NC Media Watch

Economics trumps green jobs

Russ Steele

I have been hearing a lot chatter about going green and green job in Nevada County. I heard some of that chatter at the last ERC Board meeting.  Here is a reality check on green solar jobs from General Electric, who's CEO is a big Obama supporter and AGW cap and trade supporter.  

 General Electric Co. (GE) plans to shut down its only solar-panel manufacturing facility, as it found that prices for panels fell below production costs, Clean Technology Insight has learned…

The decision to shut down production was “mainly due to the challenges in the solar industry, including overcapacity levels that are twice demand and industry pricing that’s below the cost of producing the panels,” said Rocker…

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, commonly known as the stimulus package, created a $2.3 billion program that gives manufacturers of renewable-energy components tax breaks. Several companies, including SolarWorld and Yingli, filed applications. Keeping manufacturing jobs in the U.S. has been high on the agenda of local and federal governments.

But for the solar industry, that may not be the smartest move, as far as job creation goes.

Are you an “Extremist?”

Russ Steele

The Heritage Foundation Morning Bell asks who is the President calling "extremist?"

Following last Tuesday’s election, the last thing Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) wanted to do was allow Members of Congress to go home and talk to their constituents about the $2.6 trillion health care bill she was marshaling through Congress. The centerpiece of Pelosi’s trap and pressure campaign was a Saturday address by President Barack Obama in the Cannon Office Building, where Obama warned Democrats:

“Does anybody think that the teabag, anti-government people are going to support them if they bring down health care? All it will do is confuse and dispirit [Democratic voters] and it will encourage the extremists.”

The President of the Unites States describes Americans who do not want to see the federal government have control over half of all health care extremists. Are you one of those extremist? Welcome to the club! 

Thirteen people die of political correctness.

Russ Steele

Mark Steyn nails the problem in Degrees of Separation at NRO.
 

Step One:

Hasan, the sole suspect in the massacre of 13 fellow US soldiers in Texas, attended the controversial Dar al-Hijrah mosque in Great Falls, Virginia, in 2001 at the same time as two of the September 11 terrorists, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt. His mother's funeral was held there in May that year.

The preacher at the time was Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born Yemeni scholar who was banned from addressing a meeting in London by video link in August because he is accused of supporting attacks on British troops and backing terrorist organisations.

Hasan's eyes "lit up" when he mentioned his deep respect for al-Awlaki's teachings, according to a fellow Muslim officer at the Fort Hood base in Texas...

Step Two:

Danquah assumed the military’s chain of command knew about Hasan’s doubts, which had been known for more than a year to classmates in a graduate military medical program. His fellow students complained to the faculty about Hasan’s "anti-American propaganda," but said a fear of appearing discriminatory against a Muslim student kept officers from filing a formal written complaint.

Step Three:

Thinking Anew—Security Priorities for the Next Administration

A coherent strategy to address 21st century threats to the United States, one that treats national and homeland security as a seamless whole, has yet to emerge... To help fuel this process, in April 2008 The George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute (HSPI) established the Presidential Transition Task Force, comprised of national and homeland security experts, policymakers and practitioners... The goal was to determine the top strategic priorities to advance the nation’s security in the coming decade...
Event Participants:

...Amanda Halpern
U.S. House of Representatives

Beth Hampton
Homeland Security Institute

Nidal Hasan
Uniformed Services University School of Medicine

Donald Hawkins
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Eric Heighberger
Homeland Security Council...

That's quite the company for a deranged misfit loner whacko of no broader significance.

I believe it was Derb a few months after 9/11 who said that for this new struggle our watchword was "Better screwed than rude." Major Hasan represents the institutionalization of that attitude. Thirteen people are dead, dozens more will live with their injuries for the rest of their days, and a lot of families have had a great big gaping hole blown out of their lives because of it.
Anwar al-Awlaki and his chums have bet that such a society is too sick to survive.

Watch the nothing-to-see-here media driveling on about pre-post-traumatic stress disorder like gibbering lunatics in a padded cell , and then think whether you'd really want to take that bet.

Death by political correctness. Had the Major been  your typical white college graduate, he would have been thrown out of the Army for promoting any extremist views with his patient. Period.

Which one is NIMBY Propaganda (Up dated 11/09/09)

Russ Steele

Recently Citizens Looking At Impact of Mining - Grass Valley, or CLAIM-GV, published this picture of what the Idaho Maryland Mine would look like on the skyline of Grass Valley. A very emotionally disturbing picture for sure, with the huge smoke stacks sending plumes of gasses into Grass Valley's clean air. But, is it based on reality? 




The Idaho Maryland Mine Manager sent this rendering to a local blogger who has been critical of the mine. Note the missing stacks. 

 

Which one is propaganda?  The top one? The bottom one? Both?  Keep reading.

How cold was it, and how cold could it get?

 Russ Steele



October 2009 3rd Coldest for US in 115 Years, but how about the Local Temperatures?

What about our local temperatures?  The mean October temperatures for Grass Valley, based on the average from 1966 to 2009, is 57.5 (F) degrees. According to the National Weather Station at the Grass Valley Waste Water Plant, the October mean temperature was 54.95 (F) This is about 2.5 degrees below the average. 

What about the coming winter? Looks a little cooler than normal.

H/T to Icecap and Watts Up With That.

Does the ERC need to refocus its mission?

Russ Steele

This is my editorial column published in the Union on Saturday, 7 November, 2009

Should the Economic Resource Council (ERC) be focused on bringing one business to Nevada County when seven businesses are closing or moving away? That was the question asked by a board member at the ERC meeting earlier this week.

This question prompted a wide-ranging discussion about the ERC's mission and its focus on business development vs. business survival. No one suggested the ERC neglect its mission to bring new business and more jobs to Nevada County, but some board members expressed concern at this critical time that the ERC should be more focused on the survival of existing business.

