Nearly fifty years ago, in 1962, Nick Holonyak, Jr., revolutionized the world of manmade lighting with the invention of light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Once a phenomenon widely used as simple indicator lights on consumer electronic devices, their uses today are innumerable.
In naming Mr. Holonyak the winner of the 2004 Lemelson-MIT Prize, the award cited, ‘LEDs may one day be used in lieu of fluorescent lighting in offices and homes.” After a few short years, we’re already there.
The higher cost of LED light bulbs is offset by energy efficiency, leaving the health of the planet in a much better condition than it would be otherwise. For example, a 40-watt incandescent light bulb can outlast the life of 30 incandescent bulbs; a 40-watt bulb lasts about 1,000 hours while an LED can operate for more than 30,000 hours. Putting a carbon print on the two types of bulbs, in a ten-hour day, a 40-watt incandescent bulb generates 196 pounds (89 kg) of carbon dioxide; a 13-watt LED (100-watt equivalent) emits 63 pounds (29 kg).
Through technological enhancements, the 2010 Times Square New Year’s Eve ball was made up of 32,256 LEDs, three times the number used in 2009 yet 10%-20% more energy efficient, and 78% more efficient than the 2007 one.
LEDs are small in size, but can be grouped together for higher intensity applications. Of course, we’re more accustomed to the daily consumer conveniences of LED lights – indicator lights on electronics, cell phones included, alarm clocks, coffee makers, indoor/outdoor lamps, night lights, etc. LED lighting can also be set up without wiring or the need of an electrician.
LEDs are also used as aircraft runway landing lights. Similarly so, flashing amber in-pavement lighting systems are used to ensure motorist attention at mid-block crosswalks that have no stop control devices. Of course, you won’t find this degree of technology in Hernando County, but other innovations in pedestrian safety have been implemented over the past year.
Last fall, travelling east on Cortez Blvd. from Deltona Blvd. in Hernando County, I noticed a new, improved crosswalk signal at July Avenue. I shot off an inquisitive email to county government and received an succinct, informative answer from Gerald O’Dell, Traffic Coordinator:
“The device is called an LED Countdown Signal. Its purpose is to provide the pedestrian visual indication of the crossing’s clearance times. It is a new (last year or so) technology adopted by the Florida Department of Transportation, at least in this area.
The FDOT is providing these pedestrian signals to local maintaining agencies to upgrade existing pedestrian signals. Hernando County has adopted this State standard as its standard for all new and upgraded traffic singles. Our goal is that all Hernando County signals will be retrofitted to this standard for uniform traffic control.”
This same technology could also be used to better control traffic flow at all traffic light intersections.
Among the numerous aspects that anger driver’s about red-light camera traffic citations, one of the ‘gimmicks’ used is to trap unsuspecting drivers into breaking the law with too-short a duration of yellow light signals, not to mention the inconsistent timing of those signals at different intersections.
With a uniform timing of no less than 10-seconds, yellow traffic lights could be fitted with LED lights that flash the numbers downward to when the red light demands a complete stop. This would give drivers a predetermined amount of time to travel through a signal light with the sole purpose of reducing the number of incidents when motorists put theirs’ and other peoples’ lives in danger. As also used on pedestrian crossing signals, automatic detection sensors could extend the time duration during periods of heavy traffic.
No, none of this would solve the problem of driver’s putting others at risk because of their impatience. And no, it won’t stop registered owners of cited vehicles, regardless who was driving at the time of the infraction, from being angry at an unjust burden of financial responsibility from the questionable use of red light cameras.
Nor would it stop the momentum of H.R. 1235 proceeding through the State legislative process, a bill sponsored by Rep. Robert Schenck that would outlaw the “hidden tax” incurred through the ‘use of traffic infraction detectors & cameras by county or municipality’. In other words, put an end to the use of red-light camera fines as an easy fix to offset the loss of property tax revenues, which makes it possible to keep government ‘big’.
Speaking of red light cameras… the laser technology that’s used in CD/DVD/BluRay players, laser printers, fiber optics, surgery, etc., is also used to trigger the non-flash camera pictures of drivers running through red lights. It’s interesting to note that these laser diodes were invented by Nick Holonyak, Jr., the same inventor of light-emitting diodes.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
The Pace of the Senate Race
Governor Charlie Crist will never successfully overcome the political attacks wrought upon him from the conservative right for his act of enthusiasm at accepting Florida’s share of President Obama’s stimulus package. It will haunt his senatorial campaign up until the very last negative political advertisement is aired on Primary Election Day, August 24. It is the one single act that has propelled Marco Rubio to prominence among state Republicans.
