gdp's Comments

WPRI.com | Eyewitness News : Chafee budget seeks sweeping changes | WPRI.com

Wed, 9 Mar 2011 17:32:03 +0000

Ted, I replied to AngryGuy40 this morning, but something's not right. It seems to have been counted but not displayed. Count says 4 comments, but I only see the three. I don't see any option to expand replies, either. I'm Chrome on OSX.

WPRI.com | Eyewitness News : Chafee budget seeks sweeping changes | WPRI.com

Wed, 9 Mar 2011 12:56:34 +0000

First, I'd like to suggest you use the more formal third person when discussing abstracts. "One's standard of living shouldn't be subsidized..." Your formulation implies you're addressing me. (Also, if you're replying to me, perhaps using the reply feature would be in order. It just helps keep things organized should one of those Internet flame wars break out.) So, to the substance. You're a private contractor? Welcome to my world. You have the discipline to set the taxes by, and that's good. Just watch out for disasters; the unforeseen can bite you in the... (Learned the hard way.) I far prefer to put myself on salary and do the deductions. Also, how you liking paying both halves of the FICA? You'll quickly learn that pretty much everything in the tax code is skewed against the 1099ers. But, honestly, don't you see the many, many logical assumptions that you make that may or may not be right? Below, I make an assertion, but confess that I have no data. How do you know that they're not $30 knock-off sneakers? As a "serial gentrifier", I spend lots of time with poor people; my experience shows that, by and large, your assumptions are not accurate ones. The idea that people "don't want to work" is almost always faulty. It's far more accurate to say that many are unable to work for various reasons, be they self-inflicted, random, structural, etc. Lastly, you're repetition of "let's not worry" leaves you open to the charge of heartlessness. Combined with your screen name, you come off as quick to judge and, harboring an unexplained anger. Is that really what you're all about?

WPRI.com | Eyewitness News : Chafee budget seeks sweeping changes | WPRI.com

Wed, 9 Mar 2011 00:19:28 +0000

Well, this is all first pass, but there is some ugly looking stuff in there. Nobody can say he hasn't spread the pain everywhere. In particular, the non-profit purchases tax sounds great for Brown and PC, but not so much for the little groups like, oh, say, Riverzedge Arts Project in Woonsocket. Higher fees for bounced checks sounds like the kind of predatory thing banks do; common sense says that it hits those who can least afford it, although I have no data. Lower unemployment benefits also hit those in need. One thing they might consider is for him, Whitehouse and the Browns, the Williamses, etc - the old, blue money - to pony up a fund of substantial size and target that money to the very bottom of the income scale. At very least, it would demonstrate that he's not tone-deaf. Bottom line: OUCH!

WPRI.com | Eyewitness News : Wind power will cost Rhode Island taxpayers $1.5M extra a year | Target 12 | WPRI.com

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 19:16:58 +0000

Suspension of disbelief or a not-all-that-big increase in the cost of natural gas. But, definitely, go with the unicorns.

WPRI.com | Eyewitness News : Wind power will cost Rhode Island taxpayers $1.5M extra a year | Target 12 | WPRI.com

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 19:05:06 +0000

So I've been poking around, looking to fill in the gap between what I "know" and what ISO says. Not that the electricity production industry is unnecessarily opaque, but it took me an hour to confirm that the "SCC" seasonally capability claim figures are, in fact, megawatts. Just to add to the confusion, ISO-NE lists 750 Mw of production (Lake Road 1-3) as being in RI when they're in CT. Be that as it may... Here's what I found out: my data were old. As recently as the mid-90s, RI imported 80% of its electricity according to this Brown U study. And that included the Manchester St facility. In the past decade, the Tiverton facility (280 MW WSCC) and the Johnston facility (574 MW WSCC) have come online, both fired by natural gas. These two facilities represent something less than half the total power generated in state. So, erroneous as my assertions were, they're not that far out of scope. When your state nearly doubles production in a few years, I reckon it makes an impact.

WPRI.com | Eyewitness News : Wind power will cost Rhode Island taxpayers $1.5M extra a year | Target 12 | WPRI.com

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 21:48:12 +0000

Also, Ted, you fail to point out that RI produces a mere pittance of the total electricity we consume. The vast majority of the electricity we USE comes from coal burned at Brayton Point, the local base load facility.

WPRI.com | Eyewitness News : Wind power will cost Rhode Island taxpayers $1.5M extra a year | Target 12 | WPRI.com

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 21:45:38 +0000

Just in case any of you were lazy in math class, this is clearly a scare story. Dimensionalize it as you would in a business. The only city for which we have the relevant data - Cranston - shows an increase of 1.5% on electricity. Staggering. Also there's a faulty assumption that non-wind electricity will NOT rise over time. This couldn't me more foolish, as all serious energy watchers have PERSONALLY prepared for high oil prices. Thus a dispassionate analysis would point out that, in the long term, these production facilities will almost certainly act to keep down electricity prices for Rhode Islanders. When the commie-pinko is doing the math and pointing out the obvious business case, consider the case closed.

