Tahoetopia

PART III. U.S. Congress: Is Stopping Pork a Mission Impossible?

They won't. And despite the pledge of reform from President-elect Obama and others, rehabilitating the institutional practices of members of the U.S. Congress will require a monumental, sustained effort.

The Roots of the Practice of Earmarks

Mystical Tahoe in November--Pictures

Sunrise, looking eastward at the Carson Range.


Lake Tahoe May Stop Feeding Truckee River

Drought conditions plague much of California, but nowhere are they as dramatic, psychologically, than on the North Shore and in Truckee. The level of the lake has been up and down over the years, within a six-foot range.

Warren Miller Tells 400+ About Freedom

You "screwed up my life," were his opening words at the podium, because, he said, this is what so many people have told him over the years.

PART II. U.S. CONGRESS: Pork, the Beltway Diet

A pork (or earmark) project is a line-item in an appropriations bill that designates tax dollars for a specific purpose in circumvention of established budgetary procedures. There were over 11,000 pork projects in fiscal year 2008; they cost taxpayers $17.2 billion.

LOST LEGEND #17: The Great Spirit and Painted Ridge

Following the deaths that warm, rainy, August afternoon long ago, the Qua people at Carnelian Bay went into deep mourning. The happiness they had long known drained from them, and life became somber in all respects.

PART I. U.S. CONGRESS: Earmarks, the Semi-Secret Way of Life

The members call the semi-secret system "earmarks." Outsiders who understand the process call it "pork," and a blight on the USA.

$17 Billion for 11,000 Earmarks in Fiscal Year 2008 Alone

LOST LEGEND #16: Big Chief at Tahoe’s Lover’s Leap

Many years ago after the lake was formed the Qua people had spread throughout the High Sierra and beyond, as described in Lost Legend #3. One large group of Quas lived winters in the foothills near Auburn, CA and summers on tranquil Carnelian Bay near the center of the North Shore of the great lake in the sky.

BUSINESS MATTERS: Just Hit the Target this Winter

When it comes to developing a satisfactory winter season for your business, you can't wait to see if it snows heavy to invest in bringing customers in your door. You need to toot your horn and get out there with value and information propositions today. Here is why:

Storm Door Opens in November 2008

This Pacific storm was wet and juicy, but relatively warm, so the expected heavy snowfall in the upper elevations did not materialize. However, I did hear that a snowboarder climbed for some runs in the Mt. Rose area. He reported finding snow nearly two feet deep above 9,000 feet.

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