Cutting Another Fat Hog

In spite of the wind having finally gone down, it was exceptionally chilly outdoors today due to the high humidity. For about five or ten minutes later this morning, the skies were spitting what looked like something between snowflakes and sleet. Thank goodness it stopped, but we'll see what tomorrow morning looks like because it sounds like we may have snow tonight and possibly tomorrow morning. Thank goodness I'm still wearing my dependable woolies.

Not too long after I arrived at office, one of my colleagues called to talk about this evolution in real estate practices which will be implemented sometime around the first of July. It was a long conversation, but we did manage to get a number of issues ironed-out. I thought it interesting because more than once this week, I was getting mentally 'poked' to place a call to that person, so I guess it was all meant to be.

With having a relatively free day, I managed to have enough time to place some follow-up phone calls to clients and customers, along with sending out several instructive emails, so by the end of the day, I found all of my little real estate 'to do's' were finally completed. Yes, I'm also a little bit of the mindset where I have to be in the 'mood' to write letters/emails.

When going thru today's mail, I discovered a letter from Alliant Energy regarding their proposed rate increase which was telling me they're getting ready to start cutting another fat hog. My gosh! I can't believe our city can't do something about those rate increases, because if I were in the seats of power, I'd be cancelling this city's contract with them.

I've noticed just these past years where more people who're looking at relocating here, are asking which company is the provider of electric and gas. I also know for a fact that acreages and small town homes that aren't being held hostage by Alliant Energy, are more easily marketed because of their lower utility rates. Just these recent years, I've noticed that just about anything that comes on the market in Rockwell, sells very quickly, but in the past, that definitely wasn't the story, and likely because the general public has finally come to realize how much lower Mid-America's rates are, compared to Alliant Energy's.

I'm sure you've noticed all those red Michels and white ITC trucks running around North Iowa. Well, Michels is a sub-contractor for Alliant, and ITC Midwest now owns the electric transmission lines which carry and distribute Alliant's electricity, so as we all know, the more fingers there are in the pot, the more expensive costs become, and that's exactly what's happening.

Someone told me about ten years ago that Alliant Energy would soon become nothing more than a customer service company, and by the looks of it, that's exactly what they're evolving into, and believe me, their customer service leaves much to be desired. Oh how I hate talking to their robots. I'm sure after reading these lines, you've come to fully understand my personal feelings about Alliant Energy. Oh how I wish we could be rid of them for good. Do actually you believe Mr. John O. Larsen who's the CEO of Alliant Energy, deserves to be paid over three million dollars a year? Oh, and don't forget he's likely getting all the 'bennies' including stock options. No, I don't believe any CEO in the world is worth three million dollars or more a year. Shame on them all!

I read something quite interesting today about Putin mentioning in a cloaked way, his plans for going after the dough belonging to his circle of oligarchs, which I'm now thinking may be the real beginning of the end for him, and only because he and that group of kleptocrats, quietly made a deal two decades ago that they'd scratch each others' backs where they'd help to keep Putin in power, while Putin in turn, would allow them to pillage Russia's natural resources, which is reminiscent of mafia tactics. I won't be surprised if Putin's already got a price on his head, and likely the ones paying for it, are those he's trying to throw under a bus. We'll see.

While out in the public today and quietly minding my own business, I happened to overhear a very illuminating conversation regarding this rash of vandalism that taking place in our downtown, and from the sounds of it, the perpetrators are a group of youngsters who're of the age between 8 and 15ish, and from what I was hearing, they're living in a second floor apartment in our downtown. Unbeknownst to me, this has been going on for almost a year now, so why hasn't something been done about their nightly carousing and vandalizing. Like I said, just last week I noticed eight broken windows which were broken in one night. I think now's the time for DHS to get involved because there appears to be no adult supervision going on with those naughty monkeys. Gosh I'm glad I managed to get the scoop this afternoon.

The owners of a home I recently sold stopped by this afternoon to sign all their transfer docs, just so I'd have everything for Monday's closing, and since I've known them for some time, we had a nice chat about this sorry state our Country is in with these alt-right members of Congress who're hell-bent on turning our beloved Nation into dictatorship.? I'm sorry to say I can't possibly bring myself to drinking D.T.'s and his cronies Kool-Aid. I'd really like someone to tell me exactly when decorum and common sense went out the window.

Tonight's One-liner is: It takes a considerable amount of knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.

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