BigPineKey.com

If the Marathon City Hall house trailers are functioning as a city hall now, then why not leave things as they are?  See what happens when you let grandiose incorporation schemes come to pass?  What’s in it for the average citizen besides higher taxes.  Of course, sad to say, the average citizen has no idea of what is going on.

My wife and I do a lot of cooking at home because we’re both good cooks and we always look “outside the box” when planning meals.  Beef, pork and chicken get pretty boring if you’re not creative and what can be better than your own fresh caught fish, panko fried, hot oven cast iron skillet baked then, smothered in a white wine/butter/caper sauce?  

Thanks to Winn Dixie’s FuelPerks and our food planning, we rarely pay over .50 cents per gallon for automobile gas.  Yes, we do eat out from time to time and when we do, we’ve found that from Big Pine to Key West, the best dining out experience is the Square Grouper.  We’ve never eaten anything there we didn’t like.  So, get off the rant and rave couch while in our paradise and start thinking out of the box. You’ll be much happier when you do.

I wonder what happened to that huge Russian submarine that somebody towed into Key West harbor a few years ago?  I was out fishing and watched it go by with a tug at each end.

I’m looking for Christmas gift suggestions that are very Keys-centric. Anywhere from $25 to $250 is welcome. I’d like to celebrate the season with my friends and family way up north and spread a little tropical cheer. Gift suggestion

[“Meet the new $100 bill”] I can’t remember the last time I have seen one much less the new one.

Is there anyone left in the Keys who repairs televisions?

[Space Aliens] With seven workdays left, House committee holds hearing on space aliens. Link

[“Devaluing the US dollar against other money”] When a country devalues it’s currency lower than all others in the case of China, it makes it attractive to large corporations to shift their production to gain from the less expensive labor. What our Federal Reserve is doing by adding $18 billion a month to their balance sheet as well as other national banks also adding to theirs, is to combat deflation being exported from China. China is still cheaper, $1.20 a hour is what a Foxconn worker gets. If China would let their Yen rise in value, then eventually it would be on par with most everyone else’s and many jobs would return back to our and other countries. Many businesses are forced to use China labor or risk going out of business from competition. Of course if people have no jobs, they can’t survive or buy inexpensively made goods from China. So someone has to deal with China’s currency manipulation.

[“No commas used”] I just know that you are hoarding all your commas to be used in one horrific post.

Geography test. where’s Bulgaria? Link

Never argue with a fool; onlookers may not be able to tell the difference. —Mark Twain

[“GE’s Energy Smart bulb”] Actually they claim 5 years, not 14 and it’s $14 for 8, not each. I’ve been using them for years, not quite lasting 5 years really, 8000 hours or 1.5 years in our shady spot with them on 14 hours a day. So actually it’s about $10 a year for 8 bulbs or $1,25 per year per bulb. If one only used them at night for a few hours, sure I can see them lasting for 5 years and paying considerably less per year than we do. Our shade tree saves us more in cooling costs so it’s worth paying to have the lights on.

[“Detroit Cancels Pensions”] Their experience is exactly the reason I never wanted to work for any government. I would not want to be at taxpayers mercy when things got dicey. Obviously it worked out for millions and millions of government types. Just not for me. Over the years I just saw too many ‘desk jockeys’ sitting around sharpening pencil after pencil after pencil. Of course now they are on their social media devices checking this, then that and that. This is not meant to demean anyone, it is just a personal choice. Some of my best friends were them and we had a great time debating such circumstances

Comet Ison is 3 miles wide and travels at 91,000 miles an hour. Whoosh!

[Broadminded] China and Dark Legacy on Netflix. I watched them last night and will watch them again, and I will be telling my friends about them. Americans need to be educated beyond the small time headlines of the day. These two programs help in waking us up. Thank you and keep the suggestions coming.

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[Citizen Of The Day Says] Don’t have to shovel sunshine.

Maybe drivers from Miami think that since their cars have all those safety features they can drive like maniacs down here because even when they crash they will be OK.

