Holy Buck, Fatman!

I wish I was at Netroots Nation……..It would a lot more productive then me being here….

Corey,  a reader from Baltimore Rowhouse,  posed a good question: What is my solution to rising energy costs? Rather than answer in the comments section, I thought it was a decent idea to turn this into a post. I will go on record to say that I do hate whiners and like people who work towards solutions to problems. So, as not to be hypocritical, here goes:

It urns out that my electric bill may be an issue with our meter. After the inital shock of the bill, I thought, “This can’t possibly be right” and gave them a call. BG$E is investigating, but…if the outcome turns out to be the charges I’ve racked up–well, things need to change drastically!

One of the things I did besides moving to an urban area was to have only one small, fuel efficient  car and rely on Mass transportation. neighborhood tasks can be completed via bike.  It’s also a good thing that Mister Fatman and I both work in areas accessible by mass transit.  I mean, Mister Fatman only has to hoof it a few blocks. Bastard. But that is another story….

We also installed a timer thermostat and set it so that our AC/Heat only runs while we are home. (we actually didn’t have AC for the month of June and half the month of July) We changed all light bulbs to energy saving LED’s and saw a dramatic difference by these things alone. What will have to happen next is the sealing of all leaks in the home.

We are embarking on some major renovations that will take care of these things. Since we do NOT consider our home an investment that is only worth improving  to sell to some sucker, we are  taking the steps to make it a home we can live comfortably (monetarily comfort counts, too)  in for a lengthy period of time. Doors/jambs need to be replaced, insulation needs to be placed in some basement areas, floors need to be done, cracks need to be repaired. These little things can improve the energy costs.

In a perfect world, I would love to install some solar panels on my roof. The cost will pretty much pay for itself, but the other things take priority. However, it is a goal to work towards. I would like nothing more than to have BG$E pay ME for pumping energy back into the grid. can you imagine if we all started that?

So, there you have it. That is what the fatman family has done so far. Lets see what happens when all is said and done.

Look, I’m not an economist, but, Hell, everyone I know is making money, so things must be just fine. We will stand to make even more money if those commie bastards on the left will jut let us drill more! Those same commie bastards won’t let us trade with Columbia, even though their primary export is Cocaine. Err..Cocoa.Also, I think those damn seniors should start paying up! It’s their damn fault they didn’t save enough in their 401K plans! They don’t have the money for anything and now they want free healthcare? that’s fiscally irresponsible.

Now, quit all yer whinin’ and go on vacation. I assure you; there is a company that will give you a vacation loan some where.

Why would a physican take medicare paitients now?

Shame on you.

seriously.

Netflix Watchh Now RAWKS.

It will get better when we get second generation equipment to play it……

Question: How The HELL is Karl Rove Walking Free?

Answer: The VP’s Office isn’t a part of the Executive Branch.

Question: What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?

Answer: Look! LOOK! IRAN IS TESTING MISSLES!

I opened up my electric bill and it was $1,300.

I shit you not.

BG$E are pretty much demanding everything short of our first born these days and some asshole Senator tells me i’m a “WHINER?!?!?!?!”

You bet your ASS I’m whining.

When deregulation was championed as the sure fire way to increase competition and lower prices, it was accepted as the best thing to happen since sliced bread. Everyone was on board!  The prospect of consumer choice sounded as cool as comparing cool appliances while remodeling your kitchen.

However, it’s been proven to be a disastrous failure except, of course, for Constellation Energy, Baltimore’s own Enron. Prices have done nothing but go up up up. Competition? Right. I might be able to “Choose a provider” but I’m still paying BG$E a “Delivery charge”. Competition my ass. It isn’t competition when you can’t opt out of paying a company you’re not happy with.The people at the top of the mountain can’t seem to understand what is wrong with everyone else. They’re doing just fine.

Gramm’s Comments were indicative of his severe disconnect with the “regular folk” who make up a rather large majority of the US. Gramm Co-Sponsored a bill called the Commodity Futures Modification Act of 2000, often referred to as the “Enron Loophole”. Now i’m totally speculating, but I bet you his friends cashed their stake in Enron before Dec of 2001….or…am I?

Gramm, in edition to advising McCain on economic issues, also sits as the Vice Chairman to UBS bank, who has substantial exposure to Big Shitpile along with a myriad of other issues.

Now, there is serious discussion that taxpayers (That’s you & I) will possibly be bearing the burden of taking on the largely unregulated gambles that these companies participated in. In their minds, we were the ones at fault anyhow. from the WaPo:

Amid increased speculation that the companies might require a federal bailout or other changes that could undermine the value of their publicly traded stock, Paulson issued a statement saying that “our primary focus is supporting Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in their current form” — a remark that seemed to downplay the likelihood of any imminent government intervention.

Paulson briefed President Bush on the issue this morning and later Bush told reporters, “Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae are very important institutions. . . . He assured me that he and [Federal Reserve Chairman] Ben Bernanke will be working on this issue very hard.”

A staunch free market anti regulation anti tax champion believes wholeheartedly that everything bad happens to people because they make poor financial choices. It is the fault of the over burdened homeowner who bought a house they couldn’t afford. Because of that, banks are failing. They primarily believe that despite the strong push towards an “ownership society” some people just had no business even applying for loans to buy  homes at horrible bubble prices.  No one forced them to get the loans, they did it to themselves.

What they don’t understand is how the pressure to be included within that ownership society had fueled the desires of a working class couple to start saying, “Well, that flyer I just recieved in the mail says my payment will only be 500$ on a 250K loan!”  The stigma of being a renter pushed that young, recently married couple to say, “Look, honey, we can afford a payment of 1500$ monthly, it’s the same as our rent!” The desire to close deals and take home huge commissions fueled brokers to push creative financing and HELOCS as solutions to higher then usual debt to income ratios.

Irrational exhuberance and the desire to consume under the guise of wealth drove  RE speculators, big wall street investors  and consumers to making silly financial choices based on many telling them, “Housing will always gain in equity. You can bet your retirement on it!”

Yet, to people like John McCain and Phil Gramm, it’s always going to be our fault.

Do you REALLY need that new gadget even when the one you already works perfectly fine?  Unless, the real reason you’re buying it is to keep that cool hipster image from slipping…..

I know more about economics then you do. If you want, I’ll be your adviser after you fire Phil Gramm.

On second thought, nahhhh. I’d rather see you sink in a sea of misunderstanding, ignorance and elitism.

Love,

The Holy Fatman.