Keeping America Safe from Firewood

[spartonboat1]

Only the US Today, which a Leftie paper, would miss the sweet irony, if not total insanity in their story today, Wed, Dec 15, 2010. They expended a full half page above the fold about how the States' Governments, in collaboration with the US of A Federal Government, are protecting us gullible citizens from Firewood Charlatans.

According to the story there is a grave danger that some of us are buying "a pickup load" of firewood, in the belief that were are getting a "cord" of firewood. Well just wait a minute. You might be being ripped off!! That pickup load, might not be a full cord of wood...oh, the horrors.

I say without a smile that the story stated that under Federal Law it is illegal to sell firewood in other than "Face Cord" or "Full Cord" quantities. So those pickup truck loads of firewood, or bundles of wood from the gas station you have been buying are ILLEGAL firewood!! So you are also a conspirator for buying such wood!!! And I want you to know that some of the wood I have been getting is up to 24"'s long, well over the legal 18" limit! (I am not making this up!), plus some of the wood is crooked!!!

But we are safe! While no Border Patrolman is safe, instead the States and the Federales are ready to pounce and crack down on those who are breaking the firewood law! This is truly stated in the USAT story, with quotes from state and federal officials.

OMG. What insanity. Is there any wonder that there is a Tea Party. What an overreacting, over-reaching total waste of government resources- firewood sizing?. I would not be a bit surprised that the federal official is a GS-13 and runs a "branch", a formal unit of 6 people. I bet they have a $2M/yr budget. The states probably have a $10M budget in toto.

We are in serious trouble in this country and this story above is proof positive!

Sorry, but this put me in a rant, if there ever was one...

 

[aquacraig@shaw.ca]

Just cuious, What are they charging for a face cord? Or a whatever cord.
Craig

 

[MikeP]

Might even be a GS-15! But don't him blame him/her - I'd take that firewood monitoring job in a heartbeat if I was young and looking for work - around a 100k a year at the 15 level with less than a year in grade. If it's just a 13, they're only making about 71k at their first year.

I tell my college-age nieces, don't screw around with trying to make a difference, get a government job!

 

[the kuz]

In St Mary's County MD you can buy a real cord of mixed hardwoods (mostly oak) for about $100 (split, not green). Real "seasoned hardwood" runs a little more. The biggest problem with "short cords" here is that they may be a full 4' x 8' on the face, but are usually stacked 2 deep and are seldom 24" logs. It's hard to find 3 deep stacks of 16' logs, but that is what you should get in a full cord. No one that I know of here cares about "legal" cords, you just pay a little less if it's short.

Regards, Bob K

 

[z28jimi]

Measuring in cords, bushels, pecks (or even knowing what they mean), making change without looking at the digital readout on the register, doing what you said you'd do just because you said it, not because a lawyer is forcing you to...all that is fast disappearing.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Firewood here goes for $50/facecord. That's up from $40 just a few years ago.

I heat with wood, but I live amongst the trees and cut my own firewood. The only cost is the toll on my back.

 

[Glory]

It's sad, we can't defend a boarder, but we have time to measure fire wood.

JM

 

[Jaxfishgyd]

Ah, another great thing about living on a boat.....

 

[SportFishCruising]

Ah, another great thing about living on a boat.....

lol... nice one

 

[yachtsmanbill]

You and Gator should get together! He paints AND cuts firewood!! ws

 

[spartonboat1]

Might even be a GS-15! But don't him blame him/her - I'd take that firewood monitoring job in a heartbeat if I was young and looking for work - around a 100k a year at the 15 level with less than a year in grade. If it's just a 13, they're only making about 71k at their first year.

I tell my college-age nieces, don't screw around with trying to make a difference, get a government job!

I've been away from the grades for awhile, but I thought the 13's were up around $100K with steps in grade, and the GM-15's around $150. I know the fed jobs are knockin' it down nowadays. They offered me a job in the early 90's, but I turned it down. Stupid, eh. They've got all the best now! But I was never that smart?!

 

[MikeP]

You are right - they do get up to the level you mentioned with time in grade. The figures I quoted were based on the base pay at the beginning of that level which assumes you somehow came over to the gov from some outside job and it was decided that you would start as a 13 or 15. That doesn't happen much so yeah - a "normal" GS15 would be making considerably more than 100k - and 150k would not be unusual at all. In some gov jobs, a 15 is making close to 200k and the pay is capped by gov regs - they cannot receive higher pay even though the pay scale "allows" it.

In 2006 the pay cap for regular pay was 186k; I don't know what it is now. That does not include overtime that is available in gov certain jobs. With OT, folks I knew were making as much as 250k a year.

 

[spartonboat1]

You are right - they do get up to the level you mentioned with time in grade. The figures I quoted were based on the base pay at the beginning of that level which assumes you somehow came over to the gov from some outside job and it was decided that you would start as a 13 or 15. That doesn't happen much so yeah - a "normal" GS15 would be making considerably more than 100k - and 150k would not be unusual at all. In some gov jobs, a 15 is making close to 200k and the pay is capped by gov regs - they cannot receive higher pay even though the pay scale "allows" it.

In 2006 the pay cap for regular pay was 186k; I don't know what it is now. That does not include overtime that is available in gov certain jobs. With OT, folks I knew were making as much as 250k a year.

So those Woodchucks in the Geico commercial on TV are really knockin' it down for chuckin all that wood. Don't flame, because that remark makes as much sense as anything on this whole topic area.

 

[whaler23]

http://www.geico.com/about/commercials/music/ringtones/download/#Woodchucks

and here's your free ringtone. Hit preview.

 

[Avenger]

Thanks for that link Scott. I don't know if can load those to my ancient phone, but the Boss's ringtone from the commercials always fractured me.

Sargent Ermy is a riot too.

 

[krush]

I talked about doing direct hire into Gs-13 job, but uncle sam doesn't consider private sector experience valid. Irony is that at the time I was running a multi mil construction job and responsible for everything--and was literally on the other side of the table from the position I would've hired in to. But I could've came in as an "intern" gs5-7 and been 13 in about 3 years....lol they offer the same BS to people with 10-15 years experience.

"13" jobs don't manage people--just paper pushers.