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turtlespeed

Nothing about this is a protest. (NSFW Racial Expletives)

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1 hour ago, wolfriverjoe said:

Trump loves the military. Just ask him.

Exactly.  His bone spurs kept him out, and the crippling weight of their fame kept his sons out, but he loves them.  He took lots of money away from their families to build his wall, but that's just business, anyone would have done that.  He's attacked and disparaged John McCain and a gold star family, but they were probably democrats so they're not real military.

 

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On 9/6/2020 at 6:45 PM, wolfriverjoe said:

You say that 'both sides have problems'. Yet the 'problems' on Trump's side far, far, faaaaaar outweigh the problems on the other side.

For example, Pelosi is being dragged across the coals for getting her hair cut in violation of the quarantine rules in CA.

I'm not trying to be argumentative just to argue. I'm genuinely curious what you think he's accomplished.

One of the reasons he's been attacked like no other president in history is because of HIS history.

I don't like Biden. I don't like Pelosi either.
But to compare them against Trump and his family...

  

Addressing a few things that have been said by folks that have a different view from mine.

- I regularly listen to CNN, HLN, FOX and BBC and read a couple newspapers. It's interesting how the exact same set of facts can be reported so differently. One thing for sure - it's difficult to know what is the truth.

- I have owned and run a couple businesses. One was small and the other one had $21.5 million of revenue in 3.5 years, not to shabby. Also worked for a Fortune 500 size corporation, and a few other small businesses.

- Joe's lack of leadership experience was noted. One person mentioned the law firm he co-founded as an example of leadership. That's not a good example, very few folks to lead and he was only involved for a short period of time. I'm talking about leadership over time and having a list of accomplishments.

- Trump's accomplishments with foreign affairs was mentioned and this person wants to dwell on nuclear proliferation of countries that we can't exactly just tell them to stop. We can initiate sanctions and other penalties and that was done or increased from what was already in place.

- His attempts to control illegal immigration and address crimes committed by illegals are a positive. No doubt it's a difficult topic because of the kids/families involved and related issues.

- The Dems stated goals to block his administration and have him removed from office were made before he even took office. What good does that do for the country?

- Gun reform, what a mess. Let's find a workable solution that will have a positive result and doesn't violate the Constitution. It's crazy that people use the term "assault rifle" and ban "high capacity mags." There is no such thing as an assault rifle and banning the mags is not possible. Joe's AR14 comment is an example, clearly no clue of the topic or mentally lacking. Even if those guns were banned and mags weren't available, the weapon of choice would just change. No one mentions handguns that hold 21 rounds in a mag that fits inside the pistol grip. That's a common handgun with a muzzle velocity >2,000 fps, and it's easily concealed. Frankly, a standard 12-guage semi-auto, hunting shotgun, can do more carnage, quicker than a scary looking black rifle. There are probably 100's of thousands of those out there. Banning has never worked. The criminals will still have them and then we'll just have more defenseless victims.

- From my perspective Pelosi is being dragged across the coals because she knowingly broke the law, it appears that she feels privileged and that the law doesn't apply to her, she tried to blow it off, and she complained about Trump doing similar things. One can't complain about Trump then do the exact same thing and not expect to get blasted.

- Do the living conditions of the homeless and the impact of the citizens in her home district concern anyone? At what point is she held responsible for anything?

- The accomplishments of the last 3+ years are fairly significant. A couple are the changes with NAFTA and those with international trade. No doubt we let ourselves be abused for many years under many presidents of both parties. The Paris Climate Agreement was a mess that severely penalized the US while not required China to do anything until 2030. Granted they are making a huge shift into nuclear and as long as they do it right that will reduce the carbon footprint. Trump is rough and a tough negotiator, and some don't like that.

- Harris is real scary. One person praised her for the hatchet job on Kavanaugh. He stated that she stood up to his lies. I can't see how anyone can think that was OK when there was no substantiated proof, or evidence that he was lying. One item that sticks out for me is the death of Brown in Ferguson. The Obama Justice Department and Holder acquitted the cop yet Harris continued to repeat the lie that Brown was murdered.  All that did was escalate racial tension.

