Sunday, March 29, 2009

Unnecessary Electricity Usage Edition:

My favorite overblown power tool..... the escalator.
The escalator can go up or down, true.

But stairs have the advantage of being infinitely scalable in speed, simultaneously going up and down, adjusting automatically to the needs of users going either direction, and never breaking down.

Some people would be lost without escalators. Others would just lose weight. An elevator for people with rolling luggage or strollers would do the trick and be only one thing to have to keep running.

According to specifications and OSHA and such, escalators are not stairs and cannot be considered stairs and walking on them cannot be encouraged as the rise/run are too long and out of code.

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Saturday, March 14, 2009

Stimulus Package Edition: Things We NEED for Problems We HAVE

Apparently SC Governor Mark Sanford thinks his state does not need a stimulus package. This is in spite of the state's unemployment numbers (second worst in country) and consistent bottom-3 rankings in education, health, environment, wealth....

Here's the letter I sent Sanford:

Governor,

I am appalled that you are willing to sacrifice the economic future of our state to preen in front of Grover Norquist and Rush Limbaugh. Who do you think you are? This reactionary, narrow-minded, purist conservative philosophy of total reliance on the market and blaming the poor has been thoroughly trashed by the current near-depression.

You had an opportunity to show leadership, to build up SC, and maybe even to salvage the bankrupt Republican party by having new ideas for new realities. Instead, you fell back into the narrow politics of the provincial, racist, holier-than-thou Republican office holders who control the state legislature. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, since a person can only act at the level they can think.

You should be ashamed of yourself. I am ashamed of seeing my State looking so ridiculous while education, economic production, environment, and health continue to remain at the bottom of all measures in the country.

I will be sending a very large check to anyone who challenges you in the next election - or to a fistfight.

Sincerely,
Anne Laurence

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