Tag: Government Regulation

via FoxNews.com

Wind farms in the Pacific Northwest -- built with government subsidies and maintained with tax credits for every megawatt produced -- are now getting paid to shut down as the federal agency charged with managing the region's electricity grid says there's an oversupply of renewable power at certain times of the year.

The problem arose during the late spring and early summer last year. Rapid snow melt filled the Columbia River Basin. The water rushed through the 31 dams run by the Portland, Ore.-based Bonneville Power Administration allowing for peak hydropower generation. At the very same time, the wind howled leading to maximum wind power production.

Demand could not keep up with supply, so BPA shut down the wind farms for nearly 200 hours over 38 days.

Read more (with video)

Fred Upton got the post he wanted in the House, as Chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.  Boehner gave him the job over massive objections from conservatives.  Perhaps if Upton cries, he will convince some of them that he's going to be a real stalwart.

JGillman of RightMichigan voices the concern that so many are thinking.  Now that Upton got the post over all the objections, will he do what needs doing?

Judging from some of  his responses to criticism, I'd say that's a definite no.

At the time, state lawmakers were giddy with the notion that they were helping "streamline" government by combining the two departments.  One of our Republican state lawmakers was a facebook friend of mine back then, and beneath her ecstatic status update that trumpeted the great news, I commented, "But, doesn't this mean that when we try to extract our natural resources, any industry will be shut down due to environmental concerns?  It seems to me that this is a windfall for the radical environmentalists."  That comment was deleted very quickly, but I still think it's true.  I thought it was foolhardy to trust Granholm's bureaucracy especially after all the studying I did about the Wolverine Clean Energy Venture and how the Granholm administration worked hand in hand with the Sierra Club and other radical groups.  If you don't think the Sierra Club is a radical environmental group, you have not seen what happened here in Rogers City.

Uh oh.

Fred Upton, a Republican from Michigan, is insisting he is worthy to chair the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and has written an Op Ed in the Washington Examiner titled, "Rep. Fred Upton: A new majority for America."  In it, he describes what he will do if in fact he is chosen as chair, and reiterates his manly chainsaw approach to the budget, and unfortunately, uses the words, "shine the spotlight" on the Obama-Pelosi regulatory policies.

He posted an article on Right Michigan, saying, in part,

The American people are fed up and demand that we tackle government spending and the federal budget deficit immediately. The days of the administration printing more money as a solution to meet budget shortfalls are now over.

The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help.
Ronald Reagan

The great election year of 2010.

    Despite the progress we've made, many businesses are still skittish about hiring.  Some are still digging themselves out of the losses they incurred over the past year.  Many have figured out how to squeeze more productivity out of fewer workers.  And that cost-cutting has become embedded in their operations and in their culture.  That may result in good profits, but it's not translating into hiring and so that's the question that we have to ask ourselves today: How do we get businesses to start hiring again?

From the perspective of an employee of a small business, I can't tell you how cynical and dream-crushing your perspective is, Mr. President.

I don't see how you can claim, sir, that your administration has made any progress, economy-wise.   Here in Michigan, I've been told there were some stimulus jobs in the 83rd congressional district, however, there are only 15 districts in Michigan, and they number 1 through 15.

I don't like to talk about myself as much as you do, but I'd like to share some of my experience to let you know what types of things you all are doing "in Washington that are inhibiting" me.

I was hired 4 years ago to do a highly-skilled job that I had no idea how to do.  With the help of my fellow co-workers, I learned.  I learned fast.  It wasn't long before I could see some ways of doing things at work to make the job simpler, and more effective.  I became supervisor and was involved in the hiring process.  I helped hire people who had the same amount of knowledge of the job as I did when I got hired.  I am now helping them to become as successful as I have been.

I can't tell you how many jobs I've had before this that I literally stared at the clock, waiting to go home-where I never did anything either.   That's not living, that is only existing.

You see, when you learn something, a skill or a piece of knowledge, you feel good about yourself.  You say to yourself, "Wow, I did that.  Maybe there are more things I don't yet know I can do."

When you know you are able to do something that you never thought you could, you start to think that what you have been dreaming about doesn't just happen to lucky people, you start to think that those people who have reached their dreams worked at it, and learned as much as they could to achieve them.

Those people become entrepreneurs, small businessmen and businesswomen.

Every person has a dream of what they really want to do.  Some dreams become nothing because of the lack of work involved in making them come true.  In Michigan, I believe the back-breaking amount of work involved in holding one's dream is a direct result of the "inhibiting" effects of Michigan's current administration and your administration.

Sir, why would any small business person hire someone to do nothing?  After they worked so hard to take the chance to reach their dreams, why would they disrespect another human being in such a manner?  Who would say to an applicant, "Look, don't try to get ahead in life, sure I did it, but you can't."  Not me, never ever.

It takes hard work to reach your dreams, it takes a non-productive existence to suck them away.

For the small business owner out there, I have a few questions that I'd like to ask you to answer in the form of a comment.

Questions:
What do you think are the major contributors, specifically, to the past year's loss in sales and/or revenue?

Do you believe intrusive government is slowing your recovery?  If so, how?

Do you believe the current administration has made progress in the economy?

Are you cutting costs on your workers?  If so, how has that resulted in good profits?