikes in town. Why not make more bikes in town easy and scalable rather than hard, expensive and “failable”?
(Sam Cox/Basalt)

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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Vail Daily News "Geothermal exploration in Gypsum is still on the table"

There are four energy forms that Western Colorado should be not just actively pursuing but rapidly pursuing.

We have an abundance of the fuels just going to waste out there every day.

Geothermal energy is one.

Another is biomass with our strong farming and ranching base.

The capture of methane from coal mines.

The capture of energy in the heat and gasses that are a by-product of numerous burning underground coal fires.

"GYPSUM, Colorado — It's taken longer than initially predicted, but the plan to explore geothermal possibilities in Gypsum is still in the works.

Flint Eagle LLC first approached the town of Gypsum in 2010, asking for cooperation in drilling an exploratory well at the Eagle County Regional Airport. The well would be about 4,000 feet deep and 77⁄8 inches in diameter — just enough to test the water temperature, volume and chemistry.

Lee Robinson, of Flint Eagle, hopes to find water in the Rio Grande Rift that's hot enough to use for heating or energy. The concept of going that deep is a relatively new one. Most geothermal resources that are used today are much closer to the Earth's surface.

Since he first approached the town of Gypsum, the permitting has become more involved than initially predicted. Mineral and water rights had to be determined first, and now Robinson is working with the Department of Water Resources for permits that clarify and stipulate all the procedures that will be used for the well.

“Right now, it's a paper process,” Robinson said. “It details how the operation will be conducted but there is nothing that is controversial. Our objective now is to test the volume, chemistry and temperature.”

Robinson hopes to get a draft permit within the first quarter of 2012. If that happens, he would be drilling the exploratory well within a year.

“The permit would stipulate when the operations occur,” he said. “These things take time. We're still very much on the radar, though.”

Aspen is drilling for a potential geothermal resource, as well. In July, the Aspen City Council obtained a permit to drill as deep as 1,500 feet. Last week, the exploratory well reached 1,000 feet — where the water was predicted to be — but had yet to reach anything. The company doing the drilling believed it was close, however, according to the Aspen Daily News.

Geothermal and geo-exchange projects are proliferating in this part of Colorado as technology improves...."
(Derek Franz)

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SandBox Comments: Intellectual Conservative "More on the Great Green Energy Bust"

Terrific article from Gary Jason.  Somewhere out there on 'Intellectual Conservative'.  A blog that sees its fair share of lawyers with pens.

Love the way he closes off this piece:  "This is what comes of having an economically illiterate and morally corrupt affirmative action lawyer/community organizer take over energy policy." (Gary Jason)

lol.

Every day, here in America more and more voices are raised in protest.

just sayin...  

"Keystone would have created 20,000 high paying jobs–in the Regime’s terms, shovel ready jobs–compared to the risible 1,100 jobs Solyndra brought–and only temporarily at that!


More articles are reporting the Great Green Energy Bubble Bust, that is, the collapse of the dream of replacing fossil fuels by such sources as solar power, wind power, and bio-fuels.

The first reports that the Labor Department has announced that all of Solyndra’s 1,100 former employees are eligible now for federal aid such as “income assistance” and job retraining. These goodies are going to cost the U.S. Taxpayer about $13,000 per person (for a total of $14.3 million).

This is on top of the $528 million that this failed solar company will cost the taxpayer because of the sweetheart deal the Regime’s Department of Energy (DOE) gave the company, one primarily owned by a billionaire (George Kaiser) who had contributed heavily to Obama’s election campaign...."
(Gary Jason)


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"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."

SandBox Comments: Steamboat Today "Jimmy Westlake: Look out for Geminid meteor shower"

— The annual Geminid meteor shower peaks this week, but it will be competing against the bright December moonlight. Unlike most other annual meteor showers that have been around for centuries, the Geminid shower is a relative newcomer to our skies. No one reported seeing any Geminid meteors before the year 1862, but every December since that year, the Geminid shower has appeared on schedule and seems to be getting stronger and better each year. Astronomers predict that this year’s Geminid meteor shower could produce 120 meteors per hour at its peak...."
(Jimmy Westlake)

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