Repugs Proven Dead Wrong on Cap and Trade, Too

post from They gave us a republic... - Front Page on 22 April 2012 09:00:00 PM. © They gave us a republic... - Front Page

By @KYYellowDog

News of yet more proof that liberal solutions not only work but refute conservative predictions of catastrophe rises to the level of "Breaking: Water is Wet."

But yawning at the extension of repugs' century-long record of being Wrong About Everything works to their advantage if nobody thinks it's a big deal.

It's a Big Fucking Deal, and we should scream bloody murder every time it happens.

Thus, Stephen Lacy at Think Progress:

Northeastern states participating in America's first carbon cap and trade program have outperformed the rest of the country in GDP growth and reduction in global warming pollution.
That's according to a new report from Environment New Jersey, which examined emissions data and economic growth indicators from 2000 to 2009.
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) is a nine-state cap-and-trade market designed to reduce emissions in the utility sector 10% by 2018. A recent independent analysis showed that the program has already created $1.6 billion in economic value and set the stage for $1.1 billion in ratepayer savings through investments in efficiency and renewable energy.
This latest report shows that states under the RGGI program saw a 20% greater reduction in per-capita carbon emissions than non-RGGI states - all while growing per-capita GDP at double the rate of the rest of the country.
SNIP
The program has helped stimulate more efficiency and renewable energy, it has helped local businesses grow, it has added enormous economic value to the region, and it has not driven up electric rates.
Let's compare real-world experience to the outlandish claims made by opponents of the program.
The Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity actually claimed that RGGI would drive rates up in New Jersey by 90%. And New Jersey Governor Chris Christie pulled his state out of the program, calling it a "gimmicky tax." According to program administrators, proceeds from carbon credit auctions brought $29 million to New Jersey in 2010, leveraging $3 to $4 in benefits for every dollar invested.
Opponents who claim cap and trade is bad for the economy simply don't have a leg to stand on.

Conservatives and repugs are wrong, wrong, wrongity-wrong-wrong again. Still. Always.

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s-proven-dead-wrong-on-cap-and-trade-too

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The politics of Americas increasing economic
inequality

post from The American Prospect on 22 April 2012 08:50:56 PM. © The American Prospect

Nicholas Lemann recently published a judicious review of several books on inequality in the New Yorker. Along these lines, I wanted to point out two links:

1. My comments on Charles Murray?s recent book. I argue that he has some interesting points but makes two big mistakes:
(a) He focuses on upper-class liberals but ignores upper-class conservatives, thus only telling half the story.
(b) I don?t think that Murray?s advice to ?preach what you practice? is so easy. I give the example of Joe Paterno, who led an upright life and preached morality, but that didn?t stop all sorts of immoral things being condoned right under his eyes. The point is that, to be effective, ?preaching? requires some effort. Talk is cheap. Actions (even actions as simple as calling the cops) aren?t.

2. Lane Kenworthy?s very thoughtful recent book on progress for the poor. Also, here?s an article that Lane and I wrote on economic and political inequality.

Read The Full Article:
http://prospect.org/article/politics-america%E2%80%99s-increasing-economic-inequa
lity

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Americas Increasing Economic Inequality

post from The American Prospect on 22 April 2012 08:50:56 PM. © The American Prospect

Nicholas Lemann recently published a judicious review of several books on inequality in The New Yorker. Along these lines, I wanted to point out two links:

2. Lane Kenworthy?s very thoughtful recent book on progress for the poor. Also, here?s an article that Lane and I wrote on economic and political inequality.

Read The Full Article:
http://prospect.org/article/america%E2%80%99s-increasing-economic-inequality

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Unnecessary Risk

post from Kmareka.com on 22 April 2012 08:00:21 PM. © Kmareka.com

This is a good example of why we need an FDA, and why nothing is risk-free…

New Jersey-based Pharmaceutical Innovations Inc. manufactures Other-Sonic Generic Ultrasound Transmission Gel. The gel is used by medical professionals in ultrasounds, a procedure involving high-frequency sound waves to look at patients’ organs. Samples of the gel taken by the FDA in February contained two strains of bacteria.
“This ultrasound gel presented serious health risks to patients, particularly vulnerable ones,” the FDA’s Dara Corrigan said in a statement. Additionally, the FDA issued a safety alert to health care providers about the bacteria risk and possibility of dangerous infections from the gel.

