The AHAM End Run
Submitted by advisor on Thu, 08/05/2010 - 9:21pm.
Whenever a lobbying association, like AHAM, is involved in an agreement which is not obviously in their best interest, one must analyze the agreement, letter by letter, to learn what we are missing. AHAM has completed an agreement with several reputable energy efficiency organizations, and appliance manufacturers for the tightening of appliance energy standards. What is AHAM's real deal here?
We spoke to 2 of the efficiency organizations to inquire about their participation:
-Yes, we are in fact affiliated with the agreement.
-No, our children are not being held hostage somewhere in deepest Maryland (but really, would you expect the truth?)
-Yes, the agreement is a good agreement and we expect great energy savings.
This wide ranging agreement sets proposed standards for every category of major appliance. The agreement did not have government participation, so there are still hurdles to leap before it can be put in force, but having all possible opposition subdued by agreement will streamline the process of turning this agreement to enforceable regulation.
Questions worth asking:
-Is this compromise better than a full regulatory frontal assault?
-Did anything just happen? Some yes, some no. Refrigerators are still in their overly segmented fiefdom of nonsense with Side by Sides, Top Mounts, Bottom Mounts all competing in their tiny worlds.
-Were any loop holes or inconsistencies closed? Possible, but seems unlikely.
-Why is Kuppersbusch listed as a supporting member manufacturer? They are not aware of the agreement, and are no longer members of AHAM?
-Why is Indesit listed as a supporting member manufacturer? Are these still in North America? Do they still manufacture?
Beyond this, an agreement was reached, and the people most likely to be unhappy seem happy. Let's see what comes of it.
Appliance Magazine
AHAM Document
Judging Qualifications ...
... is a very subjective thing. Somehow people believe that having a law degree automatically qualifies one for all sorts of things within the political genre ... I don't !!!
I recall making the contention that I believe that the best qualification for a 1st Lady is probably being in the Governor's Mansion before getting to the White House ... now, what that Lady does once she transitions from one to another is up to her, or how her husband might ask her to ...
So, of the Ladies who meet this criteria, many people have a lot of things to say about Nancy, Rosalyn, Hillary, and Laura, but I doubt if you'd find anyone who could have anything negative about Mrs. GW, except maybe that she was married to him and cringed when he misspoke, being a Librarian !!!
Michelle Obama had no previous political experience, and I maintain that it shows ... I liked her decision to emphasize the need to remediate childhood obesity with the White House garden because I feel we do not have an "Epidemic of Obesity" in our country, we have an epidemic of people eating too much fast food ranging from the hamburger joints, to the restaurant chains, to the "comfort foods" in grocery stores ...
I do not give her a pass to vacation outside of the USA when today, the First Family leaves for a formal vacation, inside the USA, where their vacation dollars ought to be spent !!! It is a terrible example which was ill advised !!!
Not the best week to stop drinking......
This problem is really caused by trying to hold a conversation on an internet forum.......and for that I take the full responsibility. The buck stops here.
We seem to be arguing two different unrelated points. I simply said that Hillary and Michelle are the most qualified first ladies to hold a political opinion since a good deal of politics is the write'n, read'n and break'n of laws, and laws is what they're teach'n in law school. Is she a "good" or "bad" first lady? This is a subject that I could not care less about......but since you've taken us there.................
There has never been a good first lady, Hillary and Michelle included, because they all make the same mistake of actually trying to be "First Lady". It's 2010. The best "first lady" is no first lady at all. Instead of doing First Lady-stuff, she (or someday he) should continue with her career, and not as an appendage to the president. As lawyer, teacher, pole dancer, actress, professor, tig welder; continuing in the career which she or he had spent a life developing. This would be a demonstration that women need not be defined by their husband (or significant other). Further, the entire modern concept of "First Lady" is a demonstration of deep seated "daddy issues" by some of the electorate, needing to believe that our presidents have a devine right to their position.
In a democracy, the trappings of royalty, and the modern "First Lady" is a crock, and in this I am a Republican (in the UK definition of the word).
