Breezin’ into Spring

The Far Middle episode 96 begins with birthday wishes to jazz guitarist Geroge Benson, and moves on to a timely dedication as Major League Baseball’s 2023 season gets underway in just eight days from this episode’s release. Going back to 1996, for episode 96, when no baseball players were inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, Nick offers a thoughtful look on players that aren’t in Cooperstown, but who have the career accomplishments to warrant induction. Nick then transitions from America’s pastime to the time of Teddy Roosevelt during his tenure at the Civil Service Commission. Nick discusses Roosevelt’s efforts to upend the spoils system, and replace it with a meritocracy in terms of hiring government employees. The idea was to go from who you knew, to what you knew, explains Nick. Related, Nick examines government today and how key positions are staffed. “I fear that our government has steered far, far away from where Teddy Roosevelt was looking to take it in the late 1800s,” says Nick. He asserts governmental decisions are not being made by those with the most experience and best skillsets, resulting in ineffective government being exposed at the worst possible times during crises. The discussion of meritocracy is connected to America’s regional power grids, and the need to let competition drive the best generation sources to power our energy systems. Nick focuses on the PJM grid, and revisits Winter Storm Elliot that hit the mid-Atlantic on Christmas Eve this past December. Nick underscores that natural gas, in particular Appalachian natural gas, didn’t just save the PJM grid, it saved lives. Despite the facts, there are environmental groups looking to fool the public and force an agenda. Environmentalists are executing their new sneaky two-step technique, which Nick dubs their “tame and blame” campaign. “If we allow natural gas to fairly compete and grow with private investment and innovation, then no more grid weakness, anywhere,” says Nick. He then presents six stark truths about wind and solar at scale on our power grid, which Winter Storm Elliot again exposed. When climate policies of the Left start to infiltrate the infrastructure of the power grid, cracks are going to appear quickly. And the same can be said of office real estate today in America’s major cities. Nick explains how climate change policies are stressing both grid capacity of power pools as well as balance sheets of urban office tower companies. In closing, Nick recalls Led Zeppelin’s best-selling album, Led Zeppelin IV, and in particular the track, “When the Levee Breaks.” In a similar vein, Nick argues that if, “the Left keeps ruling, the grid is going to break, and if the Left keeps ruling, the debt portfolio is going to break.”