Posted on 07/15/2008 1:50:31 PM PDT by MissouriConservative
California state Sen. Jack Scott says he didn't intend to "be a party pooper." It's just that helium-filled foil balloons -- like those found at hospital gift shops and office parties -- are dangerous. They float into electric lines and cause power outages, more than 800 in California last year, utilities say.
He drafted a bill to ban foil balloons; it sailed through the state Senate and now awaits a vote in the Assembly.
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The pro-balloon people are hoping that even if the bill does pass, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will veto it. At a recent news conference, the governor commented that he couldn't get the legislature to work on the now-overdue state budget. A member of the audience joked that they'd been too busy outlawing balloons.
"Oh yes, a very important law," mocked Gov. Schwarzenegger. "Let's outlaw the balloons. Let's punish the people again."
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Mr. Scott, however, insists balloons pose a real danger and must be stopped no matter how unpopular the move may be. "It's not my intention to ruin birthday parties, but children will inevitably let these balloons go up into the air and that's a threat.
In California, the balloon industry has come under regulatory scrutiny before. In 1990, it became the only state to pass a law requiring that helium-filled foil balloons be sold with a weight affixed to them, such as a bag of chocolates or a coffee mug. Under Mr. Scott's bill, someone selling a helium-filled foil balloon on a string could be fined $100.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
I can picture the scene now...lol. A man in a bright colored costume with big floppy shoes is standing next to a cow. A little boy or girl walks up and requests a big methane filled balloon...clown guy walks over to cow and dispenses methane into the balloon....lol.
Happy cows come from California.
I was planning on having a string attached with a key on the end. ;^)
...on our next episode of “Nanny State” we have pending legislation that if you pass gass, you must call Al Gore and warn the atmosphere, or risk a $50 fine.
Nanny State, a new ABC reality show where the Government tells you 100% what to do.
The latest is trans fats in SF; banning cigarette sales in drugstores, no outdoor smoking, helmets, global warming...it never ends.
You could also study lightning that way.
:)
Its not terrorists lighting fires, its helium balloons. check
Its not terrorists putting fecal Salmonella on America’s food supply, its tomatoes gone bad, then jalapenos. check
Its not terrorists sneaking over the border, its just future voters. check
When I lived in TX that happened to me 3 times in one year!
That's one of the most used excuses a utility worker will tell a customer when they screw something up. I used to work with the phone company, so I know this first hand. During my first month on the job, we were having trouble getting a DSL to come up for a customer. Turns out, one of the techs in the office had it wired wrong. I told the customer what had happened when we finally got it going, and one of the techs pulled my aside afterwards and told me to "never admit wrongdoing, just tell them a squirrel got in the cable"
Next time you hear a 'squirrel story' your BS meter should tick up a notch. lol
I believe the bulk of the balloon industry is in North Dakota, not California.
Is there any evidence that the wildfires in California are arson? Or are you just a little too clever?
The mylar balloon business is centered in North Dakota?
Well then, all the mom and pop shops that sell balloons in California, how’s that? You know the places, cards and party supplies, balloons at the checkout at the grocery store, those businesses.
It was the use of the term “industry” that amused me. Sorry for being so obscure.
I agree with the governator that they're not much of a danger and we should not punish people anymore... but...
THEY'RE FAR MORE DANGEROUS THAN OFFSHORE DRILLING, AND FAILING TO DRILL IS A SERIOUS PUNISHMENT TO EVERYONE YOU KOOLAID CHUGGING DIPSH!T.
Why don't we ban old tennis shoes strung up on telephone wires in the inner-city too while we're at it.
the greenies. helium is a petroleum product. comes out of the the ground--gotta drill for it. so first they gotta demonize "foil" balloons with the false charge they cause power outages. once done, they go after rubber/latex balloons (also made from petroleum), ad nauseum....
A bunch of helium filled balloons.
I can believe that a balloon would cause an arc, but I would not expect the arc to carry a huge amount of current (compared with what the wires would normally deliver) nor to last a very long time. Unless people are releasing insane numbers of them, I can't imagine that the cumulative risk from balloons would approach that from animals and other natural phenomena.
We need to get rid of all these stupid balloons.
You know NOTHING.... It takes 12 watts to vaporize such a baloon. This puts exactly no load on the power grid. Yes, it produces a flash... So foes a flashbulb.
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