Wes Kelley

The following was written for one of my graduate classes in political management.  I am posting it here for the fun of it. 

Tennessee and the other TVA states are at the top of the list.  No, it is not our educational attainment, economic prosperity or athletic achievement that is setting records.  Unfortunately, it is the amount of electricity powering our homes that sets us apart.  

Consistently, the states receiving power from the Tennessee Valley Authority consume electricity at the highest per capita levels in the country.  As a matter of fact, we use about 50% more than the national average.  Why are we consuming more kilowatts than others?  Perhaps it is because for many decades we benefited from relatively cheap electricity. We assumed that no matter how much we used, TVA would build more power plants to supply our needs.  

With today’s energy costs steadily rising, the days of, “use all you want—we’ll make more” are most certainly behind us.  It is now increasingly expensive and environmentally challenging to build new electric generation, and Tennesseans must embrace energy conservation as never before to control rising energy bills.

As it is, three-fifths of the power generated in Tennessee comes from coal-fired power plants, and the smoke and ash they produce contribute to environmental problems.  Also, when electricity usage is high, TVA and other power companies resort to using expensive gas-fired generation to keep up with the demand.  While less environmentally harmful than coal plants, gas generation produces greenhouse gases, and is even more expensive to operate than coal generation. 

Of course, for decades TVA and its distributors fed our seemingly insatiable appetite for electricity.  Congress chartered TVA in 1933 to sell its power, “at the lowest possible rate and in such a manner as to encourage increased domestic and rural use of electricity.”   

The first head of TVA, David E. Lilenthal, knew before he could expand the residential use of electricity, homes needed appliances to consume it.  He persuaded President Roosevelt to form the Electric Home and Farm Authority (EHFA).  This federal agency provided low-interest loans to stimulate sales of electric appliances throughout the Tennessee Valley.

A brochure from 1934 proudly proclaimed EHFA was, “interested in a constantly greater use of electricity in all American homes. A fully electrified nation is the goal.” For many years thereafter, TVA continued to encourage higher and higher levels of electricity consumption within our homes and businesses.  As a matter of fact, while Tennessee is at the top of the list in residential electricity consumption, it ranks near the bottom for natural gas usage.  

Obviously the push for residential use of electricity worked.  It wasn’t until the energy crisis in the late 1970s that conservation first entered our social vocabulary.  

Today, TVA’s energy right, Green Power Switch and Generation Partners programs demonstrate how far we have come.  These programs are part of the “greener” TVA.  This Federal agency wants to help its customers control their ever-increasing demand for electricity, and create renewable generation options to offset the need for additional power plants.

While Green Power Switch encourages customers to purchase renewable power to support green power, Generation Partners works directly with customers who want to build and operate their own renewable generation.  TVA will now buy renewable power, such as solar, wind, etc., from its customers to encourage local renewable generation.

However, it is energy right that deserves the most attention.  Through energy right, TVA offers home energy audits, financial incentives for purchasing energy efficient heat pumps and water heaters and educational resources for those wanting to make their homes more energy efficient.

We can begin by taking small actions within our homes.  Household projects such as replacing incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents, installing high-efficiency windows or adding insulation can add up to big reductions in energy usage over time.  We must remember simple steps matter; anytime you turn off unnecessary things that draw electricity you are reducing costs and helping the environment.

The founders of TVA knew the widespread use of low-cost electricity would stimulate economic opportunity within the Tennessee Valley.  Their vision, and the labor of countless Tennesseans, helped produce the bounty we enjoy today; however, we must understand our situation has changed.  The financial incentives that rewarded an ever-increasing use of electricity are gone.  We must focus our efforts on controlling our use of electricity before rising costs do lasting damage to our regional economy.

I signed up at Last.fm a good while ago and it dutifully records the music I’m listening to on a regular basis.  I looked at my account tonight and I saw the following rundown of the artists I listen to the most.  I’ll own up to this list.  While the order might move around a bit, this is a good list of many of my favorites.