The criticism of Crist comes from fiscal conservatives who sure do talk up a good storm, but that’s all it is… talk. Fiscal responsibility is billed as the best idea ever, especially for out-of-office opposition hopefuls. But the track record of the past decade proves that from any political perspective it is more about rhetoric than resolution.
The thing is, at one time or another, every politician is self-serving themselves a tasty heaping of pork dressing, topped with a steady flow of dollars from the gravy boat of taxpayer-provided funds. The problem is, when one of the pack of political piglets feeds from the goody trough, others follow suit and there goes the whole pot of gruel. And fiscal responsibility remains an elusive fortune.
Unfortunately, being fiscally conservative at a time when vast numbers of workers have been unemployed for months, or years, during this recession that just won’t quit could endanger the political survival of the candidate.
Consider taxpayer’s lament if they had been denied access to their fair share of the President’s $787 billion stimulus package. There certainly were no grievances expressed when the Republican-controlled legislature utilized more than $15 billion in stimulus funds to help fill the gaps of lost revenues. Still, they had to vote for a number of tax increases to balance the state budget. And yet, Crist is harshly criticized.
Are Florida’s fiscally responsible conservatives also critical of the $728.9M in education funds that the Obama administration released to the state this past week, some of which would have run out next year? This is on top of the $3.7B in education funds Florida already received from the original stimulus package. What of Crist’s solicitation for a portion of the $4.3B Race to the Top Fund? I suppose fiscal responsibility would dictate denial of accepting these benefits for the good of…?
So, Charlie Crist’s gotten a bum deal out being socially responsible for looking out for the well-being of recession-weary Florida residents. The timing of this act of what was deemed treasonous to the conservative right proved to be the perfect queue for Marco Rubio to make a grand entrance into the political foray of the Senate race. It’s not as though he hadn’t been primed for the position while serving his term as Speaker of the House.
Although Rubio has considerably less in campaign funds ($2 million) than presumed Democratic candidate Kendrick Meeks ($3.4 million) and Governor Crist ($8 million), interest in his senatorial bid has yet to reach its peak. His electioneering earnings potential among supporters has yet to be fully realized.
Although Jeb Bush has yet to give his direct support for either candidate, his sons George P. and Jeb, Jr. having issued endorsements and held fundraisers for the Rubio campaign. It seems ‘the plan’ now is for Jeb to make an official announcement during the final weeks leading up to the primary election, which would supposedly be a slam-n-dunk victory for Rubio. Still, speculation has it that the former governor may make an endorsement of his own timing at the Pasco County Republican Party’s Reagan Day Dinner on May 7, an event at which he will be a featured guest speaker.
Since he no longer holds public office, the daily routine of Rubio is concentrated on campaigning with no consequences of making critical policy decisions. This thought was best expressed by Governor Crist, “I don’t have the luxury of going around the state and politicking all day. I’m going to do my job.”
The most bewildering aspect of the Florida senate race is that, while Marco Rubio is acting the part of a Tea Party hero, he has aligned himself so closely to the Republican Party, and the Republican Party has embraced him so dearly that, as I had already suspected, the Tea Party is the Republican Party is the Tea Party…
And yet, it’s Crist who has hinted at running for the senate as an independent candidate. Go figure – Charlie Crist non-partisan populist politician. It just might meet voter appeal.
At this point in the election process, it would pointless to comment on approval ratings and such, what with double digit uncertainty among all constituency groups. And what with the Republican Party in disarray, who knows, maybe Kendrick Meeks will make the most of the in-squabbling and do some poll vaulting of his own.
The criticism of Crist comes from fiscal conservatives who sure do talk up a good storm, but that’s all it is… talk. Fiscal responsibility is billed as the best idea ever, especially for out-of-office opposition hopefuls. But the track record of the past decade proves that from any political perspective it is more about rhetoric than resolution.
The thing is, at one time or another, every politician is self-serving themselves a tasty heaping of pork dressing, topped with a steady flow of dollars from the gravy boat of taxpayer-provided funds. The problem is, when one of the pack of political piglets feeds from the goody trough, others follow suit and there goes the whole pot of gruel. And fiscal responsibility remains an elusive fortune.
Unfortunately, being fiscally conservative at a time when vast numbers of workers have been unemployed for months, or years, during this recession that just won’t quit could endanger the political survival of the candidate.
Consider taxpayer’s lament if they had been denied access to their fair share of the President’s $787 billion stimulus package. There certainly were no grievances expressed when the Republican-controlled legislature utilized more than $15 billion in stimulus funds to help fill the gaps of lost revenues. Still, they had to vote for a number of tax increases to balance the state budget. And yet, Crist is harshly criticized.
