AliveAndKickN

Part of the Process

For the political geek in me, this week was actually pretty cool.  At my Zoning Board meeting, I witnessed debate in action.  One member of the community wanted to turn his upper level commercialy zoned building into residential rental.  Realistically, it wouldn't have affected the town that much, and having an affordable rental downtown would have been good for the community.  However, in order to qualify for a variance, a hardship needed to be evidenced.  The Board debated it, and they voted.  The ordinance required 5 yes votes.  Only 7 of the 8 voting members were there, and the vote was 4 yes to 3 no.  If the other member was there, the variance could have passed.  Interesting.  Both sides were right, but in the end, just showing up may have made the difference.

At the Council meeting, we went through the various beginning of the month stuff.  Newest member has some great ideas, and the conversation is very thorough, yet cordial.  Checking into the cost of more eco-friendly road paving.  It's gotta be done anyway, so why not do it right?  We're paying for run-off, so the less that hits the sewer system, the better.   

It's all about the revenue, I guess?

As the New Year comes and goes, there is a flurry of ideas coming before various lame-duck legislators nationwide.  Since I'm in the  NY metro area, NY and NJ make my radar. In both states, same-sex marriage crashed and burned.  Medical marijuana made it through in NJ.  Ultimate fighting is on the docket in NY.  So why does one pass, and another fail?  Big banks get bailed out.  Individuals get nothing.  Wall St gets the big bonuses for failing.  Alcohol is fine, and taxed to the hilt.  Tobacco is taboo, yet still legal, and also taxed to the hilt.  NASA gets the big bucks.  The oceans get the minimum.  Big agriculture benefits from the subsidies.  Individual farmers get enough to survive, if that.  Cell phone usage while driving is illegal.  Drive thrus are fine along with computers in the dashboard.  The lottery?  Think about that one.  State governments pushing people to participate in a game of chance where the odds of winning are so miniscule, that it's rediculous.  War.  I could go on.   

The judge in the Kansas abortion doctor murder is allowing the defense to use the client's justification of murder, as the "prevention" of further murders by performing abortions.  The guy has admitted to the murder.  Sentence him for murder.  Move on.  To even consider the case under the defense of justifiable homocide, or anything near it, is preposterous and creates a really bad precedent.  

Although I don't find Senator Harry Reid a particularly appealing leader, I feel compelled to come to his defense on his book.  He said the same things everyone else was thinking, and President Obama even stated.  If Barack Obama was "blacker" he doesn't get elected.  Comparing Harry Reid to Trent Lott makes as much sense as comparing President Clinton to Governor Sanford.  Of course, once one side starts it, the other side has to come back just as strong; and stupid.  No wonder people don't give a shit. 

Sarah Palin is a reporter now.  Mark McGuire, the professional athlete, admitted to steroid use.  Duh!   

What are we supposed to believe in?

Back from visiting my side of the family in Flalala.  After two days of Biblical rain, I was able to get out fishing with my father and the boys, including my twenty-something cousin and even my seventy-something aunt.  We managed to catch a dozen or so, but we threw back half as they were too small.  Also took the boys to the Loggerhead Marinelife sanctuary, the Busch Wildlife Sanctuary, and the Miami MetroZoo.  All of these places had one thing in common - their necessity due to humans.  The Metrozoo had over 40 endangered species, and the sanctuaries get 90% of their "patients" due to fishing nets, gunshots and/or cars.  Fortunately/unfortunately, the Biblical rain traveled up the coast and turned into Biblical snow, keeping us in Florida an extra day and a half.  At least my wife got to enjoy a house without testosterone for a while.  While the younger two were in the car sleeping, I had "the talk" with eldest.  I gave him several rules - never talk about your sex life (true or made up) with your friends, be open with us about underage drug and alcohol use and abuse among your friends, and always wear a condom.  Boy was that weird, but I think he can handle it. 

With the downtime, I was able to finish my second Freakonomics book, Super Freakonomics.  Obviously it's a book, but I do find the concept intriguing.  It does make you think about things.  One component is the issue of climate change.  If human nature is any indication, we're not going to stop any potential climate change with altruistic behavior anytime soon.  Bringing colder ocean water to the surface where hurricanes form might mitigate major storms.  Will the oceans be the answer be the answer to climate change overall?  I'm not sure, but on the plane home, the Discovery Channel was showing an episode about colder water being pumped to the surface to increase phytoplankton, absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen.  Will pumping huge amounts of cold water to the surface be a good thing or have unintended consequences?  Once again, the question is priority of spending.  Should we spend $6billion/year on NASA and less than 10% of that budget on our oceans?  I still think we'll need our oceans much sooner than we'll need a space station. 

