Socialism and your fish tank

[JasonH]

I'm hearing more and more lately - both at a state and federal level - about "smart" energy meters that can monitor energy usage and "regulate" energy consumption during peak periods.

 

That's Socialist speak for, "we can turn off/down your electricy supply when we think you're using too much." (nono)

 

That's a bit of a scary thought. I have an image in my head of my tank going dead during some hot summer (or cold winter) day because energy usage is high and our rulers (I mean gevernment) have decided to cut back on the energy supply.

 

You can probably tell what I generally think of our ruling class. But I would hate to have my tank die because the government decides that I don't need that much electricity. (flame)

[andy]

No wait, it's communist! No wait, it's fascist! ;-)

 

Seriously though, you're more likely to lose your tank because of increasingly tight CITES regulations. "They" aren't going to let us pull stuff off the reefs for much longer.

[JasonH]

Sigh - Never mind me... I'm just in an anti-government mood today.

 

You know, I have wondered about that. As much as I enjoy being able to get coral and fish, it is interesting that we are removing these animals from reefs simply for hobby reasons.

 

Maybe we're flying below the radar of environmentalists, but it seems like people would be upset by that. I think the industry has made significant progress in minimizing the impact and using sustainable collection processes. And maybe the recent opening of collection from Australia shows just how much progress has been made.

 

Although, you could also make the argument that the hobby increases awareness of issues related to coral reefs. I myself give money to charities dedicated to perserving and restoring coral reefs. If I hadn't gotten involved with salt water tanks, I would be sending my money elsewhere.

 

But it has occurred to me that any day, the spigot could be turned off. (knock on wood)

[pledosophy]

We had rolling blackouts in California one year. Tanks would be off for a few hours at a time, a few days a week. I had a MJ 1200 as a return pump and plugged it into a CPU battery backup, got me through all of it just fine.

 

I love the government today, we just did our taxes. Amazing how giving me 5% of what we paid back makes me happy.

[Algae]

"The California electricity crisis (also known as the Western U.S. Energy Crisis) of 2000 and 2001 resulted from the gaming of a partially deregulated California energy system by energy companies such as Enron and Reliant Energy"

LINK: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_electricity_crisis#Enron_Trader_Tapes

There may be another player to be concerned about.IMHO.(whistle)

I'm hearing more and more lately - both at a state and federal level - about "smart" energy meters that can monitor energy usage and "regulate" energy consumption during peak periods.

 

That's Socialist speak for, "we can turn off/down your electricy supply when we think you're using too much." (nono)

 

That's a bit of a scary thought. I have an image in my head of my tank going dead during some hot summer (or cold winter) day because energy usage is high and our rulers (I mean gevernment) have decided to cut back on the energy supply.

 

You can probably tell what I generally think of our ruling class. But I would hate to have my tank die because the government decides that I don't need that much electricity. (flame)