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What does a 355 ship Navy mean?

Posted: February 8, 2020 by ng36b in Uncategorized
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The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group, from NavyTimes.com

The US Navy is locking horns with Congress and the other services, trying to build to 355 ships, which it needs to fight China and Russia in any sort of future conflict. Despite the recent claim about rebuilding our military at the State of the Union, the current Navy is in a bit of disrepair, mainly from being run ragged around the world without enough shipyard time to make repairs. 355 ships would make a huge difference, but its not achievable with the current budget structure.

But when we say 355 ships, what does that mean? Currently, the US Navy has 10 aircraft carriers, 34 amphibious ships, 22 cruisers, 12 littoral combat ships, 68 destroyers (including Zumwalt class), 52 fast attack submarines and 4 SSGNs, plus 14 SSBNs. That brings us to 102 surface warships and 70 submarines. On the support ship side, we have 78 ships. Navy official website says 294 “Battle Force Ships” and 338,114 personnel.

If we look at the last time we had 355 ships, it would be 1997. Back then, we had 20 more surface ships, 21 more submarines, 2 more carriers and 7 more amphibious vessels. Back in 1997, we had 398,847 personnel. Doing my napkin math based on the current way we man ships, that isn’t far off from what we would need.

Image captured from Navy History Website

I put battle force ships in quotes because the Navy came under fire for counting ships differently. When ship count dropped a lot, Congress got (rightfully) concerned that we didn’t have enough vessels to do our tasking. Navy came back with some new counting that made Common Core math look good. So, if you think 355 ships means 355 warships, then we need to flash back to 1992.

I count 343, including amphibious ships but excluding mine warfare, patrol and auxiliary ships. Back in 1992, the Navy had 576,047 personnel.

We’ve gained some efficiencies in how we man ships, but not orders of magnitude more. The crew size on a current DDG is 329 personnel. A Spruance Class destroyer from the 90’s had a complement of 335 personnel. Other ships are similar, and in many cases need more personnel to run the advanced equipment onboard.

If we think war with China is a coming reality, we need to start expanding our Navy now, or there is little hope to stop China from walking all over countries in their first and second island chains. Representative Carl Vinson saw that in 1934, we had lost too much ground to the Japanese Navy, and pushed through a number of bills to authorize what would eventually become a two ocean Navy. Japan’s Navy went from one of the largest in the world to utter destruction in only 4 short years, thanks to Congress’ foresight in building new warships quickly. We need that same foresight today.

This post represents the views of the author and not those of the Department of Defense, Department of the Navy, or any other government agency.

The Massachusetts Senate Wants to Turn this State into California

Posted: February 6, 2020 by Jon Fournier in Uncategorized
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The Massachusetts Senate announced on January 23rd that they very much want to turn ths state into California.  The announced this by declaring that they want to enact a California style Climate Cap and Trade package.  Nothing would speed this sate into turning into a hell hole like California faster than a Cap and Trade System.

I first heard about this disastrous effort when I say this article online: Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance article California Style Regulations in Massachusetts!

On January 23rd 2020, the Massachusetts Senate came out with a Climate Change package that would drastically increase regulations on how you live your daily life. The senate is seeking to tax you on necessities such as driving your car and heating your home, and simply raise prices on EVERYTHING! This package includes three separate bills and is going to be taken up by the Senate on THURSDAY:

I don’t think the people of Massachusetts are expecting to see a drastic price increase in all aspects of their lives, which is what will happen if the climate change legislation is enacted.  The politicians always seem to gloss over the price increase aspect when claiming that they are saving the planet.

Here are the details if the plan:

(S 2477) is a straight Carbon Tax that will increase the cost of living exponentially. It establishes net-neutral greenhouse gas emissions standards by 2050. It accomplishes this by adopting sector-based statewide greenhouse gas emissions sub-limits including, but not limited to, electric power, transportation, commercial and industrial heating and cooling, residential heating and cooling, industrial processes, solid waste, agriculture and natural gas distribution and service. This simply means you will pay more for electricity, gas, heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer, trash disposal, food, and any other goods and services that uses any of these things to be made for you or to get to you.

It sounds ridiculously expensive doesn’t it?  How will senior citizens and low income individuals afford necessities?  How will businesses survive?

There is more to the proposed legislation.

(S 2478) Substantially expands the Massachusetts Appliance Efficiency Standards Act to include higher standards for a wider variety of consumer and commercial products. What will it do?
-It requires cooking appliances, air ventilation systems, and lamps to meet federal Energy Star guidelines
-It adopts California energy regulations for computers and computer monitors
-It establishes specific flow volumes required for plumbing fixtures, including shower heads, faucets, toilets, and urinals
-It sets an effective date of January 1, 2022, after which products covered in this act must meet their new regulations in order to be sold or installed in Massachusetts
-Maintains existing federal water and energy efficiency requirements in Massachusetts in the event they are withdrawn or repealed. 