The ERC's mission statement is to “enhance the economic vitality of Nevada County by supporting the retention, creation and attraction of primary jobs; while retaining our unique environment.” Over time, the emphasis on retention, creation and attraction has shifted with changes in leadership, the composition of the board, and funds available.

Business attraction is an expensive, time-consuming activity with a high potential payoff. In contrast, working with existing businesses to keep them in the community, and working with local entrepreneurs to create new businesses is a less costly activity, but still time-consuming. A stronger focus on retention is what Nevada County needs right now, as California's economy continues to decline, was the prevailing view on the board.

I sensed from the discussion around the table that more than a few businesses, with a long history in Nevada County, are struggling despite strong business plans. The economic downturn has depleted their reserves, forcing them to consider more down sizing and even closure. Multiple jobs will be lost if these businesses close or move.

Building owners who have lost half of their tenants, and the remaining tenants are asking for rent adjustments, is not a formula for survival, said one board member.

The problem is many businesses are reluctant to come forward and let the ERC and other business support agencies in the region know they are in economic trouble, and ask for help.

Sometimes it is because they do not know about the ERC's sincere effort to help local business survive and thrive. Then again, many businesses are just reluctant to make their struggle public by seeking local help.

The consensus of the board was these “at risk” businesses should speak privately with the ERC, their banker, or regional support agencies before closing their doors. It is unfortunate that many businesses wait until it is too late.

As one board member recommended, one of the first stops for a struggling business with strong business plan should be their banker, to discuss opportunities to reduce their loan commitments for at least one-two years, giving the business time to recover.

The ERC has an open door policy and is willing to listen to the challenges faced by struggling local businesses, and then introduce these struggling businesses to the resources of regional business planning, employment and financial institutions for help.

Regional resources include the Sierra Economic Development Corporation (SEDCorp) in Auburn. Its mission is to support the economic development of the rural communities, including Nevada County. The SEDCorp Web site at www.sedcorp.biz lists the services and support they can provide local businesses, including those struggling to survive.

The One-Stop Business and Career Center in Grass Valley offers a variety of services for Nevada County employers. The One Stop's goal is to help build a thriving business community, through referrals for: financing, consulting, business loans and qualified professional services.

The ERC also has a Web site at www.ncerc.org where it has installed a business toolbox.

Under the Tools Tab, click and then select the Tools for Success Tab to bring up an extensive list of resources, including Tools for Tough Times. This as excellent starting point to find additional survival resources.

The board concurred that more time should be spent discussing local economic issues and sharing information across all business sectors in the community. Another board member said that communication is a two-way path, with members having an obligation to inform businesses in their respective sectors about the sincere efforts of the ERC to help local businesses succeed.

Other activities of interest to struggling businesses include a Jobs and Business hearing being held by Assemblyman Dan Logue, on Friday, Nov. 13. from 10 a.m. to noon in the Board of Supervisors chambers. Assemblyman Logue wants to hear about the challenges facing local businesses, especially the growing state regulatory burden.

Russ Steele is a blogger at NC Media Watch.

Watching the ocean rise and fall

Russ Steele

Alan Stahler has an interesting story in the Friday Union online discussing the current El Nino pattern in the Pacific. See Soundings: Watching the Ocean Rise and Fall. Alan does a good job explaining complex scientific concepts.

You might want to avoid the comments following the story, there is more than enough misinformation to confuse the typical reader. Stick with Alan's and let him explain how the El Nino forms. Here is a graphic of the latest sea levels measured by the JASON-2 spacecraft mentioned in the article.



Note that since 2006 the sea level have essentially stopped rising. File this information away and use it at the next cocktail party when the token liberal at the party tries to convince you sea levels are rising and we are all domed unless we support Al Gore in a life style beyond his wildest dreams, by buying his carbon credits. 

Nevada County Second Quarter Sales Tax down 23.4%

Russ Steele

The Weekly CEO Letter has a County Sales Tax Update for the 2nd Quarter - 2009:

Actual sales activity was down 17.5% when reporting aberrations were factored out. Adjusted for aberrations, taxable sales for all of Nevada County, including its cities, declined 23.4% over the comparable time period, while the Far North region as a whole was down 20.1%.

The Grocery Stores with out alcohol numbers were inflated due to retroactive correction of previous reporting errors.

Guess California's October unemployment rate

Russ Steele

This is a Department of labor  graphic of how California's unemployment rate is tracking the US rate.

There was a 2.4 point difference between California and the US rate in September,  with what appears to be a growing gap.  Please put your guess what you think the California October rate will be in a comment. Will it be 14.6% or higher? Or, lower?

How is that hope and change for you? (updated)

Russ Steele

In October, the US unemployment rate rose to 10.2 percent, the highest since April 1983, and nonfarm payroll employment continued to decline (-190,000). The largest job losses over the month were in construction, manufacturing, and retail trade.

Without Obama’s $787 billion porkulus bill we were told unemployment would be 8% and rising! What went wrong?  Could it be that Obama's administration gave the money to his crony friends to buy votes rather than create jobs?  Just asking, since we really do not know where the money went and the unemployment continues to climb. Something is not working as intended. 

UPDATE (7:20am) Heritage Foundation:

The economy shed another 190,000 jobs in October, bringing the number of jobs lost since Obama was sworn in to 3.8 million. Worse still, the unemployment rate rose from 9.8% to 10.2% percent. With only 130.8 million jobs in the U.S. economy, President Obama is now 7.8 million jobs short of what he promised the American people. That makes President Obama’s stimulus an objective failure

UPDATE #2 (12:34pm) This a more eye catching graphic. A picture is said to be worth a 1,000 words. (Click for a larger image)

Graphic provided by GOP.GOV