POWER

MULTIPLICITY OF POWER

natural-phantom-shopping

A GOOD BLOW

    California's central coastline is roiling with strong surf

     driven by the first of three punches of wind and rain 

     coming in from the north.  Storm #1 left a half inch in our gauge and debris on the beach.

      15 to 20 foot waves are expected through the weekend.

    The power of the sea rakes the kelp beds.

     Writers, painters and nature lovers take inspiration from
the seasonal brooding.

PHANTOM POWER

     Appliances in our homes and offices that remain in stand by (televisions, chargers, microwaves, computer boxes) cost us hundreds of dollars a year.  David I. Levine at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business wrote an eye opening piece for the LA Times. 

     Read and learn about "phantom power" by linking here.

OUR POWER TO SAVE LIVES

     Unraveling this string of circumstance may lead us to an uneasy truth.  Many clothing shoppers seek the lowest price, sometimes even over quality. Manufacturers seek to lower production costs. Clothes are made abroad, in nations with "cheaper" labor and without benefit of health and safety standards.  

     The 112 people killed by a fire in a Bangladesh garment factory were making clothing for Wal-Mart, Disney, Sears, Sean Combs, Teddy Smith and Edinburgh Woollen Mill as reported by the Associated Press. 

      When asked about these tragedies, and there have been several, retailers and even manufacturers often cite contract language and explain how they are sometimes duped by sub-contractors over which they have no control.  Some of that may be true, but it is also disingenuous and refuses to accept responsibility. 

      Retailers award contracts to those who can make their product most cheaply. That maximizes their profit while offering a product that we can buy less expensively. So we are back to our role in perpetuating sweat shops where humans are abused because of profits and low prices.  

      I've heard people explain how the poor of other nations are at least given work.  Yes, but under what conditions?  And at what cost to American workers, put out of work by out sourcing to cheap labor markets?  We really can't escape our blame in these tragedies.  Well, maybe my mom could have.  Before her passing, she made a habit of never buying any thing but Union and or American made goods.  She even returned gifts if they did not pass that test.  Wonder if that is even possible today?

      See you down the trail

       

TIDES OF CALIFORNIA-Money $ Surf

CASH FROM THE UNDERGROUND

Trend setting California vows to go after an additional $7 Billion a year in lost tax revenues by going after companies that pay cash under the table.  Businesses that pay cash wages don't pay worker's compensation insurance or withhold payroll taxes for Social Security, Medicare or unemployment compensation. California officials says the problem is pervasive in the building trades.  
$7 Billion a year, just in California!  Calculate the impact on government budgets if such a move were implemented nationwide.  Though savings and new revenue could be
much higher yet.  
Reefer Madness-Sex, Drugs, Cheap Labor in the American Black Market written a few years ago by Eric Schlosser 
opened my eyes to the Billions in lost revenue.  But Schlosser's study did not account for software piracy, music downloading, prostitution, off shore banking and gambling
where billions and billions more go unaccounted for and  more importantly, untaxed. 
If we really care about government funding and deficits, and if as a nation we are averse to more taxes, then
why not go after the black market dollars which could 
swell government revenue lines. Of course we would need
some accord on things like recreational drugs, gambling, prostitution and ways of policing cheap labor, software piracy, off shore banking and gambling.  But the 
debate on those might be worth the resulting income stream and/or enhanced enforcement.
We'll see where the Golden State goes with this opening initiative.  

DAY BOOK

BIG SURF

The shores of California today are awash in High Surf advisories.

The waves are 10-14 feet with some local sets at 16 feet.

Behind each frame is a roar and growl of the Pacific.

The picture fails to do justice, but those white caps in

distance are way off shore.  They are large enough to 

break a couple of times before hitting the beach.

Especially so today.
See you down the trail.