If you give control of your power to the state,
then the state controls the power you receive.
There’s a lesson here. People should keep control of their gadgets. Lots of folks would enable this kind of thing in exchange for a break in their electric rates anyway, but making it mandatory gets their back up and makes people want to cheat just to stick it to the man. It also creates — as California found — a huge groundswell of opposition.
WASHINGTON — Millions of households across America are taking a first step into the world of the “smart grid,” as their power companies install meters that can tell them how much electricity they are using hour by hour — and sometimes, appliance by appliance. But not everyone is happy about it.
Customers in California are in open revolt, and officials in Connecticut and Texas are questioning whether the rush to install meters benefits the public.
Some consumers argue that the meters are logging far more kilowatt hours than they believe they are using. And many find it unfair that they will begin to pay immediately for the new meters through higher rates, when the promised savings could be years away.
Power companies say the meters will allow utilities to vary the price charged to their customers by the hour to correspond to what those utilities are paying for energy in the wholesale market. This can help consumers save money, they say.
[snip]
In response to a wave of complaints from the Bakersfield area in the Central Valley, Pacific Gas & Electric has been placing full-page advertisements in newspapers in the area promising benefits from the new meters. It says customers will save money not only by paying rates based on hourly fluctuations in the wholesale market, but also eventually by displaying real-time rates.
[snip]
Someday utilities hope to use the meter to control consumption by major appliances like air conditioners. But experts are still debating what technical standards the meters and appliances should use to communicate.
Not someday, in California, they can control your usage, shutting off appliances at times they determine necessary.
They determine whether you need your air conditioner in summer or your heat level in winter—you don’t control it; they do! Welcome to POWER NANNY!
[snip]
If a utility decides to shut off a customer for nonpayment, it can do so by remote control; if the customer pays enough money to allow resumption of service, the utility can also do that from a central office without sending out a representative.
[snip]
But people in other parts of the country are also wary of the meter switch. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut frets that consumers could be shouldering the costs of the transition long before they realized the savings.
“The major benefits come in the second and third stages,” Mr. Blumenthal said, referring to instantaneous rate information, the ability to adjust use and the prospect of developing appliances that can be set to switch on or off when the meter announces that prices have reached a certain level.
So Mr. Blumenthal has helped persuade regulators in his state and Connecticut Light & Power to scale back a plan for widespread installation of smart meters, and to run a pilot program first.
In Texas, where state law encourages installation of smart meters, the public utility counsel, a consumer advocate, got the utilities to agree to pay tens of millions of dollars for public education and to subsidize the cost of an in-home display to give an instantaneous price in low-income households.
(While meters in Texas will bill customers based on time of day, the utilities do not routinely provide the indoor hardware that furnishes such information.)
Complicating the transition, the widespread introduction of smart meters comes amid a recession and a decline in electricity demand.
Two years ago, experts agree, it was cheaper to persuade 100,000 customers to each use two kilowatts less energy at any given moment than for a utility to build and run a 200-megawatt power plant.
But today, reining in energy consumption is less of a corporate priority: generating capacity is in surplus in almost all parts of the United States because the recession has shuttered so many factories. And in swaths of the eastern United States, the wholesale price difference between peak and off-peak demand is far smaller lately. [snip]
For years, the Progs/Socialists excoriated anyone trying to steer a judicious course as insensitive, uncaring of the children or robber barons.
By dint of veto override, the Progs/Donkeys/Socialists claim to have the seaman skills, let them have the helm. This blow is more than a winter nor’easter and they’re not heading to safe port. [snip]
It is coming to pass sooner than I thought, 2011 was the year I figured the bottom to fall out. Doesn’t make much difference when the car is spinning out of control, whether you hit the first or second tree. The pain is just the same.
What I find amusing are the various groups out protesting any steaks trimmed from their sacred cows. The state is starving but their gluttony continues. Liberals are idiots.
“Put simply, there is no way the Legislature can possibly pay for the level of social welfare they’ve promised unless they confiscate bank accounts, business inventory and real property. In doing that, they’ll operate for another 7-8 months. IT’S OVER!
