First Solar which is now reeling from problems with a "challenging market conditions" scenario is to try and come up with a more efficient solar panel? What kind of garbage were they putting out before? These systems are not cheap and apparently do not have a long life expectancy if built well? I have read where a 10 year life is about what one will get . If 10 years, it might well be hard put to get a return on investment that would really make them worthwhile unless one is just poking their finger in the eye of the Utility Company. Not sure on what is a good system versus a bad one or a really, really good one if such exists?
Everyone wants to cut back on Global Warming, but no one really has a viable answer? Beat the Hell out of the U.S. Coal Industry was the marching order out of D.C. for the past 8 years and now with so many Power Plants on Natural Gas, that door may never open up much again. Is pretty obvious that the Countries like China, India and so on are not about to cut back on their pollution levels just because Mr. Obama rolls over for them like a dying cockroach. They just grin as we cripple ourselves.
I am in truth more of a proponent of Nuclear Energy but as we know, no one wants the residue/ debris from the plants in their back yard. Almost got it into Yucca flats, AZ., but Mr. Obama's attack dog Harry Reid got that stopped cold. Still think if properly built, properly maintained and with a viable plan for storing the spent fuel cells, it is still the best way to go.
I know I am beating a dead horse here, but if we could just spend the billions on Research we need to clean up the coal we mine so it is more friendly to the World, it could be still very viable to mine?
In the "Their Opinion" column of the 21st, Mr. Myer noted that the U.S. Bureaucrats are bragging that they were here when whomever came to D.C., and will be here, when they whomever they are have left. This is what has been the practice in Japan for decades too. We probably learned it from them? No matter how frequently the party in power changes in Japan, the bureaucracy just keeps on doing their thing. A little zig here, a little zag there, but in the end back on the same track. The Government Employees at any level are in most cases answerable to no one but their Unions. While I have belonged to Unions over the years and recognize the need for them in some cases, they have evolved to be more of a threat than a help overall. One extreme example is the VA. It is almost impossible to fire anyone. But as the body counts mount in some of the Hospitals, the need to hold someone accountable becomes more and more obvious. After years of trying, nothing has changed more or less. A couple of sacrificial lambs when the evidence was just too much too ignore.
I received a call from a Lady Monday, who had just received her Fire Fee Bill on Saturday as did I. She said she had been called by a friend who thought the notice was a scam. I listened for a moment or so while I got mine back out on top of the to do list and then answered her questions. I will say it is a poorly put together notice. Needed info is not readily easy to find if one is not careful. I had to look a time or so to insure I had the address right to pay the thing. One problem I noted was that there were no provisions for "E-Pay". As you know, one can go into their bank process and pay it on line through the bank who will do an electronic deposit OR send a check.
Fire Fee Notice said to return the bottom portion with the payment. How when it is done via E-Pay escaped me but I did my E-Pay anyway. Not about to waste a stamp. So now I will sit back and wait for the geniuses to credit my payment properly? Will say I made sure to put the Customer and Ticket numbers on the Memo line of the E-Pay.
I helped the Lady to figure out where to mail her payment to include the correct address in the little box at the bottom, not the one on the top. If all they wanted was the P.O. Box as a "Send Payments To:", that should have been at the top also instead of just the physical address.
Was talking to a County Department head on Tuesday morning and we spoke about the problems that had popped up on the forms; computation of fee (Tax) due and mailing address(es) as noted above. I asked what amount of testing they had done to insure amounts were right? He said "none". I guess I started blinking at him and he said he had done what he was asked to do and no one had asked any more from his area. I than noted that there must have been too many Chefs in the kitchen? He said "No", not a single one. It was too many cooks and no Chefs until after it was all done and too late. No one actually got involved at the County Commission or any of the supporting areas except for the ones who set up the program and directed what the Fire Board wanted done.
As some of you know now, there are more under billings than any over billings. In fact was said as of Tuesday, there was only one for over billing. Apparent decision is that the Fire Board will have to eat the under billings and try to get correct amounts for the next one in the 2017- 2018 Fiscal Year cycle. I can only go back to my infamous 6 P's: "Prior Planning Prevents P*** Poor Performance". As an example, test billing for multiple buildings on a billing address via the program and than manual review for the same may well have caught the errors before the notices were sent out?
Will have to give Mr. Couch a "Thumbs Up" with his comment that "This first year is going to be a struggle. The bigger struggle I have is if people are struggling to make sense out of this"?
The comment that the Commission is discussing making corrections on the next bill for the under billings on this bill is not what I was advised on Tuesday. Time will out the Truth as it normally does.
I am waiting for the notice that says I did not pay it and when I mentioned to the Department Head on the E-Pay failure, he just looked at me. Will bet that does not get passed on? 'nuff said'.