It’s not the heat, it’s the stupidity

And eat your peas!

Nanny Bloomberg bans soda pop. I suppose what’s most upsetting about this ridiculous scheme is that the average New Yorker interviewed for his view either supported it on some vague, ill-defined “health ground” or dismissed it as unworkable “because somebody can just buy two cans”. No one seemed to think it was outrageous that the city is interfering with a citizen’s right to mind his own business and do what he likes. Where are the “our body ourselves” ladies? The legalize marijuana crowd? Oh well, if it just affects fat people, who cares – they’re too dumb to know better, right?

And then, speaking of dumb, how about the flawed science behind this ban? There’s no data supporting the notion that a 16.5 oz. soda pop will cause diabetes while a 16oz drink will not. It’s just a convenient way to begin the process of imposing mandatory tofu diets on the masses.

I overheard a friend of mine the other day, an otherwise intelligent, well educated woman in her fifties, recounting  a tale of woe about being stuck in traffic, dying of thirst, with only bottled water to turn to. But she couldn’t drink that, because a mutual friend of ours “has scared me off drinking water of any kind if it’s in a plastic bottle, let alone from a bottle that’s been in a hot car”.

So she sat there and suffered for two hours rather than risk ingesting a one part per billion molecule of a chemical her friend had said was as deadly as a heated rod of thorium thrust into her nether parts (I expand a bit for color). But here’s the thing: Both my thirsty friend and Madam Curie there smoke cigarettes!!! Can you imagine – I have trouble doing so – the profound  statistical illiteracy, the demonstrated inability to calculate risk probability, inherent in that episode?

As I said, this woman is a real, functioning adult and is one of the nicest people I know, but if she can be so defective in this area of thought, it’s no wonder that Bloomberg and the California Mommies can persuade so many Americans to abandon common sense. Do I need add that my friend is also a Democrat?

Speaking truth to power

Democrat candidate Murphy wallows in K Street funds.

To the Rescue

Politico’s Anna Palmer and David Levinthal report that the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate held a DC fundraiser last night. In addition to Murphy friends in Congress, Rep. John Larson and Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the guest list was studded with the names of prominent lobbyists from firms such as FedEx, Google, Goldman , Sachs, American Express and Microsoft.

Asked for comment, local Democrat representative Dollar Bill turned bright red and started jumping up and down yelling, “Koch! Koch!”

You read it here first several years ago, and continuing thereafter

Button says, “Obama Energy Program”

A reader sends along this example of apostasy “”the formal disaffiliation from or abandonment or renunciation of a  religion”, Walt) from the Washington Post, which has finally discovered what was obvious to any objective observer years ago: the Chevy Volt, indeed the very concept of a mass-market electric car, is a fraud and a failure.

“No matter how you slice it, the American taxpayer has gotten precious little for the administration’s investment in battery-powered vehicles, in terms of permanent jobs or lower carbon dioxide emissions. There is no market, or not much of one, for vehicles that are less convenient and cost thousands of dollars more than similar-sized gas-powered alternatives — but do not save enough fuel to compensate. The basic theory of the Obama push for electric vehicles — if you build them, customers will come — was a myth. And an expensive one, at that.”

DOJ identifies maker of anti-Mohammed film, releases criminal history

There was a time – oh, up until four years ago, when our government sided with those exercising their constitutional rights rather than attack them to mollify towel-heads, Chinese communists and other dictators. Not so any more.

Stanwich price cut

154 Stanwich sold new for $4,4125,000 in 2004. The new owners made improvements and put it back up for sale in 2010 at $5.2 million. Today it’s marked down to $3.850. I don’t know if that will prove to be the right price but it’s a beautiful house, just under 6,000 square feet and backing up to the Greenwich Country Club golf course, and I certainly like it. I do know this: clients of mine have been looking at houses in the $3.5, $3.7 range and the owners of those homes have been intransigent (stubborn, Walt). They might want to go tour this house and then rethink their price because there’s no comparison.

I have a feeling we’re going to see more of this, with houses dropping their price down to the next price rung and making those properties already there look wildly over-priced.

Slow days still

Nothing much of interest in new listings coming on but I’m busy chasing older listings with my clients so I suppose it’s good we’re not distracted by anything better showing up.

11 Winding Lane has taken another price cut, to $6.625 million. This has been for sale since 2007 when it asked $9.975 and it remains the prettiest building lot in town: three flat acres, lovely lawns and gardens and a location that’s just about perfect for proximity to town. But unfortunately, it has a house on it that the owner thinks is worth a lot of money while buyers seem to want to tear down. Until the owner accepts that and lowers her price to reflect land value alone or, better for her, finds a buyer willing to sink a million or so into fixing this up, I don’t think it will sell.

So what’s this three acre building lot in the two-are zone worth? I have my own idea but I don’t want to hurt the seller’s feelings, and besides, the market is already telling her the bad news.

Ah the arrogance of bureaucracy

A reader sends along this missive from our town’s parking authority notifying all Greenwich Parking Permit holders of the upcoming repaving of the Island Beach parking lot. Nothing wrong with repaving – it’ll make it easier for our seniors to hold wheelchair races down there – but the idiot at the computer sent a broadcast message to permitees revealing to all the hundreds of email addresses on the list. I won’t compound that sin by posting them here but many of the addresses are like mine: full name @ server, so if you ever wanted to send the guy parked next to you annoying spam or sign him up for daily come-ons from Miss Latticia’s House of Pain and Bondage, here’s your chance.

Dear Greenwich (“G”) parking permit holders,

The Island Beach parking lot is scheduled to be paved and striped from
Thursday and Friday, September 20 – 21. Half of the parking lot will be
closed at a time to be paved. This will reduce the number of available
parking spaces during this paving and striping project. Alternate parking
will be allowed for vehicles with “G” permits displayed at the parking
meters on Steamboat Road and Museum Drive for the duration of the
paving/striping project when space is not available in the Island Beach
lot.

We apologize for the temporary inconvenience during the long over due
maintenance and paving of this parking lot.

Allen Corry, CAPP
Director Parking Services
101 Field Point Rd
Greenwich, Ct 06830
ph  203-618-3060
fax 203-618-3065