- In the mid 90's Joe voted for the ban of gays in the military and three years later to ban same sex marriage individuals from the military. One law was modified and the other ruled unconstitutional. Granted that was ~25 years ago and public opinions and perspectives change over time. I'm not condemning Joe for those decisions.

- The fairly recent allegations of "inappropriate" touching are more concerning as they came from credible individuals. By no means does that downplay what Trump has been accused of. Just pointing out that you can't whine about one without being honest about the other.

- I can accept anyone's personal opinion that the offenses of the Repubs are worse than the Dems. But many see it differently. The real question we should all be asking is why do we even have to have that discussion?

- I didn't come here solely to bash Joe, as one person stated. I've bashed Trump and am not at all happy with our choices. For many years our "leaders" of both parties have underperformed. I'm simply saying that I see things differently than many that post here. That doesn't make either of us wrong or bad people.

At this point, for me, Biden and Harris are unacceptable. His lack of mental acuity is a primary factor as is his position on taxes. Also have no desire to have Harris, Warren, AOC and Bernie running the show. 

 

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4 hours ago, billeisele said:

Addressing a few things that have been said by folks that have a different view from mine.

- I regularly listen to CNN, HLN, FOX and BBC and read a couple newspapers. It's interesting how the exact same set of facts can be reported so differently. One thing for sure - it's difficult to know what is the truth.

Its not difficult to ascertain the truth, its called common sense.

- I have owned and run a couple businesses. One was small and the other one had $21.5 million of revenue in 3.5 years, not to shabby. Also worked for a Fortune 500 size corporation, and a few other small businesses.

Good for you, then you know how to manage people, separate b.s. from facts. Or you should know. I'm not sure how thats relevant here with your regards to your response to Joe or others here.

- Joe's lack of leadership experience was noted. One person mentioned the law firm he co-founded as an example of leadership. That's not a good example, very few folks to lead and he was only involved for a short period of time. I'm talking about leadership over time and having a list of accomplishments.

How about Ronald Regan and his accomplishments? V.P. of the US and being a part of the decision making of the W.H for four years counts for nothing? The two Bush presidents and their experience? Lack of experience noted by who?

- Trump's accomplishments with foreign affairs was mentioned and this person wants to dwell on nuclear proliferation of countries that we can't exactly just tell them to stop. We can initiate sanctions and other penalties and that was done or increased from what was already in place.

trump has had no accomplishments with foreign affairs.The IS alliance was handed to him and Iraq together with Iran did most of the heavy lifting. There was a nuclear agreement with Iran and thats finished even though all of the other parties with the exception of the US want it back in place.

- His attempts to control illegal immigration and address crimes committed by illegals are a positive. No doubt it's a difficult topic because of the kids/families involved and related issues.

Obama deported more undocumented immigrants in his four years than trump did. I thought you studied the news from more than one source.

- The Dems stated goals to block his administration and have him removed from office were made before he even took office. What good does that do for the country?

Really? What "dems"? trump has made his own bed for himself and his enablers. Make that multiple beds. Pure b.s. like McConnell did to block judicial appointments for the democrats during the two terms of Obama's administration?

- Gun reform, what a mess. Let's find a workable solution that will have a positive result and doesn't violate the Constitution. It's crazy that people use the term "assault rifle" and ban "high capacity mags." There is no such thing as an assault rifle and banning the mags is not possible. Joe's AR14 comment is an example, clearly no clue of the topic or mentally lacking. Even if those guns were banned and mags weren't available, the weapon of choice would just change. No one mentions handguns that hold 21 rounds in a mag that fits inside the pistol grip. That's a common handgun with a muzzle velocity >2,000 fps, and it's easily concealed. Frankly, a standard 12-guage semi-auto, hunting shotgun, can do more carnage, quicker than a scary looking black rifle. There are probably 100's of thousands of those out there. Banning has never worked. The criminals will still have them and then we'll just have more defenseless victims.

