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Recent Comments
- In The Mailbox: 02.28.23 (Afternoon Edition) : The Other McCain on Hey, longtime pw readers…
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Santorum would not approve of this girl-having business I don’t think
Grieferbleatswhat?
It parodies itself now, Jeff.
no it doesn’t that’s not even a parody it’s a dig at how not-mainstream Santorum is cause of his extremist hyper-religious values
and that’s the thing about Santorum… he’s pretended all along that he’s a perfectly mainstream candidate, when hardly anybody believes that about him
He hasn’t faced this head on yet, and he should have.
Cause the bounce Romney got after Iowa suggests that while lots of people had gone looking for a not-Romney, a not insignificant number of people discovered that what they were looking for is a not-Santorum.
you need a sweater vest
And a swat the pest.
Green Bay, Sunday forecast, partly cloudy, 27F high.
Boston? Clear, 22F.
Foster Friess, billionaire, sez Santorum is a fan of the line item veto. Such a fan that he authored legislation about it being a good thing.
I always thought that the line item veto was not constitutional.
I am a big fan of the line-item veto.
I always thought that the line item veto was not constitutional.
It is NOW.
Really, JD? I don’t like the idea of the President drawing a line through something he doesn’t like. It’s too Imperial.
There’s a “slow-y things down” aspect to it leigh, which can appeal to the Burkean in us. And then too, there’s the veto over-ride potential, should the measure be deemed highly significant to the people.
Leigh, the only reason a President would have to use a line item veto is when the congress critters package unrelated items in a bill. Programs and the funding that go with it should be able to stand on its own. Unfortunately both sides sneak stuff through in bigger bills that are pretty much veto proof (like the ones that keep grandma from sleeping on the curb and fighting the cats over rat meat).
here is what Mr. Daniels suggests instead of the line item thingy
In lieu of the line-item veto, we could limit the length of new bills to no longer than the Declaration. It would be sorta like the Washington Monument height restriction in the District, ‘cept for laws.
and that’s the thing about
SantorumRomney… he’s pretended all along that he’s aperfectly mainstream candidateconservative and a reformer, when hardly anybody believes that about himPoor little hamster. Squeak squeak squeak.
I don’t like the idea of the President drawing a line through something he doesn’t like. It’s too Imperial.
That’s why Congress can override. It’s very republican.
I like this Impoundment of Appropriations better. Not being a constitutional scholar like, apparently, everyone else on this board, it helps me to learn these things.
and that’s the thing about
Santorumyou know who… he’s pretended all along that he’s a perfectly mainstreamcandidateclassical liberal, when hardly anybody believes that about himNixon tried that in ’70s. It didn’t work.
Why? Jefferson and a boatload of others used it.
Line-item would be OK if there were a limit to the amount of stuff POTUS could veto, such as 10%.
Or appropriations bills could be passed in bundles of $X million. They can wheel and deal as to what goes into each bundle, but that way, essential things can be passed while they hold the hobby-horses hostage to “I won’t vote for yours until you vote for mine,” or whatever.
Actually, I don’t think there’s much you can do to stop people who are bound to be corrupt except to make sure they feel real pain right after they do something dumb.
They’re like cats: you have to whack ’em in flagrante or they don’t know what they did wrong.
Why? Jefferson and a boatload of others used it.
Because Nixon was saving money on programs that Congress really wanted.
Well, Squid, that explains it then.
You feeling better today, di?
Yeah, better. Thanks!
Musta been a low-grade sinus infection: not bad enough to run a fever, but enough to confine me to LOLcats and naps for two days.
The short answer is that it’s a Separation of Powers thing. The President can’t not spend money Congress has authorized by law be spent anymore than Congress can veto an Executive Act (like ordering the U.S Navy and Air Force to bomb the shit of Libya).
I’m glad! The last time I had a sinus infection, I thought I had a tooth that was going bad. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.
Is Norwegian wood a double entedre? Or just a single one?
We do know it isn’t buttered.
OK, given that “wood” is in the title of the post, I’ll take this opportunity to ask for advice about tree removal.
I’ve got a HUGE Siberian Elm that I want to remove. The monster has 8 trunks, some of which hang into the neighbor’s yard, and right above the fence are the power lines that feed five houses including my own. The top three power lines are uninsulated.
I’ve had two guys come over to give estimates.
