tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746624.post8120934989091175353..comments2023-10-26T05:35:59.924-08:00Comments on <br><br><br>FieryBlazingHandbasket: Are We Tired of All the Energy Blah Blah Yet?CabinDwellerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15064395622100420809noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746624.post-18129250391294606892008-06-24T16:24:00.000-08:002008-06-24T16:24:00.000-08:00Run for office? gads. I do hope that was tongue in...Run for office? gads. I do hope that was tongue in cheek...I've got enough to do with running a newspaper (and repairing my house, ho ho). Public service is a serious investment of time. I may find some of the borough assemblypersons' and legislators' positions ridiculous, but I appreciate their willingness to spend all that time plowing through paperwork and research and just plain showing up for the boring stuff....Deirdre Helfferichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07176487150966377070noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746624.post-75469983195730684792008-06-19T21:50:00.000-08:002008-06-19T21:50:00.000-08:00I am taking no little pride in the fact that my po...I am taking no little pride in the fact that my posts seem to bring the eloquent with their pithy profoundities out in droves...<BR/><BR/>ConservativeAlaskan missed the point, as I know I dont need to, well, point out. I burned only 100 gallons of fuel oil this winter (using mostly wood), and have winterized and conservatized my house as much as I can afford to, and am still feeling the pinch...move? Why? the reason being? I'm kvetching about the sanctimonious, not about the energy costs...though lord knows they're a drag. By the way, great ideas Deirdre - you should run for office....FlictheBichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10358697353558207227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746624.post-78631651085573606792008-06-18T14:52:00.000-08:002008-06-18T14:52:00.000-08:00I'll say. I was born here, Bucko, and I'll be here...I'll say. I was born here, Bucko, and I'll be here long after the post-pipeline flushes whoosh you all back to the Lower 48 [this isn't directed at you, o CabinDweller]. <BR/><BR/>Not being able to afford the so-called generosity of federal tax rebates doesn't mean I can't afford to live here. It may mean going to cabin-dwelling in a fully plumbed and electrified house if things get bad enough--but that's a long way away yet. We've got our backup wood stove, and we do our share of dumpster diving, gardening, and winter window insulating. We've also got five cats, sweaters, longjohns, and slippers. <BR/><BR/>Well, actually, we've been doing the annual spring-plumbing-freezeup version of cabin-dwelling in the plumbed house anyway. (One of this summer's Big Projects is digging up the septic line. O joy.) Means we used the outhouse a lot this spring. But we usually use it all summer anyway, because it's sunny and breezy and has a nice view.<BR/><BR/>More than one way to be a conservative Alaskan.Deirdre Helfferichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07176487150966377070noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746624.post-59136108123057914942008-06-18T01:01:00.000-08:002008-06-18T01:01:00.000-08:00Actually, what I should have said is:Feel free to ...Actually, what I should have said is:<BR/><BR/>Feel free to leave a comment that advances the discussion. That doesn't mean another one sentence cliche, like "It is all FDR's fault."<BR/><BR/>But the "if you can't afford it, move" line is worthy only of the ADN and FDNM comments sections.CabinDwellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15064395622100420809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746624.post-29853630672376965012008-06-17T16:10:00.000-08:002008-06-17T16:10:00.000-08:00Ah, the one sentence that inevitably shows up in a...Ah, the one sentence that inevitably shows up in any discussion of the issues in Alaska, the "if you don't like/can't afford/won't participate in it move" line. Which really adds nothing to the discussion.<BR/><BR/>The only more overused phrase starts with "Real Alaskans..."CabinDwellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15064395622100420809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746624.post-38100218745403816492008-06-16T22:59:00.000-08:002008-06-16T22:59:00.000-08:00If you can't afford to live in Alaska - MOVE!If you can't afford to live in Alaska - MOVE!Wasilla Residenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09417691551534405837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26746624.post-87765321231500645702008-06-13T09:32:00.000-08:002008-06-13T09:32:00.000-08:00This is the major problem with all these "incentiv...This is the major problem with all these "incentives" to Do the Right Energy Thing--they aren't really incentives. They are tax rebates (like I regularly earn enough to make use of a $2,000 tax credit--which you have to itemize for--although one or two years I did), or refunds for retrofits (which assumes that you own the place you live in AND have the moola to front the retrofit). How about providing vouchers instead, redeemable for insulation, or for a triple-paned window, or 25 low-watt long-life compact florescent bulbs? How about the state also investing big bucks in, say, wind power generators in all those windy rural villages (so that in three to five years when the cost of energy REALLY goes up, there will be something there, in place, to offset that cost)? How about sponsoring free tuneups for old cars, or offering low-income folks with old gas guzzlers a grand down on a newer, more efficient car? Or at least a buy 'em a bike.Deirdre Helfferichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07176487150966377070noreply@blogger.com