[Grinder pumps] It looks like some of the more vocal petitioners have won their arguments against the grinder pumps, and that’s good for them. Cudjoe homeowners and a resort on Little Torch have been mollified and silenced.. Having won their cases they have left the rest of us to oppose the system.  It’s important to remember that  we  all will still be paying the FKAA for all maintenance and replacement  of the LPS system through our water and sewer bills.  If this system is as bad as it sounds then it’s in everybody’s interest to change it and I suggest  we  get moving on doing that. FKAA representatives admit that the grinder LPS system is just the cheapest in the near future-  not the best system and that the County Commission has the purse strings. The Commission has been spending the one cent infrastructure sales tax money on such things as the Rowell’s Marina purchase,  when that tax was supposed to be used for sewers first .It appears that they are being pound foolish and that only Danny Kohlage has the sense to stand up to it – so far. Is there any organized opposition now? I sure hope so.

[Bigpnekey.com classifieds work!] OK to remove wanted ad for Sunfish sailboat. A sale was made within three days after CT classified ad appeared!

Anybody else having problems with AT&T web connections? I am about to look for another hook-up. Recommendations? (Ed: Comcast is the only way to go–if you’ve got two days to deal with their misdirection and evasiveness.)

[Hospital Fees] I saw on the tv news a list of typical hospital charges: $134 for a bag of saline solution that can be bought for $1.

As I write this the oil burner technician is servicing my heating system. I have it cleaned every year and it seems to need one part or another replaced every so often. There are thermostats to deal with, fuel deliveries to be scheduled and potential malfunctions that could lead it to belch black smoke or worse, carbon monoxide. And for all this trouble there still will be no heat if the power shuts down.

Why is the thought of having to maintain grinder pumps any different than maintaining a heating system? Or air conditioning? Mechanical systems that are necessary to make a house liveable aren’t expected to last forever and we all accept that fact when buying a house. If my area is too low for gravity sewers than I’ll have to live with a grinder pump and its headaches, just like other household appliances that wear out or malfunction. And I’d just as soon have it on my property and keep it maintained rather than leave it up to the county to maintain central pumps located in the street. At least I can control my own sewage with my own pump…..and back it up with my own generator.

But I’d rather have a gravity system.

[Spies like us] How the NSA tracks people and finds your associates. Link

[“Old 7 Mile Bridge”] What is this pollyannaish fixation that local governments have with parks? I have driven by some of these parks every day of the week and many times I hardly ever see anyone there.  As for the old 7 Mile Bridge,  you do see some people a short ways out on it,  but does that mean it’s necessary to rebuild the whole thing out to Pigeon Key?

The grinder pump issue is a prime example of stand united or be eaten by big boys. Now that the lawsuit is withdrawn, others are assailing Walt Dombrowski for leaving them high and dry. Where were they when we begged them to get involved and to chip into the lawsuit? Hypocrisy knows no bounds. Losers will forever be losers as they do not coalesce into a viable constituency that has bone and flesh. They hang alone and get picked off by organized wolves.

Where to try looking for Comet ISON low in the dawn of December 5th. Mercury and Saturn will be much brighter; start with them to find the spot to examine for the comet with binoculars. The comet symbol is probably exaggerated. For scale, these scenes are two or three times as wide as your fist held at arm’s length.

[Captain Doom and Gloom] Energy Smart bulb? Money smart bulbs! What this con is all about is they can produce many times less bulbs and make more net profit then having to mfg the old bulbs. Let put it this way, if I ran a snack shack and made Hamburgers for $1.00 each, then decided to only make one burger a day and sell it for $100, somebody would buy it because it is there. This is the NWO of marketing, ask Apple, Amazon or any of the big guys how much does their products really cost to make. Then ask why your electric bill went up. Then hide!

[Welfare] One of the biggest differences in how the left and the right view the world concerns the welfare state. Currently, the federal government spends about $1 trillion a year on 126 means tested welfare programs. That amounts to almost $22,000 for every poor person in America, or $88,000 for a family of four.” A must read. Link

[“Republican environmentalist”] Now, that one has to be near the top of the list of the all time best oxymorons.

Every time I turn on Fox News they are into their usual relentless sabotaging attack on our President, Obama,  and Obamacare.  I sincerely hope that the average American is smart enough not to fall for their crap.   If they are not,  we are truly screwed.

