Next budget buster - infrastructure

"This is just some of it - not all of it. How much more will be addressed in Pelosi's bill? Unknown. The thing I fear the most is it will be fraught with 'greenie' things, which will not do much to fix our near term problems."

If you thought the last stimulus bill was a 600 pound pile of goo, just wait. Pelosi's Congress could be working on the "Mother of all bills" right now. One which could be eye popping large, and have no end in sight. Yes, infrastructure. A bill which has often been talked about in the past decade(s), but never really done. And just like home or car maintenance, the longer you wait to fix or repair, the more expensive things get.

Just for grins, let's look at some items which could or should be in that bill:

• Electric Grid - this is one which SHOULD be in the bill, but odds are, it will not be. But boy, oh boy, we need it! According to the National Academy of Engineering, the cost to fix the items which need fixing the most in our fragile grid, would cost between 1.5 and 2.0 trillion dollars. To scrap the entire thing and replace it with all new and efficient equipment, would be 5 trillion dollars. Of ALL the things in the infrastructure which needs to be addressed, this is number one by a country mile.
• Bridges and Highways - Remember when the 35W bridge collapsed in Minneapolis? That started a boat load of discussions on how ancient and decrepit our nation's bridges were. Like, many of them are graded poorly by county, state and federal engineers. The grades on many of our bridges are out and out scary. In fact, one out of four are listed as deficient, or not suited to carry the vehicle traffic which travel on them. To fix the roads and bridges which really need it, it would cost close to a trillion dollars (according to the United States Department of Transportation). And that might be low.
• Broadband - Compared to the other items, this one is cheap (if you call the price tag cheap). The Federal Communications Commission estimates to wire the entire nation with universal broadband would cost $350 billion dollars. That is a whole lot of money to pay young people to game, and troll social media. 
• Pipelines - Let's talk water first. Our nation has over 2 million miles of underground water pipelines. Much of it is aging and in need of repair or replacement. In fact, there is a water main break every 2 minutes in our country, resulting in the loss of 6 billion gallons of treated water. BTW - don't forget Flint, Michigan. That is not the only city which has lead and/or arsenic to deal with. How much to fix everything? Lots.
• Sewerage -  This is also a mess waiting to happen. The EPA estimates that to fix the sewerage systems in 30 large metro areas, it would cost close to $30B. How much to fix the entire nation's sewerage system? Lots.

This is just some of it - not all of it. How much more will be addressed in Pelosi's bill? Unknown. The thing I fear the most is it will be fraught with "greenie" things, which will not do much to fix our near term problems.

Stay tuned on this one folks. Ms. Nancy said this will be rolling down the tracks very soon. Speaking of tracks and what needs to be upgraded or fixed...  

 

EV on the horizon?

"What we need Biden to do right now, is get the hell out of the way. Get government out of our way. Let us have full access to our natural resources (mostly energy), until the EV is fully hatched and ready to go to market. Trump the business guy would full understand this. Biden, the government tool, does not."  

Slo Joe is kind of correct on one issue. The electric car is going to be part of our future. How big of a part? By 2030, folks who drive an EV (electric vehicle), will be more common than uncommon. Today, it is just the opposite. But wait - if these things are such a big "shebang", why wait until 2030? Or later? One simple word - batteries.

In my truck, I have a heavy duty battery which will give me good performance for years. It weighs about 50 pounds, and recharges every time I drive the truck. A brand new shiny Tesla on the other hand, has a battery which weighs about 1,200 pounds, and takes over 2 hours to fully charge using a 220 volt charger. Besides all of which, once the Tesla is charged, it cannot go over 500 miles (on a charge), and if the weather is very hot or very cold, the charge lasts a shorter period of time.

The new battery ideas are exciting to say the least. Many are in the concept phase right now, and have a distance to go before they are ready to "go to market." But just for a minute, let's suppose that by 2030, this battery thing is fixed, and the EV becomes a viable reality. EVs can go 1,000 on a charge, the batteries are lighter, and cheaper to manufacture.

Any problems of note in getting to that point? First off, Biden was DEAD WRONG to try and put the internal combustion engine out of business right now, by cutting off our fuel supply. We still need the gas powered car. At least until the end of the decade (probably longer). And to choke off our fuel supply, or to allow the price per gallon to artificially eclipse $4, hurts mostly the working poor. That is problem number one.