The Liberal/Progressive/Socialists running as Democrats never could afford to operate this way; all along, they pilfered taxes from infrastructure programs to buy votes. They had help; a compliant press that praised every foible telling the Conservatives how mean-spirited, insensitive and nasty they are.
In exchange, the Jackass Party gives Vermont a huge debt, terrible roads and bridges, under funded pension programs and an overblown school system. Marvelous!
Administration Agency Deputy Secretary Tom Pelham said IRS documents show those Vermont executives now receive compensation packages ranging from $111,000 and $264,000 annually, much of it from state taxpayer.
“There are some high salaries,” conceded Sen. Ann Cummings, a Washington County Democrat. But asked if she agreed they represented an opportunity for some savings, said “I don’t know. If you cut too low you won’t get people capable of managing to the level you need them to.” [snip]
You’ll be cutting Senator Cummings, maybe even getting rid of many of the non-profits. If the jobs they are doing are truly necessary, for profit business will fill the slot and generate tax revenues. Since profitable businesses have to watch the bottom line, they’ll do it more efficiently.
The full Legislature returns to begin grappling with the budget crisis in early January.
Not far away now, stay tuned for the finger pointing and the blame game.
Smart Conservatives will sit on their hands and let the Progs screw the pooch one more time. This turn they cannot point at anyone but themselves.
Analysts in the Obama administration’s Health and Human Services Department reported Friday that the nation’s $2.5-trillion annual healthcare tab will not shrink at all under the Democrats’ legislative blueprint as being pushed by happy Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader in the Senate.
Instead, they said, the nation’s medical costs will actually grow faster under the new bill than….
…they would if that chatty crowd of Washington spenders did absolutely nothing nada zippo about it. And even if they did pass the existing version for all that money, 24 million Americans would still remain uncovered.
“Although several provisions would help to reduce healthcare cost growth,” the report said, “their impact would be more than offset through 2019 by the higher health expenditures resulting from the coverage expansions” to millions more Americans.
The only reason to believe these poltroons in DC is if you enjoy being a slave.
Or fat ass lazy and want somebody else to give you what you should work for yourself.
A fashion felony, a visual assault, is there no decency in this world? Very little exists from the looks of these photos.
Zoning Boards in every state except California banned her outfit. The saleswoman (not even a misogynist would sell her that) who sold it to her should be shot as an enemy of the people.
It is a wonder Morris Mini sales haven’t bottomed out.
I’d swear this is from the Vermont’s Granola Crescent.
When paint stores run end of year specials, this is what you get. Force the purveyor to move next door.
This is a greater sin than exposing yourself to a statue.
Finally, we have good taste in cravats. This sharp regimental goes well with the understated charcoal suit. Very pleasing to the eye.
A fashion note here, a Brooks Brothers stripe tie would have the stripes going from the right shoulder to the left waist. Thought I’d mention that.
Your Department of Homeland Security, so hard at work securitzing the homeland it doesn’t have time to do basic vetting of its employees:
A New Jersey fugitive wanted on insurance fraud charges since 2007 was working for the immigration division of the Department of Homeland Security in Georgia, despite a nationwide alert for her arrest, Essex County prosecutors said yesterday. [snip]
“It’s amazing they couldn’t find her. Good Lord,” said Kevin Kerns, the office chief of staff at USCIS where Buchanan still works as an analyst…. (emphasis added)
“The USCIS is looking into this matter. USCIS has zero tolerance for any type of employee misconduct or criminal activity,” [a spokesperson for USCIS] added.
Buchanan was found out when pulled over by a Georgia cop for a traffic violation back in July. The cop ran a standard check on her and discovered the warrant on her. [snip]
Here’s priceless stuff from the Nobama Administration bunch of tax cheats, incompents and perverts.
But they’re going to find all you right-wing conspirators, returning war vets and tea party attendees.
A great blog for BOYS, not for the yuppie raised effete girlyguys.
Many of the things BOYS want to do, will try, and collect the scars on the way to getting the bragging rights are here.
One example is this video, one of a batch:
Other videos include Jackie Chan’s 10 greatest stunts, neat photos and other ideas for giving mothers coronaries.
Shown here being delivered by police escort to Coo-pin haagen (proper Main Stream Press pronunciation) for a 