Comments on: The Solution to Expensive Gas: Make it More Expensive! http://www.freedomtalks.org/2008/05/08/the-solution-to-expensive-gas-make-it-more-expensive/ The FreedomWorks blog dedicated to lower taxes and more freedom. Fri, 16 May 2008 05:55:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5 By: Mister Guy http://www.freedomtalks.org/2008/05/08/the-solution-to-expensive-gas-make-it-more-expensive/#comment-86049 Mister Guy Wed, 14 May 2008 00:51:02 +0000 http://www.freedomtalks.org/?p=1510#comment-86049 We should at least incentivize being more efficient in energy use and not do the opposite with our public policy...like has been the case in recent years. We should at least incentivize being more efficient in energy use and not do the opposite with our public policy…like has been the case in recent years.

]]> By: CC http://www.freedomtalks.org/2008/05/08/the-solution-to-expensive-gas-make-it-more-expensive/#comment-85791 CC Mon, 12 May 2008 22:45:03 +0000 http://www.freedomtalks.org/?p=1510#comment-85791 My opinion is that the only way we (Americans) are going to adopt more energy efficient policies/behavior as a nation is to use an economic incentive. It may hit some folks disproportionately and needs to be taken into account, but overall it can and should be used as a force for better technology and policy. My opinion is that the only way we (Americans) are going to adopt more energy efficient policies/behavior as a nation is to use an economic incentive. It may hit some folks disproportionately and needs to be taken into account, but overall it can and should be used as a force for better technology and policy.

]]> By: ??????? http://www.freedomtalks.org/2008/05/08/the-solution-to-expensive-gas-make-it-more-expensive/#comment-84961 ??????? Fri, 09 May 2008 09:06:10 +0000 http://www.freedomtalks.org/?p=1510#comment-84961 “???????”?????????????????????????????????????,????????????????????????????????????? “???????”?????????????????????????????????????,?????????????????????????????????????

]]> By: CMS Albert Higgins USAF RET http://www.freedomtalks.org/2008/05/08/the-solution-to-expensive-gas-make-it-more-expensive/#comment-84876 CMS Albert Higgins USAF RET Fri, 09 May 2008 01:30:20 +0000 http://www.freedomtalks.org/?p=1510#comment-84876 What to do about high oil prices? First get Bush out of office which be done until next next January. When his time is up America should nationalize the oil industry in our country, this is not to far fetched as the country is at war that our leaders have got us into through lies, and more lies and standing on an aircraft carrier and declair victory. Just What in the world was He thinking. I never read that any Iraq people were on any of the Planes that bomb us on 911. Of the 19 people that bombed us on 911 were not from IRAQ , but from Saudi Arabia. I guess We won't know until the present administration gets out of office just how many of our Generals and other of our officers were driven out of office because this war. All I can say is the notion that we are in a recession now is is not true because we are in a depression at this time as we have at the Helm of the country are persons, Congressmen and Senators who know nothing about running our country What to do about high oil prices? First get Bush out of office which be done until next next January. When his time is up America should nationalize the oil industry in our country, this is not to far fetched as the country is at war that our leaders have got us into through lies, and more lies and standing on an aircraft carrier and declair victory. Just What in the world was He thinking. I never read that any Iraq people were on
any of the Planes that bomb us on 911. Of the 19 people that bombed us on 911 were not from IRAQ , but from Saudi Arabia. I guess We won’t know until the present administration gets out of office just how many of our Generals and other of our officers were driven out of office because this war. All I can say is the notion that we are in a recession now is
is not true because we are in a depression at this time as we have at the Helm of the country are persons, Congressmen and Senators who know nothing about running our country

]]> By: Mister Guy http://www.freedomtalks.org/2008/05/08/the-solution-to-expensive-gas-make-it-more-expensive/#comment-84848 Mister Guy Thu, 08 May 2008 22:26:46 +0000 http://www.freedomtalks.org/?p=1510#comment-84848 Cutting into a company's HUGE profits does not necessarily mean that the price of whatever that company produces will go up BTW. Getting rid of corporate welfare for Big Oil just makes common sense...they don't need it in the first place...alternative energies do. Try & get some of the coastal states to agree to "offshore drilling", and ANWR only contains about a few months worth of oil in it BTW. Drilling for more of a finite resource is only putting off the envitable...we need to get off the oil habit & fast! Cutting into a company’s HUGE profits does not necessarily mean that the price of whatever that company produces will go up BTW. Getting rid of corporate welfare for Big Oil just makes common sense…they don’t need it in the first place…alternative energies do.

