Is the U.S. Going Broke? - Forbes.com

Ahem, may I have a moment of your time Senator Obama and Senator McCain? I really would like your proposed solutions to the terrible problem outlined in this article from Forbes (click on the link below). Or would you prefer to tell me the sky isn't falling? Or is it more fun to talk about lipstick and pigs?

• How will you pay for the massive energy transformations you both promise?
• What will you do to control the costs and pay for Medicare and Medicaid?
• You are apparently not willing to bail out any more investment banks... because the Feds don't have the money?

 

Just one quote to entice you to read the full column:

"The real liability facing our government is $70 trillion. This represents the present value difference between all the government's projected future spending obligations and all its projected future tax receipts. This fiscal gap takes into account Uncle Sam's need to service official debt--outstanding U.S. government bonds. But it also recognizes all our government's unofficial debts, including its obligation to the soon-to-be-retired baby boomers to pay their Social Security and Medicare benefits.

Given current policies, each of the 78 million boomers can expect, on average, to receive $50,000, in today's dollars, from these programs in each and every year of retirement. Multiply 78 million boomers by a $50,000 annual payment and you get close to $4 trillion per year. This helps you see why our nation's true indebtedness is so extraordinarily high."

Is the U.S. Going Broke? - Forbes.com

Champlain Wind Power Plan

(Published in the Burlington Free Press September 13, 2008)

Champlain Wind Power Plan

Now that Ms. Symington says she wants 20 percent of Vermont's electricity in ten years from windmills, here's how to bring that dream to reality. In addition to using our beautiful windswept mountains, Lake Champlain's southerly breezes should be captured, too, for the 200 plus towers needed.

The shallow bays of Lake Champlain, near Addison, Chittenden, and Grand Isle counties, where electricity demand is growing rapidly, would be ideal for the giant windmills. In fairness, this windy watery playground also should be contributing to Vermont's renewable electricity.

Of course, new sub-stations are necessary. Burlington's Moran Plant could be revitalized as a mixed-use facility delivering a higher public benefit than wall climbing. Shelburne Bay and Shelburne Farms have a few optimal shoreline spots too. These will conveniently serve Charlotte and Shelburne's wealthy couples living in 5,000 square foot homes, espousing wind and conservation, while underwriting a pack of attorneys to ensure that neither compromises their own consumption or scenic views.

The shallow waters of the Inland Sea are a perfect spot for a dozen or two windmills to serve fast-growing Grand Isle County.

'Scientists' claiming human health hazards from VELCO's new overhead transmission lines surely could tune the electromagnetic fields from the underwater connections to attract and zap lamprey eels, thus improving lake fisheries.

Discarded car and truck tires attached to the towers underwater provide perfect artificial reefs. Fish really do like these spots, evidenced by the magnificent fishing around the oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. By gosh, in addition to a Fathers Day derby, we could have Mothers Day, Labor Day and Veterans Day fishing tournaments adding millions to the economy.

Attaching more tires above the water line would serve as ideal bumpers for boaters mooring to enjoy the soothing 'whoosh-whoosh-whoosh' of the rotating blades. A further attraction, electrical outlets, would encourage overnight stays. Mooring fees collected by the coastal towns would dampen escalating local property taxes. Ice fisherman will also benefit from the windmills by plugging into handy electricity to heat shanties and cool beverages.

Over the years, thousands of double-crested cormorants have guanoed all other living things to extinction on Young, Mud, Bixby Islands, and elsewhere. This problem, too, could be cured with a few strategically placed towers. Depending, of course, on wind speed, the cormorants would be more or less finely diced by the windmill blades, providing a new food source for fish swarming around the tire reefs.

A few multimillion dollar research studies will certainly validate the project's overall potential. With 200 or more of these towers of power, we could generate enough clean electricity to reduce our carbon footprint by another three percent. Vermont will be the envy of green folk everywhere!

With all these benefits, why does Vermont's Department of Public Service Electricity Plan miss the potential for wind power from Lake Champlain? The Legislature must surely scrutinize the opportunity as intensely as climate change. They could solve the cormorant and lamprey problems, increase our fun on the water and ice, provide local tax benefits and tourism dollars, and the towers could host antennas for next generation wireless broadband Internet access. Our solons can claim hero status rather than be cast as villains bent on eliminating Vermont Yankee with no replacement electricity!

