A principle Salem should embrace: reward rather than punish conservation

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Here at LOVESalem HQ, we're preparing for the future by doing a lot of things to enable us to garden year round. One of the things we did was spend mucho-dinero on installing underground pipes so that I could install a drip irrigation system.

Drip irrigation is one of the most important technologies out there -- it makes plants happier, more disease free, and uses much, much, much, less water (dozens of gallons per hour instead of hundreds or even thousands from a conventional spray irrigation setup), while eliminating excess moisture being pumped into the air, making it humid and stuffy.

Not only that, anyone who installs drip irrigation is doing everyone else a big favor, because it means that there is that much more water available for everyone else from our supply in the North Santiam river. Recall that last year we had water restrictions because we depend on filters to clean up the water. That's going to happen more and more often as it gets hotter and drier, which is the clear trend (even if this summer has been fairly cool here in Salem). If we could get everyone to use drip and let their lawns go without in summer (it greens up again just as soon as the rains return), Salem would have much greater water security and we wouldn't need to be mulling over millions of dollars to find another supply.

So, the other day, as a reward for spending thousands of dollars on a drip system, I got a letter from Salem telling me I have to get my backflow preventer checked. That's the little gizmo (a double check valve, basically) that keeps water from flowing backwards from my irrigation system and into Salem's water supply header, possibly bringing contaminants with it. So these checks are important -- vital, even.

The problem? I have to pay for the backflow preventer check every year -- even though I only have a backflow preventer because I'm dramatically lowering my call on Salem's water supply, leaving more for everyone else. And keeping contaminants out of the water benefits everyone, not just us. In other words, the City of Salem should be encouraging drip irrigation as much as possible, and that would mean picking up the cost of the backflow checks, rather than making the owner pay it.

It would be different if I had put in a conventional sprayer-type sprinkler system; Salem should discourage or even forbid them, because they waste so much water and allow individuals to force the rest of us to keep enlarging the water system. But where someone installs a water-conserving improvement at their own expense, the annual cost of making sure that the public health is protected should be picked up as a public good, and paid for by the water utility, not the owner.

The root of the problem is that water is so darn cheap that people waste huge volumes of it without a second thought; this underpricing of a precious resource means that people have a strong DISincentive to spend lots of money on a water-saving system like the one we put in. We need to revisit all our costs and fees and make sure that we're not creating these disincentives and that, wherever possible, we reward people who take private actions that create public benefits.

Word: Headline of the Century

We fight for the oil we need to fight for the oil.

Scam Warning: Robocalls from "ALS"

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Some idiot just directed a robocall to LOVESalem HQ, apparently unaware that here abides someone who likes nothing better than fighting back against consumer scammers like this one.

If you get any robocall solicitations -- like the one just received here from "Dave at ALS," at 888-712-4668 then you should go here to make a complaint. When you get the call, note the time, any name given (of the company or the caller) and especially any phone number they offer you.

These calls are illegal, and usually are the hallmark of a scam . . . this one promised me the opportunity to have my overdue taxes reduced (although I don't have any overdue taxes).

As times get hard, these roaches will come out of the woodwork, preying on people in dire straits and promising to get their debts adjusted. DON'T FALL FOR IT. As you can see from the message boards here, this company is nothing but a scam.

Jaw-dropping is right

This is where The River project has to go before prices become sane for Salem

Salem is going to start experiencing a lot of buyer's remorse here now that voters narrowly rejected Chuck Bennett's bid for mayor, selecting Janet Taylor's handpicked successor instead . . . only to discover, now that it's too late, that Taylor's idea of a sound investment is waiving lending standards to give $500k to a development firm that has proven so inept at judging the Salem market for condos that it has built a condo tower on the river that is wildly mismatched to the Salem market and, surprise!, managed not to sell a single one.

That alone should disqualify the developer from any city lending under even the most casual scrutiny. Bottom line is that the developer firm is demonstrably incompetent; they conceived of and built a project that reflects nothing but real-estate-bubble thinking and a total ignorance of what the Salem market needs and wants. Ergo, the city money would be at serious risk of not being paid back, regardless of how the ethics questions against one of the developers are worked out.

Besides, from the city's point of view, the faster those guys lose the project and the lenders take it over, the better, because that's when the prices will come down and the units will be finished and filled. The units will never sell at the prices conceived of by the original developers; before buying LOVESalem HQ, we got the brochure and price list for The Rivers and The Meridian projects and I just about did a spit-take when I saw what delusions these builders had about the Salem market. Those projects simply will never pencil out at what Salem buyers are willing and able to pay, given the incomes here in this town. Hence, the only way for those projects to proceed is for the developers to take a bath and for the projects to fall into the hands of the lenders, who can and will be motivated to bring the prices down to earth. Pumping city money into them only means helping incompetent developers prolong the agony longer, while keeping the projects empty.

The real jaw-dropping aspect is that only two council members had the sense to oppose the sweetheart loan package.