Well, Imagine ...
... how complicated it will become when Hilary is elected, which in the minds of some could still happen !!! Certainly Billy Boy will not give up his wandering ways to finally act like husband and wife with her !!! He'll continue to do his business and show up when she needs him on her arm ...
Our present day image of a 1st Lady is taken from the more traditional images of a wife and mother, which by today's social more's, is a contradiction in terms with reality ... How many stay-@-home mom's do you know ??? Not many, I presume, so you point is well taken that the 1st Lady ought to continue to do what she did ... Personally, I think both Mrs. Bush(es) did that pretty well, while the others I mentioned did not ...
Just think of this ... Obama proved that a black man, something thought of as unthinkable when most of us were born, can get elected ... What happens when an openly homosexual gets into the Presidency ??? Now there's one that will make some folks hemorrhage brain cells !!!
BTW: You are oh so correct about being "Republican" because the USA was organized as a "representative republic" !!!
Touche'EnGarde and All That Jazz.
Advisor....A very intelligent attorney once told me that you can really know that someone has done something wrong ,HOWEVER ,it is an entirely different thing to be able to prove it, especially with our system good or bad. I also want to comment on your statement that Hillary and Michelle are more qualified as first ladies than others because of their legal education. All we have to do is look at our senate and congress and see that having all that legal education and how it has really helped to smooth out our politics. Gosh , why didn't I think of that ? I think that Don Henley of the Eagles had it right about the legal profession. Now , when Michelle came into "power" she made many comments about how being black hurt her and Barrack and the seemingly agressive undertone in her mannerisms. By the way which part of the president is black ? Remember he has a white mother.I would agree that both parties are guilty although I don't have to justify my criticism of anyone by criticizing everyone.
UPDATE: AHAM, CSA, UL: New Sustainability Standards
Without yet knowing all the details, we appreciate AHAM's participation in the development of sustainability standards for appliances, voluntary standards though they may be. Do we wonder if this sounds too good to be true? Do we wonder if the devil in the details might rise up to bite us all in the ass? Yes we do wonder.....so we wait for actual results before we applaud.
Appliance Magazine Article
Last month I landed to have
Last month I landed to have AHAM as my research topic and at some point I agree with this article and I guess I am confident enough to give justifiable foreword and coclusion. Right now I am currently working to research about the worker productivity which I think has connection to AHAM in some way.. A decline in worker productiveness for the first time in 18 months is actually good news for the struggling U.S. economy and high unemployment rate. By getting more output from fewer workers, corporations that laid off workers during the recession have been increasing their earnings. But the work force may be reaching its limit depending on the latest Labor Department report. If that proves to be true, companies may have to start creating jobs to drive the economic recovery they need to keep growing.
There are Certainly ...
... many reasons for the "... decline in worker productiveness ..." which were not articulated in that article, and if you recall the old axiom that " ... a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing ... " then that's what really should be of concern in this economy !!! For instance, what if there is less demand ??? There would be no reason for workers to produce @ an optimum level !!!
Many of us know of businesses which are working with employees @ a minimum ### of hours so as to maintain their benefits ... or some type of manipulation of commission compensation ... I guess that's still better than pink slips !!!
Another important aspect is that the Unemployment Rate is artificially being kept below double-digits after the hue-and-cry when it was reported in double-digits in recent months. Truth be told, the true Unemployment Rate is closer to 15% to 18% because there are many, like myself, who are not part of that sampling pool !!!
Yet another consideration is the looming chance that Obama might allow the Bush TaxCuts to expire, meaning there would be a de facto tax increase !!!
Do we really need to see people with less disposable income ???
Me thinks not !!!
Worker Productivity
The reason productivity may appear to have leveled off is because some organizations are holding on to some of their employee base as opposed to a lay off every other week. That may carry on for a short time. Some of that is based on the fact that companies have gotten down to the skilled core workers with the most experience. Thus slow to lay off all that experience. Productivity is a fact of life today in all companies. We should watch this for the next several weeks. No one runs a factory at reduced levels with the same amount of people any more. They are building some inventory. Bob . I agree about the unemployment number. The LA Times reported a much higher number of people opting to take early social security benefits because they can find no work. They estimated 2.5 million people ages 62-65 this year will take on those benefits. They need to keep the tax cuts in place or look out for a fall big time.