Really, when legislation is enacted to ban high capacity magazines it can ban all magazines above 10, above 5. When legislation is enacted to ban "assault weapons" it would name the exact manufacturer and model and all variants. Its how Australia, the UK, NZ and others enacted their legislation.

You can b.s. and fast talk as much as you like but when a ready availability of weapons is removed like in the UK, Australia, Japan, etc. a knife is the most likely weapon to replace guns. If  "Frankly, a standard 12-guage semi-auto, hunting shotgun, can do more carnage, quicker than a scary looking black rifle." Then explain why modern armies don't use them. B.S.

- From my perspective Pelosi is being dragged across the coals because she knowingly broke the law, it appears that she feels privileged and that the law doesn't apply to her, she tried to blow it off, and she complained about Trump doing similar things. One can't complain about Trump then do the exact same thing and not expect to get blasted.

The weasel is strong here equating anyone with trump and the enablers who supported him to date with Pelosi.

- Do the living conditions of the homeless and the impact of the citizens in her home district concern anyone? At what point is she held responsible for anything?

What has trump and the GOP done for the homeless and the poor over the last four years? Tax cuts for the rich and benefits for corporations.

- The accomplishments of the last 3+ years are fairly significant. A couple are the changes with NAFTA and those with international trade. No doubt we let ourselves be abused for many years under many presidents of both parties. The Paris Climate Agreement was a mess that severely penalized the US while not required China to do anything until 2030. Granted they are making a huge shift into nuclear and as long as they do it right that will reduce the carbon footprint. Trump is rough and a tough negotiator, and some don't like that.

What crap. He has a small trade agreement with the UK and NAFTA was window dressing with no substantive changes.

- Harris is real scary. One person praised her for the hatchet job on Kavanaugh. He stated that she stood up to his lies. I can't see how anyone can think that was OK when there was no substantiated proof, or evidence that he was lying. One item that sticks out for me is the death of Brown in Ferguson. The Obama Justice Department and Holder acquitted the cop yet Harris continued to repeat the lie that Brown was murdered.  All that did was escalate racial tension.

The idea that St. Louis prosecutor, Wesley Bell,and two grand juries who found no substance to an unlawful shooting of Brown. Goes to the Obama WH is crap.

I'll stop now and I suggest you amend your reading and comprehension skills.

 

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16 hours ago, billeisele said:

- Harris is real scary. One person praised her for the hatchet job on Kavanaugh. He stated that she stood up to his lies. I can't see how anyone can think that was OK when there was no substantiated proof, or evidence that he was lying.

An old friend of mine went to Yale with him.  She started a petition drive to get more women to testify before Congress.  She got perhaps 50 names.  After he testified, the people who knew him were so incensed by his lies that that number doubled very quickly.
He said that he never drank to excess or blacked out.  Four people who knew him said that wasn't true, including Chad Ludington and Liz Swisher, both classmates.
He said he had never heard about the accusations before the New Yorker article.   Kerry Berchem and Karen Yarasavage say that isn't true - they told him about the accusations, and they have the texts to prove it.

He said that he was not personally involved with the nomination of Judge William Pryor to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.  Emails prove that false.
He said he had never seen “any documents that appeared ... to have been drafted or prepared by Democratic staff members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.”  Again, emails prove that false.

Harris was one of the few people to realize that he was lying, and went after him about those lies.  We need more people like her.  The problem was not his drinking in college - he did it, I did it, most of us probably did it.  The problem is his willingness to lie to get what he wants.  A sometimes overlooked trait in a politician - a trait we should absolutely not overlook in a Supreme Court justice.

Quote

 One item that sticks out for me is the death of Brown in Ferguson. The Obama Justice Department and Holder acquitted the cop yet Harris continued to repeat the lie that Brown was murdered.  