So, let's get cracking on the Champlain Wind Power Plan. Ms. Symington should immediately contact Mr. T. Boone Pickens for advice and funding. We can't afford to miss this opportunity! If we start now, with expedited permitting, chances are better than even that CWPP will be online in 10... maybe 15 years at the outside.

Lomborg Reviews Tom Friedman's Latest Book

I've read Friedman for several years, but it seems he has gone off the rails on climate change and remediation in his new book (which I have not read).

However, I've read Lomborg's book and I generally agree with his basic thesis highlighted below:

"Because Mr. Friedman single-mindedly focuses on climate as the problem and massive renewable energy subsidies as the solution, he misses the policies that will make this world much better. In a sense, his prediction of the news being "weather, other news and sports" is a scary dystopia that would result if we followed his book to the letter -- if we made climate subsume every other issue. Although he briefly mentions the need to tackle health care, crumbling infrastructure, immigration reform, Social Security and Medicare, his proposal to spend trillions on global warming means that trillions can't be spent on other of the world's ills.

Toward the end of "Hot, Flat, and Crowded," Mr. Friedman wonders why we can't just implement the sort of policies he prefers. "What is our problem? If the right things to do are so obvious to the people who know the most about the energy business, why can't we put them in place?" Maybe the reason is that most people recognize a bad deal when they see one."

You can find more about Lomborg's work here. He is also a prime mover of the Copenhagen Consensus Center which is involved in some fascinating work.

In Vermont our problem is that too many are also drinking the climate change Kool-Aid. Symington and others would run this state off the rails with their alternative energy proposals paid for by government subsidies to support all these wonderful 'green' jobs. They think we can change our energy sources at a pace that defies common sense.

They seldom talk about the price of the energy produced, whether it's paid in taxes, product prices, or cap and trade schemes. But bet on it, we will pay far, far more than we do now. Where is the discussion of the total economic impact?

We Will Never Forget!

Radical Islamic Terrorists did this. These are not misunderstood people who but for America's policies would not have done this terrible outrage...as espoused by some who fail to see the realities in this world. They mean to destroy our way of life!

This destruction and killing of nearly 3,000 innocent people was perpetrated by evil people who must be hunted down and eradicated.

Killing Osama Bin Laden is not sufficient. All Radical Islamic Terrorists who espouse or support this ideology of death and destruction and act to kill innocent people must be found and eliminated.

In a recent NY Times opinion piece Jeffrey Goldberg among other things had this to say:

"In my conversations with Senator Obama, he seems to understand the menace — early last year, even while trying to secure the support of his party’s left wing, he told me the possibility of a terrorist group obtaining a nuclear weapon was “the No. 1 threat” facing America. But does he understand that this threat cannot be neutralized mainly by law enforcement; that it must be anticipated by intelligence agencies, and eradicated by the military? The paramount goal is not prosecution, but pre-emption." (emphasis added).

We must find and eliminate the threat. Law enforcement actions are not the tool we need to reach into areas outside the USA to kill these bastards.

Finally, here's a link to a list of all our innocent dead in this act of terrorism.

Vermont Tiger: Kill The Nuke ... Kill, Kill

Vermont Tiger: Kill The Nuke ... Kill, Kill

This piece by John McLaughry, who by the way has a masters degree in nuclear engineering, is worth a read. There is a major effort by the anti-nuke gang to close Vermont Yankee making outrageous claims about plant safety. For those legislators who would close VY, here's where I stand:

My simple question to current and prospective solons is this: If you would vote in 2009 to close Vermont Yankee in 2012, you have an equal obligation to propose and support an affordable alternative for the foregone baseload power at comparable cost. Please tell me what that is.

If the answer is along these lines: Well, we need to/should/must develop clean, sustainable alternative sources like wind, solar, geothermal, etc., they are ignorant of the realities of near term electricity generation. Someday those sources will contribute measurably to our needs, but not within the next decade.

