Told ya so on Aug 24th.

Food and vaccines are more important the crypto bros and tokens.

There are a number of local programs in the North East to double the spending power of federal food assistance money at local farmers' markets.

Since income-based food assistance is the monster provision in the Farm Bill, it might really be helpful to both local farmers and families if that funding came from the top instead of a hodgepodge of local organizations.

Lots of states get billions in pork for corn and soybean farmers, but that change would be something for Vermont farmers and families.

Not a teacher, but the Amway-ification of public education in the US.

The inversion of the broad foundation of our society to an system designed to funnel as much wealth as possible to an elite few.

Instead of wealthy parents paying public tax toward public education (in addition to private tuition) public funds being diverted to private schools with vouchers. Private testing companies failing public schools so they can be gutted for for-profit replacements that funnel children to for-profit "colleges" and a lifetime of inescapable debt―or essentially just indentured servitude, again.

Instead of a decent public education being accessible and affordable, schools become an engine to transfer wealth to the elite while at the same time depriving students of basic financial literacy, making them excellent marks for more scams.

Prohibitions on things like pyramid schemes creates a void in public awareness, which makes it possible they might return one day with a team of lawyers. If scammers are allowed to keep their ill gotten gains, they'll wreak havoc on society in new and terrible ways. They're want to sell kids a box of crap with misrepresentations about how much money they can make―they just don't want to be sued or their victims declaring bankruptcy.

Most importantly: civic, history and math teachers need ensure basic financial literacy before pressuring students to assume high-interest debt.

No high school senior that can't tell you approximately how much debt they'll be in after four years, how much their monthly payments will be, or what their refinancing strategy is should even consider going to college.

The senators that interviewed the former Secretary of Education didn't have the benefit of her financial disclosures, but any parent or educator should memorize every company she was invested in. Educators should research the companies that provide testing services, the companies that provide educational software, and which type of college their kids are heading off to.

EDIT:

Amway Pyramid Scheme - What You Need To Know - Arrest Your Debt

ProPublica: Voucher Program Helps Well-Off Vermonters Pay for Prep School at Public Expense

EDIT 2:

Upon reflection, the above metaphor may be a little too gracious.

Amway actually generates most of it's revenue from "educational experiences", learning materials and conferences. So to imply that there was some kind of "pivot" or innovation in this scheme is a bit of a stretch.

It's "literally" Amway―no cap, as the kids say. The state of Vermont is spending several million a year towards a giant MLM scam, while Fox News trolls parents into weaponizing their children against decency towards other human beings.

The kids are alright; teachers are great. The rotting fish smell is emanating from the top.

Aside: I didn't pay for my degree and I've obviously never been the victim of an MLM. So this isn't really my ax to grind.

I've never tried to do it with a metal detector, but 60hz current is a fairly distinctive sound with electrical wiring with telephony toning equipment.

You could point the metal detector (on ferrous setting) at a wall near where something was plugged in, then go outside following the same sound, with the pump running.

Rental shops can hook you up with a cheap metal detector.

If it's a drilled well with all the paper work, maybe it can be found here:

https://anrweb.vt.gov/DEC/WellDrillerReports/Default.aspx

If you get someone with the right equipment, they can find a wire with current going through it just about anywhere. The more sophisticated the equipment people have, the more expensive it is to have them use it.

Why do they think the barn was built?

Do they know how a farm works?

Are they going to build the farmer a new barn when they repurpose their old barn?

Farming is a complicated, difficult industry that requires extremely resourceful thinking, diversification, preparation and a little bit of storage to make it work.

The offensive part of this post isn't the ignorance of basic housing standards, it's that OP sees a barn in good condition and assumes it's an idle resource.

Yeah. Keep driving, and don't stop at the farm stand, butcher, co-op or country store.

Ya'll have food at home.

Yap, I know what's wrong wit it... it ain't got no gas. \s

It's not a certified passive house, but Vermod makes a modular style home that can be customized to look more architectural. They're very affordable and there are multiple programs making them more accessible to people of limited income with grants and special rates.

Ecocor, in Maine, also sells a number of prefab panelized passive homes that can cut out some design/labor costs.

Everyone says it's expensive to build a house in VT because of costs or labor, but...

A super-insulated mechanically ventilated home is much more feasible to operate under it's own power, from PV and Batteries.

In the next 30 years, it's probably going to become much more obvious that a home must continue to remain habitable on a 105 degree day under it's own power, even when the grid fails.

EDIT:

Even focusing on the financial aspect beyond home safety, a lot of cursory financial analysis is somewhat flawed.

A mortgage is likely a fixed expense, paying down equity, at an interest rate near inflation, without being subject to inflation.

A performant home has equity. But there is no point, without chopping a lot of wood, where a traditional home heating supply is paid for. Home owners can't sell electricity they consumed over the years along with their home. They can't take out a mortgage to refinance high interest loans against home heating/cooling costs they paid. So owned equity verses a consumed commodity is completely different.

Second, it's a fixed cost at interest near inflation. So if someone built a home with better thermal performance, at no point in the next 30 years would they see their mortgage rates jump 50% in a year because of inflation or a war. If inflation wasn't transitory, they would not only not be harmed, they'd benefit from a lower effective payment. If there were new players in the energy market driving prices higher, they wouldn't be exposed.

