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Last night indeed made up for a lot of things. Gee really showed something. The Mets are in a happy dilemma on starting pitching. They need to either get someone that can both play shortstop and hit or keep replenishing the farm system if they decide to trade Gee. Be interesting to see which Montero shows up.
2001 Prelude Type SH, 2022 Highlander XLE AWD, 2022 Wrangler Sahara 4Xe, 2023 Toyota Tacoma SR 4WD
Actually we're doing something that I'm really looking forward to - putting solar on the house. We will be buying a 7 kw system and should break even when I turn 70 which is far too close for my comfort and from there on it's free electricity. The let them have the roof and charge less that the electric company didn't look as good to me. Now if only Tesla's house battery can fit into the equation... Suddenly electric heat would make sense but I've got a perfectly good gas system now.
I'm 64 and learn a lot here myself. Important things like never ask stick if you should buy a new car.
In car news, I'm supposed to buy a truck for a friend this afternoon. Luckily it's parked at the shop of the mechanic who did the inspection so I don't have to deal with driving it until my friend buses over from Texas tomorrow night to pick it up. I eyeballed it (and the seller) last week and my bud did the deal after the PPI, with a little help from Shifty. Meeting at my bank to exchange paperwork and keys.
The seller was a no-show at the initial PPI drop-off, so I'm still slightly dubious.
(A hot tub would be nice however).
We installed 18 panels at 265 watts each.
Talking to our off grid friends tonight - they splurged on their lead acid batteries and can go 5 cloudy days on stored power. They are going to sell their backup generator since they never use it. The neighbors who cheaped out with marine or car or golf cart batteries are lucky to get a half day of juice. It Elon's lithium home deal is affordable enough, they want to get two of them.
They'll have to replace that revenue somehow.....if they don't get it one way they will get it another.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
However, in my Caribbean home I have solar hot water, which works great, but going all the way to produce solar electricity is prohibitively expensive; for that, perhaps a wind turbine might be the way to go, but there is a lot of push back from the utility company with respect to alternative forms of electricity generation.
In my case, the town may get additional real estate tax revenue as solar panels INCREASE the value of the house.
When more people turn to solar how will the government make up the shortfall?
The money has to come from somewhere.....................
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Heck - my state will PAY me to put in solar panels.
Indeed the money for your town, county, state and country have to come from somewhere. If you want government service taxes are part of it. As Oliver Wendell Holmes said, "taxes are the price we pay for civilization."
2013 Mustang GT, 2001 GMC Yukon Denali
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I assume though that solar users will just get hit with a bigger access charge for the privilege of being connected to the grid. Now, the people out in sun country with big enough batteries that can be completely disconnected, that sounds great! i do wonder what happens when the batteries are full. where does the excess electricity generated go?
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
As for increasing the connection charge, here in Massachusetts the power companies are compelled by regulation to invest in alternative energy. Increasing connection charges on their sources of supply (customer solar installs that generate power) would most likely be looked down upon by the regulators.
@robr2, there's a big fight going on in Florida right now that features the Tea Party working with the Sierra Club to change the state constitution to basically permit rooftop solar. (link and link). That's the notable example but plenty of other states are under fee pressure by the utilities to try to kill the economics of solar. But talk about strange bedfellows - it's like Chevy and Ford fans getting together.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Got a special offer in the mail, $79.96. With tax and licence fees it climbed to $121 a year. I did have a cap of $10 a month, but I'll let it go for the extra $1 over budget. It is worth $10 a month, $2.50 a week, 35 cents a day..........................to me................
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
I had read about the Tea Party and Sierra Club working together in Florida. I can understand the need for revenue to support the grid. It's unfortunate that utility lobbyists in states like Florida can wield such power over government.
Compare that to the ~$60/yr. I'm paying with the promotional rate. To me, I don't think it is that great and worth over $100 per year.
Actually our dollar sunk when the price of oil sunk, it went from being worth about 96 cents to the US dollar down to 78 cents, and has worked it's way up to 83 cents. I think our taxes are more 13% and the license fees are probably more too. I don't think I would be allowed to apply for US Sirius, but, if I don't like the deal I get next year I will give it a try.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
They'll also give me $15 just to go in...$5 for coming in, $10 for taking a test drive. If I was there I would go in and collect the $5 but not go for a test drive
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
He said, what a great country, you buy stuff and you get back more money tnan you give them.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
Low labour costs and fewer tariffs are the swing factors. A worker in Mexico costs car companies an average of $8 an hour, including wages and benefits. That compares with $58 in the U.S. for General Motors and $38 at Volkswagen's factory in Tennessee, the lowest hourly cost in the U.S., according to the Center for Automotive Research, an industry think-tank in Ann Arbor, Michigan. German auto workers cost about $52 an hour.
Mexico also trumps the U.S. on free trade. It has agreements with 45 countries, meaning low tariffs for exporting globally. That, along with low labor costs, convinced Audi to build an SUV factory in the state of Puebla. The German automaker will save $6,000 per vehicle in tariffs when it ships a Q5 to Europe, compared with building the same vehicle in the U.S., says Sean McAlinden, chief economist at CAR.
Something to think about, the U.S. and Canadian governments saved GM, and now they are leaving. There is no loyalty in the auto business.
2017 MB E400 , 2015 MB GLK350, 2014 MB C250
That's why manufacturing jobs are leaving this country. Corporate headquarters for hundreds, if not thousands of these large manufacturers are in Europe, Asia and everywhere else but here. Taxes, taxes and more taxes.
2021 Genesis G90
'17 Chevy Volt Premiere
2021 Genesis G90