Op-Ed Columnist - From the Gut - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Columnist - From the Gut - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com

Thomas Friedman has his gut wrenched because his hero, Obama, has suddenly appeared shallow in comparison to his opponents. How can that be? Gut reactions are supposed to be what it's all about in politics. After all, details, policies, leadership capability, sound thinking cannot possibly be a substitute for coolness, can they?

Come on Tom, get a grip!

Op-Ed Columnist - What the Palin Pick Says - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Columnist - What the Palin Pick Says - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com

Once again, David Brooks nails the reality that McCain/Palin face if they are elected. However, they stand to restrain not only the forces of corruption and lethargy in government, but also will stand against the interest groups that would move us toward a more socialistic nanny state that are sure to be unleashed if the Obama-Biden duo is elected.

"My worry about Palin is that she shares McCain’s primary weakness — that she has a tendency to substitute a moral philosophy for a political philosophy.

There are some issues where the most important job is to rally the armies of decency against the armies of corruption: Confronting Putin, tackling earmarks and reforming the process of government.

But most issues are not confrontations between virtue and vice. Most problems — the ones Barack Obama is sure to focus on like health care reform and economic anxiety — are the product of complex conditions. They require trade-offs and policy expertise. They are not solvable through the mere assertion of sterling character.

McCain is certainly capable of practicing the politics of compromise and coalition-building. He engineered a complex immigration bill with Ted Kennedy [my view: which should have failed and did ] and global warming legislation with Joe Lieberman. But if you are going to lead a vast administration as president, it really helps to have a clearly defined governing philosophy, a conscious sense of what government should and shouldn’t do, a set of communicable priorities."

Pros on Drilling and Alternative Energy vs. Apollo - Looking for a Miracle - Popular Mechanics

Pros on Drilling and Alternative Energy vs. Apollo - Looking for a Miracle - Popular Mechanics

Here's a realistic assessment of why drilling and newly discovered oil reserves can help bridge the gap between our present energy sources and those we wish we had.

The Energy Challenge - Wind Energy Bumps Into Power Grid’s Limits - Series - NYTimes.com

The Energy Challenge - Wind Energy Bumps Into Power Grid’s Limits - Series - NYTimes.com:

"Yet experts say that without a solution to the grid problem, effective use of wind power on a wide scale is likely to remain a dream.

The power grid is balkanized, with about 200,000 miles of power lines divided among 500 owners. Big transmission upgrades often involve multiple companies, many state governments and numerous permits. Every addition to the grid provokes fights with property owners."

Reality will always dampen the dreams and rhetoric of rabid wind advocates. This is not a new problem. Those advocating enormous amounts of renewable electricity from wind should know that the task is not as easy as the politicians and others make it appear. Can it be done? Sure, but not cheaply or quickly.

Here in Vermont we only need to look at the VELCO transmission line upgrade project and the huge costs and extended time for permitting when the NIMBYs and environmental zealots mobilized. The same problem exists here with siting the huge turbine towers that are essential for large scale wind production.

The wind advocates will always bump against the hard reality of towers and transmission line placement.

Al Gore and Gaye Symington, are you paying attention?

Cruising the West Coast of Vancouver Island

West Coast, Vancouver Island on the 10&2
August 2- 13, 2008
Ross & Gail Anderson, Vahan Sarkisian and David Usher

Aug 1, Port Hardy
Met Ross and Gail for dinner on August 1 at 1900 at the Quarterdeck Pub

Aug 2, Port Hardy to Bull Harbor
Shopped for provisions in Port Hardy and loaded boat; returned rental car at Quarterdeck and departed 1130 for Bull Harbor. Saw a minke whale surface and blow a few times on the way and a few sea otters, really cute critters that float on their backs with toes and nose in the air. Arrived in Bull Harbor on Hope Island at 1500. Dingy to shore for a walk to a First People’s village. Soon met by a native in broken-down van collecting a $5.00 fee per person to visit island. Vahan paid with $20 bill and the fellow returned with $10; apparently no change smaller than $10! Walked on trail to stony beach and explored tidal zone. Delicious seafood chowder for supper that Gail had made earlier. Yum! Temperatures 50s-60s, clear.