Low-estimate guy insisted that the safest and best way to do it would be to shut off the power for about 5 hours.
High-estimate guy said that his five-man crew could manage without shutting off the power, especially if he could have access to the neighbor’s yard.
The difference between the two estimates is a cool grand. (I’m also asking for stump grinding and another smaller tree down.)
So who is blowing smoke? Is it really better (or totally necessary) to shut off the power? Is the extra grand worth it (he’s all insured and stuff)?
What should I look out for?
Thanks!
Why is the tree coming down?
low estimate guy shouldn’t need 5 hours to cut the trees near the power line.
high estimate guy needs to get a waiver from neighbor.
check both for insurance. call and make sure they got it.
also check your home owners policy
also i see cos. trimming trees around utility lines around here. i’m sure they ain’t turning off the power for them.
It isn’t necessary to cut the power if the crew knows what they’re doing and has the proper equipment (which isn’t to say that nothing can go wrong evenso, since people can fuck up in any event).
Tree is coming down because (a) I hate it (b) my back yard is too shady to grow veg.
The other tree is an ancient apricot that produces little and besides I don’t like apricots that much. If I’m going to have a fruit tree in the yard, let’s have a nectarine or peach.
The two estimators have General Liability insurance: low-estimate guy has it for $2 million and the other for $1 million.
I get these kinds of guys through ServiceMagic.com, which has user feedback and ratings and info about their insurance, etc.
she’s probably blessed with a million baby trees every spring
she meaning you
Sounds to me the higher bid wins, if you got the dough. If not, maybe take more bids.
i’d get a 3rd estimate. also the low guy doesn’t sound like he’s done much work around utility lines.
this guy was electrocuted to death hanging christmas lights this christmas when his ladder hit these lines in the air what had electricities running though them
this happened in texas
a pic of the tree and the power line would be useful visual
Pic of tree and lines will have to wait until tomorrow: it’s too dark even for my ISO 3200 setting.
this guy was Decapitated in Freak Wood Chipper Accident
she’s probably blessed with a million baby trees every spring
Siberian Elms create billions of paper coins every spring, and they’re all highly fertile. I’ve had ’em grow as thick as grass where I don’t sweep or even vacuum them off the ground.
Getting rid of this tree will alleviate the problem only a little, because the neighbor has one of the same size right by my garage.
Dude was worried about branches falling onto the power lines and blowing the transformer.
oh jeez that’s very final destination
I would likewise take more bids. Is the tree interfering with your powerlines at all? If so, you may be able to get the power copmpany to top your tree for you for free. Then get a guy to come out, pull it up and grind your stump, too.
As to replacement fruit trees, peaches and nectarines get blight quite a bit. The leaves will look deformed and sometimes they won’t fruit, the tree not the leaves.
It’s his business to prevent branches falling willy-nilly. Lines can be covered with temporary insulators to prevent brush contact (brush in the motion sense, not tree limb sense). These dudes can work from bucket lifts, if they’re smart.
are you negotiating for firewood too?
Both guys are going to use climbers to bring down the tree. The passage to the back yard is only four feet wide.
No firewood. I don’t have a stove.
you might want to contact the elec. utility to see who clears vegetation along their row.
You don’t have a fireplace? You could sell the wood to one of your neighbors.
They may have to take out a section of your fence to get at the tree, too.
“only four feet wide” — bummer. Still, tree climbers can secure limbs before they’re cut so’s they’re under control. It’s more work, is what it is, and therefore higher cost, I’d reckon. And insulation is still useful.
I’ll be looking for updates, di. We have a hundred year old oak that was struck by lightening a few years ago and is starting to make me nervous. It’s hugely tall and is going to cost a lot to take down safely. Boy, are my squirrels going to be pissed off!
I suggest moving and sticking the next
suckerproud home-owner with the HUGE Siberian liability claim in waiting. [grin]The electric company came by a few months back to clear out the branches that might fall on the lines.
I might could sell firewood. I might could ask them to leave the branches and let someone else come by and take what they want. There’s a lot of space below the tree with nothing growing but weeds.
OK, I found an old photo of the trees and power lines but it’s not terribly obvious what’s up. Mouse-over to see notes.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36459782@N00/6692713073/in/photostream
Elm makes good wheel hubs. Won’t split, in general.
