AliveAndKickN

What Message Are We Sending?

This week, due to budget constraints, NJ transit funding will be cut by 30%, causing a reduction in staff, bus routes, and train schedules.  This all means that more and more people will once again return to their SOVs (single occupancy vehicles).  Just a few years ago, when gas was $4/gallon, a bunch of people left their SOVs and switched to public transportation.  Those who could afford it, stayed in their cars.  Those who couldn't, switched, and so far haven't gone back.  But now when we need it most, Trenton won't raise gas taxes to compensate for the shortfall even though NJ has the one of the lowest gas taxes in the country and hasn't seen an increase in decades.  Trenton won't put taxes on sin "foods" such as soda and fast food even though the federal government is subsidizing cheap food anyway.  Raising tolls or putting tolls on other major highways is unacceptable.  I've recently heard a commercial stating that "cruising was a God-given right." 

However, alternatives to raising taxes on gas to raise revenue include installing gambling in the Meadowlands.  How about this - install video gambling on seats in buses and trains?  Lose your money while commuting!!  I'm sure the gaming companies would install the systems for free and share the profits with NJ Transit.  Every challenger politician claims the incumbent is to blame for companies/people leaving NJ.  Think about the math.  NJ is the 40th largest state yet has the 10th largest population.  Mathematically, there's no where to go but down.  And just imagine if you have a distribution business.  The cost of electricity in NJ is 3 times the cost of Pennsylvania (and every other state in the coal belt).  Move your distribution across the Delaware into PA, fill up on gas in NJ each time, and there you go.  No tolls on Route 80 or 78, so it's free to deliver to the NY border.  Meanwhile, the trucks beat up on the highways, and the NJ taxpayers pay to fix them. 

Once again, I don't accept the double standard.  Pissing away your hard earned money on gambling is ok.  Polluting is ok.  Gay marriage is unacceptable????  If you want to jump start the economy, let gay people get married.  My wife does invitations, and I can't remember one invitation created for a "civil union."  People spend tens of thousands of dollars on weddings, providing income and jobs to a host of industries.  Oh, and if you want to reduce waste in healthcare, go to a healthcare conference and walk the exhibit hall.  If more than half of the vendors are selling the same type of product, chances are pretty good that the margins from Medicare are way too fat.   

Horsehockey!

Taco Bell Diet, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Cheerios - what a bunch of horsecrap.  Think about it - eat 1250 calories/day of anything and you'll lose weight, even Taco Bell.  At least Taco Bell is willing to say the words "these results are not typical" whereas the Cancer Treatment Centers rely on the tiny words in the corner of the page, perfectly willing to parade hope in front of those who seek it.  A colleague of mine went to their Philadelphia location with pancreatic cancer.  After getting an initial boost of hope, he soon died.   Once again, Center for Science in the Public Interest is at the forefront of getting policy changed.  Companies may someday actually have to tell the truth, or at least be limited on the nonsense they can spew. 

The talking heads can't help but talk about the underwear bomber.  What went wrong and who's to blame?  Seriously, once again, in a world of a gazillion people, there's bound to be a few morons at any given time trying to blow someone else up.  In reaction to this, we'll invade Yemen next, and revise the entire airline security program, costing billions, and truly doing little to alleviate the problem. 

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. 

Moove them Doggies. How about Overseas?

On September 30, the NY Times displayed an article indicating that there are too many milk-producing cows currently in the US, and as such, over 250,000 have been slaughtered in order to keep the price of milk within a somewhat liveable range.  Unfortunately, genetically modifying has allowed scientists to ensure 90% of new calves to be female, meaning another 60,000 milk-producing cows are about to enter the foray, which could drive prices down once again, in many cases, below production costs.  On October 1, the Head of Heifer International was on Oprah.  Heifer helps people overcome with hunger and poverty by not providing money or food, but a means to create more money and food - a cow or a goat as an example.  Anybody see a solution, or as the business people would say, a synergy?  Based upon the selection at the supermarket, I'm pretty sure we have enough meat in this country.

On a different note, although one of my favorite issues, it appears the Obama camp has sided with the EPA on mountaintop removal.  Coal is pissed.  Let's see if it lasts.  As I watch the PBS series on the National Parks, I find the whole concept "mountaintop removal" utterly inconceivable. 

Waterwise Finally?

The other day, the Wall Street Journal showed up at the house again.  I still didn't order it, and obviously I don't pay for it, but hey, reading material is reading material.  Amongst all of the teaparty healthcare nonsense articles, I found article about desert and sunbelt states finally getting water conscious.  As someone who doesn't water the lawn ever, I still find it unfathomable to have grass in the desert, but it's obviously there.  Of course, as in any scenario, when one industry is faced with looming cuts in profits, they fight it, regardless of the virtuosity, in this case Scott's.  Is it true that the financial industry really hasn't changed much since last year's meltdown?  Amazing. 

The Obama administration is finishing a project initialized during the Bush administration creating a federal oversight of ocean conservation.  Recently, I posted that I thought the amount spent on space exploration should be spent on our oceans.  Considering 50% or more of the global population lives on a coastline, it might be important to preserve it.  Of course, just like the healthcare debate, the water debate is hinged on big food as well.  Our drinking water will continue to take a hit from the factory farms producing more "material" that can safely be applied as fertilizer or even turned into energy.  And with the amount of usable water going towads big food farming, it will continue to be an issue unless changed.    