We have politicians playing doctor, demanding that women get unnecessary vaginal ultrasounds before an early abortion. This is based on two faulty assumptions– that women don’t know what they are doing, and that any medical procedure is risk-free. Not least is taking medical resources from where an ultrasound is needed and beneficial, and applying those scarce resources with the intent of causing emotional harm. It’s unexpected that the contaminated gel has caused patients physical harm, but medicine is all about the unexpected.

We have politicians calling for deregulation. A government agency like the Food and Drug Administration is our line of defense against negligent manufacturers who sell a dangerous product to the public.

So, this morning, two thoughts that came to my mind reading about the 16 people who got sick from contaminated ultrasound gel.

Read The Full Article:
http://kmareka.com/2012/04/20/un-necessary-risk/

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Only some people get to stand their ground.

post from field negro on 22 April 2012 08:00:21 PM. © field negro

Lenny McAllister seems like a decent guy, which is why you have to feel for him as he tries to convince his republican friends to be consistent when it comes to their outrage over the George Zimmerman case.

A little background: There is an African American woman by the name of Marissa Alexander, who is sitting in a Florida jail and facing 20 years in prison for firing a gun in the air to scare off her -allegedly- abusive husband. Now, as is to be expected, folks are wondering why the "Stand- your- ground law" has been applied in such an inconsistent manner.

But back to Mr. McAllister. As a conservative he makes a strong argument that by supporting Ms. Alexander as openly and robustly as they did the man who killed Trayvon Martin, they would be killing two troublesome birds with one stone.

"Despite how much I know from personal experience that the vast majority of conservatives are not racist and misogynistic or despite how much I say it, sometimes actions are better than words to prove this. In the case of Marissa Alexander standing her ground against domestic abuse in Florida, conservatives have a chance to prove themselves above the recent criticism. To boot, no one died, as Marissa allegedly only fired a gun into the ceiling to scare off a documented abuser after he admitted to starting yet another incident. Therefore, no one risks dishonoring the dead in their defense of Second Amendment, self-defense rights.

Marissa Alexander is a Black woman currently in jail in Florida for invoking her ?Stand Your Ground? privilege to discharge a firearm while trying to escape abuse at the hands of her current husband. This occurred during an ongoing altercation that caused her to fear for her life.

This is not a Black-White issue, as the Martin case has become. Although she is Black, domestic abuse is not, nor is it a social condition that only impacts minorities or the poor. Domestic abuse cuts across socioeconomic lines to remain the ?dirty little secret? costing Americans thousands of broken lives and $700 million in lost business productivity annually.

For conservatives that regularly talk about the impact of the family on America?s future and the waste of resources as we struggle to revive our economy, the Alexander case highlights much of what we stand for. For weeks, many conservatives (and authorities in Sanford) granted Zimmerman the benefit of the doubt and the right of ?innocent until proven guilty? in a manner that Alexander, a battered woman that ended up in the hospital after enduring one episode of abuse, never was. For conservatives that regularly talk about the colorless beauty of American justice, this is a case that will highlight how much we care for justice across demographics."

Mr. McAllister's call for consistency is admirable, but I am afraid that he is preaching to an empty church. This case is not about any of the things that Mr. McAllister mentioned (although it would have been nice if it was) this case is about reacting to the other side and taking an opposing position. It's about us against them, "color arousal", and all the negative impulses and sentiments that go along with it.

I believe that my conservative brethren will rise to the occasion. I challenge them to do so. As I mentioned not too long ago, all of the complaining about the erroneous actions from the ?progressive left? concerning ?race-baiting? in the Trayvon Martin case should be replaced with one simple, collective decision: conservatives must be involved in these types of social issues. This case is a good one to get involved with....

Anyone that claims to be a staunch conservative but misses the point of why this case holds the potential to be utterly important nationally (in contrast to the Martin-Zimmerman case) invalidates their arguments on the American family, on American justice, and on moving towards being a color-blind society. Anyone that has a true understanding of the horrors (e.g., beatings, emotional blackmail, rape, torture) that victims ? especially female victims ? of domestic violence endure would surely embrace the invocation of ?Stand Your Ground? in the Alexander case."