Too, dicentra, big chunks of elm can make useful bowls, if you’re willing to spend a little time hewing and carving.
Dunno about Siberian Elm, which is basically a trash tree. I’ve had plenty of branches fall down after wind and snow storms.
Last night I saw a guy on TV use a lathe and a block of green wood to turn a cowboy hat. Yeah, he had to brace it just right as it dried, but mostly it was done on the lathe.
He gauged the thickness of the brim by putting a light behind the piece so he could see how much light came through.
Dude was a master artisan, but his manner was that of a knuckle-dragging Neanderthal, which means he doesn’t count.
the tree guy should be able throw a rope around the branch and pull it away from falling on the pwr line. that thing should be down 2 hrs max.
Di, the electric company where you live — is that a county-wide unified electric authority like the police and fire?
Lathes are cool tools. But nice big dough bowls can be chunked out with no more than a small hand-ax or adze, then finished with chisels. Plus the shape is infinitely variable that way, i.e., non-circular.
Rocky Mountain Power. I don’t know how they’re set up, jurisdiction-wise.
oh scratch that 2 hrs didn’t see the other structures
A lot of the tree is hanging over my neighbor’s garage.
The barn-looking roof in the back is way out of the way, though.
Actually, not really. It’s more work to climb, obviously, but you’re not running some very expensive equipment that’s usually the option. Rope is relatively cheap. Bucket trucks and cranes, not so much.
Di, that’s right up and over the fence? The bitch of that tree is the several spread out trunks that don’t leave a hell of a lot to tie off to. I’d probably drop it in fairly small pieces. If the neighbor is willing to let it be dropped in their yard, it shouldn’t be too tough. The stuff on your side of the wires can probably come down in one piece, particularly if the apricot is going anyway.
I take it those are service lines, that is they go from the poles along the road to houses?
link
Follow the line to the right, to the next pole (not shown), and there’s the transformer.
To the left, in the corner of my yard, the lines branch out to five houses, including my own. That’s where they dead-end.
The multiple trunks are a hallmark of the Siberian Elms, and that’s one reason I don’t like the tree. None of the trunks counts as the main trunk, and they’re splayed out like an octopus.
Which is why it’s such a difficult job. It’s not a pine tree, that you can just cut and topple.
Pablo, the higher cost I’m reckoning is in higher labor inputs, not capital equipment investments. I’ve cut trees.
“We’re giving this bunch of unelected regulators the power to choose how you shall be fucked and how much they charge you for the screwing.”
Declaration, hell, I can fit the way most bills work into less than the opening sentence…..
you might want to contact rocky mtn pwr first and see if they’ll take out some it for you.
you might want to contact rocky mtn pwr first and see if they’ll take out some it for you.
They already did a few months back.
rocky wants 14′ clearance
I guess I could rat out the peeps what didn’t cut away enough. Photos ought to do ‘er.
sdferr, my Dad climbed, I’ve climbed, my brother still climbs. There’s been a tree business in my family for 35 years. The big outfits that don’t climb have always been more expensive. I’m not strictly talking capital investment, I’m talking operating costs, although if you’re running the equipment, you’re looking to get it paid for.
Di, what I’m trying to figger is whether there’s primary power there or just secondary distribution. Does the fence run along the road?
Had to get rid of some tall pines when I was building and the grading company took their bucket-on-a-crane-machine (yep, here’s my man card) and just knocked the suckers over. Took about two minutes a tree. Has nothing to do with this but I thought it was fun to watch.
naw it looks like new growth from the pic. that big guy leaning over the fence towards the garage is the problem. i think the low guy you might discount because the stuff going to the lines is new growth and not big. you might want to get 2 new bids. the last big tree i dropped was a sycamore in lower merion pa in ’83.
“just secondary distribution. ”
@73″Follow the line to the right, to the next pole (not shown), and there’s the transformer.”
I’ll get better photos tomorrow and resume the discussion in a new thread.
Hijacked, of course. O_o
Which means that pole has primary, not that it’s one of these lines. I’m wondering whether these are all service drops, or whether there’s a backyard distribution setup.
Just got sent a link by sdferr which gets back more on topic for this thread.
Sen. Santorum on marriage and life.
Geoffb
from your Santorum link:
What a H8TER!!! Burn him!!!
Tree discussion continues here.