Author's posts
Jan 02 2011
GOP to fight New EPA Regs, despite the EPA Science Evidence
GOP Vows to Fight White House Global Warming Policy
Jon E. Dougherty — Dec 29, 2010
Republicans have vowed to oppose Obama administration plans to pursue the White House’s global warming agenda through new rules and regulations issued by existing federal agencies.
On Jan. 2 new stricter carbon emissions standards will be introduced as the Environmental Protection Agency prepares new rules that would require companies to get permits to release so-called greenhouse gasses under the Clean Air Act.
The EPA, in an announcement last week, said it would move forward to adopt new standards for fossil fuel power plants and petroleum refineries, two of the largest industrial sources that the agency claims represent nearly 40% of the greenhouse gas pollution in the United States.
…Critics of the new rules also say they will drive up the operating costs for those same industries, choking off any new job creation and doing more harm an economy that is still in recovery mode.
“They are job killers,” environmental scientist Ken Green of the American Enterprise Institute said, in comments reported by Fox News.
Jan 02 2011
GOP to fight New EPA Regs, despite the EPA Science Evidence
GOP Vows to Fight White House Global Warming Policy
Jon E. Dougherty — Dec 29, 2010
Republicans have vowed to oppose Obama administration plans to pursue the White House’s global warming agenda through new rules and regulations issued by existing federal agencies.
On Jan. 2 new stricter carbon emissions standards will be introduced as the Environmental Protection Agency prepares new rules that would require companies to get permits to release so-called greenhouse gasses under the Clean Air Act.
The EPA, in an announcement last week, said it would move forward to adopt new standards for fossil fuel power plants and petroleum refineries, two of the largest industrial sources that the agency claims represent nearly 40% of the greenhouse gas pollution in the United States.
…Critics of the new rules also say they will drive up the operating costs for those same industries, choking off any new job creation and doing more harm an economy that is still in recovery mode.
“They are job killers,” environmental scientist Ken Green of the American Enterprise Institute said, in comments reported by Fox News.
Dec 03 2010
Top Down solutions, and other such myths
Imagine you just moved into a New Place to live — and after a week or so you realize that the place is very drafty and cold. Brrrr!
What do you do?
If you’re of the school of thought that “Top Down” Investments are the Laissez faire way to fix things
— you do nothing except crank up the Thermostat and starting paying the higher Utility Bills (ie. just keep throwing more money at it.)
If you’re of the school of thought that “Bottom Up” Investments are the best way to “permanently” solve most any problem
— you weather strip your windows, you insulate your attic etc. (ie. you invest in things that actually address the problem and help it to be minimized, AND its continual costs.)
PS. “Bottom Up” Investments actually Help to put other People to work too … instead of just throwing that Cash — “Out the the Window” !
Nov 25 2010
Short Attention Span Theater and the decline of Journalism
Thomas Jefferson on Politics & Government
Freedom of the Press
“I am… for freedom of the press, and against all violations of the Constitution to silence by force and not by reason the complaints or criticisms, just or unjust, of our citizens against the conduct of their agents.”
— Thomas Jefferson to Elbridge Gerry, 1799
So Freedom of the Press, protects even the stuff, we disagree with.
You don’t have to like it, what someone says, writes, or legislates … or tactlessly expresses.
But they have a Right to do so none the less, according to our historic icon Thomas Jefferson.
The pen, should trump, the sword.
Funny how “Money” got all lumped in with Free Speech, though?
Must of been all those Gieco “googley eyes” commercials
Nov 21 2010
What’s the Cost of NOT Extending those Jobless Benefits?
House will take up unemployment benefits extension Thursday
By Vicki Needham, The Hill.com — Nov 17, 2010
The House has put a bill on Thursday’s floor schedule that would extend emergency unemployment benefits for three months, according to the schedule released Wednesday night by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).
House Ways and Means Chairman Sander Levin (D-Mich.) and Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.), chairman of the Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support, introduced the bill today that would extend federal benefits — up to 99 weeks in some states for those who have exhausted their state unemployment insurance — through Feb. 28.
The measure is on the suspension calendar and will require two-thirds vote to pass.
A 3 Months extension, on that precarious lifeline, for Millions.
Just a 2/3 Vote needed.
Good luck, folks, looks like you could be “On your Own” — given the priorities of Congress, lately.
Nov 20 2010
How many Billionaires can dance on a Pinnacle?
The GOP often dangles this dream, before its far too loyal followers:
You too, could one day be a Millionaire, or perhaps even a Billionaire, so don’t ruin it for everyone, by raising Taxes on the Wealthy. Afterall, someday it could be you. In their America, anything’s possible.
Most everyone, wants to be rich someday. It’s part of the American Dream — or at least it used to be. But the way things have been going lately it seems the Dream has been downsized to:
I just hope I can find/keep my Job.
Despite the somber work-a-day reality most people face, far too many still take the Republican dream, at face value. By following their lead, they hope to strike it rich someday, too.
