Jim L.'s blog

Compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) are supposed to be better for the environment because they are more energy efficient than comparable incandescent light bulbs. And, although they cost more to buy initially, you usually save money in the long run since they last so much longer. You can even sometimes find rebates to help offset some of the initial cost.

The problem with CFLs is that they contain a small amount of mercury, which means that you should never throw them away with your regular trash. Unfortunately, it's unrealistic to expect the average person to bring dead CFLs to a recycling center and then have to pay to get rid of them. So, what are we to do?

In 1795, early American scholar and revolutionary Thomas Paine ended his Dissertations on First Principles of Government thusly:

An avidity to punish is always dangerous to liberty. It leads men to stretch, to misinterpret, and to misapply even the best of laws. He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself.

Mr. Bush,

How dare you, sir!

I don't know what country you think you're the president of, but the First Amendment to the Constitution of my country states:

Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

I think that also applies to freedom of thought.

For readers who are unaware, Mr. Bush held a testy and impatient news conference today. Why was he testy and impatient? Well, Mr. Bush often gets testy and impatient whenever he thinks his motives or methods are being challenged. To be fair, I think I would get testy and impatient, too, if I my motives or methods were constantly being challenged. The difference, of course, is that Mr. Bush is supposed to be the leader of our country, the protector of our freedom. In particular, that includes the freedom to question our leader's motives or methods.

Rochester Public Utilities (RPU) recently announced an 8.5% rate increase effective April 4, 2006. Many of you may have already heard about this because it was reported by KAAL, KTTC, and the Post-Bulletin (pay subscription to be able to read the P-B article).

I thought all these stories covered the facts accurately, but not in as much detail as I would have liked. What does KTTC mean when it reports that RPU is “responding to a nearly 17 percent increase by its wholesale power provider”? Bob Freund of the Post-Bulletin provides a nice, short answer. “The city-owned utility is reacting to a jump in its own electric bill.”

But for the RPU customer who just wants to make sense of this—who wants to understand the causes and effects leading up to the rate increase—I have yet to read anything that ties it all together.

That’s what I intend to do. I encourage you to leave comments at the bottom of this post—let me know how I did.