There was only one ...
... positive aspect of the Recession, according to many of the vendors I know, and it supports your contention that it gave many businesses the opportunity to get rid of dead wood !!!
The other reason why businesses want to hold on to their best employees is the fear that they might not be there chompin' @ the bit to come back ... even because they went to the competition !!!
It is the stupid businessman who makes life so untenable for those they retain ... those who stood by the businessman ... that the only reason the staff remains is just to have a job !!!
To support your report from the Times, Stallion, tonight there was a report on one of the cable news networks about people who have to stay on unemployment because the only available jobs are paying LESS than unemployment !!! Pathetic, simply pathetic !!!
... and all this while Osama's wife is jet-setting to Spain !!! What's wrong with the National Park Systems, or even Vegas - especially after her husband ruined their economy by demonizing it !?!?!?
You are being inconsistent.
You complained that the president should not visit the Gulf because it's just PR, but now you complain that the 1st Lady should not go to Spain because it's bad PR. I'm not getting it. Wouldn't you want your leaders (and their wives) to be vacationing internationally and domestically to see what's working elsewhere?
You said, "What's wrong with Vegas?"
I ask: "Is there anything right with Vegas?"
I'm Dismayed ...
... by your intermingling the two ... The only thing both trips have in common is the inordinate waste of fuel and tax-payers $$$ ... So, to clarify and differentiate the two, I offer the following:
FLORIDA: Osama had an excellent representative in Admiral Allen, and I contend that he did not have to spend the $$$ just to say a few words and have some photo ops ... His presence was redundant to the excellent efforts of Admiral Allen ... I rail when any President (I wonder if you did not capitalize the word when you used it for subconscious reasons) travels just to be seen when his representatives are getting the job done !!! The Gulf is one such example of my position ...
SPAIN: I begrudge no one a VaCa, but I certainly think it was wrong for the 1st Lady to have gone to Spain, sans one daughter, alone !!! Again, the expense is ridiculously high, and there are a wealth of places where she could have gone if it were THAT important to take a VaCa sans her husband ... She is not a diplomat, nor was this a diplomatic mission, which is confirmed by the reports of what she did there ...
VEGAS: I guess we disagree with Vegas ... I think it's the best place for trade shows, business conferences, and anything which resembles a "perk" for employees ... Having spent some time there, I can assure you that there are plenty of things to do outside of the casinos ... My point is that everyone, on both sides of the aisle, will acknowledge that Osama demonized Vegas unfairly and did a considerable amount of detriment to them ... not something a President is supposed to do !!!
Really?
You've been in a rut lately equating a democratically elected president with a mass murderer who lives in a cave? What's that about? Are you picking up the "birther" thread, or the "he's a muslim" thread, or is it the “he hates America” thread? All require the suspension of rationality and blindness to documented reality. You are not mentally ill, so what gives?
As for the vacations. This is a PR complaint. She get's to do what she wants to do. She and her group are paying for the hotel and food, and I'm sure the cost of a seat on Airforce One (though I can't find anything on that, I do know that all reporters on AF1, pay for their seats). Yes, it's more expensive than commercial travel, but that is not her problem, and not her choice. Those of the rules of the Secret Service. Bad PR? Maybe.
An answer to Stallion. Traveling overseas is not more expensive than a trip to Disney World, and can come with real castles. We'd be better off if more Americans understood first hand both what was best about America, and what was best about other countries.
By the way, Bush made 77 trips to Crawford, Texas, when he could obviously have done his work more efficiently and with less fuel usage had he stayed in DC.
I agree with this commentator.