In North Carolina, an atheistic councilman refused to take an oath of office by swearing on the Bible.  Apparently, the constitution in North Carolina, as well as several other states, offer opportunities for religious conservatives to try and oust him, although the US Supreme Count in 1961 barred states from requiring religious beliefs to serve in office.  The fact that he built his own house with solar panels and rainwater collectors isn't enough.  Doesn't Mother Nature count as almighty? 

It's been four full months since my shoulder surgery and it still hurts too much to sleep without painkillers. 

Somehow They Can Afford It

How is it that a bankrupt company can manage to pay $1.8billion in fines for environmental infractions?  I guess we should be happy about the Asarco deal, but it goes to wonder how Exxon can't manage to pay for their infraction in Alaska.  Chevron won't pay for 30 years of abuse in the Amazon.  In Ecuador, they've created a unique proposal - charge the world NOT to produce oil.  By keeping the rainforest pristine instead of drilling, a huge swath of biodiversity is preserved.

I took a tour of the Community Blood Services operation locally.  Starting in high school, and going up to tumor #1, I gave blood frequently.  After being tumor-free for five years, I started donating again.  While trying to donate, I found out about tumor #2, since my iron count was so low that they wanted to give me a transfusion instead of taking.  Anyway, the operation is amazing, and unfortunately a symbol of what can go wrong in government.  Every year, new mandates are given for blood testing, and each time, the technology upgrades cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.  When the number of donors (both in blood and money) doesn't offset the amount spent, it becomes a deficit (sorry, I'm not the MBA in the room, but you get my point).  So how do you offset the additional costs?  Hospitals can't afford to pay extra for the blood services, as blood is a commodity, and the hospitals are in bad shape.  This leaves the fine art of fundraising, and guys like me are in short supply, pun intended.  But how many non-paying projects can a guy afford?  As I've said previously, life sometimes gets in the way of making a difference. 

An article came out this week, indicating that fast food was safer than school food.  While the article may seem persuasive, I think the title is misleading.  If school food is tested, and deemed safe, it should be ok.  Just like putting 10 foot fences on every overpass to keep one idiot from tossing a frozen turkey onto traffic is wasteful, going to umpteen lenghts unnecessarily is just that.  If we really wanted to make the food safer, we'd de-centralize the processing of food.  By consolidating the entire country into only 30 or so meat processing plants, the chances of widespread outbreaks are considerably higher.  Of course centralizing is the key to profits at ConAgra and Cargil.  And no one seems to be paying for the negative effects industrial farming is having on the environment (see paragraph 1).  

Wrong Fish, Wrong Time

First snow came today, so like any good parent, I rushed to the supermarket.  You can never be too prepared.  As I unpacked my half-price frozen shrimp, my neighbor stopped by with a gift from her trip to Atlanta, and the Georgia Aquarium.  Most people get a t-shirt or maybe a bottle of liquor.  No, I get a brochure on sustainable seafood and the best ways to keep our oceans clean.  Well apparently, I didn't do a good job of checking the label, as my frozen shrimp was from Malaysia, which falls under the category of seafood to avoid (along with common seafood such as Chilean sea bass, Atlantic cod, shark, grouper, red snapper, and imported swordfish).  US swordfish is listed as "good," along with canned albacore tuna, wild clams and oysters, Pacific cod, and US shrimp.  "Best" seafood includes US farmed or wild caught catfish, Alaskan salmon, rainbow trout, spiny lobster, and my Louisiana favorite, crawfish.  So, besides shopping for the right seafood, we can do some steps to keep the oceans clean - less cleaners, fertilizers, and pesticides used in and around your home.  All that stuff runs down the drains, and into our tribtaries, and into our oceans.  I'm going to try some of the homegrown cleaners instead of the store-bought stuff. 

19 years after the Exxon Valdez ran aground, and spilled several million gallons of oil into Pugeot Sound, no money has been paid, and oil is still prevalent in and around the various bays affected.  Seeking a break, I watched Food Inc, which mainly discusses meat and agriculture.  Ironically, fish are eating corn now, which explains why certain farm-raised fish don't make the list as well.  It's a modern-day "jungle" by Upton Sinclair.  Is industrial food the example of using technology for the wrong reason?  And without the subsidies, what's the true cost of cheap food?    