Perhaps we Dems, should address this rouse, and dare to ask:
What would really happen if we ALL struck it rich?
Because obviously there is only SO much room “at the top” …
Nov 18 2010
Q.E.D.
(1)
The finances of the Social Security program are separated by law from the rest of the federal government.
(2)
The Social Security program levies its own taxes.
(3)
{FICA} Tax income is deposited on a daily basis and is invested in “special-issue” securities. The cash exchanged for the securities goes into the General Fund of the Treasury and is indistinguishable from other cash in the General Fund.
(4)
The government pays interest to the Trust Funds. The government owes the money which the {Social Security} Trust Funds have loaned to it and will have to repay it as the securities come due.
(5)
Special {Security} issues can be redeemed at any time at face value {from the General Fund}.
(6)
The GDP increase per dollar of budgetary cost is in the range of 1.6, 1.7 for things like food stamps and unemployment benefits, and in the range of .35 for extending the Bush tax cuts.
IOW:
Expect a $1.70 return for every Bottom Up $1.00 invested,
and ONLY a $0.35 return for every Top Down $1.00 invested.
Nov 16 2010
For millions of Americans, every day gets a little harder
“For millions of older Americans, every day gets a little harder.
Even though the costs of medication, transportation, and utilities are rising, we have already denied seniors a modest Cost of Living Adjustment to their Social Security payments for two years.
The war in Afghanistan costs the taxpayers $190 million PER DAY.
We will continue to spend $1.3 billion every week on war in Afghanistan for the indefinite future while we force our seniors to make tough choices between their medications and their food; their rent and their heat; their phone and gas for their car.”
[…]
Nov 15 2010
Behold the Grand Misdirection — Lockbox vs the Loan-Sharks
The Austerity Rhetoric is ramping up.
The National Debt is the Issue of the Day.
How in the world are we going to pay for it — especially for all those Baby-Boomers with the audacity to dare to Retire, after working all our lives;
After paying all our lives into the Social Security Trust Fund, as our Govt required us to do.
HOW Dare We — actually expect the Govt to Pay the Benefits that we were promised? Oh the Nerve!
Here’s the sleight of hand Hoodwink that the GOP Loan-Sharks are preparing to pull off — pay attention, because it’s a classic trick of misdirection — and it goes by fast:
It is the Federal Government that has the Legal Obligation —
to payback the Social Security Trust Fund
NOT the other way around !
It is the Federal Govt that raided OUR Retirement “Cookie Jar” —
and it is the Federal Govt that needs to replace them.
What’s left of OUR “Cookies” should be permanently off the Table.
In other words, All cuts to SS Benefits should be OFF the Table.
Oct 31 2010
The “Creative Destruction” of American Lives
Much as been said and written about “Creative Destruction” lately — including this good Ad by Russ Feingold, which focuses on the fallout of this Economic policy stance, held by his GOP-Tea Party opponent Ron Johnson:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…
Well, in a free-market capitalist system, there are always winners and losers. It’s creative destruction. That just happens. It’s unfortunate. But let’s face it, if it weren’t for that we’d still have buggy whip companies.
— Senate candidate Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.)
“Winners and Losers”, Nice.
I suppose with his CEO background Mr Johnson feels qualified to pick them?
Oct 24 2010
Who can put a Price on the Environment?
Our free market economy is nothing more than a huge auction called ‘Supply and Demand’, which – very efficiently – puts a price on on everything.
The problem is that it allows us to sell everything – the last drop of oil, the last tree, the last fish, the last of everything. It’s called growth – but it is, obviously, growth into oblivion – the exact opposite of EcoEconomics. It is a fatal flaw of our present economic system.
Or, as Greenpeace puts it: “When the last tree is cut, the last river poisoned, and the last fish dead, we will discover that we can’t eat money…”
[…]
The eco-economic price for a natural resource is, therefore, the price you would have to pay if our planet were to release that resource only at a sustainable level.
Who can put a Price on the Environment? … We all should.
Afterall if we end up decimating the planet’s EcoSystems — trying to sell off their once abundant natural resources — We can’t eat the money … or gold either, can we?
Oct 17 2010
Ask them about the Minimum Wage; It’s the Least we can Do.
Raese says Minimum Wage is Unconstitutional
by Alison Knezevich, The Charleston Gazette — Oct 14, 2010
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Republican candidate for U.S. Senate John Raese doesn’t just want to abolish the minimum wage. He also calls it possibly unconstitutional.
[…]Democratic Gov. Joe Manchin’s campaign seized on Raese’s remarks as a sign that Raese, a multimillionaire, is out of touch with West Virginians.
[…]West Virginia is one of the nation’s poorest and oldest states. Nearly 18 percent of West Virginians live in poverty, compared to 14 percent of Americans, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Rachel Maddow has some sage advice, on how to turn “out of touch” rhetoric like this, into Electoral Gold …