If you’ve followed my Metal Tuesday series, you should know I have a fondness for covers. Particularly taking a non-metal song and turning it into a metal one. This one is not only a metal cover of a non-metal song, but a cover of the theme song to one of my favorite childhood films.

Month: September 2017
1.4 TRILLION Dollars
From Real Clear Education comes this little gem on how accreditation is one of those things that are jacking up the cost of education, and is rife with corruption.
http://www.realcleareducation.com/articles/2017/08/31/higher_education_is_rigged_against_students_110196.html

The real kicker for me was that the total owed on student loans was $1.4 trillion – and that’s double what was owed in 2009, just eight years ago.
Exactly why are we, as a nation, willing to shackle our students to piles of debt that will limit their disposable income for decades.
Yes, the students signed up for the loans, but it is we – through our government- that made those loans non-dischargeable in bankruptcy.
“We had to do that to make college more accessible! So that people wouldn’t be mired in poverty when they could make so much more.” Guess what, you’re miring them in a more pernicious poverty. That much debt limits choices. It also increases risks for long-term financial health.
The old saying is the road to hell is paved with good intentions. A lot of those bricks look are stamped with “Your student loan is approved!”
Niece Birthday Outing
For her birthday, my niece asked her uncles if they would take her and her friends to a trampoline park. This was accomplished, and the day generated some observations:
- Trampoline parks are great for burning off the seemingly boundless energy of children.
- It’s amazing how much I can write in a noisy place with constant interruptions of one or more children coming back to the table to rest.
- It is adorable to listen to three ten-year-old girls discuss the chicken dance. Particularly if you should clap or peck at the end because “pecking is more realistic.”
- The black hole that is my nephew’s stomach drives him to rather insane lengths in order to satisfy it. I’m almost tempted to get him a bandolier of snack bars to get him through the day. All in all, a great time was had by all.
- It is still weird when I run into colleagues from work in non-work settings.
After All, It’s Not Their Money
Across the bay, the city of St. Petersburg wants to force homeowners to add solar panels anytime they put on a new roof.
http://reason.com/blog/2017/08/31/st-petersburg-wants-to-force-you-to-put
They might make an exception for existing homes, but any new buildings, the city council at wants panels. And the homeowner or building owner gets to foot the bill. For another $10K. That’s about three times what I paid to put a new roof on my house last year. It’s about double what my mom paid for her roof.
All the council wants to focus on is all the energy they think this will generate. They refuse to think about:
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Solar isn’t as efficient as they expect.
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The cost to upgrade the grid to handle all that new energy generation.
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It will slow down development in St. Pete due to rising costs.
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People will have to take on more debt to do roof replacements. This will most likely lead to an uptick in foreclosures because some people will be unable to pay.
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Those who have to save up the cash will forgo necessary roof replacements, which will lead to even more problems, and more drains on people’s limited resources.
Of course, it’s not their money. So why should they give a damn if their brilliant idea hurts people.