Do the Mayor and the four who supported waiving the usual lending standards not recall that the entire country is flat on its back because of foolish real-estate lending? Does anyone think that Salem incomes are suddenly going to jump up enough to support $250-$300 per sq-ft condos, allowing the developer to repay loans? Jaw-dropping indeed.

If there was any merit to the developer's idea for how to proceed, there would be a line of banks and credit unions lining up to lend the $500k. But there's not. Hmmmmm, what does that tell you?

McKibben nails it

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Bill McKibben nails the "Start compromising before you even start negotiating" ideal of polite action to respond to climate chaos:

We’re Hot as Hell and We’re Not Going to Take It Any More
Three Steps to Establish a Politics of Global Warming
By Bill McKibben

Try to fit these facts together:

* According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the planet has just come through the warmest decade, the warmest 12 months, the warmest six months, and the warmest April, May, and June on record.

* A “staggering” new study from Canadian researchers has shown that warmer seawater has reduced phytoplankton, the base of the marine food chain, by 40% since 1950.

* Nine nations have so far set their all-time temperature records in 2010, including Russia (111 degrees), Niger (118), Sudan (121), Saudi Arabia and Iraq (126 apiece), and Pakistan, which also set the new all-time Asia record in May: a hair under 130 degrees. I can turn my oven to 130 degrees.

* And then, in late July, the U.S. Senate decided to do exactly nothing about climate change. They didn’t do less than they could have -- they did nothing, preserving a perfect two-decade bipartisan record of no action. Senate majority leader Harry Reid decided not even to schedule a vote on legislation that would have capped carbon emissions.

I wrote the first book for a general audience on global warming back in 1989, and I’ve spent the subsequent 21 years working on the issue. I’m a mild-mannered guy, a Methodist Sunday School teacher. Not quick to anger. So what I want to say is: this is fucked up. The time has come to get mad, and then to get busy.

For many years, the lobbying fight for climate legislation on Capitol Hill has been led by a collection of the most corporate and moderate environmental groups, outfits like the Environmental Defense Fund. We owe them a great debt, and not just for their hard work. We owe them a debt because they did everything the way you’re supposed to: they wore nice clothes, lobbied tirelessly, and compromised at every turn.

By the time they were done, they had a bill that only capped carbon emissions from electric utilities (not factories or cars) and was so laden with gifts for industry that if you listened closely you could actually hear the oinking. They bent over backwards like Soviet gymnasts. Senator John Kerry, the legislator they worked most closely with, issued this rallying cry as the final negotiations began: "We believe we have compromised significantly, and we're prepared to compromise further.”

And even that was not enough. They were left out to dry by everyone -- not just Reid, not just the Republicans. Even President Obama wouldn’t lend a hand, investing not a penny of his political capital in the fight. . . .

The very hard-to-please customer who was very pleased

My crazy neighbor is a unique individual indeed -- she is the only person I have ever known or even heard of who got a degree in music literature. Not music -- she doesn't play anything or even read music. Nope, her degree is in music LIT-er-a-chure!

Oddly enough, she had a hard time finding a job after college, and thus wound up in the US Navy, during the Vietnam years, spent some time in the Pentagon and in Pearl Harbor. Not a bad way to get your GI Bill benefits, which put her through medical school, which put her into a career as an independent physician.

She was the last of the old-style doctors -- lived over the store, saw everybody, and refused to take orders from insurance companies and play the game the way that the accountants dictate. So she was a humane physician but forgot to get rich (hence, living next to LOVESalem HQ now rather than in a big city condo near the Arts District -- where the retired gentlemen hang out to discuss music literature -- or some mountain lake somewhere).

After retiring, she's turned herself into quite the gourmet cook -- she bakes a mean blueberry pie, for example. Wonderful neighbor that she is, there is one problem -- I don't know whether it's the music literature or the MD at work but she is, how do we put this, VERY HARD TO PLEASE, especially around food.

And yet. Today, we had lunch at Church St. Pizza (on Church St. ! Where Christo's used to be, a couple doors north of Chemeketa, just south of the Chase Bank on Center St.) - and lo! It was good. Very good, in fact.

And she was well pleased! She had a supremo (a veggie combo slice with sausage) and I had a veggie slice and a cheese slice -- and it was wonderful. I don't know if Ian puts crack in his crust or what, but it's amazing. Thin yet loaded with flavor.

Crazy neighbor's most telling comment during lunch: "You know how with most pizza you try to eat it so you eat the parts you like and avoid the rest --- there isn't any part that's not good on this!"

And it's true. Check it out.

P.S. They're also serving local wines by the glass and Oregon beers! Handmade pizza with Oregon beer --- mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm . . .

What is the sound of a really big other shoe dropping? THIS:

http://www.energybulletin.net/node/53646

Stop by One Fair World on this August First Wednesday

One Fair World was part of the Ten Thousand Villages chain of fair-trade stores, and One Fair World is still a 100% fair-trade store, still run by local Salem-area volunteers, still providing artisans in developing countries a way to market their goods for a fair price that provides them with opportunities to house and feed their families and send their children to school.

