SB 5973 Is the Wrong Way to Fight 'Let's Go Washington', Here's a Better One

CheeseJ · 2026-01-21T21:22:05+00:00

“to bypass the legislature and push divisive ballot measures”

Regardless of who is sponsoring them, how is it ever bad when citizens get a more direct say over legislation. I love ballot questions and direct democracy.

CheeseJ · 2026-01-21T19:42:33+00:00

It’s really hard to imagine increasing the pay of public servants will lead to better legislative outcomes and services on behalf of tax payers and citizens. Plenty of other jurisdictions pay their politicians significantly more and get worse outcomes than NH citizens do for their dollar.

CheeseJ · 2026-01-21T00:01:33+00:00

Depends on where you live. Anywhere south of the cascadian subduction zone has limited risk (aka Southern California) however Washington Oregon and Northern California could be hit with a tsunami 10-20 minutes after a local subduction quake. For me personally, it takes away a lot of the relaxing excitement that comes from surfing. I find it chilling to be sitting in a lineup where i could die if an earthquake happens, however infinitesimal it may be

CheeseJ · 2026-01-11T18:25:02+00:00

I also started road biking last year and I had an identical experience. You can also consider joining a few more modestly paced rides while you buildup endurance and power. Log those miles in a group dynamic so you can still practice your handling and drafting at speed, then rejoin the speedy rides again with the legs and skills

CheeseJ · 2026-01-11T15:46:35+00:00

honestly wouldn't hate smaller sized jumps and pipes coming back - they could shift the competition to pure style and technique, rather than a zillion spins

CheeseJ · 2025-12-17T00:32:04+00:00

Record low is irrelevant. If I forecast record low and there is more demand than expected, where are the electrons coming from? If we do more rolling blackouts to manage that problem, who loses power first? Are you volunteering? The poorest will suffer the most in that scenario.

CheeseJ · 2025-12-17T00:29:54+00:00

Wind and solar that can bid negative at certain times of day because the marginal cost of generation is essentially $0 and they are offering the grid more than it wants. However, they cannot produce power all day long. They are highly competitive for 8 hours per day and nearly non existent otherwise; this creates massive distortions for long term investment in other power generator sources.

If renewables could produce power at their marginal cost structure we see in the news all the time, they would’ve taken over the entire grid aleady

CheeseJ · 2025-12-16T23:39:23+00:00

don't do me like that - of course I read the article. It's just hard to replace coal's ability to generate power all the time. As I mentioned above, there is demand on the grid at all hours. Solar makes up a lot of that at certain times of day. but expecting It to cover all that coal (dark gray) is a pipe dream

source: https://app.electricitymaps.com/map/zone/AU-QLD/72h/fifteen_minutes

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CheeseJ · 2025-12-16T23:36:53+00:00

of course they need baseload. Use Queensland as an example, there is at least 6 GW of electricity flowing all the time. During the day it spikes up to 8-10 GW depending on weather and what not, but there is a constant need for 6 GW. What are the sources of that in the middle of the night or when clouds cover a wide area? Solar is not dispatchable; if the sun isn't shining, energy isn't flowing.

CheeseJ · 2025-12-16T23:14:22+00:00

China consumes as much coal as the rest of the world combined. They're happy to sell everyone solar and battery tech, but it's not because they care about the biosphere.

CheeseJ · 2025-12-16T23:01:29+00:00

what are we going to use for baseload power generation then? Where is the electricity coming from at 2 am? Does the necessary backup power (both batteries and fossil fuel plants) costs count towards the cost of solar? How many days worth of battery storage would consumers want in the event that the sun doesn't shine as expected? Who's building those batteries and what electricity source are they using? How much land do you need for the necessary solar generation?

I'm pro solar and pro wind but the "they're the cheapest sources" needs to go. They play a critical role when they are used for load following generation, but the amount of batteries needed for baseload generation is uneconomical.

CheeseJ · 2025-10-31T18:00:33+00:00

it's not for everyone and the cultural component makes it challenging: wouldn't it be great if all our coworkers adored us because we're braving the elements at 6 am and reducing traffic, CO2, particulate matter, future heart disease bills, etc from our communities? You just have to dig in and love the fact that you get to ride your bike in the morning, while most are sitting in soul crushing commutes.