Wonkette : Teabaggers Hate Government Trash Collection Now

Tue, 9 Nov 2010 16:04:22 +0000

Please. If AZ weren't the economic, real estate, environmental, social and cultural cluster-up that it is, then something like this would be "news". Shouldn't this get filed under "par for the course". Psst, Lefty, progressives just took over the state of RI. Ran out just about every last old-school blue dog. New PVD mayor way more liberal than Cicilline. But the latter won CD1 and is gonna gay up our nation's capital just that little bit more. Our 'indy' governor is on board. (Gay marriage law by Valentine's Day. #scoreboard) Watch us for more fun stuff. If you're mobile, come on up...

WPRI.com | Eyewitness News : Analysis: Why Caprio Whacked Obama | Campaign 2010 | WPRI.com

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 00:25:10 +0000

Well, Ted, how does success feel?

WPRI.com | Eyewitness News : Analysis: Why Caprio Whacked Obama | Campaign 2010 | WPRI.com

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 00:24:29 +0000

At least one of you carpet-baggers got it right. But you say it like it's a bad thing! Welcome to RI. We're enjoying our 15 minutes.

WPRI.com | Eyewitness News : Exclusive Poll: Schilling Deal Unpopular in Rhode Island | WPRI.com

Fri, 1 Oct 2010 12:06:19 +0000

Admins - We (high-end PVD bloggers) very much would like to see Ted succeed. But if the commentary on this site continues to trend toward that of other MSM sites like Projo, etc, people like me will not engage. I think too highly of my brand. Best practice is high levels of active moderation, particularly by journos. Somebody needs to tell NewEngland2 that this is not MySpace - enough with the caps. And Mr. Silvia's opinion lack any factual support. "With certainty,..." is not plausible, given the survey results reported. Long story short: quality bloggers avoid sites where knee-jerkers rule. We hoped this wouldn't be one. I'm just sad about it...

WPRI.com | Eyewitness News : 38 Studios chooses Providence building for headquarters | WPRI.com

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 17:13:17 +0000

Let's see how the suits mix in across the street. "Hey, kid. How come your bike's only got one gear?"

WPRI.com | Eyewitness News : Curt Schilling\'s 38 Studios can get $64M from RI with only 250 jobs | WPRI.com

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:26:29 +0000

Well, obviously, we care.

WPRI.com | Eyewitness News : EDC to give Schilling\'s firm only $51M from $75M loan | WPRI.com

Wed, 8 Sep 2010 15:58:57 +0000

Ted, does the fact sheet mention Reckoning at all? Is release a milestone? Are there any references to revenue milestones from Reckoning? Also, question for admins: why is Intense Debate only installed on part of the website? It is teh awesome.

WPRI.com | Eyewitness News : Schilling game backed by RI is high-risk, high-reward | WPRI.com

Wed, 4 Aug 2010 18:21:11 +0000

Once again, most information. Awesome job.

WPRI.com | Eyewitness News : Curt Schilling defends $75m deal with Rhode Island | WPRI.com

Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:31:52 +0000

I personally wonder about Shilling as a cultural fit for PVD. He's been pretty vocal on the right wing side of things. Check out his personal blog to see where he stands. 2nd most recent article mentions how much he likes an Ann Coulter article that ends up saying that any moderation in the rabid tone of modern conservatism is akin to treason. Let's see how far he gets before he's on tape saying something about the gays...

CSMonitor: Money : New home sales rebound, but prices keep falling - CSMonitor.com

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:51:02 +0000

It would be really helpful to see a regional breakdown. National numbers are only so valuable. kthanxbai

Paul Kedrosky: Infectious Greed : Hatzius: The U.S. Slowdown

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 18:35:36 +0000

I remember hearing all these talking heads saying that Reaganomics was designed to stimulate productivity, resulting in rising wages. Instead, the suits just kept the money, right?

Paul Kedrosky: Infectious Greed : Detecting Detroit Mortgage Fraud

Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:59:06 +0000

jbl - all puns will be punished Also, can't tell from this, but is the city of SF a hot spot? Looks that way.

Paul Kedrosky: Infectious Greed : Observations of Life After the Real Estate Bubble

Thu, 8 Jul 2010 19:07:20 +0000

Well, at least on this we agree, N-dog. The macro-trends definitely favor larger, more densely packed metros, aka, the megalopolis. I bet it will surprise most readers that Philly is the #4 metro in the US, behind NYC, LA and CHI. I just re-married here in PVD, and we're actively looking for a larger single family to hold the five (5) teenagers. If you can take the more diverse neighborhoods, there are CRAZY deals out there. Like a 3bdr Victorian w/ giant porch plus 3rd floor 1bdr apt w/ separate entrance currently on short sale getting offers (I reckon) to be in the $160 - 190 range. It's had all the modernization except windows - gas boiler, baseboard heating, 12-2 wiring, copper h20 supply and pvc drains. STUPID! Overall, the PVD market chugs along. You only see the worst foreclosures sit on the market. Most are scooped up on the inside by "investors". So there's lots of overpriced flips available. I'll just keep annoying the REO managers until I find another "fish" to tell stories about.