Plasmus Maximus
Sep 18, 2009 Political
In the olden days, way back when, so far back that you would have to have studied history in order to grasp the timeline, (so that omits many liberals, who went to a college where history was not required), there was, in the city of Rome, a place called the Coliseum – a place where violence was waged on a regular basis.
This was the place where the populace had their escapist entertainment, their gladiators facing the wonders of the world, lions and tigers and elephants, oh my- all brought from the corners of the Roman Empire in order to placate the mob, which is the term the Roman “elites” gave to their populace (they just loved the people- you can always tell from the pet names). The Coliseum was the escapist entertainment that kept the population from noticing the way the Caesars and Senators were governing, or not- depending on the Caesar du jour.
The Coliseum was their Discovery channel, their Nascar, their football games. We have TV– that is our Coliseum, our “Circus Maximus”- often, that is all we look forward to, coming home after a hard day’s work at a job that might or might not suck like a wind tunnel. Our little window on the world. As much as things cost nowadays, this is it for many.
And now government wants to shrink our window- and this is a bad idea that rivals or possibly exceeds all the bad ideas this administration has had so far- the day is young, however, with the Resident in office less than a year. Admittedly, this idea begins in California- the Cereal State, Land of fruits,nuts, and flakes, but this is a small demonstration of what our Regulatory Czar, Cass Sunstein, wants for the rest of the nation.
Concerned that the growing popularity of big-screen televisions could make it harder for California to keep pace with electricity demand, state energy regulators are poised to crack down on energy-guzzling sets despite opposition from a powerful electronics trade group.
The first-in-the-nation TV efficiency standards would require electronics retailers to sell only energy-sipping models starting in 2011. Even tougher efficiency criteria would follow in 2013.
The California Energy Commission is slated to unveil the new standards today, followed by a 45-day public comment period. The commission is expected to approve the measure in early November.
The rules, which took more than a year to develop, are designed to shave $8.1 billion off Californians’ electricity bills over a 10-year-period. That works out to $30 per set per year, according to commission officials.
latimes.com/business
Now, I am all for efficiency, but how efficient are these sets, really? Will they actually have picture quality as good as the others? Because I gotta tell you- if I can’t see the blood fly in slo- mo, while watching a Tarantino film- that is not good enough for me- nor will it be for anyone else who will have to shell out more money (What? You didn’t think these new “greener” TVs would be Less expensive, did you?)
Oh yeah- this is how the regulatory Czar works- write a few regs that restrict the energy usage, or size, or whatever reason he wants to justify the shrinking of our lifestyle- and it will happen. Just imagine how the populace in ancient Rome would have reacted to the downsizing of the Coliseum- the riots and revolutions would have commenced forthwith.
It will also help California utilities head off the need to build more power plants just so residents can watch “American Idol” and other shows. TVs already account for 10% of residential energy use in California, driven largely by surging demand for large-screen TVs. Strict state mandates for cutting greenhouse gas emissions are further pressuring officials to act.
“Increased efficiency is the most cost-effective way of meeting our renewable-energy goals,” commission Chairwoman Karen Douglas said.
Environmentalists have applauded those efforts. But some industry groups, including the Consumer Electronics Assn., dispute the notion that the new efficiency rules would benefit consumers.
About a quarter of currently available television models would have to be pulled from store shelves, said Doug Johnson, senior director for technology policy with the Arlington, Va., group that represents TV makers, distributors, retailers and installers.
That could raise television prices, put home theater installers and wholesalers out of business and destroy jobs, he said.
The association contends that the regulations would force TV buyers to buy banned sets from out-of-state dealers over the Internet, depriving California retailers of customers and state and local governments of needed sales tax and corporate income tax revenue.
latimes.com/business
Don’t you just love those inhibiting regulations- instead of building more power plants, we’re going to downsize our life. There is a lack of common sense here- after all, unless John Holdren, Hussein’s Science Czar, succeeds in putting sterilants in our drinking water, (which I doubt, but which he did advocate), there are going to be more people, which should mean, in the land of Common Sense, that there would be more power generating stations, be they coal, hydro-electric, wind, or nuclear- but no! Instead, let’s downsize the TVs (That’s a good first step)- next, we’ll take control of how much total power you will be allowed to consume (already in the works), the size and kind of car we have to drive (check that one off of our list- done), and the kinds of food you will enjoy (enjoy is a subjective word- it might be better to say endure). Just remember the proposed tax on sodas and fruit drinks- that one’s coming.