The local group running the store decided to leave TTV because they wanted to continue bringing Salem more diverse goods from more certified fair-trade sources than they could had they remained with TTV. The price is losing a little bit of name recognition that had built up for the TTV name -- but, on the other hand, changing to become a fully independent fair-trade outlet means that you not only have the opportunity to deal directly with the local management, but you can also volunteer to help in myriad ways, from working at the store (and getting first crack at new things offered) to working on the board or speaking in classrooms about the fair trade ideals and practices.

So if you haven't been for a while, stop by (474 Court St. -- just west of the Court and High intersection where Grand Vines is) -- maybe this Wednesday evening, when you can register for a drawing for a gift certificate and enjoy some refreshments. Should be fun, and it's another Salem gem well worth your support --- so if you're one of those types who likes to do your holiday shopping all year round, when the mood strikes and you see something wonderful, One Fair World should be a regular stop on your rounds.

The Looming Third-Bridge Nightmare

Although it's less likely to be funded or occur than its bigger Columbia River sibling, anyone who cares about Salem should know that there is still a lavishly funded effort afoot to destroy downtown Salem's livability to promote more auto commuting (to what?) by ripping a gargantuan third auto bridge right through the heart of Salem.

You just need to go to the Gilbert House on Front St. to get a sense of what a charming addition this bridge would be -- a brutal, looming monstrosity that would not only cause the destruction of many homes but also of the waterfront.

The photo (from the linked story) is probably a good predictor for Salem --- because of our railroad tracks and the existing buildings near the Willamette, a third Salem auto bridge would essentially be a gigantic flyover bridge that would look like a piece of central LA from a gangster thug movie plopped down into Salem.

What the future has in store for Salem

Image by Welfl via Flickr

James H. Kunstler hits it over the wall again (all illustrative links added here at LOVESalem, not part of JHK's essay):

. . . The true destination of the US economy is to get smaller and for two reasons mainly:

1.) Capital ("money") is vanishing out of our system steadily and rapidly due to a massive collective failure to repay money owed on loans, mortgages, debts, and assorted obligations.

2.) Access to the primary resource we depend on for powering the economy (oil) is increasingly beyond our control -- even worse, under the control of people who would like us to eat shit and die.

We really have a choice between two ways of dealing with this. We can downsize and re-scale consciously and coherently, or we can continue to chase after the phantom of growth and allow the nation to fall into a shambles of desperation. So far into this long emergency of an economic fiasco, we seem to have chosen the pursuit of a phantom. That's what President Obama was doing last week in Detroit, shilling for a new electric automobile which, he said, will make us "energy independent." If Mr. Obama believes this, then it isn't a very good advertisement for an Ivy League education.

I'd like to know how many Americans believe that electric cars run on virtually free energy (but I don't have pollsters on my payroll). I'd bet a lot of them do, including President Obama. Sorry to rain on this uplifting parade. At best, such a car fleet would run on coal -- that is coal-fired electric power plants -- but even that is a ridiculous fantasy when you actually pencil-out the details. Not to mention that a nation full of people with dwindling or vanishing incomes won't be in a position to fork over forty-grand for one of those new pseudo "green" vehicles. Also not to mention -- wait for it -- that due to rapidly vanishing capital there will be far fewer car loans available. The only thing growing in this part of the picture is the number of Americans who cannot possibly qualify for a car loan under normal terms that would require regular repayment of interest-and-principal. (Plenty of Americans qualify for the new "innovative" kind of loan -- the kind that you never have to make payments on, but for the moment, the banks are choking to death on them, so additional approvals may lag for a time.)

It's instructive that so much current hoopla about economic growth revolves around the issue of cars. For, if anything, reality is telling us very clearly that the mass motoring paradigm is near its end. Our determination to prop it up at all costs, despite the grave impairments of available capital and energy resources is a symptom of our detachment from reality. It's also a fine illustration of the psychology of previous investment, which prompts a desperate society to squander its scarce remaining resources on the very things that are putting it out of business.

We don't need need more highways. We're about to find out that we don't have the money to keep up regular repairs on the highways we already have. The hundreds of millions of "stimulus" dollars that President Obama flung into "shovel-ready" highway projects was among the more tragically dumb mistakes he made early on, and he has apparently learned nothing along these lines since then.

Interestingly, NPR ran a local story over the weekend -- an obscure little item -- saying that Amtrak was determined to raise the average speed of its passenger trains running north from Connecticut through Vermont from 40 miles-per-hour to 60mph. That would be some triumphant accomplishment! It would bring us back to about an 1860 level of service. Of course, I happen to believe that we will be lucky in a few years if we are able to enjoy an 1860's standard-of-living, so maybe this little side venture in public transport is perfectly in tune with America's future. . . .