Aug 3, Bull Harbor, Cape Scott, Quatsino Sound & Winter Harbor
Departed Bull Harbor 0600 in good weather for Cape Scott. Rounded the cape at 1015 in 3’ chop with swells. Vahan was seasick and bunk-ridden most of the day. Arrived Winter Harbor at 1515 in sunny weather after run. Went ashore for a walk on the boardwalk which runs for about a mile from the docks along the rocky, wooded coast with various cottages, residences and private docks. Chatted with an old summer resident. Grilled steak with peppers & onions and fried potatoes and ratatouille. Yum! Temperature in 50s-60s, clear.

Aug 4 - Winter Harbor, Quatsino Sound, Coal Harbor & Varney Bay
Departed 0615 for Coal Harbor via Quatsino Narrows (swift current, but Ross timed it for slack tide/current as recommended in cruising books. Otherwise current runs 5-8 knots on tide change) In the bay outside Quatsino Narrows, a school of 30-40 Pacific Whitesided Dolphins were playing with the boat wake, feeding and jumping while slapping tails for 20 minutes. Lots of photos. Just fantastic!
Anchored in Coal Harbor at 1015 and went ashore for a walk along the main street. Chatted with dock tender, a First Nation guy, about the area and he told us his vision for developing income sources for his people now that fishing is poor. He wants to establish an eco-tourism kayaking center on ‘his’ islands. Nice homes on main street overlooking the harbor including a couple of B&Bs.
Went for a one hour ride in float plane in clear weather along the coast and bays to see the area from the air. Plane landed in Varney Bay where Ross had moved the boat for tonight’s anchorage. Ross dinghied out to the float plane to retrieve us. A fun flight! Set out crab pot baited with spiked can of tuna fish and old steak bones overnight. Cocktails and cheese then enjoyed more seafood stew and salad for supper. Temperatures in 50s-60s, clear.

Aug 5 - Varney Bay, Quatsino Sound, Brooks Peninsula & Klaskish Inlet
No crabs in pot! Departed 0930 with the tide for the Pacific. Cooked an omelet for breakfast. No porpoises this time where we saw them previously. Entered Pacific at Quatsino Sound entrance. Usual rollers and 18 knot breeze made the trip not so smooth to our next anchorage just north of nasty Brookes Peninsula. Some fog, not too dense, banked up against the north side of the mountainous peninsula. Will run around that tomorrow with an early start when wind is down.
Anchored in Klashkish Basin up a narrow (60’) inlet at 1545. Three sailboats already tied up to buoys. I cooked a veggie risotto to go with the grilled chicken and a Romaine salad. Hoped we had caught some crawlers for a crab risotto, but none in the pot. We saw them in the shallows of Varney Bay, but none ventured to our pot. Temperature 50s-60s, clear.

Aug 6 - Klaskish Inlet, Brookes Peninsula & Bunsby Island
Off at 0700 for passage around Brookes Peninsula on a clear and calm day with temperature 49 degrees. Really beautiful clear sunny weather, no fog as we rounded Cape Scott on the peninsula tip. CG cutter Tanu passed heading north. At 1130 we spotted a pod of orcas off the rocks in Checleset Bay heading north. Also saw 4 kayakers and a few sea otters.
Anchored in West Nook (and set crab pot) in Bunsby Islands, still clear and calm and 70 degrees. Put kayaks in the water and Vahan and I paddled around the bay for a couple of hours for a close up look at the shoreline. No wildlife, but discovered a campsite marked with flotsam buoys and other items, probably by/for kayakers.
Vahan marinated and grilled lamb and I cooked some ginger sesame green beans. With watermelon for dessert, we were joined by “Capt. Ron and Sue Bauman who live on their boat, Tango, a Majestic 43' made in Finland, in Seattle.
Gail was tired and she and Vahan stayed on board while Ross and I dinghied to Pathfinder, a J-109 from Washington. Pathfinder was owned by an Italian guy with a Swiss wife. Along on their voyage was their son, Tom, who raced J-24s and is a database guru. Ross brought wine and maple syrup and they served us some of their red. Then we all went to Tango for ice cream and cake and a bit more wine, while Ross delivered to the Baumans maple syrup and a bottle of wine.
The Majestic is a beautiful boat and brilliant in all respects, as nice a boat and well-maintained as any I’ve seen. Back to 10&2 at 2300.

