We are all glad the US govt didn't shut down last night. A deal was struck at the 11th hour (maybe the 12th hour).
I'd like to know just what the deal was. The deal makers are claiming $38.5 billion in "cuts". I'd like to know just what got cut, by how much, and what kind of cut we are talking about. Real cuts mean the agency gets less money than it got last year. Fake cuts, popular in DC, mean the agency got less than it asked for, or less money than Obama proposed. Does the $38.5 billion include the cuts tacked onto the last two continuing resolutions? The $38.5 billion is a whole lot better than nothing, but a whole lot less than the $100 billion the Republicans were asking for.
Apparently the riders to defund Planned Parenthood and Obamacare were dropped.
What else was on the table that didn't make it?
Anyhow it's good that Congresscritters are talking about cuts. Even fake cuts.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
So WHY are we going to shut the govt down?
Who knows. At least no one on TV news has explained the issues dividing the republicans and the democrats on passing the continuing resolution to keep the government open for business. Is it the amount of money to be cut? Is it what is on the chopping block? Is it riders? If so,which riders and what do they say?
If the government shuts down, then the finger pointing starts. So far we don't know which side was holding out for what. Maybe that's the plan? Have the government shut down and not be able to blame either side?
The Republican cuts are just a token amount. It isn't enough money to come anywhere close to balancing the budget. But if we cannot pass token chickenfeed cuts how are we ever going to pass cuts big enough to do any good?
If we don't cut spending, then the bond market will do it for us. Investors will stop buying T-bills, and the government runs out of real money. And starts just printing dollar bills to meet payroll.
If the government shuts down, then the finger pointing starts. So far we don't know which side was holding out for what. Maybe that's the plan? Have the government shut down and not be able to blame either side?
The Republican cuts are just a token amount. It isn't enough money to come anywhere close to balancing the budget. But if we cannot pass token chickenfeed cuts how are we ever going to pass cuts big enough to do any good?
If we don't cut spending, then the bond market will do it for us. Investors will stop buying T-bills, and the government runs out of real money. And starts just printing dollar bills to meet payroll.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Cross Country skiing in April
The cross country skiing has been really good this week. It's close the house, and more fun than going to the gym. The Notchway trail runs up from rt 141 to Echo lake. I start at the down hill end, makes it easier on the way back to the car. I go in for a half an hour and then turn around. Going downhill takes only 20 minutes so I get 50 minutes of good exercise. My usual gym routine lasts about that long and isn't as much work. Skiing takes more wind than working the elliptical machine.
CAFE and flex fuel vehicles
Would you believe a full sized V8 pickup truck gets 30 mpg? Not in the real world, or on the highway, but in the the US government Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) calculations.
How does this happen? Well the CAFE people wanted to promote ethanol burning cars. So, any car or truck that will run on ethanol gets its real MPG doubled for the CAFE number. Which is how Detroit is planning to meet the 40 mpg CAFE requirement that is coming at them.
Vehicles that can run on ethanol are referred to as "flex fuel" vehicles. They will run on pure alcohol, pure gasoline, or any mixture of the two fuels. Actually, they aren't hard to make. You have to pay attention to the materials used for gaskets, hoses and seals in the fuel system. Alcohol attacks some commonly used elastomers, but materials that can stand up to both alcohol and gasoline are available. And the fuel injectors (nobody uses carburetors anymore) have to automatically richen the mixture as the alcohol content rises. This isn't hard for microprocessors to do. In short, it is easy to make any production vehicle into a flex fuel vehicle. Cheap too.
Right now, all the vehicles sold in Brazil are flex fuel, and somewhere around 20% of Detroit production is flex fuel.
Of course, you have to believe in ethanol for all this to make sense. Farmers love ethanol for obvious reasons, but it is not clear that ethanol production saves on oil consumption, the tractor fuel, the synthetic fertilizer, the transportation fuel, and the fuel to heat the still makes ethanol a questionable product. Energy gain from ethanol is low, perhaps less than one. Nobody claims more than 1.3 for best energy gain. Plus ethanol amounts to burning food to drive our cars. Have you noticed the prices at the grocery store lately? Burn enough food and the price goes up.
Without hefty subsidies from us taxpayers, ethanol would go out of business. Could this be one small way to balance the federal budget?
How does this happen? Well the CAFE people wanted to promote ethanol burning cars. So, any car or truck that will run on ethanol gets its real MPG doubled for the CAFE number. Which is how Detroit is planning to meet the 40 mpg CAFE requirement that is coming at them.