Try & get some of the coastal states to agree to “offshore drilling”, and ANWR only contains about a few months worth of oil in it BTW. Drilling for more of a finite resource is only putting off the envitable…we need to get off the oil habit & fast!

]]> By: Laura http://www.freedomtalks.org/2008/05/08/the-solution-to-expensive-gas-make-it-more-expensive/#comment-84784 Laura Thu, 08 May 2008 16:28:19 +0000 http://www.freedomtalks.org/?p=1510#comment-84784 It seems that whenever the government needs more money to fund projects they jump on the tax wagon and make you and I pay more and take home less. Doesn't it seem more prudent to put out an inquiry for people to annonomously and volluntarily expose factual government over spending and then quickly provide investigation results within 30 days post report? Goverment over spending is in the billions of dollars. One bolt at Fastenal Fasteners may be up to $5.00 but, in the Millitary its $15.00. Processes such as CMGC or Construction Management General Contractor processes rip tax payers off by millions of dollars every month! I would like to mention that there is an important topic that directly affects the economics and growth of the construction industry as a whole. If you Google the following: ORS 279.015 EMERGENCY DECLARATION and ORS 279C.335 COMPETITIVE BIDDING How the above affects the economic conditions of the construction industry as a whole, including General Contractors, Sub-Contractors, their employees and their families, is that All Public Improvement Projects are by law required to be based on Competitive Bids. There is a loophole however to allow the government to give projects to whoever they choose which eliminates all other companies from providing price competitive bids. This loophole is favoritism as outlined in PUBLIC CONTRACTING RULES CHAPTER 279c and is illegal. The way the government gets around it is declaring the project an Emergency. The project itself does not truly fit under the EMERGENCY definitions (flood, hurricane, disaster) as outlined in ORS 279.015. One project that was declared as an EMERGENCY to exempt the project from Competitive Bidding and to allow favoritism is Hillsboro School District of Oregon – Meeting Minutes October 24, 2006, page 6, Board Chair Ortman convened the Board as a Local Contract Review Board and stated that “the Board, acting in its capacity as the Local Contract Review Board under ORS 279.015(2) , needed to consider Findings of Fact for use of a Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) for the construction of two elementary schools. The Local Contract Review Board would also consider a resolution granting a specific exemption from competitive bidding requirements for ruse of a CM/GC process for the construction of two schools.” Competitive Bids means that anyone that is qualified may submit a bid for review and consideration. The “Owner” may choose to save money and select amongst the range of prices from bidders for the same project and select the lowest and most cost-effective bidder. When projects are EXEMPT from public bidding it means that the select few may have prices that are up to double the actual cost. Examples (you can Google these): Bornstein Seafood Resolution 2005-13 – With Exemption from Competitive Bidding CM/GC Bids $10,000,000 true value = $5,700,000 Regents University of California Sept. 20, 2005 – Mgmt. School Facility Phase 1 CM/GC bids $46,914,000 – Budget $31,414,000 What is CM/GC? A middle man that duplicates the project management process provided by the General Contractor. What does it cost? A percentage of the whole project bid. Example (you can Google this): Denver Public Schools Meeting Minutes June 8, 2004 five CM/GC’s bid to be the middle man. Bids on a $7,577,470 project to renovate Byers Middle School Bids come in at $755,000 and $977,284 and $1,161,000 and $501,098 and $1,298,390. It is not necessary to have a middle man which duplicates the project management process provided by the hired General Contractor. When you are talking about millions of dollars for a project that have to be re-paid by the taxpayers it truly affects the economy by raising the bar on how much taxpayers are obligated to pay and for how long. So there are two important factors here the Taxpayers COST OF LIVING rises, and companies that are bumped out of the Competitive Bidding process are hurt economically as they lose the opportunity to work and employ their workers on high paying public jobs. Now think to yourself, how many taxpayers will have to pay off the debt and for how long? (look up the bond that covers the improvement cost, find out which city residents have to repay the debts, usually this is home owners and business owners in the area, call the local city hall to find out how many home/business owners there are in the area, and divide the debt by the number of people who are obligated to pay the money back). It seems that whenever the government needs more money to fund projects they jump on the tax wagon and make you and I pay more and take home less.

