Categories
Political

Trump didn’t collude with Russia because Trump didn’t want to win in 2016

Robert Mueller released his final report to current AG William Barr who then, in a surprisingly short period of time, released a four-page summary of the findings.

The two points of the investigation were: did Trump or his campaign collude with the Russian government to effect the 2016 election; did Trump commit obstruction attempting to influence the Russian investigation. Mueller seemingly punted on the obstruction charge, but did reach a conclusion about the Russian collusion: Trump and his campaign did not actively conspire with the Russian government in order to win the election.

Categories
Just Shelley

Two utilities one sewer connection

Some of you might remember about our problems with our sewer connection.

Well, now we’re literally caught between two public utilities and the source of meetings between two communities.

Public Water District has long planned on moving their force main to a new system, and dump into brand new gravity main north of us. They upgraded their pumps for their new connection and new 24 inch force main. Well, they’re still dumping into their small, older force main (12 inch) that dumps into the even smaller, older gravity main where we happen to be connected. Our connection is literally right above where they dump.

The term is ‘surcharge’. It’s when the manhole is overwhelmed by the discharge flow.

When we were hit in February, the force was enough to shake our house. It backflowed into the new shower, and through the wax seal on one toilet. It threatened to destroy our plumbing, maybe even our house, until O’Fallon sewer workers got Water District 2 to back the hell off.

That wasn’t the end of the discussion. I won’t detail recent correspondence, but Water District 2 is being a butthole.

O’Fallon Sewer is now asking the O’Fallon City Administrator for permission to put a backflow valve on our connection to the main. They have to get permission because though we’re served by O’Fallon sewer, we’re in unincorporated county (and that will never happen again, I promise you). Normally our lateral wouldn’t be covered, but this is an unusual circumstance.

The valve would prevent us getting hit by the direct force of a force main pump expecting to find 24 inches of sewer pipe in the end, not our little lateral sewer connect and our home plumbing.

We won’t be able to flush in high flow days, but at least our home won’t be destroyed. I kid you not when I say our home is now at risk.

When the dust settles, I’ll write up the entire saga at Burningbird.

Categories
Just Shelley

Sewer problems

Long time buddies know about the issues we’ve had with the sewer connection.

We’re connected to the head of a gravity main. Unfortunately, the town next door has a force main that dumps into the gravity main at the same spot. Our lateral sewer connection is sufficient but shallow, especially when the force main pumps into the gravity main.

When we get rain, we can’t flush because the force main discharge backs up into our plumbing.

When we replaced a shower a while back, the plumbers didn’t know about this, and when they cut the connection, we got discharge all over the basement walls. Luckily, insurance covered that.

The Water District 2 folks have been in the process of moving their force main to another discharge location, a much larger and more capable gravity main. This has been in the works for six whole damn years.

But they keep running into bad construction companies, and the town that has the new gravity main keeps pushing the project back. Not until November of 2019 now.

Last night it rained. Not an especially large amount of rain. But when the force main hit today, it actually shook the house, backed up into one shower, and blew out the wax seal on one of the toilets.

That we’re not happy is a given. I think it’s time for me to get a lawyer.

Categories
Government

Trump and Republicans are counting on Democratic empathy and compassion

Neither Trump nor Congressional Republicans would continue with the shutdown debacle except for one thing: they’re counting on Democratic empathy and compassion.

They assume that, at some point, Congressional Democrats won’t be able to ignore the hardships federal employees are enduring by not getting their regular paychecks. They’re counting on Congressional Democrats being concerned about the average citizens who are as equally impacted. They believe they can ‘hold the line’ because Democrats are empathetic and compassionate.

And they are correct:  Democrats do care about the people.

Categories
Government

No National Emergency but the faux crises and shutdown continues

Trump did not declare a national emergency last night. I strongly suspect he had planned to, though. After all, the staging was there.

A prime time Oval Office formal speech. The President, grave and solemn as he sets the stage for an emergency declaration.  Days of hints (in order to bolster the audience numbers). Minions out and about ponderously declaiming how everything is going to hell on the southern border.

I suspect the networks also bet on his declaring a national emergency. If they knew he was just going to dish out the usual, they wouldn’t have given up their ad revenue.