75 degrees this morning walk 34:39 minutes, 85 % humidity
Reasonably good walk this morning. One of those days where I put one foot in front of another, don’t worry about pace and just say “good enough”! No moon, little breeze.
Pace was 25 seconds slower than my goal this morning. I didn’t even really
think about pushing the pace this morning.
Sitting on the patio writing this and pondering on the waning days of Summer. I enjoy it while it is here! I recently saw a picture of our patio at Lakeland and I am glad I enjoyed it while we had it, and I will enjoy the Summer while it is here.
Listening to the biography of Robert Moses some more. I find it hard to believe he could be so rude, overbearing and dishonest for so many years and keep his “power”.
The reason he could do it was he “got things done”. May have not been the right things, and it may have cost 10 times what he said it would cost, but “done is done”.
Again there is an invidious overtone to the overwhelming forces to “get something done”, especially in public works. The benefits to contractors, banks, attorneys, architects, engineers politicians etc. even if there is really no public need or demand for the projects.
Add to that, the overwhelming impact of public projects. Public projects have impacts that last for generations for sometimes literally forever.
When I consider the impact of public projects (especially roads, lakes, buildings, parts etc.), it seems the public should be more involved and with more transparency that many of them are built now.
One thought on this is a turnpike authority and similar trusts and authorities. They are basically unelected officials who have the power to condemn land and build huge projects that can destroy (or enhance) a city and the countryside.
Of course “public utilities” also frequently have the power of condemnation and to place huge projects where they want them, with almost no oversight.
I have always thought it strange that the Corporation Commission in this state is elected primarily with money from the utilities and oil companies, yet they are supposed to regulate those same industries!
It seems like it is kind of letting the coyote guard the chickens!
I was thinking about the idea that some day batteries will be amiable to essentially make each hours “self sufficient” on electricity. It would save a lot of distribution costs, fixing of outages etc.
Probably makes too much sense!
That’s it for now, Saturday, August 18, 2018
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