Doesn’t it seem more prudent to put out an inquiry for people to annonomously and volluntarily expose factual government over spending and then quickly provide investigation results within 30 days post report?

Goverment over spending is in the billions of dollars. One bolt at Fastenal Fasteners may be up to $5.00 but, in the Millitary its $15.00. Processes such as CMGC or Construction Management General Contractor processes rip tax payers off by millions of dollars every month!

I would like to mention that there is an important topic that directly affects the economics and growth of the construction industry as a whole. If you Google the following: ORS 279.015 EMERGENCY DECLARATION and ORS 279C.335 COMPETITIVE BIDDING

How the above affects the economic conditions of the construction industry as a whole, including General Contractors, Sub-Contractors, their employees and their families, is that All Public Improvement Projects are by law required to be based on Competitive Bids. There is a loophole however to allow the government to give projects to whoever they choose which eliminates all other companies from providing price competitive bids. This loophole is favoritism as outlined in PUBLIC CONTRACTING RULES CHAPTER 279c and is illegal. The way the government gets around it is declaring the project an Emergency. The project itself does not truly fit under the EMERGENCY definitions (flood, hurricane, disaster) as outlined in ORS 279.015.

One project that was declared as an EMERGENCY to exempt the project from Competitive Bidding and to allow favoritism is Hillsboro School District of Oregon – Meeting Minutes October 24, 2006, page 6, Board Chair Ortman convened the Board as a Local Contract Review Board and stated that “the Board, acting in its capacity as the Local Contract Review Board under ORS 279.015(2) , needed to consider Findings of Fact for use of a Construction Manager/General Contractor (CM/GC) for the construction of two elementary schools. The Local Contract Review Board would also consider a resolution granting a specific exemption from competitive bidding requirements for ruse of a CM/GC process for the construction of two schools.”

Competitive Bids means that anyone that is qualified may submit a bid for review and consideration. The “Owner” may choose to save money and select amongst the range of prices from bidders for the same project and select the lowest and most cost-effective bidder. When projects are EXEMPT from public bidding it means that the select few may have prices that are up to double the actual cost.

Examples (you can Google these):

Bornstein Seafood Resolution 2005-13 – With Exemption from Competitive Bidding CM/GC Bids $10,000,000 true value = $5,700,000

Regents University of California Sept. 20, 2005 – Mgmt. School Facility Phase 1 CM/GC bids $46,914,000 – Budget $31,414,000

What is CM/GC? A middle man that duplicates the project management process provided by the General Contractor. What does it cost? A percentage of the whole project bid.

Example (you can Google this):

Denver Public Schools Meeting Minutes June 8, 2004 five CM/GC’s bid to be the middle man. Bids on a $7,577,470 project to renovate Byers Middle School Bids come in at $755,000 and $977,284 and $1,161,000 and $501,098 and $1,298,390.

It is not necessary to have a middle man which duplicates the project management process provided by the hired General Contractor.

When you are talking about millions of dollars for a project that have to be re-paid by the taxpayers it truly affects the economy by raising the bar on how much taxpayers are obligated to pay and for how long. So there are two important factors here the Taxpayers COST OF LIVING rises, and companies that are bumped out of the Competitive Bidding process are hurt economically as they lose the opportunity to work and employ their workers on high paying public jobs.

Now think to yourself, how many taxpayers will have to pay off the debt and for how long? (look up the bond that covers the improvement cost, find out which city residents have to repay the debts, usually this is home owners and business owners in the area, call the local city hall to find out how many home/business owners there are in the area, and divide the debt by the number of people who are obligated to pay the money back).

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