Now you know why a Chevy Volt runs around $48K

And why GM went broke and beome Obama Motors.

General Motors broke ground Wednesday on a six-acre field of solar panels in front of its Detroit-Hamtramck plant as part of an effort to green the production of its Chevrolet Volt…DTE will lower GM’s energy bill because of the solar panels, which were first reported by the Free Press, saving about $15,000 a year. (Bold mine–we’ll come back to that.)

It gets better.

Money Quote: “This isn’t only going green for green’s sake,” said Bob Ferguson, GM’s vice president of global public policy. “This is about reducing this plant’s environmental footprint and reducing our bottom line.”

And now the trap door springs.

Six acres = 261,360 sq. feet. A 190-watt solar panel covers about 4 sq. feet. 261,360/4 = 65,340 panels. But they’ll need room for wiring and pipes, support equipment, etc., so let’s say they can only put 64,000 in place. Now, the big panels can run $30,000 a pop. But let’s say they get a deal–$10,000.

Our cost, just for the panels is…yes, you can do it in your head: $640 million. Isn’t it amazing that guy from GM can’t do that in his head. VP, huh? (Yes–I should always have my glasses on when I do this–two more zeros required.)

-But, harrumph, it will save $15,000 a year.- Hmm, 640,000,000/15,000. Cool, the payback is only 42,700 F.... YEARS YOU .......G! But alas, it’s really not. The average life of a solar panel is about 20 years. So they’d have to replace them about 2,135 times. $640 million x 2,135 = $1.36 trillion. Hey, but amortized over 42,700 years…? (corrections made)

Now do you understand why reasonably intelligent people just snear when they hear about the wonders of solar power?? Wind power???

It just aint here yet!

Link, but be warned of very strong language.

OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

Diversity is just another word for surrender.

Just as a President named Barack Hussein Obama throws Israel and the Jews to the dogs we now find political discourse shall be in Spanish.

We knew it would come to this, didn't we?

El zapato está en el otro pie

That’s Spanish for “the shoe is on the other foot,” a phrase that seems applicable to a mayoral debate held in Miami last week that excluded participants who were not fluent in the local vernacular. In the case of the debate, the local vernacular was Spanish.

The event, held at Florida International University and broadcast by Spanish language TV channel Univision, outraged the non-Spanish-speaking mayoral candidates and many audience members. A student at the university commented, “We have a large Hispanic community, but this is Miami and we like to celebrate our diversity here. I don’t think it’s right to exclude any candidate.”

Interestingly, the complaints of racial bias are being leveled not only by Caucasians but by other people “of color.” Roosevelt Bradley, a black candidate, called the publicly funded event “polarizing and divisive,” adding, “This turns the clock back 50 years on race and ethnic relations.”

Link

Are you surprised?? Really? I don't think you are. Anyone knows that when the majority decides to give up its power then the minority will become the majority. That has been true since 1,000,000 BC.

OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

Bits and pieces 5-19-11

Well, where have I been?

Doing things like confirming that using the chain saw to cut up trees on the ground doesn't leave much energy for anything except eating and sleeping.

And I haven't used anything except the 14 inch saw. I'm gonna have to work up to the 20 incher.

And just to remind us that tornadoes come in bunches, we had another come through last Friday. This one was to the north of us and didn't touch down but managed to shake down more branches that had previously been ripped off but hung in the branches 30' up. There is nothing worse on an old man than having to bend over and pick up limbs.

I have got the garden mostly in. Patty Pan and Crook Neck squash planted. Cucumbers up. Tomato plants set out. Okra up but looking sickly. Too much water.  Giant Reds, Green Bells and Banana peppers in and growing. Onions looking great and the cabbage making heads. Watermelons and cantaloupes next week.

Discovered something I didn't know. This is a Zone 3 earthquake zone. That means the deductible on the home and contents is 15%, or around $100,000. So if the big rock and roll comes I'll have to transfer $100,000 out of petty cash.

No problementoooooo. Doesn't every one have $100,000 in petty cash??