Problem number two - charging stations. Not only will most homes need to have one in the garage, but we will need remote charging stations all over creation. And the cost to do such? Lots. When is all that needed work going to be done to our infrastructure, and how will it be funded? Not by the last stimulus bill. The upcoming infrastructure bill? Maybe, although it is already estimated the bill as it exists will cost a zillion dollars. 

Problem number three - power. Will we have enough power to satisfy hundreds of thousands (maybe millions) of thirsty charging stations by 2030? Hint to Slo Joe - windmills are not going to cut it. Getting rid of our coal plants this decade, is a dumb ass thing to do. Power does not come from a magic wand Slo Joe. If you had ever worked a real job, you would know that.

Problem number four - manufacturing and externalities of production. Batteries are messy things to make. Cobalt is a good example of that. It is mined in many poor countries, and child labor has been used. It can be hazardous to humans if not handled correctly. A big stumbling block for wide spread production of EV's, is the batteries. If there is not enough production or resource availability to build enough batteries, that will be a problem. If hazardous materials to make batteries are mined by child labor, that is even a bigger problem.

Problem number five - "it's not easy being green". Okay, I stole that from a Kermit the Frog song. What we have learned with windmills (the hard way), is once their service life is over, they cannot be recycled. So they sit in landfills for untold years to come. What happens to EV batteries once they are fully depleted? Can they be recycled, or will we have another windmill issue to deal with? 

Many car companies are going full bore in tooling up for new EV models this decade. Have they taken the entire product cycle of batteries under consideration? All the problems which were addressed above? Or are they just chasing the "shiny new penny"?

What we need Biden to do right now, is get the hell out of the way. Get government out of our way. Let us have full access to our natural resources (mostly energy), until the EV is fully hatched and ready to go to market. Trump the business guy would fully understand this. Biden, the government tool, does not.  

Dementia? Dumb? Dishonest? Or all of the above?

"For those of you who voted for this inept clown, are your dreams coming true? For those of us who did not vote for Biden, our worst nightmares are coming to fruition. Elections have consequences folks - and we have some bad ones right now."  

Anyone else have the opportunity to waste 26 minutes of their lives last night? By watching Slo Joe? I really don't know where to start. I guess Donald Trump was not our last president. He did nothing to get vaccines available to the public. And China did not start this virus - Trump did. Wait Joe - that does not make any sense. Are you saying Donald Trump was president, as he, not China, was to blame for the virus? The vaccines of course, are all here strictly because of you, Slo Joe. Operation Warp Speed never happened. All three of our vaccines are here just because you, Slo Joe, snapped your fingers.

The question I had going through my head last night, was a very basic one. Was Biden reading this garbage off his prompter, or did he really believe this stuff? He was particularly proud of the fact that he was going to meet or beat his goal of 100 million vaccinations during his first 100 days in office. One small problem. And here are the facts, and they are immutable. Donald Trump was well on his way to meeting or exceeding the same goal. Period. Plus, if Donald Trump had not plowed the road for Operation Warp Speed, Slo Joe would have had nothing to talk about last night - except, maybe the mess on the southern border.

Truthfully, there is not one reason in the world to listen to Biden or his red headed press secretary. One lies, and the other one swears to it. No facts, just gobblety gook, or pure bullshit. I could learn more by watching the Comedy Channel, than listening to Biden or his group of goofballs. 

On of my favorite war movies is Full Metal Jacket. In the movie, there was a real screw up in a Marine boot camp company. He was so messed up, the DI nicknamed him "Gomer Pyle". When "Pyle" would really screw up, the DI would get up in his face and yell, "Are you shitting me Pyle?" That is what I felt like doing to Biden last night. His speech was so full of misinformation, and out and out lies, I was pulling what little hair I have left out of my head. Biden either has dementia, he is dumb, he is dishonest, or all of the above. 

The vaccine is going forward, and most everyone who wants to have a shot, will - very soon. Next subject Slo Joe. What the hell have you done to our southern border? Even the President of Mexico is somewhat slack jawed right now by what you have done. Nobody outside of your group of goofballs, or the DNC, can believe what a hot mess you have created on our southern border. This is the biggest act of sabotage ever perpetuated on this country by a United States President.

For those of you who voted for this inept clown, are your dreams coming true? For those of us who did not vote for Biden, our worst nightmares are coming to fruition. Elections have consequences folks - and we have some bad ones right now.  

Where is the common cold?

"Maybe next year, once most become vaccinated and herd immunity sets in, the common flu and common cold will make a return. Or maybe some of the sanitation tricks we have learned this year will continue into next." 