1. Sting
2. New Order
3. Coldplay
4. The Cure
5. Depeche Mode
6. U2
7. The Beatles
8. Sarah McLachlan
9. The Shins
10. Dido
11. Jars of Clay
12. The Smiths
13. The Stone Roses
14. Peter Gabriel
15. XTC

Now that I have a child of my own, I’ve been thinking about the TV shows I watched when I was growing up in the late 70s in the early 80s. In spare moments, I’ve been surfing the depth of the Internet looking for information on the shows that kept me company as a little kid. Everyone remembers Sesame Street, The Electric Company and Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood as sources of high quality live-action entertainment for kiddies. And who didn’t watched Super Friends and all the classic cartoons that ran in a perpetual loop for decades. But I have been on the hunt for the not-so-well-remembered. After finding some clips on YouTube, I have to say that the 70s were bizarre. Some of the crap produced for kids during that confused decade makes me wonder how the youth of my generation grew up to be half-way normal.

The strangest of the bunch were the live-action shows produced by Sid and Marty Krofft. I think it is safe to say that the Kroffts were troubled men. While all of their shows were bizarre, some were just plain terrifying. Their contribution to 70s culture included classics like HR Pufnstuff, Land of the Lost and Sigmund and the Sea Monster. They also produced cute, but odd, shows like Wonderbug, The Lost Saucer and other Saturday morning staples. Not be to outdone, others prepared flashy live-action programming. The Banana Splits (with costumes made by Kroffts), the New Zoo Revue and the Great Space Coaster being among the ones that I remember.  

My truly fond memories of early childhood television were the cartoon space adventures. After being exposed to Star Wars when I was around four years old, my appointment television became Japanese imports like Battle of the Planets and Star Blazers. These shows had it all: grand adventure, sci fi plots and big battle scenes. Star Blazers really stands out in my memory because it was the first serialized show I remember following carefully. Every episode built on the story before it. It was a grown up story told for children.  

By the time I was nine or ten I fell into G.I. Joe, Transformers and Voltron. After that, even I became too old to watch cartoons. I do recall liking Kids Incorporated, but I’m embarrassed to admit watching an early tween show.  (However, check out this link to see a very young Jennifer Love Hewitt perform a Peter Gabriel classic, or this link to see an equally young Stacey Ferguson–Fergie from the Black Eye Peas–sing some Elvis.)

Thanks to YouTube and several fan sites, I’ve enjoyed rekindling some distant childhood memories that reminded me how I passed the time after a hard day in daycare and elementary school.

This week, several leaders within the Democratic party broadcast their opinion that now is the time to go back and hold Bush administration officials accountable for the memos that permitted torture, or if you prefer–enhanced interrogations. Even the person responsible for signing the memos, Mr. Bybee, now regrets the content and the ultimate ramifications of the legal opinions provided by the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel. Yet many on the Left still want blood.

It is hard to understand what good can come of this. It will set a dreadful precedent if the policy and legal decisions of one administration can be found criminal and prosecuted under the next. This is not Watergate. No domestic crime was committed against political adversaries. I suppose the closest parallel would be Congress’ campaign to uncover Reagan’s Iran-Contra affair. But aside from making Oliver North a household name, little was accomplished in that ordeal.

If attempts at prosecution were to move forward, the question to be answered is whether the officials involved knew they were breaking the law, or were they interpreting the law? As hard as it may be to stomach, the question is not whether the decision was moral or ethical, but was it illegal.

It could be argued that Republicans opened the door to moral or ethical political prosecution in the impeachment of Bill Clinton. In the minds of many Americans, President Clinton was impeached for having sex with Monica Lewinsky, but of course he was actually charged with lying under oath about his extramarital affair. This legal attempt at political payback did not succeed, and I suspect neither will the prosecution of those involved in the OLC memos.

When is it right to demand penance for sins of the past? Perhaps it is time to wake up Kennedy administration operatives from their nursing home beds and hold them accountable for that administration’s plans to assassinate a head of state, or the bizarrely bungled–and unauthorized–invasion attempt against that same island nation.

Or perhaps, more significantly, it is time to reevaluate the efficacy of President Truman’s decision to wipe out hundreds of thousands of civilians in an atomic flash. Granted, we have tried and found lacking our nineteenth century Presidential directives to systematically mistreat and marginalize the indigenous people of North America. But perhaps we no longer feel the need to allow time to pass before we begin our historical prosecutions.