You’ve got to love the Pollyanna who thinks Obama is grand because he’s all in favor of printing more money. You do realize that money is like anything else don’t you? Supply and demand. Flood the economy with it – pegged to nothing – and its value drops. Hence the expression, not worth the paper it’s printed on.  This is why liberals and democrats couldn’t manage a two-man crap in a four-hole outhouse.

[Detroit can use bankruptcy, no union pensions] Obama is going to rescue the unions just like he violated bankruptcy law and bailed out the UAW when GM went belly up. It’s just there are a host of other failed city and states facing the same fate, some intentional as they want the opportunity to wipe the slate clean and get the rest of us to pay their stolen pensions. The Fed is using Detroit as an example that it will let entire cities crumble into dust before bailing out kleptocratic governments, I expect Fed money, our money to be flowing before Obama leaves office. The other failed governments likely for the next administration.

[Constitution Question of the day] Answer to #12: C, 17th Amendment. Prior to ratification of the 17th amendment Senators were elected by and answerable to State Legislatures. This gave the States an active role in Federal Government. In many instances the President must get Senate approval for his actions. This gave the States a direct means of blocking items such as the Affordable Care Act.

Question #13:        The census, described as “the enumeration” was established by the Constitution for the purpose of:
A.     Determining Federal funding for education.
B.     Determining the makeup of the Supreme Court.
C.     Determining the number of Representatives for each State.
D.     Determining the number of Senators allocated to each State.

Copies of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence are now available for free at Jigs, Coconuts, Molly’s Pawn on Big Pine and Daddy Bones in Key West. Another good resource is the Constitution Club online.

[“Detroit cancels pensions”] Just imagine yourself working for thirty years doing a repetitive, mind-numbing job; and the only reason you stay is because of the juicy carrot at the end of the stick, your pension – and then you realize you’re in the private sector and there are only defined benefit pension plans for less than 10% of the workforce! But you can take comfort in knowing that all those years you paid taxes so that the civil servants/government workers could have a pension and better benefits too.

[“Obama listens and when the Fed says to print more money, that’s leadership.”] Listening to the independent Federal Reserve whose sole function is to maintain a sound economy is indeed wise leadership, especially if you’re only a lawyer and have little hard economic, business or website experience. It’s too bad it comes on the heels of Barney Frank and Frank Dodd messing up the economy since 2008 with their failed socialized subprime housing experiment during the height of the housing bubble. Did they listen to then Fed head Alan Greenspan warnings? No, the Democrats were in bed with Angelo Mozilo instead of Countrywide and Indybank fame. Link

[Regressive Hypocrisy #20] The Republicans say they hate Obamacare and call it socialism yet they think it’s a pretty darn good system when they want to use it to change Social Security and Medicare! The GOP has stated they would like each SS recipient to follow a system in which mandates or incentives pressure Americans to put money into 401Ks and annuities. They want Medicare to follow Obamacare with similar incentives to compel seniors to purchase private health insurance from for-profit corporations in a market place of exchanges. Sound familiar?

Who do you think took over paying for pensions in failed communist states such as former Yugoslavia after we intervened? Pensioners of the political systems, who already were living on a shoestring were left high and dry. Those who had properties sold them and mostly to rich foreigners who gobbled up all the choice real estate for peanuts. Money talks!

The lies from this President don’t just stop with Obamacare. He got elected by a bunch of idiots who believe & still believe this man wants everybody to have insurance. Obamacare is about government control. Oh, let us not forget he got re-elected based on the fake jobs numbers. What a fraud. Remember this, the Administration with the knowledge of President Obama knew and orchestrated the law to make sure peoples healthcare Insurance policies would be cancelled. No matter how Obama tries to spin it, responsibility lies with him and every house and senate democrat. Every Democrat voted for it lock, stock, and barrel. Not one, let me be clear, not one Republican voted for Obamacare. Harry Reid and every Democrat in the Senate changed the rule so they could vote in the Healthcare bill with a majority instead of 60 votes. (Remember Scott Brown) Every Democrat in the Senate Voted for cloture

Every Democrat in the house and senate echoed Obama’s “If you like your healthcare plan you can keep it. If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor” period. Every Democrat lied to the American people regardless of party.