At the craft fair today, my in-laws bought my kids Smencils, one of those items like snuggies and chia pets, that people buy just as a joke.  I can't sell energy efficiency when electricity prices and incentives are at their highest points ever, and these companies make money.  Go figure.    

Work and Life Sometime Get in the Way

For the last few weeks, the business has been working on the new product line launch.  As with anything new, it's time-consuming.  Throw in an election, and I haven't had time to spend on my favorite sites.  Being a Saturday afternoon, and not having a soccer game to coach during the day, I was able to check a few of my faves.  Dot Earth had the video from two EPA lawyers talking about stuff elected officials can't - Cap and Trade only hits the edges, and in the end. won't really do anything except create new "shock doctrine" industries.  Sustainable is Good had the article about Energy Star products tending to be misleading, especially for companies that self-verify.  Re-Nest presented a Pew survey results showing what people think they need now, as opposed to years ago.  The Center for Science in the Public Interest applauded the new FDA for appearing to follow-through on threats to companies with either misleading advertisements or unsafe practices, including a potential ban on alcoholic-energy "drinks."  Tonic launched the end of the decade salvo with a 7-minute abridged video of the past 10 years. 

The bottom line - people still act in the own self-interest.  Leaders need to be the change and voices of reason. 

Surprise Disappointments

Election Day has come and gone, and almost all of the candidates I supported fared poorly.  Frankly, most of it was unexpected, but in hindsight, you could see the rationale.  I'm sure the analysis will go on for days.  I've got work to do, so I won't dwell too long, although I'm sure it will come up in conversation.  As an elected official, there's only so much you can do in a few years, so you can only hope the groundwork laid before you doesn't come back to haunt you.  Our globe is in bad shape, the age of frivolity with money is over, and the incumbents took the heat.  Same Sex Marriage was once again voted down, this time in Maine.

I'm proud of what I've been able to get accomplished in one year.  Cutting electricity usage in town by 50% is excellent in my opinion.  Getting rid of invasive species of plant life in and around the central pond is town is pretty good also.  Joining Sustainable Jersey is good, but only as good as what it becomes in the future.  Shared Services has been happening for years, but since it became an official referendum, has been slow to take root. 

The Chief Environmental Scientist from a local company posted a huge Op Ed about turning the world's waste into gold.  While I realize that his view may be biased, it had some serious merit. Localized processing of waste, or W2E sites could be a solution, as we have plenty of waste to go around, and we could certainly use more power created on-site instead of in wind/solar farms hundreds of miles away.  In Canada, a woman was killed by coyotes while hiking in the woods.  While tragic, I think her parents reaction to it was appropriate.  They didn't want the coyotes harmed afterward, since we were essentially in their turf when it happened.  I wish more people would think that way. 

I think the November 3 Daily Show could have been the funniest talking head segment I've seen in years.  I still say all talking heads should have something to back them up.  If they haven't coached or played at the highest level, they don't have the right to criticize those who put it on the line.  If they haven't run for an elected position, same thing.  Until you actually take a stand and vote on an issue, you don't realize the seriousness of the position.   

Two Governors, Two Meals

As a now-graduate of Bergen Leads, I get invited to the Fifth Fridays, hosted by the Bergen Community College.  It's a gathering of who's who in Bergen County.  The lunch had Goveror Florio give his impression of being Governor and his perspective on the upcoming election.  One thing that struck a chord was his mentioning of how he believes our current Governor has inherited as much  as 12 years of financial mismanagement, a tough statement obviously.  But as with any election, challengers target the negatives, and people are hurting right now.  I'm curious where the election will go on Tuesday.  Which leads to this morning's breakfast hosted by our current Governor.  The short answer is obvious - Bergen County will probably determine the winner.  With about 900,000 people, our county is bigger than half a dozen other states.  Hey, if the Governor is willing to host a breakfast at 7:30 on a Halloween Saturday, the least I couuld do is show up for support.  Glad I could help.  Out of curiosity, how many people currently up for election are promising to reduce taxes, reduce waste, and end corruption?  How many promised to do it in the previous election (s)?

As the healthcare bill progresses, other components in the healthcare world are suffering from lack of attention.  In one region of the country, companies are being denied payments on the same supplies I provide, simply because no one is minding the fort and realizes it's taking place.  I'm putting a call into some people I know to see if it can be rectified.  I wonder if this makes me a lobbyist?  I'm just trying to ensure that it doesn't come to my region, and in turn hopefully help those in the other regions. 

