Gasoline Prices

[Brian A. MacNeish]

[quote=klott]

Originally Posted by Brian A. MacNeish

Don't have to....I get what I want for my inspections. Did two today which included a tiny cottage.......billed $675 not including taxes.[/quote]You phony hipocrit, you come on here and preach to us about greed being evil, while you brag about overcharging one of your fellow countrymen! You are the perfect Communist!

Oh!!! I forgot the triple tag team!!!

You do not know how the billing broke down and for what reasons. SO KEEP IT SHUT!! Speaking without the facts........or of all things, not thinking is not becoming you!!!

And don't be too jealous! My rates match the better inspector rates here and not some of the franchisors and INACHI guys whose advertised rates are $275 and $299 for homes up to 2,000 square feet. SAD!! SAD!! SAD!!! Is that what you have to charge also to get work .........and do you advertise your low price as the deal clincher and not your experience and professionalism.......as it should be?

[klott]

Hey, I'm not the one going around calling everyone who earns a decent living as being evil capitalist, while I hide behind my calculator, and pump up my egoby saying they paid for my expertise! Give me a break! you are a greedy hipocrit, plain and simple! Keep it shut, you say! Hah, if you don't want to hear the truth, go where you're welcome!

[Michael Larson]

Drill Through The Floor

By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Monday, August 04, 2008 4:20 PM PT
Energy: House Republicans recognize that drilling for our own oil has become the issue this election year. Will the rest of the party join their crusade and use it to win in November?
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi may have sent the House of Representatives on a five-week vacation, but Republicans have decided to remain in the sweltering Washington, D.C., heat, take to the in-recess House floor and demand that Congress be called back so that Americans can get some relief from high gas prices.
Led by Reps. Mike Pence, R-Ind., Tom Price, R-Ga., and Lynn Westmoreland, R-Ga., and fully backed by House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, this GOP attack could smack unwary Democrats as hard as the blast of a Texas oil gusher, because what Republicans are demanding is nothing more than a simple up-or-down vote on drilling for domestic oil in a Democratic-controlled House of Representatives.

[Michael Larson]

No-Drill Stand Is A Dry Hole For Democrats

By LAWRENCE KUDLOW | Posted Monday, August 04, 2008 4:30 PM PT
As John McCain and the GOP leaders nationalize the drill, drill, drill message, the Republican Party might conceivably be riding a summer political rally.
The question of offshore drilling, along with expanded domestic energy production, has suddenly become the biggest political and economic wedge issue of this election. Is there a Republican tsunami in the making?
According to the major polls, Sen. McCain has overcome a big deficit to pull even with Obama. Meanwhile, according to a Rasmussen survey, Democratic Party identification has slumped.
As Republicans on the House floor shouted "vote, vote, vote" and "lower gas prices," the Democratic majority turned off the lights, cameras and microphones. Determined GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell offered unanimous-consent requests to vote on lifting the ban on deep-water exploration, and the Democrats objected. When McConnell asked Democrats if they'd overturn the ban at $4.50 a gallon, they replied "no." When he raised the price to $5, $7 and $10, they cried "no," "no" and "no."

[nwagner]

Originally Posted by Brian A. MacNeish

Don't have to....I get what I want for my inspections. Did two today which included a tiny cottage.......billed $675 not including taxes.

[nwagner]

[quote=Brian A. MacNeish]

Originally Posted by klott

Oh!!! I forgot the triple tag team!!!

You do not know how the billing broke down and for what reasons. SO KEEP IT SHUT!! Speaking without the facts........or of all things, not thinking is not becoming you!!!

And don't be too jealous! My rates match the better inspector rates here and not some of the franchisors and INACHI guys whose advertised rates are $275 and $299 for homes up to 2,000 square feet. SAD!! SAD!! SAD!!! Is that what you have to charge also to get work .........and do you advertise your low price as the deal clincher and not your experience and professionalism.......as it should be?

And yet you can't pass our exam and pay the $289 membership fee. Sure, we believe you ...

[Brian A. MacNeish]

[quote=nwagner]

Originally Posted by Brian A. MacNeish

And yet you can't pass our exam and pay the $289 membership fee. Sure, we believe you ...

AHA!! The quadruple tag team!!!

Who ever said I wanted to pass the exam? I've said to Nick on these boards many times.......Bring proctored exams in and don't give away certifications. Have a system with human verifications of CE's, not simply a computer record that is not verified by anyone; don't have CE's you can do in your pyjamas (Now who said that???); make it a professional operation; make it democratic, not rulled by fiat......I'll join. Until that time, I'm happy where I am........a student of the field doing inspections full or part time since 1983.

BTW. Don't worry about my professionalism or expertise!!!

Yesterday did a walk-through energy consultation with a former client on his 6,000 sq ft house.......this is after an energy audit had been done by a professional (LOL). I told him I would not write a report/charge him a reduced rate (being a former client), so follow me and take notes. So I only got $60/hour for talking for 5 hours.