I don't know about anybody else, but not only have I not had the common cold this season, nor has my wife, but I don't know of anyone who has. In fact, I have heard others remark on the same thing. It is as if the common cold just vanished this year. Kind of like the common flu. If not for Covid -19, this would have been the most remarkable year for staying healthy. 

Is it wearing a mask which cut down on the spread of the common cold? Maybe. The common cold is still a virus, and most viruses are so tiny, they can slip though the fabric of most masks. Is it sneezes and coughs being caught in someone's mask, rather than being spread into the air? Could be. But this is another oddity. It was very rare this year to hear anyone sneeze or cough when we were out and about. Like, almost never happened.

Maybe it is the ubiquitous hand sanitizers. People contently sanitizing or washing their hands. Now we might be getting somewhere. President Trump was always a bit hesitant to shake hands, as he knew that was a primary way of spreading germs and viruses. So this past year, shaking hands was a no-no, and cleaning our hands became a constant. 

Maybe next year, once most become vaccinated and herd immunity sets in, the common flu and common cold will make a return. Or maybe some of the sanitation tricks we have learned this year will continue into next. As much as I yearn to return to normal, the "normal" thing of having a common cold is not something I care about. But it is what it is. I would take a common cold over something sinister like Covid - 19, any day of the week, and twice on Sundays.

Today, I am headed out to get my first haircut of the year. For sure, I need one. I did not want to wear a mask when I got a haircut. I hate those things. Now that my wife and I have had both shots, with some "gestation" time for the immunity to set in, it is time to get "high and tight" once again. 

2021 could be a very good year. Could be. Other than what is going on in Washington right now, we all have reasons to be optimistic. Besides all of which, this weekend, daylight savings starts. Spring - we are SO ready for you this year! Bring it on! 

The hate is strong in these people...

"Most conservatives don't hate Joe Biden. We know he is being used as nothing more than a prop. We do however, hate what the committee is doing to our country. Do we hate the people doing it? No. As wrong as we know they are, we don't hate them - only the product of their vile work."

It has been many years since I have purged all the hatred out of my heart for other people. It is part of that coming to faith thing. Once you dive deep(er) into your faith, you realize just how evil and counter productive hate is. I will say this however - in my adult life, I have never seen hate so palpable, so vile, as I have seen the left's hatred towards Donald Trump. A hatred so deep and evil, they elected a man with severe dementia who can't tell a dit from a "duh".

Ladies and gentlemen, our country is now being run by a committee. A committee of seasoned leftists. Of socialists.  A committee of evil people, who not only hate Donald Trump, but also hate the way our country works. The way our country was founded. They prop up Biden, to sign anything they compose, and brick by brick, they are taking our country apart. And they are doing it with smiles on their faces.

The socialists hate Donald Trump and what he stood for. Stood for? Donald Trump stood for America. For how exceptional America is. For our belief of equal opportunity. For our belief that America is a good country, made up of mostly good people. That America saved the world (twice) in world wars. That our country made the Soviet Union buckle, without firing a shot.

But - we are not a country of equity. That is antithetical to the underpinnings our country is constructed of. As much as the socialists hate our system of equal opportunity, and try to change it to equity (equal outcomes), that ain't gonna happen. 

But - with the committee in charge right now, much damage can still be done to our great republic. Because the committee hates fossil fuels so deeply, and our country is so rich in resources with them, they had Slo Joe sign an order which basically turns off much or our oil spigot. Not realizing of course, the ones who will suffer the most from this foolish act will be the poor.

Why? Just about EVERYTHING we use in our daily lives, comes manufactured and/or shipped from someplace. That manufacturing or shipment used fossil fuel. When the price of oil goes up, so does everything we use. But their hatred of Donald Trump, and the country he led, is so deep, so blind, they simply don't care. These poor people are part of the consequential and collateral damage needed to accomplish the committee's vile mission.

During the next two years, America could not only surrender its sovereignty, and its energy independence, but also its standing as a super power. We will be in effect, be ceding the world's landscape to the baddies we have kept in check for years. China, Russia, and Iran could end up with all the chips, without firing a shot. The committee will have no problem with this outcome, as in their eyes, our country was founded on conquest and nationalism. It is about time we were taken down a few notches, so everything globally, can be equal. Equal like in equity. 

Most conservatives don't hate Joe Biden. We know he is being used as nothing more than a prop. We do however, hate what the committee is doing to our country. Do we hate the people doing it? No. As wrong as we know they are, we don't hate them - only the product of their vile work.