The county has now been declared a disaster area. We're lucky. We don't qualify for any FEMA loans..... But I was hoping I could get one of those $1500 debit cards they passed out during Katrina...

Obama's bump has become a thump. He's now back in the 46%-49% approval range and heading south. Why is that?

Well $4.00 gasoline, 15% plus real unemployment and things getting worse lead the indicators. Along with that we find Afghanistan in turmoil, we have po'd Pakistan, our supposed ally, Syria is trying to flood Israel's border and provoke an incident while killing its own citizens. Meanwhile Libya is in flames, Egypt is probably going radical Muslim and wanting to attack Israel and Iran is going nuke and has a deal to build rocket launching sites in Venezuela.

Not to mention England is talking about withdrawing their troops from Aghanistan.

Do you think Obamie and Queenie not getting an invitation to the wedding was a clue??

It looks like the smartest man in the world couldn't pour piss out of a boot with instructions printed on the back of the heel.

And then there's Iraq. Oh wait. That was Bush's war and is look pretty stable. Wow. 

I think you will love this link.

Hat tip to Jim M!







OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

What Bush said about capturing bin Ladin

The Left is having collective spasms of anger whenever anyone mentions that while Obama deserves kudos for actually making a decision, and one that resulted in the death of a totally evil man, it was Bush who put the methods and practices in place to find him. Actually he said something like, "Let's go get the sum'bitch. Now go do it."

That's what leaders do. Of course the Leftie commentators in the Internet, don't want to mention that. They like to claim that Bush said he didn't know where he was, didn't care, etc.

And that's what Bush said. Why? Because he was the leader and he had put people on the job to find him.

So when the Leftie breaks out their pean of stupidity I just say:

Let's see what Bush, as the Chief Executive of the US, said:

"In the debate tonight and spin afterwards, much was made of President Bush's comment about "not being worried about Osama bin Laden". I've found the quote in context:

Q Mr. President, in your speeches now you rarely talk or mention Osama bin Laden. Why is that? Also, can you tell the American people if you have any more information, if you know if he is dead or alive? Final part -- deep in your heart, don't you truly believe that until you find out if he is dead or alive, you won't really eliminate the threat of --

THE PRESIDENT: Deep in my heart I know the man is on the run, if he's alive at all. Who knows if he's hiding in some cave or not; we haven't heard from him in a long time. And the idea of focusing on one person is --really indicates to me people don't understand the scope of the mission.

Terror is bigger than one person. And he's just -- he's a person who's now been marginalized. His network, his host government has been destroyed. He's the ultimate parasite who found weakness, exploited it, and met his match. He is -- as I mentioned in my speech, I do mention the fact that this is a fellow who is willing to commit youngsters to their death and he, himself, tries to hide -- if, in fact, he's hiding at all.

So I don't know where he is. You know, I just don't spend that much time on him, Kelly, to be honest with you. I'm more worried about making sure that our soldiers are well-supplied; that the strategy is clear; that the coalition is strong; that when we find enemy bunched up like we did in Shahikot Mountains, that the military has all the support it needs to go in and do the job, which they did.

And there will be other battles in Afghanistan. There's going to be other struggles like Shahikot, and I'm just as confident about the outcome of those future battles as I was about Shahikot, where our soldiers are performing brilliantly. We're tough, we're strong, they're well-equipped. We have a good strategy. We are showing the world we know how to fight a guerrilla war with conventional means.

Q But don't you believe that the threat that bin Laden posed won't truly be eliminated until he is found either dead or alive?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, as I say, we haven't heard much from him. And I wouldn't necessarily say he's at the center of any command structure. And, again, I don't know where he is. I -- I'll repeat what I said. I truly am not that concerned about him. I know he is on the run. I was concerned about him, when he had taken over a country. I was concerned about the fact that he was basically running Afghanistan and calling the shots for the Taliban.

But once we set out the policy and started executing the plan, he became --we shoved him out more and more on the margins. He has no place to train his al Qaeda killers anymore. And if we -- excuse me for a minute -- and if we find a training camp, we'll take care of it. Either we will or our friends will. That's one of the things -- part of the new phase that's becoming apparent to the American people is that we're working closely with other governments to deny sanctuary, or training, or a place to hide, or a place to raise money.

