Cheap AC fixes

Summer is on us here in Texas.  Official or not, it's hot as all get out!  The other day our house was getting progressively hotter rather than cooler with the air conditioner going.  A quick glance and I discovered that the fan blade on the outside unit (that's the ugly metal box that's located right next to your house, for those who don't know) was not spinning.  A fast call to my cousin, the AC guy, and we troubleshot the problem.  If you are experiencing similar problems, pull the small access panel from the back left corner and locate the silver cylinder that has four (4) wires attached to the top.  If the cylinder is bulging at all on the top then it's bad and needs to be replaced.  Mark the wires, remove the part and take it to your local AC shop (Lowe's doesn't carry 'em).  Replace in opposite order and you're done.  And you just saved yourself a few hundred dollars in service calls from the AC guys.  You're welcome :)

Semester's over! What now?

Well, the Spring semester has come to an end and so has the class that was requiring me to update this blog.  I'm at a bit of a crossroad however.  Should I also end this blog since the class is done or do I keep this thing going for my own enjoyment?  At this time I think I'll keep it going, if for no other reason than to stroke my ego a bit more :)  Beware, things could get interesting now since I'm no longer tethered by the restraints put on me by the "education system".  Tell your friends to read along as well, you never know what you could learn in here.

Law Breakers, BEWARE!

Texas Republic TImes had this opinion  New Immigration Bill but I'm going to have to take the other side on this issue and say that this Bill is exactly the kick in the pants that the local business owners need to show them that the government means to play for keeps. Business owners use these undocumented workers because they can be had for very cheap, which lets them bid lower on many construction jobs, and majority of the time they will be paid in cash so that the owner does not have to pay any taxes or carry any sort of insurance for these workers. This practice is essentially taking money out of our economy since they don't pay nearly as much taxes as their competitors.

You speak of discrimination and civil rights? Civil Rights are awarded to US citizens, which these illegal immigrants are not. And there is no discrimination. This bill is directed to the business owners that are breaking the LAW! Failure to pay taxes is a federal offense, punishable by both fines and jail time.

I'm certain that every single person that hires an undocumented worker will not be sentenced to two years jail time and fine. These are maximum sentences that can be handed out and will surely be reserved for the habitual offender. For the average person, the idea of jail time is a huge deterrent against committing any kind of offense and that is the reaction that they are looking for when they attach such terms to a bill or law.

I think this bill should be passed without any problems and is very easy to patrol for offenders. Let those who break the law, be punished accordingly.

Doing the Right Thing?

On April 11, 2011 The Texas Comptroller's Office finally admitted that they had left the personal information of some 3.5 million Texans on a public website for more than a year.  Two weeks prior, on the 31st of March the issue was noticed and corrected.  Since the 11th the Comptroller, Mrs. Susan Combs, has done nearly everything in her power to diminish her role in the mishap.  When the news first surfaced that the screw-up had occurred, Susan Combs looked to spread the blame to other departments that had originally offered the information.  However, this was swiftly rebutted by the department heads in question and they proved that they had done everything by the books to keep the confidential information safe.  Seeing that blame would not work, Mrs. Combs then began looking for free programs that could monitor the affected personnel's credit for any misuse.  She then learned that no such programs exist and was left with no other option than to offer free credit monitoring to anyone who's social security numbers were made public.  The only noble thing that she has done in this debacle is she has said the funds required to offer such assistance, will be pulled from her campaign funds.  Too little, too late?  Only time will tell, as Susan Combs has already began campaigning for the Lieutenant Governor position in 2014.  With someone so reluctant to accept fault, do we really want to give her more responsibility?  Hopefully the voters will remember the name Susan Combs when it comes election time once again.

Soda tax? Can't we do better than that?

How much is a soda really worth???  Texas Chitchat is correct in saying that the small tax increase will probably go unnoticed by many of the people that consume sodas. However, if you lobbying this on the basis that it would be a healthier decision for America and an incentive to decrease or stop your consumption all together then shouldn't they "demonize" something that causes more harm than a refreshing Coca-Cola?

Take beer as an example. Are there any nutritional aspects in a bottle of beer? Probably not. I'm certain that the amount of beer consumed on an average weekend in Austin greatly dwarfs those numbers that consumed a soda. "Coke" has been around for a long time and as far as I know there have been zero deaths contributed to the consumption of one. People don't have one to many sodas and go out and kill an innocent family in a horrible car crash.

If we are gonna put a tax on something shouldn't we at least hit the big vices before we go after the little guys. The government raised taxes on cigarettes in an effort to get folks to stop smoking. Why can't the same be done for drinking?

The Unseen Windstorm

The Texas Windstorm Insurance Association (TWIA) is an Austin, Tx based quasi-government company that was created by the State and overseen by the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI), however it is ran as a private company with no government benefits.  Most Austinites have never heard of TWIA because it deals solely with hurricane prone counties along the coast, but here lately this relatively small company has made national headlines with it's conspiracies and under the table dealings.

In the last month, three of the company's top officials have been fired for unethical conduct.  Reggie Warren and Bill Knarr were the first to be released when they were suspected of being involved in fraudulent claims adjustments with a private claims company.  Next to go was General manager Jim Oliver for his suspected involvement and lack of action in the fraudulent claims.  Since then, TDI has taken control over all executive decisions and left all the other "higher ups" within TWIA fearing for their jobs.

Who's being punished for the sins of the executives?  Not the public because the claims are all getting paid in a timely manner.  Not TDI because they claim that TWIA was it's own entity to run as they saw fit.  It's the lower-rung employees that are taking the brunt of the backlash.  With every VP and section supervisor afraid that they are next on the chopping block, they are projecting their fears onto their subordinates in an effort to look like they are part of the solution and not part of the problem.

Dear Texas Department of Insurance, when you are done with the executive managers, please take a look further down the chain of command.  I'm sure you will find some more unsavory characters that are in desperate need of a career change.

Sincerely,
"Slim"

A Welcome Warning to SXSW Participants

Dear SXSW Participants:  In this post Harold Cook offers a double-edged welcome to the participants of Austin's annual SXSW event.  Many native Austinites will agree with Mr. Cook's slant that the event is becoming increasingly more about drinking and partying than what it was originally created to do and that is educating and showcasing people on the arts, primarily independent films.  Since none of the visiting hoard will be doing much reading between their trips to the closest beer bong set-up, I would say that Harold Cook's writings will fall upon deaf ears and serve merely as a comic relief for those forced to endure the festivities that will take place in their neighborhoods.

However, Harold might be looking at this the wrong way.  Imagine all the revenue that will be generated after the Austin Police Department has finished issuing all the parking, public intoxication and noise complaint tickets.  Maybe they can get enough to save the local schools from closing, but then how would the city pay to put on this equally beneficial event next year?

Love the post, love the sarcasm, it's just missing one thing.  In bold print across the bottom it should read:

Thanks for visiting, just don't forget to LEAVE!