But we will all be so much healthier, if not happier, if we just step aside and let these government people get on with our lives- it’s for our own good.
At least four out of five government goons say so.
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Tags: downsizing, freedom of choice, government intrusion, regulations, smaller TVs
Why Would You Confirm This Man?
Sep 9, 2009 Political
There was a vote for cloture today on Cass Sunstein, Harvard Law Professor, friend of the Resident, and animal rights whackjob, for the position of Regulatory “Czar”.
I know, there are some people who object to the word “czar”- I do also, (It’s an anti- Russian thing with me), but remember, I was not the first to do so, and it has kind of stuck in a “shorthand” way to describe the power these un- elected, (in some cases unconfirmed- in other cases, even unvetted) people can have on our lives.
Especially this one.
Remember, a person can be intelligent as Einstein, but still be a danger to this country, and this man more than most. Why? Simple really- he will be able to influence the regulations of virtually everything. Everything! How much sugar is allowed in chewing gum- the amount of allowable kilowatts your home can consume (if you go over that amount they will reduce power to your home, or charge you an “extra” sin tax on the kilowatts you use in excess of your allowance). The list is virtually unlimited on what or who he could regulate.
After the departure of Van Jones, the former White House special adviser for green jobs, enterprise and innovation, Washington has begun to take more seriously an argument made on July 30 by Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) — that Obama is attempting to expand the number of “czars” in order to sneak radicals into his administration. The president, wrote Cantor in The Washington Post, has appointed a “virtual army of ‘czars’ — each wholly unaccountable to Congress yet tasked with spearheading major policy efforts for the White House.” And Sunstein is often included in that list. According to Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.), who has introduced legislation that would cancel the salaries of presidential appointees who haven’t been confirmed by the Senate, Sunstein is one of 34 such “czars.” Glenn Beck, the TV and radio host who has taken credit for the campaign that ousted Jones, has attacked the man he calls “Regulatory Czar Cass Sunstein” on no fewer than 12 episodes of his Fox News show.
washingtonindependent.com
You are indeed tarred with the brush of the company you keep, but Sunstein has his own baggage- an avid animal rights activist, he is a proponent of the right for animals to sue the meat-packing plants that have cruel methods for dispatching the animals for consumption by a meat- hungry nation.
Even if the “czar” issue fades, the attacks on Sunstein’s more controversial views may stick. By far the most damaging critique has been the one that prompted the senatorial holds: Sunstein’s view of animal rights, including the view that humans may sue on the behalf of animals. “If confirmed,” Sunstein told Cornyn in a July 31 letter that effectively ended the hold, “I certainly would not use my position at [the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs] to promote animal standing in civil litigation.” But David Martosko, a spokesman for the conservative Center for Consumer Freedom, has hammered Sunstein for his views, and done so on two episodes of Beck’s show.
On TV and in his interview with TWI, Martosko said that Sunstein was a “disciple” of Peter Singer, the Princeton University ethicist who has taken controversial stands on, among other things, the morality of killing disabled infants “if that was in the best interests of the baby and of the family as a whole.” In an email to TWI, Singer said that he had only worked with Sunstein once, and that Martosko was wildly off base.
washingtonindependent.com
This may or may not be true, but it is beyond dispute that Sunstein’s views are wildly out of step with the majority of people in this country, most of whom eat meat, and many of whom hunt. Would there be an attack on hunting next? do not know- do you want to wait until it becomes law, or try to head it off at the pass, as they used to say in the older Westerns?
Our way of life includes a big swath of “Leave Me Alone”- we as a people have a distaste for over regulation, and this could be one person who might be responsible for the Resident’s ouster in a short time if he begins imposing unwarranted regulations on certain segments of society. There will be pushback, because the American public is awakening to the fact that this is a multi-pronged assault on our freedoms. Sunstein is just the pointman du jour.
We need to excise him from government service ASAP, and return him to the LaLa land of Harvard Academia, where he can think of other outrageous theories that do not work in the real world.
Meanwhile, I’ll be waiting at the gate for my Baby Harp Seal seat covers- I hear they are so soft…..
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Tags: animal rights, czar, incompetent Harvard Professor, regulations, whackjob