Got my periodical from ANJEC, the Association of NJ Environmental Commissions.  In the middle, it gave a quasi-timeline of the path to a greener NJ.  After being a dumping ground for years, the statute creating 39 environmental commissions in passed in 1969.  1970, the Clean Air Act is signed and NJDEP is created.  1971, an $80million green acres bond is issued.  1972 Clean Water Act.  Over the next dozen years, various locations added offices and ANJEC participated on various commissions, such as the Pinelands Commission.  1985 NJ adopted the State Planning Act.  1987 the Freshwater Wetland Protection Act.  2001 Urban Initiative.  2007 Global Warming Response Act.  After  all  this,  NJ  still  has  the most superfund sites in the nation. 

As is par for the course, our Congressman voted against the Solar Technology Roadmap bill.  After all, who wants a concerted effort, when it can all be done haphazardly?  It passed anyway.  He also voted against the Bay Area water recycling expansion program.  Makes sense, considering California is experiencing a drought and produce 25% of the country's produce.  Also passed. No wonder people want him replaced.  Someday.   

  

All Politics is Local

As the Governor's race approaches, the fundraising and meetings have hit a frenzied pace.  Last weekend, I had three fundraisers - one for the Volunteer Center at the Meadowlands Racetrack (I bet on one horse that came in 7th out of 8), and I bought a basket of candy that should come with insulin.  $12,000 raised later, it was worth it for the Center.  The next day was a fundraiser for the assembly candidates in our district.  Our district has had the same Assembly and Senate representatives for 23 years.  Think about it.  Back then, I was still in school watching Born in the USA on MTV (yes, MTV previously had music).  My hopefuls are longshots, but you have to give them something for the effort.  Next was a fundraiser for one of my nursing home clients.  Former NYC-Mayor Ed Koch was the speaker.  I found the perspective of a well-learned  85-year old interesting.  He still thought we weren't do enough on the war on terror, and felt that we should side with Israel almost without exception. Two days later was a fundraiser for the Freeholder candidates, and Newark Mayor Corey Booker was in attendance.  His speaking was both inspiring and at the same time, made my speaking seem awfully inadequate.  Anecdotally, he told of his parents, and their emphasis on getting involved and doing the right things.  Hopefully I am instilling the same in my kids.  

The next day, I spoke to this year's Bergen Leads class about local politics. Hopefully I said something coherent.  The best part was the questions - How much was spent on my campaign (not much as we don't do lawn signs, and aside from  a few mailers, I walked door-to-door), what was my agenda and has it been achieved (environmental stewardship and energy efficiency were both attained as all of the lighting has been changed to reduce the electricity by half and the town has joined Sustainable Jersey).  I also reiterated that stability in the Council and Mayor has allowed me to tackle other issues, such as Sustainability.  The next  day at the School Board meeting, my competitor from last year's election (and current candidate once again) spoke to the current board about not allowing political presentations to the students.  I assume she was alluding to my presentation to my then-third grader's class about local government.  I'm pretty sure that it wasn't the difference-maker as I won by 20 points, but I held my sarcasm in check and moved on. 

Presidents Clinton and Obama came to the Garden State to rally the voters so they come out (hopefully more than 50% of the registered voters will show up on election day).  There's also a big open-space bill on the ballot.  It's a great cause, but at the same time, we can't afford more debt.  I'm not sure which is worse.  The Health Care reform bill debate wears on.  The Climate bill wears on. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan wear on.  International Food Poverty wears on. 

I've been asked to run for Congress.  The numbers don't work.  I'm worth more selling for the business, and I've got three kids in grade school.  It will have  to wait a dozen years.      

What a (Nuclear) Waste?

Just like I'm sure you were, I  was pumped after watching  the US Soccer team tie Costa Rica in stoppage time. So, while flipping through the stations, I  stopped  at Planet Green and sat through the story of nuclear power, and the waste it creates.   Apparently, the US has managed  to store a gazillion metric tons of waste, and recycle virtually none.  The US gets about 20% of its electricity from nuclear.  The French have managed to recycle all of their waste for years, ever since inception in the '70's.  The French get  80% of their electricity from  nuclear.  They are even offering to help the US recycle their stored waste. Still can't find the reason behind this decision.  Somebody help me.