 I've been asked to present to this year's leadership group on local politics.  I'm not sure why I was asked, but I'll see what I can do.  Realistically, I don't live in a town with a lot of controversy or issues.  Maybe that should be the topic.  Maintain order and everyone's happy, sort of.   

An Eco Semi-Conscious 4th of July

     My wife decided, tha t even without 2 of the 3 kids in the house, we My wife decided, that despite 2 of 3 kids being out of the house, we needed to get away.  So, from the Edible Jersey magazine, she found what turned out to be a perfect getaway, at least for us.  The Laurita Winery, in the heart of horse and farm country, was terrific.  250 acres of vineyards, an 80% recycled 30,000 square foot building and Bed & Breakfast, a horse farm for recovering racehorses, and more.  The vineyards are hand-sprayed so no airplane spraying.  They use solar panels.  The wood is reclaimed.  There is a field of wildflowers.  Unfortunately, I don't see how the math will work for them.  Based upon the guide, they should generate just over a million a year in sales, but my math guesses their annual expenses as close to a million as well, if not more.  This obviously doesn't factor in the upfront costs to create this oasis.  Anyway, my wife and I did our best to help the cause.  Between what we spent on the stay, the bat house (no I'm not kidding), some wine bottles, the food while there, and of course the horseback riding, we did ok.  I would certainly recommended it again.  After leaving, we stopped at a few local farms, and picked up some Jersey blueberries, some tomato plants, some wildflowers, and a few desserts for the ride back. 

While at the B&B, I was able to catch up on some reading.  I read about a more eco-friendly fireworks display, which is taking some hold, but the cost is prohibitive currently.  Again, upfront costs versus costs later on, due to drinking water issues.  I also found a copy of New Jersey magazine from last year.  It was a special pet issue, where they profiled some pet numbers.  In our little state, there are 2.2 million dogs registered, and 2.4 million cats registered as pets.  Now, if 40 thousand are adopted annually, this means that most of these are created on purpose, aka puppy mills.  That's a lot of reproduction, pet food, poop, and to a significant extent, plastic bags and/or kitty litter.  This doesn't even address fish tanks, horses, snakes, and all of the other stuff people keep as pets.  Now I'm a dog lover.  My wife's dog Sadie the wonder beagle earns her keep by chasing rodents from the garden, and she stays in the yard, where her stuff gets mixed in with the landscaping.  Think about the pet indstry math, and it helps you think about why some other countries dislike us so much.  Working animals make sense.  Animals lying around taking psycotropic medication to offset their anxieties?  

I also read Tom Brokaw's "The Greatest Generation."  300,000 Americans killed in WWII.  Almost 2 million injured.  Amazing sacrifice. 

   

Food Wars

Almost two years ago, I posted my idea for raising revenue to pay for crumbling infrastructure here in Jersey.  My idea was probably one that others had thought of previously, but hadn't said so.  It was simple - Add a few points onto things that we already know are bad for you - soda and fast food, specifically drive-up.  At the time, over a billion dollars a day nationwide was being spent on "food" outside the house.  Considering the portion sizes and the content, it's no wonder we have a food epidemic in this country.  So, if we can curb consumption, raise a few dollars, and help everyone, it wouldn't be such a bad thing.  Enter the food lobby!  Let's see what happens next. 

A Few Dollars Here, a Few Dollars There

I have to tell my constituents that their kids' baseball/soccer seasons will be about $30 more each year, because of overruns on landscaping costs.  No I'm not kidding, and it bothers me.  What bothers me even more, is that somehow buried on Page 8 of the Times Business section is a tiny story of how the Pentagon has been over budget by $300 billion over each of the last two years.  Either I'm missing something (the budget is complicated - one of my favorite lines), or this should be a little bigger than the AIG hundred million dollar mess.  You judge for yourself. 

It appears that soda sales are falling flat.  The last several years have seen the percentage gains from previous years disappear.  Unfortunately, it appears that it's going to energy drinks and/or bottled water.  Not sure if that's good or bad.  Prices will probably drop over the summer and the numbers will come back up. 

Pass the SCHiP, or skip the chips?

With the threat of a veto from President Bush no longer hanging over Congress, the house voted overwhelmingly to pass SCHiP, the insurance program for people who make too much money to be eligible for Medicaid, but not enough to afford their own insurance.  A family of 4 in New Jersey making as much as $74,000 would be eligible for $125/month insurance.  Obviously they couldn't afford the $2000/month that I pay.  I agree with the government's assessment that it's more cost-effective/cheaper than letting uninsured overload our emergency rooms, costing significantly more to taxpayers in the long run.  The one Congressman from NJ that voted against it was unfortunately ours, but then again, he pretty much votes against anything that costs money upfront, except the war. 

By the way, you'll be proud of me.  I spent money unnecessarily.  I bought my 5-year old a birthday gift he didn't need from my local apothecary (it was 60% off), and we went out to dinner (spending as much in one evening as we spend in a week on groceries).  The Restaurant Association wants you to go out to dinner to stimulate the economy, so now I've done my part.  I just hope you dine somewhere locally owned.  The 2009 list of 20 worst "meals" came out again, and the chains have won once again.