Mr. McAllister, please do not hold your breath.

*Pic courtesy of Politc365

Read The Full Article:
http://field-negro.blogspot.com/2012/04/only-some-people-get-to-stand-their.html

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Video: Demon pendulum

post from US Politics | AMERICAblog News on 22 April 2012 08:00:15 PM. © US Politics | AMERICAblog News

This is just too cool.

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Americablog/~3/po_HbEvm02Y/video-demon-pendulum.ht
ml

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Solar Roadways: Edging Closer to Reality

post from Firedoglake on 22 April 2012 08:00:12 PM. © Firedoglake

During the course of the recent FDL Book Salon for The Doomsday Machine: The High Price of Nuclear Energy, the World?s Most Dangerous Fuel, I was reminded to check on the status of Scott and Julie Brusaw's Solar Roadways project.[...]

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Mitch Daniels Faults President Obama for Not
Fixing the Mess He Helped Leave Him

Mitch Daniels Faults President Obama for Not Fixing the Mess He Helped Leave Him

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Once again this Sunday, we were treated to Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels hoping the audience forgets about the fact that he was George W. Bush's budget director. This week he was blaming President Obama for not properly cleaning up the mess he helped to leave him, and trivializing how bad it was as well.

When Wallace asked him about the Obama administration's argument that that he inherited a mess from George W. Bush, here's part of how Daniels responded:

DANIELS: First of all, the president did inherit a mess but it's not the first time it's ever happened. He's done less with the mess than anyone else ever did. Ronald Reagan inherited a bigger one and had a roaring economy already by this stage.

H/t to our regular Sunday show commenter Mugsy for pointing out why that's not true:

1: Unemployment rose only 1% Carter's last year in office. Under Bush, unemployment rose nearly 3% (2.9%) his last 11 months.
2: Carter added just $200B to the National Debt (22%). Bush added 45% (almost doubling the Debt).
3: Carter came in on the heels of the Ford Recession, which was more severe than what Reagan inherited from Carter.
4: By October of Reagan's SECOND year in office, unemployment peaked at 10.8%.
5: Republicans swept into Congress in 2010 promising "jobs, jobs, jobs". Now in 2012, they are criticizing "the president's economic polices" for the struggling economy. How do they then make the case for their own reelection?

Daniels also ignores the fact that Republicans in the Congress have done everything in their power to either obstruct or water down any stimulus or efforts to get Americans back to work at every turn and at the state level Republican governors have been laying off government workers and busting their unions and helping to make the unemployment numbers worse, but they want to lay this all on the feet of the current administration. Daniels was also touting the Paul Ryan budget as a better solution to fix the economy than anything the administration has proposed, which as we've covered here again and again is nothing but another tax giveaway for the rich and Wall Street paid for by the working class.

Transcript below the fold.

WALLACE: Let's turn to the economy, which you touched on earlier and where it is right now. There seemed to be signs for last few months that the economy and the recovery was picking up, more jobs were being created each month. The employment rate was steadily coming down.
But now, in the last month, there seems to be a sense from a variety of signs -- job creation, housing -- that the recovery is stalling.
What's your sense of where the national economy is now?
DANIELS: That it's stalling and it never had much momentum. Even when consumption seem to be going up, if you look one level deeper, people were digging in savings to make those purchases. Last year, income in America rose slower than inflation. People actually lost purchasing power. You know, our state happens to be one where the workforce is growing, but all around us there are states, Chris, where people have simply given up looking for work. Everyone now knows if we had the same size workforce we had when this all started, unemployment as reported would be 11 percent. Not 8.x.
So, you know, this is still a very tough slog in most of America. And honestly, I can't name one thing that this administration has done that hasn't leaned against jobs and against growth. So, to that extent -- to the extent national policy has an affect, it's not really a surprise.
WALLACE: Well, let me pick up on that, though. What about the Obama argument that he inherited a mess from George W. Bush, and that if Romney gets in to office and enacts the policies he's espousing, that he will simply return us to that mess?
Governor Romney has endorsed Paul Ryan's budget. In principle, Ryan cuts tax rates for the rich without specifying which loopholes he would close. Ryan cuts nondefense discretionary spending by 19 percent in 2014, which the Obama campaign says would mean major cuts in Head Start, medical research and healthcare for the poor.
So, how about the Obama argument, what Romney will do is give tax cuts to the rich and spending cuts to the poor and the middle class?
DANIELS: First of all, the president did inherit a mess but it's not the first time it's ever happened. He's done less with the mess than anyone else ever did. Ronald Reagan inherited a bigger one and had a roaring economy already by this stage.
This is the weakest recovery, at least in the post-war period, if not ever, given the depth of the recession that we were in. With regard to how we get out of it, you can start by saying we couldn't do worse than the policy mix of this president -- gigantic new spending, gigantic new taxes, a takeover of 18 percent or 19 percent of the economy in the Obamacare bill. Anything would be better than that.
Now, with regard to the Ryan budget, it's certainly a much better starting point than what we have now. Yes, fill in the blanks. Yes, let's describe exactly where or at least the extent to which the tax loophole should be closed.
But you know, the president -- apparently, nothing in his life has acquainted him with where jobs and wealth come from. He has no ear at all for the small business of this country. They're the ones on the receiving end of all of his new taxes. And, you know, frankly, I guess he never is going to get it.