Some Clarification
If I am not mistaken, through accurate sources each candidate for president is duly investigated properly to ensure they are born in America prior to the election being held.. Enough said on that.The people that think he was born somewhere else are just plain nuts.Advisor. The trip to Europe on her dime is fine.I am not saying not to experience other countries but I will gamble that warts and all ours is still fundamentally the best and we only get closer to European socialism the more we drink their kool aid. I still think she is overwhelmed and out of her element.And she is very angry !!!!
When you constantly ...
... make provocative statements, as Michelle Obama has been reported to have since college, then you are automatically "teed-up" for criticism ... I agree she is "... an angry young (wo)man ..." and well outside her "pay-grade" !!!
I think the obesity and gardening programmes are wonderful, and have a chance to have a significant impact on society, but she ought to be better informed that the best of 1st Ladies knew that they were not elected, so they ought to purposely stay away from politics !!!
Michelle and major appliances
You both have mentioned multiple times that Michelle Obama is an angry woman. I have not seen this. What am I missing? Are there any examples of this anger? Your last comment there is certainly false, as she and Hilary Clinton were the best trained, highest paid, best qualified first ladies ever. There's likely nothing outsider her "pay grade"....... but ok, it's a turn of phrase.
You have mentioned that Michelle should stay away from politics....which would be a neat trick for anyone shacking up with the pres, but OK, what is she doing in politics. I've seen her work on obesity, enpowerment of girls and boys, but not so much on Iraq, or social security. Her involvement does not register when compared to the most recent queen of the politically intrusive first lady, Nancy Reagan. Hillary Clinton might be considered as a close second place except her participation was by request of the president.
Thank you for ...
... recognizing the "... turn of phrase ... " aspect to my comment ... I do not believe that the 1st Lady draws a salary ... her "office" has a budget ...
I don't understand nor agree your comments about Hilary & Michelle being the best trained ... Just because they were lawyers (and Hillary of the questionable Rose firm) does not train them for anything political ... and what did Nancy ever do that was political ???
As I said previously, and with your now agreement (I think), the 1st Lady is a de facto politician because he is an extension so, as such, whenever she delves outside her programmes like going to the Gulf, Spain, on "The View" or anywhere else where she speaks to a specific political point, then I feel she is outside of her realm ...
Anyway, has anyone every asked any First Family which appliances they fancy ??? Now there's a double-edge sword if I ever saw one !!!
Even more
I was not aware that she expressed any political positions in the Gulf, or in Spain. What were they? As for the View, did not see it, but the name is "The View" so it would be difficult to say nothing, but then why should she say nothing? I think adults can differentiate between Jimmy and Billy, between Bill and Hillary, between Richard and Pat, and George and Barbara. They need not be hidden in back rooms. They often play a similar part as the VP, which is to say the same part as any car salesman. They can talk all they want, about whatever comes to mind, but they still need to check with their manager. It's very effective way of free form negotiation with penalty.
Hillary and Michelle were both professionals, while the last 30 years is marked mostly by house wives, a teacher, and an actress. "The best trained" is not debatable.
Bob, what do you have on the Rose firm?
Nancy was directly involved in White House hiring and firing, such as the chief of staff, speach approval, and prompting of president answers to the press.....and that's just the little I remember.
We'll just need to ...
... agree to disagree on some of this because people on both side of the aisle are having problems with the 1st Lady's Spain trip ... and so do I ...
Since there is no formal training for 1st Lady, one might consider previous experience, which some had in the Governor's mansion ... I just don't think having a law degree carries as much weight ...
The famous Rose Law Firm was heavily investigated as part of the WhiteWater scandal ... regardless of the overall outcome, there were some very significant peripheral events which occurred ... like Vince Foster ... Eric Holder will remember that one well !!!
So, hasn't anyone ever researched which appliances the White uses ???
You're missing your own point
Bob, you seem to be missing your own point.
The Spain trip was not a political mission. Your complaint was PR related, and not as if she suggested that Spain return to fascism, or that Spain exit NATO. This is a complaint about the politics of PR (which are important for sure), but not a complaint of the politics of position or persuasion.