Aug 7 - Bunsby Island, Kyuquot Bay & Dixie Cove at Hohoae Island
One tiny crab in the pot, not a keeper. The folks from the other two boats joined us for coffee and flax muffins. Elisabeth, the Swiss lady, gave us a Toblerone chocolate bar.
Off anchor at 1100 headed to Kyuquot Bay and Dixie Cove. Overcast most of the day with temperatures in mid-50s and low 60s. Within minutes after leaving, Tango who had left before us, radioed that they thought they had ‘lost their propeller.’ Closer troubleshooting revealed they had trouble with their cable gear at one steering station (boat has two). We came along side and then followed them for an hour to be sure they were OK. Ron said he would attempt repairs while underway or at next anchorage.
At 1200 saw large group or 30-40 sea otters just before reaching Walters Island in the Mission Group. They sure are cute critters. On this coast their population had been reduce to zero by 1929. In 1969 a few were introduced from Alaska and they seem to have congregated in this bay.
Saw a black bear on the shore near Guillod Point. Later on, we spied a large fire at a log sorting station at Chamiss Bay. It looked like a large pile of bark was burning. We anchored in Dixie Cove at 1525 and set out the crab pot.
Ross grilled salmon that Gail had prepared with a lime-jalopeno sauce and it was excellent along with fried potatoes and a nice salad with the remainder of the watermelon for dessert and some of the Toblerone chocolate. Some reading and to bed early.

Aug 8 Dixie Cove - Kyuquot Channel, Clear Passage, Esperanza Inlet & Zeballos
No crab in pot! Off anchor at 0845 overcast and light wind, down Kyuquot Channel then through Clear Passage heading to Esperanza Inlet. Anchored in Zeballos harbor. Saw a large black bear on shore in vicinity of Graveyard Bay. Vahan, Gail and I went for a walk in Zeballos, an old gold mining town booming in the late 30s and 40s. Visited the local museum and were treated kindly by the young lady in attendance with stories of the old times. Gold and silver ran out in the mid 40s, then iron ore was mined for a while. Now the town has some sport fishing and logging for employment, but is dying with many houses for sale.
Returned for dinner at 1800 at the Blue Heron Motel and Restaurant, about a 20 minute walk from the harbor. Christina cooked and her young teen son served. We all had a wonderful halibut preceded by sauteed oysters for an appetizer. Food very nice. It rained most of the afternoon and evening, probably an inch or so. All the sport fishing boats were gone when we awoke. Temperature in the 50s all day.

Aug 9 - Zeballos, Esperanza Inlet & Friendly Cove on Nootka Island
Off anchor at 0840. Heading down Esperanza Inlet we spotted two dozen sea otters frolicking near Esperanza settlement. Spotted a black bear near Steamer Point Lodge. Encountered Uchuck II, a converted wooden mine sweeper which plys the waters of Nootka Sound between Tahsis, a logging and lumber port, Gold River and Friendly Cove delivering cargo, passengers, kayakers and hikers throughout the area.
Arrived at Friendly Cove and anchored at 1300. Went ashore ($10.00 per person landing fee because this is native land). Visited the old Anglican church where the altar has been pushed aside and which now houses totems and native carvings and serves as a small museum. No sign of current Christianity here. The place is slowly falling into disrepair, e.g., the windows of the church had been replaced recently, but never painted. The native people don’t seem to care for anything very well. Things languish into disrepair.
We visited Sanford Williams, a native master carver who has a “studio” ( a shack is more like it) on the beach and viewed some of his work. He has been carving for many years and is recognized across Canada as a skilled craftsman. He is here only in the summer and lives in Nanaimo in the winter.
The native peoples were gathering here and had pitched tents for a two-week reunion, arriving from many places around Nootka Sound aboard the Uchuck III which was docked, but left at about 1530. About 150 natives had already arrived and more were expected. Their stuff was being unloaded on pallets from the docks in a small Kubota tractor. Rained most of the afternoon, but cleared about 1700.
Friendly Cove is a historic place where Captain Cook in the 1780s first met the natives and later Captain Vancouver negotiated with the Spanish Captain Gorda for the rights to the island. We visited a totem that has been blown over on the island. A manned lighthouse is on the point facing the Pacific and Friendly Cove is right behind this point. We were close enough to the Pacific to feel the swells while sleeping.