Are Florida’s fiscally responsible conservatives also critical of the $728.9M in education funds that the Obama administration released to the state this past week, some of which would have run out next year? This is on top of the $3.7B in education funds Florida already received from the original stimulus package. What of Crist’s solicitation for a portion of the $4.3B Race to the Top Fund? I suppose fiscal responsibility would dictate denial of accepting these benefits for the good of…?
So, Charlie Crist’s gotten a bum deal out being socially responsible for looking out for the well-being of recession-weary Florida residents. The timing of this act of what was deemed treasonous to the conservative right proved to be the perfect queue for Marco Rubio to make a grand entrance into the political foray of the Senate race. It’s not as though he hadn’t been primed for the position while serving his term as Speaker of the House.
Although Rubio has considerably less in campaign funds ($2 million) than presumed Democratic candidate Kendrick Meeks ($3.4 million) and Governor Crist ($8 million), interest in his senatorial bid has yet to reach its peak. His electioneering earnings potential among supporters has yet to be fully realized.
Although Jeb Bush has yet to give his direct support for either candidate, his sons George P. and Jeb, Jr. having issued endorsements and held fundraisers for the Rubio campaign. It seems ‘the plan’ now is for Jeb to make an official announcement during the final weeks leading up to the primary election, which would supposedly be a slam-n-dunk victory for Rubio. Still, speculation has it that the former governor may make an endorsement of his own timing at the Pasco County Republican Party’s Reagan Day Dinner on May 7, an event at which he will be a featured guest speaker.
Since he no longer holds public office, the daily routine of Rubio is concentrated on campaigning with no consequences of making critical policy decisions. This thought was best expressed by Governor Crist, “I don’t have the luxury of going around the state and politicking all day. I’m going to do my job.”
The most bewildering aspect of the Florida senate race is that, while Marco Rubio is acting the part of a Tea Party hero, he has aligned himself so closely to the Republican Party, and the Republican Party has embraced him so dearly that, as I had already suspected, the Tea Party is the Republican Party is the Tea Party…
And yet, it’s Crist who has hinted at running for the senate as an independent candidate. Go figure – Charlie Crist non-partisan populist politician. It just might meet voter appeal.
At this point in the election process, it would pointless to comment on approval ratings and such, what with double digit uncertainty among all constituency groups. And what with the Republican Party in disarray, who knows, maybe Kendrick Meeks will make the most of the in-squabbling and do some poll vaulting of his own.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Addressing the State of the State Address
“Nearly a year ago, on March 17, the Florida legislature voted unanimously to receive federal stimulus funds as offered under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to compensate for the loss of revenues typically gathered from state sales taxes, property taxes and other financial shortfalls.
“I have been criticized as having embraced the stimulus funds as offered by President Obama. Let me assure you that I did not support the stimulus package. I accepted the federal funds out of necessity. These funds have been well spent to avoid further deterioration of state and local social structures. They have been used to sustain employment, create jobs and promote economic activity and growth.
“From data released this past week by the Council Economic Advisors, stimulus dollars have provided $20M in food stamps and $2.4M in Medicaid payments. We were able to provide $924M in financial relief to 3.7M seniors, veterans and other ‘high-need’ residents with one-time $250 payments.
“We successfully provided $3.5B in tax relief for working Floridians. We have allocated $1.6B toward transportation projects and given $1B in small business loans.
“Within the past twelve months, those federal funds have saved or created 112,000 jobs statewide, nearly 24,000 of which were teaching positions.
“Over the past year, Florida has utilized $7.7B of the $14.8B available to stave off the need to make deeper cuts in the state budget. The immediate result prevented the need for tax increases that would have otherwise led to further financial burdens to Florida families and businesses. Further cuts in the state budget will still be unavoidable.
“We must not become dependent upon Washington to solve our economic woes. We have had the benefit of stimulus funds but that safety net will be gone once the remaining $7B is exhausted.
“The scope of the financial ruin wrought upon us from the effects of the Great Recession is unprecedented. The Florida legislature must go beyond the dealings of special interest groups. We must plan for the future now to avoid a further collapse of social services and education. We must take immediate steps to bring a more diverse tax base to Florida by offering incentives to attract new business ventures within our state.
“We cannot turn away from providing a positive future for Florida families. We must secure additional revenues to replace the billions of dollars unsecured because of unrealized tax revenues.
“This is not a farfetched idea. It can work. It must work. The only way to make it work is to get Floridians back to work. That must be a focal point as Florida is faced with extended periods of lost revenues.
“Therefore, and unfortunately, spending cuts will still be necessary to achieve a balanced budget. Stimulus funds will starts running out next year, leaving deeper cuts as the main option for staving off huge deficits. Further cuts in health care, cuts to prisons and cuts to Florida universities can be softened by actions the Florida legislature must address in the coming budget talks.