Yep.  And to this day Trump continues to lie about the Central Park Five, another incident that inflamed racial tensions.  Both were bad ideas.

Quote

In the mid 90's Joe voted for the ban of gays in the military and three years later to ban same sex marriage individuals from the military. One law was modified and the other ruled unconstitutional. Granted that was ~25 years ago and public opinions and perspectives change over time. I'm not condemning Joe for those decisions.

Nor am I.  He's changed with the times, as have many people (me included.)

Trump, meanwhile, continues to try to end transgender rights.

Quote

At this point, for me, Biden and Harris are unacceptable. His lack of mental acuity is a primary factor as is his position on taxes.

To me there's no question.  Trump is in a severe decline; he can barely make it down ramps, can't string coherent thoughts together and can barely lift a glass of water.  He's slurring his speech even though he doesn't drink.  He's denying he was rushed to the hospital for "mini-strokes" even though no one claimed that's what happened.  He is not well.  Biden, as old as he is, is a lot sharper than Trump.

 

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7 hours ago, billeisele said:

- I didn't come here solely to bash Joe, as one person stated. I've bashed Trump and am not at all happy with our choices. 

But you have only bashed Joe and Kamala, while you've said good things about both Trump and Pence.

Quote

At this point, for me, Biden and Harris are unacceptable. His lack of mental acuity is a primary factor as is his position on taxes. Also have no desire to have Harris, Warren, AOC and Bernie running the show. 

You said that people who only said bad things about Trump were negative people. 

 

Are you a negative person too, or can you tell us the good things you expect from a Biden/Harris administation?

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7 hours ago, Phil1111 said:

"Frankly, a standard 12-guage semi-auto, hunting shotgun, can do more carnage, quicker than a scary looking black rifle." Then explain why modern armies don't use them. B.S.

M500/M590 shotgun:

https://www.americanspecialops.com/special-ops-weapons/m500-shotgun.php 

M26 Modular Accessory Shotgun System:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M26_Modular_Accessory_Shotgun_System

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12 hours ago, billvon said:

#1 - The problem is his willingness to lie to get what he wants.

#2 -  He's changed with the times, as have many people (me included.)

Hi Bill,

#1 - This is & was my sole concern & why I did not want him as a Supreme.  The vast majority of us have done stupid things in our past.  If he had just admitted it I would not have had much of a concern about him.

#2 - As have I.  And, I think most Americans.  It is called maturing. 

Jerry Baumchen

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On 9/8/2020 at 7:01 PM, billeisele said:

Addressing a few things that have been said by folks that have a different view from mine.

- I regularly listen to CNN, HLN, FOX and BBC and read a couple newspapers. It's interesting how the exact same set of facts can be reported so differently. One thing for sure - it's difficult to know what is the truth.

- I have owned and run a couple businesses. One was small and the other one had $21.5 million of revenue in 3.5 years, not to shabby. Also worked for a Fortune 500 size corporation, and a few other small businesses.

- Joe's lack of leadership experience was noted. One person mentioned the law firm he co-founded as an example of leadership. That's not a good example, very few folks to lead and he was only involved for a short period of time. I'm talking about leadership over time and having a list of accomplishments.

- Trump's accomplishments with foreign affairs was mentioned and this person wants to dwell on nuclear proliferation of countries that we can't exactly just tell them to stop. We can initiate sanctions and other penalties and that was done or increased from what was already in place.

- His attempts to control illegal immigration and address crimes committed by illegals are a positive. No doubt it's a difficult topic because of the kids/families involved and related issues.

- The Dems stated goals to block his administration and have him removed from office were made before he even took office. What good does that do for the country?

