Washington Post says Trump is 'complicit' in Hurricane Florence

[Pete F.]

Nobody has to live in a yurt.
The thing we need to do for example is when we build a new house or renovate an old one is be willing to invest in energy conservation measures. People ask what is the ROI for the upgraded insulation package, it could be five or ten years. But they never ask about the ROI on the granite countertops.
This takes time and money, other countries are making the investment and we will be behind again. Money we waste on energy is money we can’t invest
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[Jim in CT]

Originally Posted by Pete F.

Nobody has to live in a yurt.
The thing we need to do for example is when we build a new house or renovate an old one is be willing to invest in energy conservation measures. People ask what is the ROI for the upgraded insulation package, it could be five or ten years. But they never ask about the ROI on the granite countertops.
This takes time and money, other countries are making the investment and we will be behind again. Money we waste on energy is money we can’t invest
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

most people can’t afford solar panels or geothermal systems. i have panels at my house because i wanted to do it, but it’s stupudly expensive.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[Pete F.]

Originally Posted by Jim in CT

most people can’t afford solar panels or geothermal systems. i have panels at my house because i wanted to do it, but it’s stupudly expensive.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

I would not advise doing ground source heat pumps in NE, we do not have real warm geothermal here. Your gain over air source will not pay for your investment during the life of the system. If you were in Iceland geothermal is plentiful, in fact they can in some locations just pump hot water out of the ground. Here the soil temperature is roughly equal to the latitude.
An air to air ductless heatpump is typically one of the most economical ways to heat and has one of the lowest installation costs. If you go to this site you can compare costs for different types of fuels and heating systems, based on your energy costs.
https://www.efficiencymaine.com/ener...or-homeowners/
You can do a solar system for 0$ up front here in VT, not sure how the rate structure is in CT.

[Jim in CT]

Originally Posted by Pete F.

I would not advise doing ground source heat pumps in NE, we do not have real warm geothermal here. Your gain over air source will not pay for your investment during the life of the system. If you were in Iceland geothermal is plentiful, in fact they can in some locations just pump hot water out of the ground. Here the soil temperature is roughly equal to the latitude.
An air to air ductless heatpump is typically one of the most economical ways to heat and has one of the lowest installation costs. If you go to this site you can compare costs for different types of fuels and heating systems, based on your energy costs.
https://www.efficiencymaine.com/ener...or-homeowners/
You can do a solar system for 0$ up front here in VT, not sure how the rate structure is in CT.

I did my solar with $0 laid out, but I don't save much, as I have to buy the electricity from the solar panel company. Would have been $30k to buy it, which is absurd.

We've also had an issue with birds nesting under there and then dying, so you can make a case I'm not really helping the planet. Had to spend more money to put guards under the panels to prevent bird infestation. Then it might make it harder to sell my house, because you can only do a 25 year lease. It's not NEARLY as user friendly as it could be.

[Pete F.]

Originally Posted by Jim in CT

I did my solar with $0 laid out, but I don't save much, as I have to buy the electricity from the solar panel company. Would have been $30k to buy it, which is absurd.

We've also had an issue with birds nesting under there and then dying, so you can make a case I'm not really helping the planet. Had to spend more money to put guards under the panels to prevent bird infestation. Then it might make it harder to sell my house, because you can only do a 25 year lease. It's not NEARLY as user friendly as it could be.

So you are saving money (and possibly the planet) and you think it should or could be easier. Sounds like a business opportunity. You could even recommend the bird guards for a slight additional cost.
How many panels do you have? I'm wondering how prices compare to VT

[Jim in CT]

Originally Posted by Pete F.

So you are saving money (and possibly the planet) and you think it should or could be easier. Sounds like a business opportunity. You could even recommend the bird guards for a slight additional cost.
How many panels do you have? I'm wondering how prices compare to VT

I'm saving a tiny bit of money, and having to deal with dead baby birds all over my patio. It may (who knows) also make it harder to sell my house, could make it much harder.

I'm no engineer, nor am I an entrepeneur.

Not sure how many panels, it covers both sides of my roof, which is very large system by CT standards. But we use a ton of electricity (have a pool with a pump and an electric heater). Two summers ago, before I got the panels, my electric bill for the month of August was $550. That is not a typo. My wife and kids are home running the central A/C full bore, and the pool pump and heater really suck up the juice.

[JohnR]

Originally Posted by Got Stripers

I know Trump isn't responsible for a lot of that John come on really, but he owns his big fat mouth and constant denial that the death tolls reported in Puerto Rico are false. Even yesterday instead of taking the high road, a road he almost never travels down, he continued to state the few additional deaths over the initial reports are due to the hurricanes, in fact he spun it as if the Dems were responsible for the reporting to make him look bad. So who do you believe, someone who is living it and responsible for their citizens well being, or a guy who appears to be looking for the Guinness Book of Record for the most lies or miss truths spoken be any living being in a year?