Vehicles that can run on ethanol are referred to as "flex fuel" vehicles. They will run on pure alcohol, pure gasoline, or any mixture of the two fuels. Actually, they aren't hard to make. You have to pay attention to the materials used for gaskets, hoses and seals in the fuel system. Alcohol attacks some commonly used elastomers, but materials that can stand up to both alcohol and gasoline are available. And the fuel injectors (nobody uses carburetors anymore) have to automatically richen the mixture as the alcohol content rises. This isn't hard for microprocessors to do. In short, it is easy to make any production vehicle into a flex fuel vehicle. Cheap too.
Right now, all the vehicles sold in Brazil are flex fuel, and somewhere around 20% of Detroit production is flex fuel.
Of course, you have to believe in ethanol for all this to make sense. Farmers love ethanol for obvious reasons, but it is not clear that ethanol production saves on oil consumption, the tractor fuel, the synthetic fertilizer, the transportation fuel, and the fuel to heat the still makes ethanol a questionable product. Energy gain from ethanol is low, perhaps less than one. Nobody claims more than 1.3 for best energy gain. Plus ethanol amounts to burning food to drive our cars. Have you noticed the prices at the grocery store lately? Burn enough food and the price goes up.
Without hefty subsidies from us taxpayers, ethanol would go out of business. Could this be one small way to balance the federal budget?
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Airplanes last forever.
It must be whine day on NHPR. We have people whining about flying older jetliners on the Diane Rhams (sp?) show. One lady guest advocated a "sunset law" for airliners, scrap 'em after 5 years in the air.
After that frightening accident on Southwest, where a portion of the cabin roof blew out, some of this is perhaps natural. But unnecessary.
Speaking as an old flight line maintenance type, I can assure you that airplanes last forever. Unless the plane is in perfect shape, the crew won't take off in it. Everything gets replaced or rebuilt upon reaching its service life. Everything about the plane can be removed and replaced. A seventy year old DC-3 is a good as the day it rolled out of the Douglas factory. Probably better.
The Southwest accident was a surprise. Small cracks developed in the fuselage skin, in a place you cannot see on the ground without going up in cherry picker. And hard to see unless you know just where to look and what to look for. And unexpected, so the area had not been carefully inspected in the past. Now that we know where to look, we found a couple of more airplanes needing repair.
The Southwest accident will result in more inspections, and replacement of sheet metal where cracks are found. Boeing will make some changes to the maintenance manual, and the plane will continue flying as before.
After that frightening accident on Southwest, where a portion of the cabin roof blew out, some of this is perhaps natural. But unnecessary.
Speaking as an old flight line maintenance type, I can assure you that airplanes last forever. Unless the plane is in perfect shape, the crew won't take off in it. Everything gets replaced or rebuilt upon reaching its service life. Everything about the plane can be removed and replaced. A seventy year old DC-3 is a good as the day it rolled out of the Douglas factory. Probably better.
The Southwest accident was a surprise. Small cracks developed in the fuselage skin, in a place you cannot see on the ground without going up in cherry picker. And hard to see unless you know just where to look and what to look for. And unexpected, so the area had not been carefully inspected in the past. Now that we know where to look, we found a couple of more airplanes needing repair.
The Southwest accident will result in more inspections, and replacement of sheet metal where cracks are found. Boeing will make some changes to the maintenance manual, and the plane will continue flying as before.
Numbers, Nobody knows any numbers
NHPR is running a morning special decrying the republican NH budget. They go on and on praising this program and that program. Decrying "cuts" and "significant cuts" as heartless and counter productive.
Not once does anyone mention a real number, like how much money was appropriated last year and how much will be appropriated this year. Their cup runneth over with woe, but none of 'em talk about how much money is involved. Maybe they don't know? Surely they don't think the listeners don't care? Everybody cares about money.
Not once does anyone mention a real number, like how much money was appropriated last year and how much will be appropriated this year. Their cup runneth over with woe, but none of 'em talk about how much money is involved. Maybe they don't know? Surely they don't think the listeners don't care? Everybody cares about money.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
WMUR-TV vs Right-to-Work
The NH Right to work bill came up before the Senate today. Big demonstrations, lots of union guys there to express disapproval. WMUR did the usual man-on-the-street interviews, taking care to only air the anti right to work man-on-the-street interviews. They didn't mention the real reason to pass right to work, which is to attact new industry. Industry likes right to work states and locates new plants, and all the jobs that come with new plants, in right to work states. NH could become a right to work state and reap the benefits. The union people are dead set against that.
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