Sunday, April 25, 2010

Applying Oneself in Massachusetts

With "HELP" from the STATE!

What do you mean it isn't working?

Did you plug it in?


Yes, such and AGENDA-PUSHING GLOW to get the PROGRAM GOING!

"Appliance rebates could go fast; Mass. program kicks off tomorrow; shoppers are already scouting for deals" by Robert Preer, Globe Correspondent | April 21, 2010

The chance to buy an energy-efficient dishwasher for as little as $29 and other bargains could draw a crush of consumers to the state’s cash-for-appliances program when it is launched tomorrow.

But state officials say they are ready to handle an onslaught of shoppers seeking their share of the $6 million allocation for appliance rebates that Massachusetts received as part of the 2009 federal stimulus bill.

Sigh.

Is it anything like the solar panel rebates no one can afford -- except, you know, who this whole society serves; taxpayers cut 'em a check, can you believe it?

Yeah, government serving you, America.

Reservations for rebates ranging from $50 to $250, depending on the appliance, will be issued on a first come, first served basis — either online or by phone — starting at 10 a.m....

You had to have a reservation?

Massachusetts has set up a 50-person telephone call center and a website, www.MassSave.com/residential, to accommodate 5,000 visitors at once.

“We overbuilt the system to accommodate what we believe the demand will be,’’ said Robert Keough, spokesman for the state Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. “We think we are poised to have a very successful program.’’

I just really, I want to know why everything other than tax loot to favored interests and feathering one's own nest is a colossal failure with delusional leaders at the helm.

And then they wonder why there is no trust!

The $300 million federal appliance program — nicknamed Dollars for Dishwashers and Funds for Freezers — follows the popular Cash for Clunkers initiative, which last year doled out about $2 billion in rebates nationwide to car owners who traded in gas guzzlers for models with better mileage.

Yeah, EXCEPT CLUNKERS was a FAILURE!!

See: Clunkers

Did you EVER GET the CAR (couldn't drive it home?), or did you get a REJECTION NOTICE from the government saying you didn't qualify after all, consumer?

Did the DEALERS ever get REIMBURSED -- even as government blamed them (isn't that rich) for paperwork errors, etc?

And it turns out FOREIGN CAR MANUFACTURERS BENEFITED the MOST!!

But in the CONVENTIONAL MYTHOLOGY of the AGENDA-PUSHING MSM you SEE WHAT WE GET, dear reader!!!

Both the appliance and vehicle programs are funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and are intended to stimulate the economy and promote energy conservation. The federal legislation gives states considerable flexibility. While some offered rebates for a wide range of appliances, including heating and air conditioning systems, Massachusetts is limiting its program to four categories: dishwashers, refrigerators, freezers, and clothes washers....

All it is stimulating is anger!

--more--"

So you all ready for your taxpayer-funded rebate?


"Glitches hamper rebate program; Vouchers for new appliances snapped up" by Robert Preer, Globe Correspondent | April 23, 2010

The state program offering rebates on energy-efficient appliances ran out of money just two hours after it began yesterday, prompting officials to declare the $5.5 million effort a success, but frustrating would-be participants who faced jammed phone lines and website error messages.

The state is DELUSIONAL, aren't they?

They give you s*** after such self-serving promotion (ready to go) and they come up with this and call it "success?"

I really would hate to see their definition of failure.


MassSave.com, the site operated by the state and utility companies to process rebates being funded by federal stimulus money, crashed minutes after the program launched at 10 a.m., and a new site set up to address the problem quickly slowed to a crawl.

For anyone who has ever went through something like that (hi), it is FAR FROM a SUCCESS!!!

The STATE is OUT of ITS MIND and INSANE, folks!!


But

Do I even need to type a comment anymore?


enough people got through to make the program a quick sellout....

Are you wearing panties under that cheer-leaders skirt, Globe. or.... ?


Robert Keough, assistant secretary in the state Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, acknowledged that technical issues marred the program for some. “When the website went down, that drove more traffic to the phone lines, and that system was overwhelmed, too,’’ he said. Earlier in the week, Keough had said the website was built with more than enough capacity “to accommodate what we believe the demand will be.’’

Susan McDonough of Lynnfield thought she was prepared for the 10 a.m. start. “I had the phone ready as well as two computers,’’ she said. Two hours later, she got through, but was able to claim only a place on the waiting list for rebates. The experience, she said, was like “trying to vote for American Idol.’’

Oh, that is what you are on the phone for, huh?

Wouldn't want to call Congress or anything, would you?

'Course not; they don't listen anyway; just silence on the other end of the line before the click and dial tone.

Consumers were drawn by deals that seemed almost unreal....

Oh, the feeling I get reading the Globe each morning.

That black-penned comment certainly enters the margins very often I noticed.

Nationwide, $300 million in stimulus money was set aside for the program....

I didn't want BORROWED tax dollars going for this.

Why not just LET the PEOPLE KEEP the TAXES in THEIR POCKETS! TAXES are HIGH ENOUGH as it is and are being ADDED or INCREASED all the time!!

And all so looting government can dole it out to banks for bad debt deals; fund favored corporations or other interests; and set generous pay, pension, and health plans for themselves -- all while wielding the budget ax after raising taxes.

And wait until you see the PAPERWORK the STATE HELPERS REQUIRE! You are ALMOST BETTER OFF SCRAPPING the EFFORT!