Aug 10 - Friendly Cove to Hot Springs Cove
A beautiful morning. Off anchor at 0730 for Hot Springs Cove via the open Pacific. Passed two huge barges of logs towed by tugs heading to see, then southerly. Sighted a humpback whale in the distance shortly after leaving Friendly Cove. Passage was smooth with normal Pacific swells and light fog as we rounded Hesquiat Peninsula and Estavan Point, one of the three potentially tough passages on this side of the island. (The other two are Cape Scott and Brooks Peninsula.) Docked at Hot Springs Cove and Gail, Vahan and I walked the 1.5 miles on a boardwalk to the hot springs for a swim. The walk is wonderful through the cool forest with some enormous old cedars, some with trunks of 15’ in diameter. The geothermal sulfur smelling water comes out of the ground at 122 degrees F at 100 gallons per minute and cascades through a series of pools to the ocean below. The water in the first cascade is too hot for most people. About 30 people were at the site, most arriving from Tofino by boat or float plane. Nude bathing is prohibited, but there’s no enforcement so a few young girls bared it.
This was the first ‘shower’ of the trip and the warm water felt good although no soap is allowed. Steak and a red pepper-anise risotto for supper. Ross walked alone after supper to the springs and was skinny dipping as there were only one or two others there.
A very peaceful night at the dock with hundreds of ‘moon’ jellyfish (about 6”-10” in diameter) congregated at the dock. Never saw anything like it before. We had seen these jellyfish at other docks on this trip, but only a few, never the hundreds congregated between the floating dock and the shore.

Aug 11 - Hot Springs Cove, Flores Island, Hayden Passage, Ross Passage & West White Pine Cove
Off the dock at 0840 and around Flores Island by Obstruction Island and through Millar and Ross Channels to West White Pine Bay, a tiny secure anchorage that convinces you you’re in the wilderness. Passed two large fish farms just outside our anchorage.
Anchored at 1145. Ross and Gail set the crab pot and spent the day lolling, reading, etc. after a lunch of sausages, refried beans and sauerkraut, Gail and Ross had a swim and Vahan and I kayaked around the cove after short naps. Grilled a pork roast for supper. The guide books suggest that bears can be seen along the shores, but we didn’t see any. Very little wildlife here, a few ducks, a kingfisher and not much more. Tomorrow we will be in Tofino and leave the boat a day early (Ross always builds in at least one day for nasty weather, and we didn’t have any that required a layover). Except for the rain in Zeballos and Friendly Cove, the weather has been very nice with temperatures in the 50s and 60s. Will treat the Andersons to a Captain’s Dinner.

Aug 12 - West White Pine Cove to Tofino
This was our last anchorage before Tofino. We headed for Tofino and arrived in the early afternoon without incident. Tofino is a busy harbor because it is a base for whale watching, boat and float plane trips to Warm Springs Cove and a general artsy tourist town. It has been raining most of the afternoon, not pelting, but a steady soft rain which I perceived as typical of this area. Vahan and I walked the town and found a restaurant for Captain’s Dinner. There are several snack bars and coffee shops, but only two good restaurants.
We selected The Shelter restaurant and were overjoyed at the quality of the meal. The salmon was undoubtedly the best I’ve ever had, preceded by one of the nicest seafood chowders on Vancouver Island, I’ll wager.
It had stopped raining when we dinghied in from anchor in Tofino harbor so the trip in and out was dry.

Aug 13 - Tofino
After packing and our goodbyes, Ross dinghied us in after we had called the rental car company for a free pickup. He was on time and he took us to the Tofino Airport (that’s a whole other story) to pick up the car. After a breakfast in the golf club restaurant, off we headed over the mountain to PortAlberni (an overnight) and then south to Victoria and one more overnight in Sidney near the Victoria Airport for our flight to Seattle and home on August 16.

We had a wonderful relaxing trip with the Andersons and very much appreciated the opportunity to cruise with them in this beautiful place.