Full time work forces are being turned over to part time because of Democrats’ premiums will increase over 40% on average as well as deductibles doubling and the Democrats are pushing signing up on a broken web site with no security making every American vulnerable to identity fraud

They’ve finally completed repairs on the Obamacare website.  To check it out, all you have to do is first click here ­ and ­ simply click on the “Apply Now” button. Gotcha!

Many of our Deer Democrat/Liberal/Progressive friends have convinced themselves that the Affordable Care Act aka Obamacare, aka Democare, is good and just law. They fervently believe that all Americans will substantially benefit from it.  Strangely lot of Democrats don’t like Democare.  In fact a lot of Democrat Legislators who voted for it must really dislike it because they have managed to exempt themselves, their staffs, or some members of their staffs, from participating in Democare.

The leader of hypocritical D/L/P ranks is non-other that Dirty Harry Reid. Certainly you will remember that Reid was one of Obamacare’s architects and staunchest supporters.

On the other hand GOP House Speaker John Boehner, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell have all directed their staffs to join the exchange. What Reid is doing is legal, but it damn sure is hypocritical. No surprise there.

On the other hand, maybe there is good reason for Reid’s staffers to dodge the Democare bullet.  Team Obama has steadfastly refused to give Congress even a classified briefing on HealthCare.gov’s security problems. Actually I wouldn’t trust my personal data to a website where there is currently no coordinated effort to test the website’s newly-written code which was completed over the past two months of repairs, leaving it vulnerable to breaches.

You may not be aware that many states are running their own Democare web sites. These states are required to report any security breaches, and there have been breeches. But the federal government has no such requirement. If you elect to use the healthcare.gov web site you will be required to enter nearly every bit of your and your family’s personal information.  Do you trust the feds to keep your personal and private info secure?   

Part 2) According to Politico only 29k people managed to sign up in the 48 hours subsequent to the 11/30 second roll out of healthcare.gov.Team Obama called it a surge and are as proud as peacocks. Politico wrote: “About 29,000 people signed up for health insurance through HealthCare.gov on Sunday and Monday — a figure that surpasses the total for the whole month of October, an official familiar with the program told POLITICO.”  Deer Friends, that is but a tiny fraction of the enrollees necessary to keep Democare alive.

One must wonder what Team Obama calls the 5.6 million who have had their health care insurance canceled.  Perhaps “collateral damage?”

One of the most damning pieces on the cAGW climate movement I’ve read all year, is from Germany’s equivalent of the Washington Post, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ). An atmosphere of resignation is sweeping through the climate alarmist movement. Media are slowly waking up. Science is finally winning!

Titled They Failed tricking their way past democracy. The FAZ has written a blistering criticism of the green cult and climate activists’ efforts to impose a green authoritarian society over the rest of the world.

It reads: The so called rescue of the planet gets cancelled. The climate advisory council to the government played high stakes poker. And lost. They failed at tricking their way past democracy. In the eyes of one Europe leading flagship national newspaper the renowned FAZ, the attempted green coup led by a small group of elitist scientists and a mass of activists has come to grinding halt.

Three years ago the cult extremists on the left authored and released a 446-page Master Plan for The Great Transformation of Global Society designed to put global society on the fast-track to sustainability and a virtually carbon-free society by 2050. In it they called for policies to water down democracy. One journalist summarized: They are in favor of democracy, but only so long as the people make the right decisions. (sound Obamacare-familiar?) Their master-plan called for a so-called Future Council, made up of prophet-like wise men, who would have the power to veto legal democratic legislation it felt was not in the best interest of future generations.

One of their fundamental aims was changing constitutional law: climate protection was to become an official state priority and that going green was as morally imperative as the abolition of slavery. More importantly, the transformation to a climate-protective society would have to happen very rapidly. Dissenters would have to be stigmatized and marginalized, and denied real participation.

The FAZ describes how a green regime of the sort advocated by the left would never be able to force green living onto the citizenry by enacting authoritarian laws, but rather it would impose the green regime psychologically using K-12 educational campaigns that would teach our children what good behavior is, e.g. vegetarianism, alternative energies, tolerance of certain ideas with radical intolerance of others and always marginalize dissenting behavior. In a nutshell, it would keep making the lives of thinkers and dissenters miserable until they learned to choose correctly. Link