You indicated that political thought, if she were to have any of her own, was "above her pay grade", which I tried to refute by her background. I was suggesting by her background that she was unusually qualified for a 1st lady to have her own political thoughts. I still haven't heard any evidence from you how she is throwing her political weight around.
As for the Rose Law Firm, what was the outcome visa vis Vince Foster? Suicide with extreme prejudice. You haven't presented any evidence how Rose was somehow involved in scandal, and a quickie Google found nothing.
As for Michelle as an angry woman. You haven't presented any evidence or examples of her anger, out-bursts, or details of her vengeful personality.
We can't agree to disagree if you don't have facts to support your charges.
We have 2 weeks until school's back in and we all return to appliances, but one assumes that the White House does have some residential appliances in the living quarters upstairs......but maybe not.
The Uncomfortable Reality ...
... of debating, or even discussing, politics when people are on opposite sides of the aisle is that pretty much nothing either say has much chance of changing the other's mind ... and I think we've come to that reality here ...
- You seem to be more prone to supporting/absorbing the actions of the present Administration, when I don't ... and ...
- While I was a supporter of GW, I was terribly disappointed in GW ... Obama is not a improvement, and, as many much more savvy than I think, it may very well cause more damage than GW did ... and ...
- I don't want my President's wife and daughter jet-setting all over the world, on my dime, when we have a perfectly wonderful assortment of venues within the boundaries of our states ... and ...
- I'd like to see our Justice Department working on things that make sense from an common sense aspect, but some delusional set of values which place our own people in jeopardy ...
One thing we ought to be agreeing on is that we continue to be in the deepest Recession the modern world has ever seen, and not just here, world-wide !!! That no one is doing a flying fig about keeping jobs here, providing jobs for those affected , or protecting our own people ... Until we all get our respective heads back into the sunshine, we are doomed to continue to live by the words of leaders who do not lead and people content to follow ...
Reality Check
Bob. Although I respect the advisor I think the discussions with them is akin to speaking with any one of the talking heads on MSNBC at night. Very far to the left, almost off the table. I try to stay a little bit right of center if I can. The fact is that no politicians exist these days to do the will of the people and I believe that none of them really care from the local government to the federal government . It is corrupt and getting worse regardless of the party they say they represent.They put more effort into lining their pockets than anything else. Look at the large staffs they have. There is also a good reason that the higher end escort services thrive in the DC area according to studies. You and I are paying for that.Look at Rangel, he acts like he was appointed a king somewhere and has a posse bigger than Snoop Dogg. The people today probably have more reason to be upset and revolt than in 1776.We have no representation . Just blah , blah ,blah.
I Don't Begrudge Anyone ...
... their point of view, and that certainly applies here ... We all need to listen and learn from each other in an orderly exchange of ideas so as to formulate and hone our own !!! That takes civility, perspective, and prospective ...
It also takes humour, so I offer the following:
The real reason why the 10 Commandments can't appear in a CourtHouse is that "Those Shalt not Lie" - "Those Shalt not Steal" and "Thou Shalt not Commit Adultery" cannot appear in a building full of lawyers, judges, and politicians !!!
The Begrudged
Left, Right or Center, the conversation above did not reach the basic standards of evidence required for even a dinner party conversation. You both made outrageous claims, but failed to present any evidence (except for the Rangel and Escort Service points.....which were both excellent)
It would be similar to me stating that I thought George Bush and Tom Delay were corrupt. You would ask me in what way are they corrupt:
For Delay, I would reel off the details of a slew of federal charges, settlements, convictions, from perjury, to campaign finance, influence peddling, bribery, and finally his legal assistance to modern slavers in Guam.
You could then refute them, indicate it was his evil twin Saul, or even discuss the positive silver lining of modern slavery and Delay's general badness, but I would have made a case that would stand up in any dinner party, and together we would have had a productive conversation.
For Bush, I might be able to point to rumor, or unfortunate co-incidences, or the help he received by folks looking to influence his father, but it might be impossible to prove even circumstantially that George Bush himself is corrupt. You could say, "Ah hah, see, you have no proof of his corruption, no proof to back up your heinous and unfounded charges!!" I could respond, as I have been known to respond from time to time with "uncle".