Are you ready for air conditioners that don’t actually cool rooms or dishwashers that need to run twice as long.  All appliances will function poorer and be way more expensive.  That is what happens when energy standards are applied by government. 

I also found this article Carbon pricing is a cornerstone of Senate climate package from the Hannover Manner Local News.

The Massachusetts Senate plans to take up a far-reaching package of climate bills whose major components include an electric MBTA bus fleet by 2040, carbon-pricing mechanisms for transportation, homes and commercial buildings, and a series of five-year greenhouse gas emissions reduction requirements that ramp up to net-zero emissions in 2050.

The three bills, teed up for debate on Jan. 30, with amendments due by Monday, amount to what Senate President Karen Spilka called a “comprehensive plan for the state” to respond to an international issue – global climate change.

“This is a race against time,” Spilka told reporters. “Climate change is changing not only Massachusetts and the United States, it is changing the face of our planet, and our planet’s survival is at stake.”

As you can see, saving the planet from the mythical climate change monster is the justification for this disaster.

The good news so far is the House of Representatives is not ready to enact this legislation yet.

“For several years the bill struggled,” Barrett said. “We did not find traction in the House in particular. I want to be respectful of the legislative branches and respectful of the governor. It seemed to me after two or three years that we weren’t moving quickly enough. I decided I wanted to put a price on carbon by any path we could lay our hands on, so I backed away from my preferred method.”

The Bad news is that our Governor embraces the idea.

This year’s bill allows the governor to choose among a revenue-neutral fee, a revenue-positive tax, or a cap and trade system like the Transportation Climate Initiative Gov. Charlie Baker is pursuing with other states. It would require a carbon-pricing mechanism to be in effect for the transportation sector by Jan. 1, 2022, for commercial, industrial and institutional buildings by Jan. 1, 2025, and residential buildings by Jan. 1, 2030.

Our State elected officials are trying to hammer this mess into actual legislation that will pass both houses and be signed by the Governor Baker.

Backing from the governor and the leaders of the two legislative houses creates likelihood that some version of a net-zero emissions policy becomes law this session. Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Kathleen Theoharides said she plans to issue a letter of determination in the coming weeks to establish a policy of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

We must call our elected officials and tell them no.  We must also work hard to get more true republicans elected into State Office to keep Massachusetts from being turned into California.

Report from Louisiana: on Reading and Education

Posted: February 3, 2020 by Pat Austin in Uncategorized
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By:  Pat Austin

SHREVEPORT – With the resignation of Louisiana State Superintendent of Education John White, effective in March, many Louisiana educators are closely watching the process and the candidates for the post.

Personally, I shed no tears over John White’s exit. Under his tenure we have moved into Louisiana’s version of Common Core of which I have been a vocal opponent.

I am on year twenty-four right now, in my career, and plan to do one more and then leave the profession.  I have no desire to teach from a canned, scripted curriculum that assumes one size fits all in the classroom. The education profession has become something I no longer recognize; it might be better, it might not, but it’s left me behind.

As a secondary ELA teacher, it hurts my soul that my students no longer read novels. In tenth grade, only the PreAP, or honors kids, are assigned an entire novel and that is a summer reading assignment. In the classroom, my curriculum is based around two “anchor texts,” Macbeth, and then The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. We do actually read all of Macbeth but with Lacks, we only read the Prologue. We are required to read many, many scientific articles about ethics. We read a couple of short stories. We do a whole lot of graphic organizers.

So, it is my hope that the new Superintendent of Education will put an end to this nonsense and bring back actual textbooks rather than copied articles. But, it is also true that the new superintendent could double down and make this all worse.

The one thing that has made all of this bearable to me is that I am still fighting for my students. A couple of years ago I started a classroom library and in my classroom every child reads for fifteen minutes at the beginning of ever class period. Their reading is from a book of their choice and I’ve built a nice collection of both fiction and non-fiction.

My school is a high-poverty school and is Title 1. Most of my kids are not on grade level and many don’t have books at home. And you know what? The buy-in for my reading initiative has been awesome! It is pure joy to me to look out at my kids during that fifteen minutes and see every kid buried in a book, reading.  I hold them accountable only by their Friday reading response journals: every Friday each student writes a letter to me about what they’ve been reading all week. I often respond back, with a couple of sentences, and we have a sort of dialogue about their books.

Whenever a student finishes a book they’ve really enjoyed, they tell their friends and through word of mouth, interest spreads.

I now have students that have left my class and moved on come back to my room asking to check out a book. We have a school library as well, and some go there. But many of these kids now trust me to recommend a book they will like, or they know that I will order the next book in a series they’re reading. We’ve built a relationship around books. It’s pure joy!