“2010 is an election year and, as unpopular the thought may be, we must reconsider sales tax exemptions given to business that are no longer justified. This will be extremely unpopular but without responsible actions, we will be faced with years of budget deficits. Lawmakers could raise up to $12 billion by doing away with tax loopholes that benefit the state's wealthiest and getting rid of tax exemptions for elite businesses.
“This is desperately needed as the electorate is struggling with high unemployment and the foreclosure of their homes. Florida residents cannot afford to dig any deeper in their pockets than they already have.
“Over the long run, these businesses should expect a positive return on their investments as the unemployed are once again able to earn a living, make money and increasing their levels of disposable income to spend on their products and services.
“I commend the Florida legislature for delaying the implementation of raising unemployment compensation taxes from $8.40 to $25.20 per employee. Still, the projected shortfalls are in excess $3 billion dollars for 2010-2011 and $6 billion there afterwards. The legislature must address these shortfalls.
“I will be strongly criticized for these comments and the reactions will not be made with kind words. But, take a look at those who make accusations and see where their interests lie. Too often, those interests do not lie with the residents of Florida.
“I have based my ten years in public service to better the lives and futures of Florida residents and will continue to do so in whatever capacity Florida voters may deem befitting the needs of the state,” I might have said if I were Charlie Crist when he gave his State of the State Address.
“I have been criticized as having embraced the stimulus funds as offered by President Obama. Let me assure you that I did not support the stimulus package. I accepted the federal funds out of necessity. These funds have been well spent to avoid further deterioration of state and local social structures. They have been used to sustain employment, create jobs and promote economic activity and growth.
“From data released this past week by the Council Economic Advisors, stimulus dollars have provided $20M in food stamps and $2.4M in Medicaid payments. We were able to provide $924M in financial relief to 3.7M seniors, veterans and other ‘high-need’ residents with one-time $250 payments.
“We successfully provided $3.5B in tax relief for working Floridians. We have allocated $1.6B toward transportation projects and given $1B in small business loans.
“Within the past twelve months, those federal funds have saved or created 112,000 jobs statewide, nearly 24,000 of which were teaching positions.
“Over the past year, Florida has utilized $7.7B of the $14.8B available to stave off the need to make deeper cuts in the state budget. The immediate result prevented the need for tax increases that would have otherwise led to further financial burdens to Florida families and businesses. Further cuts in the state budget will still be unavoidable.
“We must not become dependent upon Washington to solve our economic woes. We have had the benefit of stimulus funds but that safety net will be gone once the remaining $7B is exhausted.
“The scope of the financial ruin wrought upon us from the effects of the Great Recession is unprecedented. The Florida legislature must go beyond the dealings of special interest groups. We must plan for the future now to avoid a further collapse of social services and education. We must take immediate steps to bring a more diverse tax base to Florida by offering incentives to attract new business ventures within our state.
“We cannot turn away from providing a positive future for Florida families. We must secure additional revenues to replace the billions of dollars unsecured because of unrealized tax revenues.
“This is not a farfetched idea. It can work. It must work. The only way to make it work is to get Floridians back to work. That must be a focal point as Florida is faced with extended periods of lost revenues.
“Therefore, and unfortunately, spending cuts will still be necessary to achieve a balanced budget. Stimulus funds will starts running out next year, leaving deeper cuts as the main option for staving off huge deficits. Further cuts in health care, cuts to prisons and cuts to Florida universities can be softened by actions the Florida legislature must address in the coming budget talks.
“2010 is an election year and, as unpopular the thought may be, we must reconsider sales tax exemptions given to business that are no longer justified. This will be extremely unpopular but without responsible actions, we will be faced with years of budget deficits. Lawmakers could raise up to $12 billion by doing away with tax loopholes that benefit the state's wealthiest and getting rid of tax exemptions for elite businesses.
“This is desperately needed as the electorate is struggling with high unemployment and the foreclosure of their homes. Florida residents cannot afford to dig any deeper in their pockets than they already have.
“Over the long run, these businesses should expect a positive return on their investments as the unemployed are once again able to earn a living, make money and increasing their levels of disposable income to spend on their products and services.
“I commend the Florida legislature for delaying the implementation of raising unemployment compensation taxes from $8.40 to $25.20 per employee. Still, the projected shortfalls are in excess $3 billion dollars for 2010-2011 and $6 billion there afterwards. The legislature must address these shortfalls.
“I will be strongly criticized for these comments and the reactions will not be made with kind words. But, take a look at those who make accusations and see where their interests lie. Too often, those interests do not lie with the residents of Florida.
“I have based my ten years in public service to better the lives and futures of Florida residents and will continue to do so in whatever capacity Florida voters may deem befitting the needs of the state,” I might have said if I were Charlie Crist when he gave his State of the State Address.
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