- Gun reform, what a mess. Let's find a workable solution that will have a positive result and doesn't violate the Constitution. It's crazy that people use the term "assault rifle" and ban "high capacity mags." There is no such thing as an assault rifle and banning the mags is not possible. Joe's AR14 comment is an example, clearly no clue of the topic or mentally lacking. Even if those guns were banned and mags weren't available, the weapon of choice would just change. No one mentions handguns that hold 21 rounds in a mag that fits inside the pistol grip. That's a common handgun with a muzzle velocity >2,000 fps, and it's easily concealed. Frankly, a standard 12-guage semi-auto, hunting shotgun, can do more carnage, quicker than a scary looking black rifle. There are probably 100's of thousands of those out there. Banning has never worked. The criminals will still have them and then we'll just have more defenseless victims.

- From my perspective Pelosi is being dragged across the coals because she knowingly broke the law, it appears that she feels privileged and that the law doesn't apply to her, she tried to blow it off, and she complained about Trump doing similar things. One can't complain about Trump then do the exact same thing and not expect to get blasted.

- Do the living conditions of the homeless and the impact of the citizens in her home district concern anyone? At what point is she held responsible for anything?

- The accomplishments of the last 3+ years are fairly significant. A couple are the changes with NAFTA and those with international trade. No doubt we let ourselves be abused for many years under many presidents of both parties. The Paris Climate Agreement was a mess that severely penalized the US while not required China to do anything until 2030. Granted they are making a huge shift into nuclear and as long as they do it right that will reduce the carbon footprint. Trump is rough and a tough negotiator, and some don't like that.

- Harris is real scary. One person praised her for the hatchet job on Kavanaugh. He stated that she stood up to his lies. I can't see how anyone can think that was OK when there was no substantiated proof, or evidence that he was lying. One item that sticks out for me is the death of Brown in Ferguson. The Obama Justice Department and Holder acquitted the cop yet Harris continued to repeat the lie that Brown was murdered.  All that did was escalate racial tension.

- In the mid 90's Joe voted for the ban of gays in the military and three years later to ban same sex marriage individuals from the military. One law was modified and the other ruled unconstitutional. Granted that was ~25 years ago and public opinions and perspectives change over time. I'm not condemning Joe for those decisions.

- The fairly recent allegations of "inappropriate" touching are more concerning as they came from credible individuals. By no means does that downplay what Trump has been accused of. Just pointing out that you can't whine about one without being honest about the other.

- I can accept anyone's personal opinion that the offenses of the Repubs are worse than the Dems. But many see it differently. The real question we should all be asking is why do we even have to have that discussion?

- I didn't come here solely to bash Joe, as one person stated. I've bashed Trump and am not at all happy with our choices. For many years our "leaders" of both parties have underperformed. I'm simply saying that I see things differently than many that post here. That doesn't make either of us wrong or bad people.

At this point, for me, Biden and Harris are unacceptable. His lack of mental acuity is a primary factor as is his position on taxes. Also have no desire to have Harris, Warren, AOC and Bernie running the show. 

 

Well stated. Thank you.

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7 hours ago, JoeWeber said:

$21.5 million in revenue in 3.5 years, now that's impressive. What was the business?

Just basic blocking and tackling. Renovation and replacement of equipment that uses energy or water in federal residential housing developments, commercial and industrial buildings. Chillers, HVAC, ground source heat pumps, lighting, drives, motors, faucets, toilets, urinals showers, water heaters, etc.

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18 hours ago, JerryBaumchen said:

Hi Bill,

#1 - This is & was my sole concern & why I did not want him as a Supreme.  The vast majority of us have done stupid things in our past.  If he had just admitted it I would not have had much of a concern about him.

#2 - As have I.  And, I think most Americans.  It is called maturing. 

Jerry Baumchen

Jerry - Agree. The lack of clarity and honesty in all parts of government is terrible.

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On 9/10/2020 at 4:30 AM, billeisele said:

Just basic blocking and tackling. Renovation and replacement of equipment that uses energy or water in federal residential housing developments, commercial and industrial buildings. Chillers, HVAC, ground source heat pumps, lighting, drives, motors, faucets, toilets, urinals showers, water heaters, etc.

Amazing. I've built up a few companies with respectable revenues but could never see going from $0 to $21.5M in 3.5 years. Doing that R&Ring building internals which requires a lot of planning and ordering and resolving problems is a remarkable achievement. Did it all just end after 3.5 years?

