Pumps' Perplexities

Back in 1970 the State of Vermont enacted
a law which is known as Act 250.....After the
developement of the interstate roads which
run through the State, the government
decided it was time to enact some
environmental laws in order to protect
the water ways, drainage, future roads
and land development......

There is a women, in an olde town that I used
to live in, who wants to start a vineyard and
develop a local place for country weddings
and to sell some wine to a tourist or two.......

Under Act 250, this woman has battled
the "town fathers" for almost 10 years now....
All for the sale of some grape juice......

I wonder if someone wants to turn that olde
dirt road, her vineyard is on, into another
super highway, through the county, how
long will it take to get the stimulus paper
work done?????......Pumps

I have come to the conclusion that EVERYBODY
was thinking BIG......Individuals = houses and
flat screen TVs......Unions = pay scales and
pension plans......Governments (big and
small) = roads, schools, tax revenues.......

No one anywhere thought to think the
opposite.....And, if they did and speak their
opinions they were most likely not listen
to....."How dare you have a negative thought!"....

Well the "negative" time is here.....No
increases in tax revenues, no increase in
consumer spending, no increase in wages
and pensions......The word of the day is
"down size" or "cut-backs"......

Did we not learn in school that there are
economic cycles.....Did we not learn that
you can only put so much air into a balloon,
before it will break.....I guess the lessons
have now gone and been forgotten along with
the ideas of "thinking big"......Pumps

On February 19, 2009 we Americans will have
a new television system......If you are currently
using a Cable or Satellite system to receive
your television "signal" you will have no
problem......But if you are using a roof top
or "rabbit ears" type of antenna, you will
need a new converter box......

Australia will slowly convert their television
system between 2010 and 2013......We, in
American, will do it in one day......

Here are the comments of a Senator in
Australia, " The concern I have is that I've
tested this myself to find out how easy it
is to install a set-top (converter) box if you
are not very technically literate. I've got
to tell you it's not that easy. Some people
can do it dead easy but for others it's quite
a 'challenge'. In the United States they give
out two vouchers (for converters) and said
you're on your own after that. This has led
to a debacle. It is a train wreck waiting to
happen in the US in February when they
switch off the analog signal nationally on
one day."

I think the Australian Senator has said
it all......Pumps

I am beginning to enjoy this corruption scandal
which is occurring in the State of Illinois......

We have TV "talking heads" and politicians
running around and saying a lot of different
things in order to appear politically correct.....

Hey Guys, and Gals, it is the American Way.....
All Ron Blagojevich said was,

"WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME".........Pumps

If you now type something on a computer, you
can have the computer check to see if your
spelling is accurate........

How long will it take for all the computer
programs to deny the word "Obama"
as being correct?......Pumps

The incoming president of the United States
has spoken about his plans to increase jobs
by creating road, bridge and school
construction jobs.......Some 2.5 million, I think....

Living on the east coast of the US, two such
road, bridge/tunnel jobs come to mind.....

The first is the Big Dig in Boston....Construction
between 1991 and 2007....Estimate cost
$2.8 billion (1985 dollars).....Total cost
$8.8 billion (1985 dollars) or $14.6 billion in
2006 dollars......

The second one is the Springfield "Mixing
Bowl" outside of Washington DC in Virginia....
1999/2007.....Estimated cost $350 million
and completed cost $676 million......

Cost overruns and more cost overruns......
Going over budget.....Has the government
convinced the populous that they also could
live on cost overruns?.....If so, it did not
work and never does......Pumps

I think that everybody knows by now that the
Credit Card Industry is making changes in the
way it does business with its customers......

There will changes in "rates", changes in
credit limits and changes in fees........

Here are a few more changes that I noticed
with a credit card bill that I received in the
mail today.......#1 No advertising to buy some
stupid "watch" or other thing which comes
attached to the return payment envelope.....
#2 No second page of blank checks for the
purpose of transferring another balance to
their card or just getting more cash on
your card........ And an additional note,
#3 no more weekly applications for
another credit card.......

Looks like things are going back to the
pre-1980 days.......Use cash......Pumps

It seems that for the second year in a row,
some people have concluded that the State
of Vermont is the best place in the United
States to live.......

It appears that they have a lower rate of
smoking cigarettes, are less obese and
healthy, and have low childhood poverty......

Having lived there, I noted that they had
only one large city, Burlington......While
there are a little over 600 thousand people
that live in the state, the population of The
City of San Francisco in California is a
little over 700 thousand and larger.....

The reason people do not smoke cigarettes,
they do smoke other "stuff", is because they
do not make enough money to waste on
buying "smokes".......They are healthy
because if you really get sick they send you to
a hospital in another state, like New York
or New Hampshire.......

Maybe the childhood poverty has improved,
but when I lived their my babysitter took a
bath in a bathtub which was outdoors and
behind her house......

Also there are so many environmental
regulations it is difficult to start a business
in the state......I has taken one person over
6 years to grow grapes, press them into
wine and serve it....There is yet to be any
final approvals......

If you want peace and quiet, where no
"poll taker" will ever find you, then it
is the state to live in and drive 25 miles
to a supermarket.......Pumps