And we've got more work to do. See, that's the thing the American people have got to understand, that we've only been at this six months. This is going to be a long struggle. I keep saying that; I don't know whether you all believe me or not. But time will show you that it's going to take a long time to achieve this objective. And I can assure you, I am not going to blink. And I'm not going to get tired. Because I know what is at stake. And history has called us to action, and I am going to seize this moment for the good of the world, for peace in the world and for freedom."

Link


OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

Don't be drinking coffee when you read this

It is seriously funny.

Click on the picture to enlarge.

Hat tip to Dave T!

OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

Tolerance

... I am truly perplexed that so many of my friends are against a mosque being built at Ground Zero. I think it should be the goal of every American to be tolerant. Thus the Mosque should be allowed, in an effort to promote tolerance.

That is why I also propose that two nightclubs be opened next door to the mosque, thereby promoting tolerance from within the mosque. We could call one of the clubs, which would be gay, "The Turban Cowboy ", and the other a topless bar called "You Mecca Me Hot."

Next door should be a butcher shop that specializes in pork, and adjacent to that an open-pit barbecue pork restaurant, called " Iraq o' Ribs."

Across the street there could be a lingerie store called "Victoria Keeps Nothing Secret", with sexy mannequins in the window modeling the goods.

Next door to the lingerie shop there would be room for an adult sex toy shop, "Koranal Knowledge", its name in flashing neon lights, and on the other side a liquor store called "Morehammered."

All of this would encourage the Muslims to demonstrate the tolerance they demand of us, so the mosque problem would be solved.

Hat tip to Bill T!

OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson

Yes indeed, waterboarding works

What a beautiful day for chain sawing! Mid 60's. Sunshine. No wind.

And I got about 60% through cutting up, not cutting and disposing mind you, one tree.

I am beat. As I said. If this doesn't kill me it will help me.

In the meantime I am loving watching Obamie's minions stumble around. They are snatching this whole thing from the jaws of victory. Couldn't happen to nicer people.

And watching the Left chasing its collective tail over waterboarding is truly amusing.

You Lefties are always claiming that Bush didn't do this or didn't do that.

Well, we know that the "enhanced" interrogation methods used on KSM gave them the first nugget of information that allowed them to eventually catch OBL. That's per Leon Panetta, who just happens to be Obamie's CIA chief.

So it occurs to me that Bush did what any good executive does. He turned his team loose on it and then didn't worry about it. He had other things to do.

Now. Show me where Obamie made catching OBL a priority or did anything to enhance the efforts started by Bush.

And while you are at it, explain why if Obamie wanted to catch OBL he wanted to close GITMO and prosecute the CIA people who waterboarded KSM??

Face it. He woke up one day and the CIA said, "Hey we got OBL's location!"

Obamie then almost fainted because he knew he had to go after him or be finished as Prez. (Of course he is anyway, but he knew not acting would finish him.) I mean he HAD to make a decision that he couldn't blame on someone else. So he dithered and dithered, just as he did about the additional troops for Afghanistan.

Fortunately for the Seals everything went well. Now Obamie wants to meet with a SELECTED group of 911 victims.. You know. The people who haven't criticized him for his stand on the Mosque (aka Momument to the Radical Muslims Success) and trying KSM in NYC. I mean you can bet your sweet bippy that no one who might criticize The Chosen One or Queenie will get near a TV camera.

What a guy our Prez is.


OnTwitter I am Lesabre1

"Unlimited tolerance must lead to the disappearance of tolerance. If we extend unlimited tolerance even to those who are intolerant, if we are not prepared to defend a tolerant society against the onslaught of the intolerant, then the tolerant will be destroyed, and tolerance with them." - Karl Popper

“Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants. It is the creed of slaves.” - William Pitt

"Logic. There is little logic among the cultural elite, maybe because there is little omnipresent fear of job losses or the absence of money, and so arises a rather comfortable margin to indulge in nonsense." - Victor Davis Hanson