So anyone who would say that a Passive House is not cost effective today, is implicitly saying they know with as much certainty as a mortgage contract what inflation and energy markets will be for the next 30 years.

Germany has built so much living space to Passive House spec that the cost has actually dropped lower than traditional housing, and they're still having energy problems at a regional level.

Did you ask the good people of Woodstock if they would like regional rail in their backyard?

> Any long term planning I can do to move away from oil? No natural gas in my town, as in most of Vermont.

A Vermod, Pretty Good House, or Passive House? You could just bank all the money you currently burn.

It's 53.1 miles from Alburgh VT to Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport.

Space heaters use 1500W. Two of them running for about 4 hours a day would be 12kwh.

I can't find the chart directly from the Vermont Health Department, but this is a VPR article showing early-March and mid-September as the start of semi-annual peaks for human encounters.

Bravecto is awesome, but watch out because the ticks will leave your dog and go everywhere.

Chewy.com was founded by a Canadian. They can sell you generic antibiotics at a reasonable price.

A Vet or Human Pharmacy might try to price gouge you 5-10x for generic antibiotics, in this epidemic that we're in.

Ah good. So now, Rutland Rutland rutland Rutland Rutland?

Googling the idea after I posited it, I do see apps for aviation and the visually impaired.

It's like that, but it reroutes based on weather that will likely be encountered on a pre-defined haul/rest schedule.

I'm not actually a long haul trucker, I just saw a lot of them that got twisted recently.

Basically every weather app you see is just a rehash of NOAA data collected under the Department of Commerce to allow for interstate transport.

https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=44.4456&lon=-73.2161&unit=0&lg=english&FcstType=graphical

The specific amount of precipitation is not predicted. And it wouldn't be accurate anyhow.

Cheers.

EDIT:

If anyone wants an idea($)... The core functionality of the NOAA data is broken. That is, say I want to get in my rig and drive to Austin or Denver, but I don't want to be in a blizzard or wind-storm. There is no app (TMK) that combines way-finding with real-time weather. There is no app where I can say "find me a reasonable route that avoids weather", like we have apps that avoid tolls and ferries.

GMP has a program for battery backups. That's probably the most turnkey solution. You basically let the grid use you as a battery. If there is an outage, it isolates current to your home.

Everything in your refrigerator?

Put a quiche in the solar oven, a stew on the wood stove, and start frying the meat on your pocket stove.

tin foil in the go bag: https://www.surviveoutdoorslonger.com/shelters.html

EDIT:

But a ladder, tarp and something to batten it to the roof might be more reasonable.

I "wonked-out" hard for a day in 2020 to compose a nasty email. It was a successful day, but not for that lender.

Check the local credit union that has a page devoted to green loans.

The lender won't put open lending discrimination in writing.

But there are lenders in VT who can follow guidelines from the underwriters. They will finance the construction of a home that has electricity commentate with other homes in the area.

Can I suggest a four-pronged approach?

Get your lender to communicate their "issues" with your off-grid home in writing.

Forward that to their underwriter duopoly―and the state AG. Take them to civil court, after you find another lender. Use the money to get a nice 12kw setup.

EDIT:

The government wants people to invest in energy, as public policy.

The government setup monopolies to buy and guarantee OP's mortgage.

There is no hard requirement in the underwriting guidelines of the Fannies to have electricity whatsoever.

OP would rather have free power than drop $50k on ugly poles and wires, and then have a power bill.

The lender is going to blame underwriters, but they won't cite being off-grid as a reason that they rejected the loan.

The lender is diverging from the underwriter requirements, government policy, the demands of the market and easily obtainable state of the practice technology.

The lender is the problem, not the poles.

It doesn't cost much to do a little preliminary transportation engineering.

I'd get out a map of existing RoWs that still exist, either as rail lines, or trails, or unmaintained tracks. This is the most expensive part, that was done long ago. It's hundreds of millions of dollars sitting there if you can rehab an existing RoW.

Next, it'd be expensive to run a single Amtrak train once a day to, say, Montreal. And the capacity would get saturated very quickly, like the recent service to Burlington. And it's not something you could plan a day trip around, and you're competing with high-speed air. So you'd almost immediately be more expensive, slower, and more difficult to plan a trip around than high-speed air. Then when demand plateaus... the bonds come due.

Rather than doing that, look at your population centers, attractions, and current vehicle traffic volumes and start asking questions.

Are there enough people that want to take a light rail into downtown Burlington from the surrounding suburbs? How many people would take a light-rail to Montpelier if it ran 10 times a day? How many people would be skiing at Stowe if it was possible to get there without parking their car for a few hours between the resort and Waterbury? There are a lot of places in Vermont that will basically become impossible to drive to with just a very moderate increase in vehicle traffic. That makes light rail somewhat imperative, unless most people are just priced out of going anywhere.

What is it called in the military when an applicant for service is rejected because they failed the psych screening?

I feel like that's the word for someone who uses militaristic language for a democratic political campaign.

EDIT:

disqualified from serving

Vermont is covered with trees and craftsman.

There's 250+ years of well-crafted handmade solid wood furniture, basically everywhere. And often for very affordable prices.

Wood furniture lasts longer than particle-board veneer and paper; it doesn't fall apart on the second or third move. It can be passed down through generations. And it's already in the state.

I'm not sure there would be much demand for IKEA in Vermont because finding real furniture is as easy as finding real maple syrup.