Green Energy Overreach? -- Even New Mexico Residents Can Figure This One Out -- March 13, 2017

In New Mexico, on the books: 20% renewable by 2020.

Cost of electricity in New Mexico: 9.62 cents / kwh -- not too far off the national average.

New Mexico considering 80% by 2040 (same link as first link). Voted down in committee.

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The Basketball Page

Wow. This is amazing. Two NBA conferences: west and east.

In the west, my favorite team, the San Antonio Spurs.

Standings:

• with 52 wins, is #1 Golden State.
• [update: with win over Atlanta, San Antonio Spurs to 52 wins, even with #1 Golden State]
• third place: 6.5 games behind -- Houston, with 46 wins.

Truly amazing. Love it.

Eastern Conference? I don't follow. I hardly follow the western conference any more.

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Applebee's

The one thing I hate to miss any weekend is a NASCAR race. All week I look forward to NASCAR. So when there's a conflict, I always look for a solution.

Yesterday was typical. All week I had been looking forward to the Las Vegas NASCAR race. Nothing on the schedule to interfere with the my opportunity to watch it. Then, at the last minute the "soccer gods" schedule a soccer practice an hour east of where we live, to begin about the same time the race is to begin. The last minute practice was scheduled to "make up" for an earlier practice canceled due to inclement weather.

But "the NASCAR gods" are on my side. After driving 40-some miles to drop off Olivia at soccer practice, I head straight for Applebee's on Main Street, Rowlette, Texas.

I get there in plenty of time; strike up a conversation with the bartender.

The bartender, I can tell, is not of Norwegian descent. A great bartender. I tell him I'll be there for two hours. I will have a small beer, and then order something off the menu, while waiting for our granddaughter to complete her practice.

And I would like the big-TV screen to be on the NASCAR race. Done.

After awhile, I ask the bartender where he grew up, his hometown?

He says New Orleans.

He says he moved to Texas after "Katrina."

He says it was the best thing that ever happened to him. He lost his home; his mother lost her home to Katrina.

He was driving home from Ferguson, MO, back to New Orleans, the day the hurricane hit. And then he lost it all. His mother also lost her home.

He was evacuated to Texas. I asked him if he entered Texas through Houston or Dallas. He said Dallas. He reiterated it was the best thing that ever happened to him.

He loves his job and he has a house.

I don't know how it came up in conversation. I know I didn't ask specifically. He says his mother and he were able to get re-settled in Texas, the best thing that ever happened to him.

He was about 30 years old, I suppose. Katrina hit in 2005, at which time he would have been about 22 years old.

How could his mother and he get resettled in Texas?

It turns out his mother at age 17 -- repeat, at 17 years old, a new mother -- bought shares of Walmart.

Doing the math, I assume she bought shares of Walmart back in 1980 or thereabouts. Posted earlier:

WMT: back in 1980 shares were selling for 29 cents, I believe, if I'm reading the chart correctly. If accurate, I assume that's based on split-adjusted shares/prices. We'll get back to this later. Wlamart shares are selling for around $70 now. Around $46 in 2005. Hold that thought. I will get back to it later.

So, how does a new mom at age 17 afford shares in WMT. I didn't ask, but I will bet she was a "checker"/cashier at a local Walmart in the New Orleans area. She must have listened closely to her manager, about the opportunity to buy shares in WMT.

I don't know.

All I could think to myself, "what a great country."