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43 minutes ago, JoeWeber said:

Amazing. I've built up a few companies with respectable revenues but could never see going from $0 to $21.5M in 3.5 years. Doing that R&Ring building internals which requires a lot of planning and ordering and resolving problems is a remarkable achievement. Did it all just end after 3.5 years?

Seems that Billeisele had the wisdom not to be associated with of these:
 

Trump companies that sought bankruptcy protection:

1. Trump Taj Mahal 

2. Trump’s Castle

3. Trump Plaza Casinos

4. Trump Plaza Hotel 

5. Trump Hotels and Casinos Resorts 

6. Trump Entertainment Resorts 

 

And, of course there are the other failures:

1. Trump Steaks

2. GoTrump 

3. Trump Airlines

4. Trump Vodka

5. Trump Mortgage

6. Trump: The Game

7. Trump Magazine

8. Trump University

9. Trump Ice 

10. The New Jersey Generals 

11. Tour de Trump 

12. Trump Network 

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This is a strange story sourced from one of the gun-toting militia members in Kenosha that night:

Militia member says Kenosha police sought to push protesters toward them on night of deadly shootings

https://www.wisconsinwatch.org/2020/09/kenosha-police-protesters-militia-deadly-shootings/

“It is my belief that we only faced one monster out there that night. The Government,” Balch wrote on Facebook. “It sought to agitate, and create a situation where this would happen.

...

In his Facebook post, Balch recounts patrolling and rendering first aid with Rittenhouse while occasionally clashing with “agitators” — which he described as people unaffiliated with Black Lives Matter, militias or other groups mingling in the city. 

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38 minutes ago, kallend said:

Seems that Billeisele had the wisdom not to be associated with of these:
 

Trump companies that sought bankruptcy protection:

1. Trump Taj Mahal 

2. Trump’s Castle

3. Trump Plaza Casinos

4. Trump Plaza Hotel 

5. Trump Hotels and Casinos Resorts 

6. Trump Entertainment Resorts 

 

And, of course there are the other failures:

1. Trump Steaks

2. GoTrump 

3. Trump Airlines

4. Trump Vodka

5. Trump Mortgage

6. Trump: The Game

7. Trump Magazine

8. Trump University

9. Trump Ice 

10. The New Jersey Generals 

11. Tour de Trump 

12. Trump Network 

Bankruptcy is a right offered to everyone.  Some heavy players use it to their advantage and it becomes a strategy for money making.  With the record of bankruptcies and failures would you do business with them?  I'll submit the companies that got into bed with these operations knew the risks and decided to play anyways.

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42 minutes ago, airdvr said:

Bankruptcy is a right offered to everyone.  Some heavy players use it to their advantage and it becomes a strategy for money making.  

Four years ago, did you ever think you'd sink so low as to celebrate _bankruptcies_ as a way to support Trump?  

I mean, true, there's not much else to celebrate.  That should tell you something.

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4 hours ago, airdvr said:

Bankruptcy is a right offered to everyone.  Some heavy players use it to their advantage and it becomes a strategy for money making.  With the record of bankruptcies and failures would you do business with them?  I'll submit the companies that got into bed with these operations knew the risks and decided to play anyways.

You are the classic example of the person Trump was talking about when he said this:
 

"I Could Stand In the Middle Of Fifth Avenue And Shoot Somebody And I Wouldn't Lose Any Voters".

You will find an excuse for anything he does, however awful.

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1 hour ago, airdvr said:

No celebration...just facts.  I knew about bankruptcy law before Trump was elected.

It's quite reasonable to take advantage of the laws as they stand, and you're right that it has strategic uses.

That said, if an enterprise has built almost it's *entire* model around abusing bankruptcy for profit, it really does kind of indicate they are completely incapable of making money by being successful - you know, the thing businesses are supposed to do?

