My tenants pay all the utilities, except water. But all my single family dwellings are energy efficient, with most having solar panels, and wind turbines, where allowed.

Apartment complexes on the other hand are all electric, except for the community water heaters, and dryers in the laundry rooms, which are gas, and paid for by the complex. It has been impractical to retro-fit for real efficiency. Tenets are cautioned to turn off air conditioners when not at home, and to close windows when air conditioning is in use.

In the commercial building utilities are included in the rent. Renter are responsible for any and all charges related to false fire or burglary alarms.

Right now I'm looking forward to the property tax appraisals. Thats going to be one hell of a savings, what with houses losing 25% of their value. It will also keep rent increases down for awhile. If the State doesn't raise the taxes on commercial property to make up the difference.

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If you want change stop electing "liberal: democrats and "radical" Republicans. Find and support true Conservatives; those who believe in fiscal responsibilities, individual accountability, and a smaller government, with less control of your daily life.

It's probably both....

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"Life is 10% how you make it and 90% how you take it."

"its potential, its potential, its potential because I said so, there's your proof" --- Palerider

Absolutely not.
Politicians use waiting lines, poor equipment and lousy doctors to kill soldiers or save money in Govt. healthcare. The media covers it up.

Here is the true problem: POLITICIANS CAN NOT BE TRUSTED!

News & Culture in CA | Dianne Feinstein resigns

Senator exits MILCON following Metro exposé, vet-care scandal

By Peter Byrne

SEN. Dianne Feinstein has resigned from the Military Construction Appropriations subcommittee. As previously and extensively reviewed in these pages, Feinstein was chairperson and ranking member of MILCON for six years, during which time she had a conflict of interest due to her husband Richard C. Blum's ownership of two major defense contractors, who were awarded billions of dollars for military construction projects approved by Feinstein.

As MILCON leader, Feinstein relished the details of military construction, even micromanaging one project at the level of its sewer design. She regularly took junkets to military bases around the world to inspect construction projects, some of which were contracted to her husband's companies, Perini Corp. and URS Corp.

Perhaps she resigned from MILCON because she could not take the heat generated by Metro's expose of her ethics (which was partially funded by the Investigative Fund of the Nation Institute). Or was her work on the subcommittee finished because Blum divested ownership of his military construction and advanced weapons manufacturing firms in late 2005?

The MILCON subcommittee is not only in charge of supervising military construction, it also oversees "quality of life" issues for veterans, which includes building housing for military families and operating hospitals and clinics for wounded soldiers. Perhaps Feinstein is trying to disassociate herself from MILCON's incredible failure to provide decent medical care for wounded soldiers.

Two years ago, before the Washington Post became belatedly involved, the online magazine Salon.com exposed the horrors of deficient medical care for Iraq war veterans. While leading MILCON, Feinstein had ample warning of the medical-care meltdown. But she was not proactive on veteran's affairs.

Feinstein abandoned MILCON as her ethical problems were surfacing in the media, and as it was becoming clear that her subcommittee left grievously wounded veterans to rot while her family was profiting from the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan. It turns out that Blum also holds large investments in companies that were selling medical equipment and supplies and real estate leases—often without the benefit of competitive bidding—to the Department of Veterans Affairs, even as the system of medical care for veterans collapsed on his wife's watch.

As of December 2006, according to SEC filings and Welcome to FedSpending.org, three corporations in which Blum's financial entities own a total of $1 billion in stock won considerable favor from the budgets of the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs:


Boston Scientific Corporation: $17.8 million for medical equipment and supplies; 85 percent of contracts awarded without benefit of competition.


Kinetic Concepts Inc.: $12 million, medical equipment and supplies; 28 percent noncompetitively awarded.


CB Richard Ellis: The Blum-controlled international real estate firm holds congressionally funded contracts to lease office space to the Department of Veterans Affairs. It also is involved in redeveloping military bases turned over to the private sector.

You would think that, considering all the money Feinstein's family has pocketed by waging global warfare while ignoring the plight of wounded American soldiers, she would show a smidgeon of shame and resign from the entire Senate, not just a subcommittee. Conversely, you'd think she might stick around MILCON to try and fix the medical-care disaster she helped to engineer for the vets who were suckered into fighting her and Bush's panoply of unjust wars.



Contact Peter Byrne or send a letter to the editor about this story.

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Bush-lite fooled the American people

Well, Obama opposed spending more than 1% of GDP on nation building while McCain has criticised Bush for trying to limit his spending on nation buildng to just 1% and calls for a long term commitment to spending more that 1% on nation building.

Ummmm.... Ahem.... have you taken a look at the economy and deficit lately? LMAO... Don'cha think you should ask the current President to why his policies are crashing the economy, first?

Reagan - deficit
Bush Sr. - deficit
Clinton - SURPLUS
Bush Jr. - Biggest Deficit Ever!!!

Hmmmmm...... I think I see a pattern here.... LMAO

Do they make armored honda civics? Is the Prius bullet broof? I can forgive them the necessities of security for their choice in vehicles. Unless you are prepared to request the same of McCain. Such a ridiculous line of logic. There are plenty of ligitimate short comings from Mr. Obama... But this crap is pointless and ill conceived.

SUBSTANCE! Get him where it REALLY hurts... you know... the real stuff...

Not being ugly here, but just what would other countries do? Why is it any of their business, what we drive, eat, temp of our homes? What are they going to do, invade us because of jealousy? Are they going to refuse our financial aide? If they are going to refuse our aide, I would be for all Americans driving fucking tanks, keeping their homes on 50 every day, and eating a buffalo every night. Are they going to quit sending their children to our universities? Why do other countries even care about these things?

Obama quote "We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times ... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK," Obama said.

Looks like Obama will need a Military draft, he thinks Americans will allow their freedoms to be taken away with no fight.

Obama is why Americans own guns!

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Bush-lite fooled the American people

Yup.

Obama is going to let the third world run the US, pay them trillions of dollars of US tax dollars for doing it, and stand with the UN and black Africa against us all.

Obama is why Americans own guns.

Boycott black, send them all back.

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Not Out of Africa:
http://www.arguewitheveryone.com/his...tml#post566549