I started out building this classroom library by going to thrift shops and pillaging every Little Free Library near me. I went to garage sales and estate sales. I ordered a lot of books with my own money, I wrote a grant and a local television station gave me money to buy books. I used my own blog and social media accounts to beg for donations and I set up an Amazon Wish List. Books flooded in. I was amazed! People I didn’t even know were sending me books. Many came from readers of this blog!  I still have my Amazon Wish List and I currently have a Donor’s Choose project running to add current titles to my shelves that kids have been asking for.

When I retire I’ve promised to donate my library to two other teachers in my department.

I will be closely watching the search for our next Superintendent of Education. It is my sincere hope that he/she also believes in independent reading, student choice, and teacher autonomy. Teachers know their students and know what they need. And what we don’t need is a one size fits all scripted curriculum implemented with an iron fist.

Pat Austin blogs at And So it Goes in Shreveport and is the author of Cane River Bohemia: Cammie Henry and her Circle at Melrose Plantation. Follow her on Instagram @patbecker25 and Twitter @paustin110.

The Brady Jimmy G Debate is Over 3 Strikes and You’re Out!

Posted: February 3, 2020 by datechguy in Uncategorized

For three years on Boston Sports Radio we have heard caller after caller excoriate the Patriots for keeping Tom Brady while Trading Jimmy Garoppolo to the 49ers.

We were told this despite two trips to the Superbowl and a single defensive stop from it being two rather than just one Superbowl win.

Well this year Tom Brady ended his streak of three straight superbowl appearances unless you count the following ad.

and Jimmy G and the 49ers were taking on Patrick Mahomes who Brady had beaten the previous year in Kansas City to advance to the Superbowl.

The game was pretty even until the 3rd quarter when the 49ers took a 20-10 lead and when Patrick Mahomes threw an interception with 12:05 seconds to go Jimmy G was given a golden opportunity.

With a two score lead in the bank all he had to do is lead a team whose strength is primarily the run down the field and eat up time and when on the 1st play of the drive the 49ers ran for six yards it looked like this would be the case and a short pass later, with 11:18 to go it looked like the game was over.

Alas after a one yard run on 1st down Jimmy G was given two changes to get the 1st down for the 49ers. He failed forced out of bounds on a three yard scramble and then throwing incomplete forcing a punt with Nine minutes and one second to go, only managing to eat three minutes.

Strike One.

That was more time than it took Patrick Mahomes to drive down the field and score a touchdown for Kansas city making it 20-17 with 6:17 to go

But even so it was not a problem. Jimmy G had the lead and the ball with 6:17 to go. He was in the same spot as he had been five minutes earlier. All he had to do was get a few 1st downs and Kansas city would not be able to stop him from winning the game.

he had a two score lead so no matter what happened he would have another chance to put it away and when the 49ers ran for five yards on 1st down it looked like once again they would be in great shape to finish the chiefs off.

However instead the ball was entrusted to Jimmy G who managed to throw two incomplete passes giving the ball back to the Chiefs having run less than a minute off the clock.

Strike Two.

Now Patrick Mahomes had the ball and five minutes and eighteen seconds to take the lead and he did so with a five yard pass to finish a seven play 65 yard drive whose only fault was leaving two minutes and sixty seconds for the 49ers to come back from a 24-20 deficit.

Now here was Jimmy G’s chance to be Tom Brady. He had 2:50 seconds on the clock and three time outs. If he could drive the team down for a touchdown his two previous failures would be completely forgotten and he would get the win and his 3rd Superbowl ring only this time it would not be a gift from the greatest quarterback who had ever lived.

He started well driving to the 49 Yard line of Kansas City with a 1st and ten with 1:56 to go and four chances to pass his way into football immortality or at least four chances to advance ten yards and keep moving. The Result?

  1. Incomplete
  2. Incomplete
  3. Incomplete
  4. sack

To add insult to injury Kansas city only needed two running plays to turn their 4 point lead into an 11 point one and the ball once again was in Jimmy G’s hands to try and pull off a miracle, the result?

  1. Incomplete
  2. Interception

Jimmy G was 0-5 with one sack and one interception in his last 5 pass attempts furthermore with the game on the line during three 4th quarter drives he was a combined 3-9 for 36 yards and one sack. 3-11 with a sack and an interception if you count the forlorn hope.

Now I ask each one of you who has been calling WEEI or the Sports Hub or any other radio station for the last three years one simple question.

Do any of you seriously believe that if Tom Brady had been at Quarterback on those three drives that he would have failed to come through at least once?

Lets ask the chiefs

3 3rd and 10’s three first downs against this same Kansas City team only one year removed from the Superbowl win.

Or how about one more example. With a lead in hand last year and a chance to ice the game in last year’s Superbowl

Now don’t get me wrong. Jimmy G is a good quarterback and it would not surprise me to see him once again with a chance to win a Superbowl.

But can we finally stop hearing Patriots fans cry over the Patriots trading away Jimmy G and insisting that the Patriots would have done at least as good or better?

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