Read The Full Article:
http://crooksandliars.com/heather/mitch-daniels-faults-president-obama-not-f

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In the Air and On the Ground

In recent years, a series of studies by political scientists have demonstrated that the most effective means of winning votes and getting your voters to the polls is one of the oldest: in-person contact. Having neighbors knock on doors and talk to people gets you significantly more votes per dollar of investment than direct mail or television ads. The only trouble is that putting together a comprehensive ground operation is really difficult. You need people, lots of them, and you need them to be devoted, enthusiastic and willing to put in long and frustrating days calling people and trooping from house to house.

Over the weekend, The New York Times had a good article explaining how the Obama campaign's allies, particularly labor unions, will be putting their focus on the ground game in this November's election, while the Romney campaign's allies will be focusing on the airwaves. It's going to be a pretty stark contrast:

With just more than six months to go before the November elections, two distinct strategies have emerged among political interest groups: an air war on the right and a ground game on the left.
A cadre of super PACs and nonprofit groups backing Republicans plans to spend more than $450 million to oppose President Obama and other Democrats, relying almost exclusively on waves of radio and television ads that will wash over battleground states in coming months. The onslaught has begun as Republican groups strive to damage Obama?s standing ahead of the parties? national conventions this summer.
Liberal groups, by contrast, are focused more heavily on grass-roots organizing, led by labor unions that hope to spend more than $400 million to rally their members and nonunionized voters against likely GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney and other Republicans.
The differing strategies mean that voters, particularly in swing states, probably will be inundated with television advertisements attacking Obama well beyond whatever the Romney campaign airs. At the same time, many voters also will encounter swarms of canvassers handing out fliers and knocking on doors in support of Democrats.

You could explain this with the fact that Mitt Romney's supporters just aren't as enthusiastic as they could be, but that's not really the reason. It's more institutional. The key outside support for the Obama campaign will come from labor unions, and grassroots organizing is what unions have a lot of practice at. In contrast, the key support for Romney is coming from organizations like Crossroads GPS that consist of a small number of political consultants sitting in an office in suburban Virginia, writing ads and buying airtime. They exist to be a conduit for extremely large donations from extremely wealthy conservatives. They couldn't mount a grassroots campaign even if they wanted to, which they really don't.

We shouldn't overstate the degree to which this will determine the character of the entire campaign?there will be plenty of people knocking on doors for Mitt Romney, and plenty of ads on the air for Barack Obama. But on the whole, it's looking like more money is going to be spent in total (from the campaign and the super PACs) on Romney's side, and there will be substantially more grassroots activity on Obama's side. Which all else equal is better for Obama.

Read The Full Article:
http://prospect.org/article/air-and-ground

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Today on The Stars Hollow Gazette

Our regular featured content-Six In The Morning by: mishimaOn This Day In History April 22 by TheMomCatPunting the Pundits: Sunday Preview by TheMomCatRant of the Week: George Carlin by: TheMomCatAnd these featured articles-Formula One 2012: Bahrain by:[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://www.docudharma.com/diary/29689/today-on-the-stars-hollow-gazette

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