For example I did just that in this conversation when I claimed that Michelle and Hillary were the most qualified first ladies to have their own political thought, and supported this claim with their advanced legal education as compared to other first ladies.
Now, your claims are very very large. If true, they shouldn't be at all difficult to prove. If on the other hand there is no evidence to support your claim, you should be able to say that you were incorrect, or a bit hasty in your characterization, without resorting to entirely unrelated characterizations of me.
She's angry, how? She's throwing around her weight politically, how? The Rose Law Firm is corrupt, how? This stuff should be easy.
Funny. Arizona. Right On.
I received a funny e-mail from our facility in Phoenix. I can't download it but it says on one sign"Welcome to Arizona , you may be racially profiled ". The other sign says"Welcome to Mexico , you may be killed by the drug cartels " Go figure.
Fantastic
Love it, post it.
Grill
A 55 gallon drum cut in half and charcoal fired.The best there is.
Amen
We wholeheartedly agree to the max on this one.
In an effort to clarify ...
... my position and "utterances" ...
1. The use of "Osama" was a feeble attempt @ trying to be contemptuous ... I understand you position and agree it was over-the-top, therefore it will be retired !!!
For the record, I do not agree with the "birther movement" but I do point out that Obama producing the actual affidavit would bring the whole thing to a close and make any questions moot !!! He won't do it so it will continue - unfortunately providing fodder for his supporters to talk about the "fringe" elements of his opposition ...
2. Regarding the 1st Lady's position, like it or not, she is a de facto extension of the President and her actions need to be as thought thru as circumspectly as his. They win going to Florida this weekend, but it will not cease the talk of somewhere in the area of $250K for her junket to Spain ...
There are people who like to justify her jaunt to those of both Bush Presidents and Ronal Reagan, but there is major difference ... those Presidents owned their homes in California, Maine, & Texas, and their homes were considered the 2nd White House, just like Camp David is ... Omaba, like the Clintons, has no such locale that he uses, so the comparison is faulty ...
I'm sure there are excellent tourist destinations across America, who would be happy to have half of what the 1st Lady used of OUR $$$ spent in their port of call !!!
If Omaba, or any President, wants to spend each and every weekend of the summer contributing to the local economy of a deserving tourist destination, then I'm OK with that ... it is a much more direct way to get $$$ back to the people than when it's entrusted to the scoundrels in Congress !!!
Some questions you can't answer. Some questions you can't ask.
One cannot answer questions of the insane, since it requires that one respond to the insane. One cannot win an argument with the insane. It follows that one never fights with a drunk, never tell a wife what you think of the dress, never answer honestly when someone asks "How old do I look?", never inquire when the baby is due. They are all related by the thread of communicating with the insane or soon to be insane.
Birthers are very very much in the insane camp. Simply put:
-Obama's mother was an American, so he's an American. FULL STOP.
But to top it all off..................
-Obama's birth was announced in the local Hawaii papers.
No further response is necessary.
There can be only a single option to the insanity defense for the birther movement, and of course it's even less popular than insanity: racism
As I stated ...
... in agreement with you, " ... I do not agree with the "birther movement" ..."
I offered a simple and sane solution ... it is logical and does nothing but take the air out of all those balloons, so we can then get to more important things ... like the economy and why his efforts have not had the intended impact !!!
I digress.
I think instead of looking at what you think works elsewhere we need to concentrate pretty much on what has worked here. An example , football teams win usually with good defense. Even in this day of high flying offenses it is usually a team with a good defense that wins it all.I am not sure that I would want to live like the Europeans do. I like our way of life.It is not as important for the president to visit as it is for how he and his staff handle the problems. As for the first lady , well she is out of her element. She has no clue about how a first lady should operate. She is an angry woman.I agree with you about Vegas though.
Inquiring Minds ...
... want to know what regulatory agency enforces any of this ???
It all sounds nice ... unrealistic ... but nice !!!
Kinda like a "Kumbaya Moment" ...