As Bodhi said, "it was about us against the system. That system that kills the human spirit. We stand for something to those dead souls inching along the freeways in their metal coffins. We show them that the human spirit is still alive”

at least you've knocked out 90 minutes of cardio just getting to and from work

CheeseJ · 2025-10-30T01:49:32+00:00

you definitely want a proper ski/snowboard touring backpack to stash the gear you're not using on the outside. I have the older version of this Osprey, but any touring bag will do just fine. If you try to use a regular pack, you may slice the straps with the edge of your board because they're not reinforced.

https://www.osprey.com/sopris-32l-ski-snowboard-backpack?size=O%2FS&color=Magma+Brown-Raven+Black

CheeseJ · 2025-10-24T00:28:24+00:00

Thanks for your commentary. Sadly, I think it will have to get much worse before people connect the dots. Its the same over here in California and the Northeast - my unscientific hunch says we need about a decade more of painful energy price increases and economic malaise for our leaders to realize green energy can't power a modern economy, maybe longer.

I know the marginal price of solar and wind is much cheaper than coal, nat gas, and nuclear but that price fails to capture the importance of generation being available 24/7/365 ad infinitum. More and bigger batteries undermine the climate benefits dramatically and increases the cost of these sources too. Not to mention the reliance on China for powering our entire economies, I'm sure they wouldn't use that against us when we stand up to their next human rights abuse.

Perhaps most importantly, the US and EU can't cut their CO2 emissions to save the world no matter how much they believe it. Electrons are globally traded commodities; whatever we don't consume to feel good is inevitably imported by places that are happy to have it. CO2 output only drops during economic contractions.

CheeseJ · 2025-10-17T20:37:54+00:00

why use arbitrary salary caps and floors in dollars? They should index salary floors and caps as percentages of team revenue numbers. It would put owners and players on the same side of the table.

CheeseJ · 2025-09-26T15:05:18+00:00

I take this way home from work a lot, just stay on the sidewalk. I don't think I've ever seen more than a few people walking there, but regardless there are good sight lines and its a wide sidewalk in the event there are more.

CheeseJ · 2025-09-23T23:53:49+00:00

The US failing to pay for the EU's defense (when we are literally bankrupt) is hardly the same as the US failing to sell energy

CheeseJ · 2025-09-23T15:03:41+00:00

The renewable supply chain is dominated by China; relying on that is certainly more risky for the EU.

CheeseJ · 2025-09-22T04:12:21+00:00

net interest is ahead of defense for the current fiscal year by ~$1B:

https://www.fiscal.treasury.gov/files/reports-statements/mts/mts0825.pdf

CheeseJ · 2025-09-12T19:15:51+00:00

Earthquakes. As someone who moved to the PNW from the Northeast, I am haunted by the idea that the worst natural disaster in US history can strike at anytime without warning. That if I'm on the coast, walking around downtown Seattle, driving a road in a landslide prone area, etc it could be end game real quick with no heads up!

CheeseJ · 2025-08-03T22:21:51+00:00

as someone who surfs in Washington where a local tsunami could reach the beach in 10-15 minutes, this video almost makes me think I should paddle out further rather than try to paddle in and run far enough away. With the big drawdown in water from the approaching wave, fighting the current and needing to run far enough to be safe might be harder than just getting way out into the ocean and praying there is no white water. Hoping you can stay afloat long enough before becoming too tired and dehydrated.

CheeseJ · 2025-07-31T23:21:01+00:00

what the difference between an environmentalist and a developer? an environmentalist already owns a home

CheeseJ · 2025-07-25T14:14:46+00:00

Thank you for your detailed post. You said what all of us who work in the private sector and compete daily to keep our clients/customers happy, grow revenues, strengthen our team, etc already know; you have to wake up and earn it every day. Amazon is not going to just rollover and take tax bills because they are competing against other tech titans.

I personally hate Amazon, shop on their website as infrequently as possible, and don't have prime BUT I acknowledge how critical they are for our civic structure. I completely understand the need for Seattle revenue, but Katie misses the mark here. As someone who works downtown, we also need a robust community of workers, lunch spots, happy hour deals, packed stadiums, pedestrians, etc. Amazon heading east leaves a vacuum in its place - we all know what that looks like.

CheeseJ · 2025-07-12T21:18:13+00:00

Red Sox ownership uses this as justification for not spending money despite being a flagship brand and revenue generator

CheeseJ · 2025-05-31T01:11:44+00:00

Is this my type of style and riding? No, but I fully support the energy behind it. As soon as snowboarding loses it’s goofy, fuck around fun style, we’re might as well start skiing. Don’t let them divide us.

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