1732
1733

Economic isolationism and tariffs is very conservative.

1734

From the GOP perspective, solar power is a bunch of whining hippies getting in the way of real men digging coal out of the ground like their grandpappy did. Now, if the solar folks got a few hundreds of millions together in lobbying funds, it’d be a different story.

1735

Many companies advertise Made in America solar panels. I don’t know how much cheaper imported Chinese panels are but I think the gap has shrunk over the years.

1736

I heard Chinese solar panels lose like 80% of their efficiency after 20 years (which is when your lease expires and you can own them under most contracts), and American made ones will last forever. This is what a Solar salesman told me so take that with a grain of salt.

1737

Yeah, that’s a good sales line. All solar panels lose efficiency over time. Tesla estimates it at 0.5%/year.

1738

This is actually kind of the opposite of what most solar panels have.

Most modern panels have a warranty which guarantees that they will produce at least 80% of their original power rating after 20 years. Ultimately though, the specifics of this are generally defined in the warranty/agreement when you purchase the panel.

1739 
'I never thought I would see the day when state governments would be teaching people how to cheat the federal tax system.'
- Alfredo Ortiz, CEO of Job Creators Network

As everybody knows, taking advantage of loopholes in poorly written tax laws is something reserved for the “job creator class”.

1740

Trickle-down in action.

The sliding scale looks like this, a Home Depot employee said after attending a company meeting regarding the news:

Less than 2 years: $200 bonus
2 to 4 years: $250 bonus
5 to 9 years: $300 bonus
10 to 14 years: $400 bonus
15 to 19 years: $750 bonus
20+ years: $1,000 bonus

1741

Just in time to announce Friday layoffs tomorrow! :)

1742

Ah trickle down of gold. One might say it is showering down upon the poor worker. One might say it is a $200 golden shower for them.

Aka don’t piss on my head and tell me it’s raining.

1743

These bonuses will certainly be life-changing events for hardworking American workers. All heil Trump!

1744

With that $1000, you could redo your kitchen (with stick on floor tile) or buy a new car for your kids (from Powerwheels).

1745

I heard Disney has now offered it’s employees some kind of package and in a media release acknowledged the tax bill had something to do with it, or at least made it easier to do.

1746

Yeah, Disney is doing a small one time bonus also. Where are the actual raises? Hmmm.

1747

They are also putting $50 million into some kind of education initiative for it’s employees. That could be worth more than the raises to many younger employees.

The Company will also make an initial investment of $50 million in a new and ongoing education program specifically designed to cover tuition costs for hourly employees

1748

Giving a 50 cent/hour raise just wouldn’t generate the same kind of headlines. Plus that applies to every hour worked forever! $1000 one time is a winner all around.

1749

The company said it plans to use savings from the Republican tax plan to fund the cuts and other restructuring efforts, The New York Times reported. Tax savings would additionally be used for capital investments and to allocate capital to shareholders, CFO Maria Henry said in a call with analysts.

1750

From a well hidden location.

1751

Thank goodness they are using their tax cut savings to fund savings of even more money.