Heating bills are on the local news

Our son says his gas bill is up 50%.  Our electric went from $331 to $496—difference between this January and last January electric bill (we're all electric, no gas). And that's before the truly cold weather hit, aka polar vortex. Last year's February bill was $109--can't even imagine what it will be this year (covers January, paid in February). Story on the local news tonight how businesses and non-profits are hurting. I wonder if it's the weather, or just Obama keeping his 2008 promise to raise electric bills.

I checked and there really is a 14 Holy Helpers church. It is Roman Catholic and in Gardenville, NY. http://fourteenholyhelpers.org/paris.../changes-in-the-mass/

It takes it's name from this church, and here are the 14 Holy Helpers.

Seth ponders what makes the elites

At Seth's Blog I read:

“In more and more societies, though (including my country and probably yours [and I'm including virtually the entire planet here, except perhaps North Korea] ), I'd argue that there's a different dividing line. This is the line between people who are actively engaged in new ideas, actively seeking out change, actively engaging--and people who accept what's given and slog along. It starts in school, of course, and then the difference accelerates as we get older. Some people make the effort to encounter new challenges or to grapple with things they disagree with. They seek out new people and new opportunities and relish the discomfort that comes from being challenged to grow (and challenging others to do the same).” Seth Godin (marketing guru).

In this country, in my opinion, the libertarians and conservatives are the ones doing the challenging and growing. The leftists, socialists, progressives, Marxists, etc. are lemmings, doing the same old same old that led to the enslavement and often murder of millions in the 20th century. By discouraging investment in new ideas, whether energy, education or money, they hope to retain power and squash individualism. Do they want to help the poor? Sure--until he gets to that 4th or 5th quintile and votes Republican. Then they demonize him. They haven’t had a new idea in over 100 years--it’s always, let the government do that. They don’t know how to harness the thousands of new ideas out there because it is so threatening to their political views.

Ice storm misery and deaths

The governors, mayors, churches, local Red Cross volunteers and friends and neighbors have handled last week's devasting ice storm blamed for 55 deaths and the cold and misery of thousands, to say nothing of the loss to the economy and taxes of those states due to closed businesses. When we were at dinner Friday night we ran into friends from our old neighborhood whose daughter and 3 grandchildren had come "home" from another state that was still without power. A good reason to keep a full gas tank in cold weather since gasoline pumps need electricity.

The Democratic governor of Kentucky has, of course, praised President Obama even though I don't think FEMA has come through yet, and I doubt that Obama has visited the devastation. If Bush were still in office, we'd be hearing a different tune--Kyoto failed and therefore the temperature extremes and ice; the Guard was all out of the country, yada yada. Ah, hope and change. You've gotta love it.

Remember, it's up to the locals to ask for help from the federal government and to have their local emergency plan (and busses) in working order. That was the big mistake of Katrina, not a President vacationing in Texas. NOLA had an ineffective mayor and the state a poor governor.