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On 9/8/2020 at 1:07 PM, SkyDekker said:

Ironically you do not agree with this. You only agree with this if it suits your political view. You are like the NRA, supporting people carrying guns until black people start carrying guns.

The protesting and violence you are so upset with is exactly people fighting for liberty. The liberty to be treated the same way as white people. The liberty of equality. You are not supporting this protest, this fight for liberty. Because you don't agree with that form of liberty.

You are wrong.

I think we agree what the end should be.  Where we differ is how to get there.

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10 hours ago, JoeWeber said:

Amazing. I've built up a few companies with respectable revenues but could never see going from $0 to $21.5M in 3.5 years. Doing that R&Ring building internals which requires a lot of planning and ordering and resolving problems is a remarkable achievement. Did it all just end after 3.5 years?

I saw the opportunity in a niche market, wrote the business plan, it was approved, but frankly no one thought it was possible. Conservative company and no rewards for being creative. Maintaining status quo was preferred.

The plan was never properly resourced but we succeeded anyway. It was hard work but the work was plentiful. Just needed to work hard and execute. I used relationships that had been developed in the previous 11 years to give the customer what they needed. Our contracting method was unique and easy. The first six months we finalized processes and set up contractor relationships using a few small projects to get started. We ended the year with $1.5 million in contracts, cash flow positive and made a profit. Second year had one project for $3.5 million and a few small ones. At the start of year 3 we signed a $10.5 million contract. The sales and engineering work had been completed in year 2. Completing the work took 5 months. It took longer than that to develop the contract, negotiate the deal and to get my boss to sign it. Had to chase the turd for days finally cornering him at the department Xmas party, the contract had to be signed by Dec 31. Third year had a few more deals totaling $6 million. The first deal that year is what killed the business.

The government was given exactly what they asked for but complained anyway. I suspected it would be a problem from the start. The Navy had a policy about temperature settings and the tech rep was adamant that even the bowling alley had to comply. I knew that there was no bowling alley in SC that operated at 74 degrees indoor temp. Had 3-4 conversations with the Navy about it during the engineering phase. The specs were clearly noted on the blueprint and in the written contract. The temperature standard was specifically pointed out to the customer and the contract was signed. The work was completed, the HVAC equipment performed better than required, it would cool to 71, but they weren't happy. They wanted 68 degrees but there was no way the equipment could provide that. We spent weeks collecting data to prove the equipment performance exceeded the contract requirements. The Navy contracting officer agreed with us and told the government tech rep we had met the contract requirements. That should have been the end of it but the tech rep went over the contracting officers head to her boss. The boss was a political appointee with no brain. He hounded us for weeks saying, "just fix it, it was our responsibility." Bottom line is he complained up the chain of command providing the Base Commander with false information. The Base Commander went to my president. The order came down the hill to stop what we were doing, "if the customer doesn't appreciate it then why do it" was the reasoning they used. The facts never came out, the company paid them $60K to hire another contractor to replace the HVAC system, and we spent 6 months finishing up the contracts we had already signed. It should be noted that we had renovated 38 buildings over 2 years and this was the only conflict. The tech rep was an idiot.

In that short period of time 1.5 employees added 1.9 cents a share, and no one cared. I would have been much better off taking my energy elsewhere but somehow I thought I could prove to them that I could do it. Well, I did it and they didn't care. No reward for creativity, the status quo was preferred. The customer ended up spending a few million more a year in utility bills than they should of it they had kept us on board. When I retired I checked their bills and they had steadily increased when our work stopped. Prior to that they had been in a notable decline. No punishment for anyone involved in lying, cheating or making bad decisions. In the government there is no P&L statement and there is always money to cover up mistakes.

These type projects are ongoing today. There are now huge companies doing energy savings performance contracting making 100's of millions. We were on the leading edge of that wave providing the same service, using a different contracting method that provided the service for a a lower price. I'm aware of one that was done for $83 million. We discussed that project with the customer and would have done it for $30ish million. Oh well.

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