He also owns his administrations policy decisions which will do nothing to curb global warming, in fact he really has no fear of global warming, because as you all know that's fake news. Global warming to him is like the reports that over 3000 died in Puerto Rico, or that his inauguration crowd was smaller than most recent presidents, or that he never knew Cohen paid off a porn star.

He spends is mornings watching Fox and tweeting more lies and hurtful messaging, I had little respect for this guy from the start and I can't wait until he is voted out or kicked to the curb.

Haha, Bob.

Trump, in his really crappy and often wrong way, is saying that the media frequently twists the truth to make him look bad. He is often correct. The media then runs with the crap he spews in his tweets, and they are then often correct.

Neither group is living in the land of honesty.

Lots of news and opnion outlets are blaming Trump and the FedGov's response to the PR hurricane disaster. The truth is that lots of things went right and lots wrong. If you (general you not Bob you ; ) ) are unwilling to wade into actual assessments and AAR.

I have seen enough inaccurate, biased, and opportunistic reporting RE PR/Maria to understand some of Trump's reactions to this.

The whining class however does not. They spun it while people died.

Here: Dig into the Executive Summary commissioned by PR regarding the casualties from Maria. PR was not prepared.

https://publichealth.gwu.edu/sites/d...rto%20Rico.pdf

[spence]

Originally Posted by JohnR

Lots of news and opnion outlets are blaming Trump and the FedGov's response to the PR hurricane disaster. The truth is that lots of things went right and lots wrong. If you (general you not Bob you ; ) ) are unwilling to wade into actual assessments and AAR.

Part of being a strong leader is recognizing the shortcomings for what they are and pushing everyone forward to higher ground. A sober assessment means little when the man ultimately responsible for catalyzing change is more concerned about his own appearance than the well being of those who are under his wing.

The timing and substance of the tweets this morning were shocking even for Trump.

[Jim in CT]

Originally Posted by spence

A sober assessment means little when the man ultimately responsible for catalyzing change is more concerned about his own appearance than the well being of those who are under his wing.

The timing and substance of the tweets this morning were shocking even for Trump.

As for caring for those under his wing, I refer you to the moment in the SOTU when he announced that black unemployment was at an all time low. Please note which side celebrated that fact, and which side was made miserable by that fact. It appears your wish that leaders show concern for the rank-and-file, is quite selective.

"The timing and substance of the tweets this morning were shocking even for Trump"

Agreed.

[JohnR]

Originally Posted by spence

Part of being a strong leader is recognizing the shortcomings for what they are and pushing everyone forward to higher ground. A sober assessment means little when the man ultimately responsible for catalyzing change is more concerned about his own appearance than the well being of those who are under his wing.

The timing and substance of the tweets this morning were shocking even for Trump.

Oh I agree he is a horrible leader, likely not as bad as you think he is. But I can understand SOME of what he is trying and failing to say because SOME of the facts support him and what he is saying. But the outrage mob can't get past that.

This is where I think out country is now broken, maybe irreparably.

[Pete F.]

Originally Posted by Jim in CT

As for caring for those under his wing, I refer you to the moment in the SOTU when he announced that black unemployment was at an all time low. Please note which side celebrated that fact, and which side was made miserable by that fact. It appears your wish that leaders show concern for the rank-and-file, is quite selective.

"The timing and substance of the tweets this morning were shocking even for Trump"

Agreed.

Don't they all

Last night marked President Barack Obama's eighth and final State of the Union address (full text here), a historic moment for the United States and a huge personal achievement for the embattled president, who has faced gun violence, terrorism, a flailing economy, and a hostile Congress during his two terms in office.

That hostile Congress was out in full colors last night, displaying a shocking level of disrespect for the Commander in Chief, and Speaker Ryan, who remained largely inert on the rostrum behind the president, was first in line — while even the most reluctant of his Republican fellows got up to applaud for lines supporting veterans, the "cancer moonshot," and American military strength, Ryan at one point actually twiddled his thumbs. His continual anxious shifting, on display to the nation, also included moves like crossing his legs, adjusting his jacket, fiddling with his ear, and wringing his hands. Perhaps he just really needed to tinkle.

He also — or, rather, his interns and staff — tweeted during the State of the Union with a line of commentary demonstrating his sheer level of disdain for the president.

He wasn't the only one. While the GOP isn't required to like the State of the Union, and is in fact encouraged to respond with a rebuttal — provided this year by South Carolina governor Nikki Haley — a modicum of respect is a reasonable expectation in the halls of Congress, and the behaviors seen on display last night were nothing short of childish.


Similarly, large swaths of the GOP chose to remain seated with increasingly bored expressions — some even appeared to nod off — during the speech, including during segments that would have provoked thunderous GOP applause had they come from a Republican president. Instead, they evidently so greatly feared appearing supportive of anything coming out of the president's mouth that they opted to sit still through the president's commentary on issues like better benefits and support for military and veterans, bootstrapping recommendations to work harder in order to achieve dreams, and improving conditions for business, all popular GOP topics. We couldn't expect them to stand up for the class war segment of the evening or their sound spanking on failure to act on Daesh and curbing Islamophobic sentiment, but come on, they couldn't rise for curing cancer?