My concern is over precedents. I was also quite concerned by the Bush administration’s unilateralism and constant attempts to stymie Congressional input and oversight. (A level of Congressional disdain not seen since the Roosevelt administration.) The manipulation of our political system by one party invariably leads to escalating misdeeds when the tables turn–and they always do. When the shoe is on the other foot it can be used to kick the former ruling party vigorously.

Democrats should consider how this backward-looking assault could be re-applied by a President Gingrich or another strong-willed opponent in the future. Our Republic will last as long as it is fair and reasonable for all concerned. Our national political pendulum has been swinging widely, and quickly, from side to side in recent decades, and I worry that such tactics can enable things to swing out of control.

This sign is curious for several reasons. First, why bother listing the distance in feet. Second, if you are going to list the number of feet–get it right–a mile is 5,280 feet.  Research and proofreading must not be the street department’s speciality.

[Via @dlprager]

It is nice to see some creativity still exists in the been-there-done-that music video business.  This video takes a simple concept and executes it well.  Granted, there is nothing new about stop motion (Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer” is perhaps the best known example), but I really like this execution.  Oh yea, and the music is okay too.

[Via Leo Laporte]

I am not really an obsessive compulsive person, but like many people I do exhibit some tendencies every once in a while.  For instance, for quite a long while I could not rest at night until I went through my ritual of diligently reading my growing list of RSS feeds, scanning Facebook and checking in on Twitter.  I felt like this was important because I was maintaining my connection to the “outside” world and keeping up-to-date with the important goings on.

Things have changed, after I came back from my vacation a few weeks back I decided to stop reading my RSS feeds and treat Facebook and Twitter like bits of entertainment not an obligation.  Since taking this step I feel less stressed at night and I am more present for my family.  The odd thing is while I have not missed my nightly RSS ritual, I do find myself drawn back to it in some weird addictive way.  It is not that I enjoy spending an hour or so scanning headlines and clearing out my cache of unread items, it is as though I need to do it so I know I’ve done my duty.  To whom I’m not sure.

It is beginning to dawn on me that quite a few things I believe must be done are just being done so I feel like I did something importantish.  I became a mouse building my own maze.  I am sure there a lessons to be learned here beyond the recognition of my RSS addiction, but I’m too busy running the maze to consider them right now.

If I were more ambitious I’d write a cogent and insight book summary after every good read.  Such an endeavor would give this blog some purpose, but I’m not that ambitious quite yet.  However, I can steal from a recent Facebook posting that listed the top five books I read last year.  So here is my summary of 2008’s top five.

1.) Bridge of Sighs – Richard Russo – This book is beautifully structured with quality character development and true insight. It was a great pleasure to read.

2.) Born Standing Up – Steve Martin – This autobiography was interesting because Martin has always struck me as a renaissance man, and this book confirmed it.

3.) Hannah Coulter – Wendell Berry – The slow pace of this book perfectly sets the tone for this simple yet lovely story of a woman growing up in rural America during the Greatest Generation.

4.) The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald – Okay, for some reason I’d never read Gatsby till this year. I have nothing original to say about it other than the story was different than what I expected. More personal and intimate.

5.) John Adams – David McCullough – After reading several other Founding Father vintage books I knew I had to read this one. It did not disappoint. Adams is the Everyman whose strength of character propelled his greatness.

It seems that a Cincinnati station manager has a sense of humor. When it came time for a local TV station to switch to its new digital format and take a new call sign, they selected WKRP.  Granted, the classic 80s sitcom was situated in struggling radio station, but perhaps some baby boomer television mojo will rub off on this independent TV station.

[Via AP News]

According to this snippet from Slashdot, researches have determined that the human brain starts to slow after age 39.  I have a few years good years left before the inevitable slide begins.

Scientists at the University of California Los Angeles are reporting that while some people may think “life begins at 40,” all it seems to do is slow down. According to recent research, at age 39 our brain reaches its peak speed, and it’s all downhill after that.“The loss of a fatty skin that coats the nerve cells, called neurons, during middle age causes the slowdown, experts say. The coating acts as insulation, similar to the plastic covering on an electrical cable, and allows for fast bursts of signals around the body and brain. When the sheath deteriorates, signals passing along the neurons in the brain slow down. This means reaction times in the body are slower too.”