Each state is allowed to set its own program rules. In Massachusetts, customers needed to have rebate reservations before they could purchase a product. After buying a qualifying appliance, the consumer must send the rebate form to the state, along with a copy of the receipt, a recent electric bill, and a delivery document showing that the old appliance — which must be in working order — was taken away and a new one installed. Depending on retailers’ policies, consumers may have to pay for delivery, installation, and removal of appliances.

This is beginning to feel like one of those "it's too good too be true" infomercials.

They also must pay the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax before the rebate is applied.

Yeah, THANKS for SHOVING THAT down our throat, Globe!

As I recall, we needed it to save services and here we are, cutting services.

Meanwhile, more pigs line up at the trough:

Schilling Makes His Pitch

Yeeeeer OUT!!!!

Best Buy at CambridgeSide Galleria had computer terminals set up in the appliance department so shoppers could sign up for rebates, print out the necessary forms, and purchase an appliance in one step.

Related: BEST BUY

Might not be so easy, sigh.

Really am SICK of the AGENDA-PUSHING S*** pissing itself off as "news."

“The website was a little slow but some people are getting through,’’ store manager Mike Doughty said late yesterday morning. “We want to make the shopping experience for customers as easy as possible.’’

Best way to do that, readers? Don't go!

Do I get a break on my copy of "Avatar?"

For many people, however, the experience was anything but simple.

Not just "some," Glob?

Most who tried to log on to the state website shortly after 10 a.m. were greeted with an ominous message — “Forbidden: Access is denied’’ — and phone calls resulted in busy signals.

“It’s disappointing, what can you say?’’ Louis Cicolari of Clinton said after being stymied by the downed website.

Not much else except FAILURE... FAILURE AGAIN!

Clint Heyd of Natick also was unable to log on. As a diversion, Heyd said, he began reading online comments of others facing the same predicament. A posting on Boston.com described a successful attempt through the state’s alternate site. It worked for Heyd, too. “I was just lucky.’’

I guess the self-serving self-promotion never ends -- even in as simple an article as this.

--more--"

And what does government do when something has failed?

Why EXPAND IT, of course!!!

"Appliance rebates expanded; State to offer second round of discounts" by Robert Preer, Globe Correspondent | April 24, 2010

Responding to complaints from people unable to secure rebates for energy-efficient appliances this week, state officials yesterday promised to honor payouts for the nearly 13,000 consumers on a waiting list for vouchers, and said that a second round of discounts will be offered this summer.

You know the old saying, right? Waste not want not?

Unlike this week’s rebate program, the new one will distribute money through a lottery or some other random process, officials said, not on a first-come, first-served basis. It will also use funds set aside for other energy-efficiency programs in Massachusetts, instead of the federal stimulus dollars spent on Thursday’s giveaway.

That's what it is, all right!

While declining to provide a specific amount for the summer program, officials said it will be comparable to this week’s $5.5 million offering. The Earth Day promotion proved so popular that a state website set up to process applications crashed minutes after the program launched at 10 a.m., and the money was depleted in less than two hours....

You know, a SUCCESS!!

Also see:

Bunch of Globes out there.

Thousands were frustrated by error messages, and a special phone line was jammed. In addition, a second website set up to alleviate online pressure quickly stalled out. The state had said that its website was built in anticipation of heavy traffic.

Again....

Some of those who were thwarted in their attempts to get rebates voiced cautious optimism yesterday....

Yeah, okay, (pfft) Glob.


To fund the summer program, the state said it will tap the account of MassSave — a partnership involving the state, major utility companies, and energy contractors. It has $2 billion to spend over the next three years to promote energy conservation in the state, funded by a surcharge of about $1 to $2 on customers’ utility bills, as well as funds from utilities and power plant operators.

Here YOU ARE HURTING, dear fellow citizen, and the STATE and UTILITY COMPANIES are SITTING ON $2 BILLION in EXTRA CHARGES!


(Blog editor sadly shakes his head; most are blissfully unaware of a "small" fraud of a fee)

Robert Keough, spokesman for the state Office of Energy and the Environment, said the agency considers the appliance rebates an effective use of MassSave money, and that it will not significantly detract from MassSave’s other offerings, including home insulation subsidies and energy audits.

It is $2 billion dollars, how can it not? The FEE GOING UP AGAIN?

And could we please have this guy checked into a hospital?

He's either crazy or a fabulous liar.


The cash for the appliances program was part of the $300 million federal appliance subsidy, similar to last year’s federal “Cash for Clunkers’’ offering, which handed out about $2 billion in rebates to drivers who traded in gas-guzzling cars for vehicles that get better mileage.

Yeah, read all this agenda-promoting stuff before.


After buying an appliance that qualifies for a rebate — which must be done by May 5 — consumers should send the rebate form to the state, along with a copy of the receipt, a recent electric bill, and a document showing the old appliance was taken away and a new one installed. Depending on store policies, consumers may have to pay for delivery, installation, and removal of old appliances. They also must pay the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax on the price of appliances prior to the rebate.

Yes, thank you for helping to bring that to us.

What a great deal, huh, Bay Staters, especially if you are out of work, huh?

Think I'll just hang on to what I have for another year (heck, some of the items are still fairly new).


--more--"

Damn thing is busted!