In the PM, I did a full house inspection for the new site supervisor of a pre-manufactured home dealer (Jeez, why would a carpenter/ home builder need an inspection?). The dealer (a RE sales type) recommended that he use only me. While on site, an oil heating technician turned up to give a price on a new oil tank.......turns out I did an inspection for his daughter about 2 years ago. He told one of the buyers (the lady whom he knew as she works the counter of the HVAC supply firm he buys from), he considered me the best in the city!!

I can only recount what I hear!

[Brian A. MacNeish]

[quote=nwagner]

Originally Posted by Brian A. MacNeish

And yet you can't pass our exam and pay the $289 membership fee. Sure, we believe you ...

Nick:

If your doctor, lawyer, dentist, surgeon, anesthesiologist, mechanic, electrician got their certification, degree, license in the same way "certification" is gained here, how confident would you be of their abilities??

[Mario A. Kyriacou, CHI]

Who ever said I wanted to pass the exam? I've said to Nick on these boards many times.......Bring proctored exams in and don't give away certifications.

You are too hung up with "Proctored" exams.
I have done many Building Code exams and all were open book and proctored. Can you please explain the difference between our exam and the Ministy exams?

[Claude Lawrenson]

There is a huge difference - now that you mention code exams as an example. They are independently audited in a controlled environment that does not allow collaboration with other sources and resources other than the code book permitted.

On the other side I see the usefulness of some online exams (unproctored) being credited for continuing education.

[Brian A. MacNeish]

Originally Posted by clawrenson

There is a huge difference - now that you mention code exams as an example. They are independently audited in a controlled environment that does not allow collaboration with other sources and resources other than the code book permitted.

If you didn't have a good grasp of the code, its sections and its application before you went in, the book won't get you through the exam !!

On the other side I see the usefulness of some online exams (unproctored) being credited for continuing education.

Is that to keep costs down, Claude, or for other reasons?

In my area, IMO, part of the reason for the high % increase (25-35%) in HI #'s in slightly over a year is (1) it's so cheap and easy to get in business
and get certifed here and (2) no regulatory framework whatsoever......if you can say "home inspector", own a flashlight and a ladder........then you can be one.

[Brian A. MacNeish]

Originally Posted by mkyriacou

You are too hung up with "Proctored" exams.
I have done many Building Code exams and all were open book and proctored. Can you please explain the difference between our exam and the Ministy exams?

Mario:

If your doctor, lawyer, dentist, surgeon, anesthesiologist, mechanic, electrician got their certification, degree, license in the same way "certification" is gained here, how confident would you be of their abilities??

Will you please answer this question? Then we may be able to proceed!

[Mario A. Kyriacou, CHI]

Originally Posted by Brian A. MacNeish

Mario:

If your doctor, lawyer, dentist, surgeon, anesthesiologist, mechanic, electrician got their certification, degree, license in the same way "certification" is gained here, how confident would you be of their abilities??

Will you please answer this question? Then we may be able to proceed!

Let me ask you this and then maybe we CAN proceed.
Are you of the opinion that NACHI Home Inspectors are certified by NACHI [on-line only], without ever taking other courses that will help advance their skills as HI's?
You have been harping on proctored exams as if they mean something! To me they mean squat, as I have stated on an earlier post, the easiest exams I have ever taken were the Building Code exams, and they were proctored!

[Mario A. Kyriacou, CHI]

[quote]

Originally Posted by clawrenson

There is a huge difference - now that you mention code exams as an example. They are independently audited in a controlled environment that does not allow collaboration with other sources and resources other than the code book permitted.

Typical response from a facilitator!!

Claude,

You don't really believe your statement to be accurate do you?
What does controlled environment mean anyways? and why would anyone have the need to collaborate or use other sources? All answers are found in the building code book, why would anyone use other resources or sources?

[Claude Lawrenson]

I not sure what this has to do with the original subject line - but yes I am a facilitator for teaching and proctoring Ontario Building code exams. I have taught for 22 years in the college system in Ontario. A quiz is a quiz is a quiz. Does mastery of a quiz in an uncontrolled learning environment equate to mastery of the subject?

You indicate that the code exams are easy, yet stats indicate 50% or less pass the Legal course for the OBC; and the average stats for the other Part 9 OBC courses are slightly higher. You passing a code exam is great, but obviously those failing the open book exam would likely feel otherwise.

A controlled testing environment is simply no calling a friend, no quick look ups on the Internet, no passing notes, or cheat sheets. I am simply stating the testing in an uncontrolled environment leads to questions regarding the testing.

The major difference being as Brian noted - some asociations offer free courses while others offer fee paid courses and require proctored or in-class exams. Both models work, but under what degree of scrutiny and rigor?

I commend iNACHI for offering free education, but on the other hand will it produce a fully qualified and experienced inspector? Who inspects the inspector?

Here a interesting clip from the net:
Many students simply do not think that certain forms of cheating are very serious. For example, only 79% felt copying from another student on a test or exam was serious. Even fewer students felt using unpermitted crib notes (77%), helping someone else to cheat on a test (72%), and plagiarism (69%) were serious. Reinforcing the need for faculty to do more than simply state their expectations on how written work is to be completed by students, less than one in four students (24%) felt collaborating on an assignment was serious even when the faculty member had asked for individual work. Only about one in three (35%) felt copying a few sentences from a source without citing that source was serious.