Will the left, the socialists, the committee, ever get over hating Donald Trump? I hope so, yet I doubt it. To purge their hearts from hate for others, first they need to rediscover their faith. That is faith in only God the Father - not Gaia, and certainly not self. And they need to do so, before their blind hatred ruins this great country.     

Is there any stopping 5g?

"Maybe it is time to start wearing tin foil hats. Or, maybe it is time to squeeze the government for true facts on how safe 5g really is."

5g. Is it a miracle, or is it potentially deadly? Or both? According to many technologists, 5g is the big "shebang". It is the advancement in digital technology which will change everything. The advancement which will take latency times down to just about zip. Now, there are many technical reasons on why this next "g" past 4, is such a big deal. Way above my paygrade to understand, much less try to explain. But I do know a wee bit about this upcoming wave of newness.

Reading the latest edition of Lifewire, updated as of yesterday, the entire world is marching towards 5g - it is not just for the USA. In fact, I was amazed to read about the number of different countries and companies which have just rolled out, are rolling out this month, or are rolling out in the upcoming months. I mean, this is YUGE! But - (and this is a big but), what about the electro-magnetic radiation? Are we going to slow cook our brains, just to have shorter latency speeds?

Our cell company (T-Mobile) has already rolled out their 5g phones. The T - Mobile branch we go to (in our area), sits a couple blocks away from a huge new 5g tower. To ignore the fact that 5g is not yet here, would be a fool's errand. And true confessions? I have been tempted to trade my phone in for a 5g phone. To see what the big buzz is all about. But then I have that nagging thought in the back of my head - how safe is this technology? Why are there still articles being written to warn the public about using this thing? How much has the FCC tested 5g to give it the stamp of approval? Finally, should we just snub 5g and put all our eggs in the basket of Elon Musk's Starlink program?

Meanwhile, time marches on. 5g continues to be rolled out globally at lightening speed, and Musk continues to launch Starlink satellites in batches of sixty at a time. Many new innovations are built around these new latency speeds offered by 5g. My question is this - has the train already left the station? Even if 5g is proven not to be safe, are still going to use it? Right now, it appears we have no choice. 

Maybe it is time to start wearing tin foil hats. Or, maybe it is time to squeeze the government for true facts on how safe 5g really is. I mean, like I brought up earlier, this is global, not national. If we ditched 5g, with the rest of the world using it, what does that mean for us? A global disadvantage?

Right now, there is no stopping 5g. It is coming at us at the speed of light, with very little latency. Safe or not, it is already here. 

  

Covid, and becoming Hikikomori

"Because most in our society are social and relational, to be sequestered in or around your house last summer - sucked."

Always on the lookout for new and exciting words to spice up my lexicon, this weekend I came upon a doozie. It is a word of Japanese origin called hikikomori. What is it, you might wonder? I could simplify things by saying hikikomori is becoming a super hermit. Living in a way which shuns going out and/or being with others. Sound familiar? Sounds like what happened to many of us last summer. 

Here is how I see it. I have talked to many folks who want to have one of the three available vaccines. Not only want them, are anxious to get the shot(s) over with. Why? Many are (or were) very social people who all of sudden in March of 2020, became hermits. Became immersed in kind of a hikikomori daze.

It first started in March, when we found out the China virus had made it all the way to Minnesota. It grew teeth with the "stay at home" order the Governor issued shortly thereafter. All we knew of this brand new virus, was it could make you very sick, or even kill you. The Governor's "stay at home" order confirmed that to many. Masks, Lysol wipes, safe distances, hand washing and so forth, had a bunch of formally normal people acting anything but normal.

Because most in our society are social and relational, to be sequestered in or around your house last summer - sucked. Some ignored the government imposed caution, and came out of last summer just fine. Some got infected with Covid, and it was like a mild dose of the flu. Others became infected and ended up being "long haulers", spending weeks or months in the hospital, or home bed rest. And yes, some even died.

Forgetting the politics of getting vaccinated or not, what is it which causes people to drive hundreds of miles (outstate), to get a shot which has many who receive it - feeling lousy? My answer - it's the social thing. The grandparent thing. The family thing. The not want to be even close to the hikikomori thing. Not even close to living like a hermit, ever again. 

Get a shot, don't get a shot. We all need to be practicing Libertarians on this issue. I never have, nor ever will, chide anyone for getting vaccinated, or not getting vaccinated. Not my business. My wife and I had to make our own decisions, as did our two adult daughters. What drove our decision? We wanted no more Hikikomori, as well as other factors. It really is as simple as that.