Looks like Congress finally passed a budget deal to get us through the next two years, just in time for the holidays. The deal was made between Paul Ryan (R) and Patty Murray (D), and the compromise not only avoids another government shutdown in January, but it also alleviates some of the worst fears about austerity in the future. Both sides grudgingly gave up a little bit of what they held dear in order to avoid larger sacrifices on their part, and even Bonehead himself went along with it. As a result, the three most popular programs (Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid) and Obamacare are no longer on the chopping block for now, and the most damaging sequester cuts are reversed (or at least made more flexible) for the 2014 fiscal year. So, cue the music once again, Maestro:
HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH! HALLELUJAH, HALL.......err, wait a minute. Seriously? There is really nothing to be rejoicing about, since Congress merely did what they are normally supposed to do every year--pass a freaking budget on time to prevent a shutdown. Furthermore, it's not like it's a particularly good deal either. The budget includes cuts to military pensions, no extension of unemployment benefits, no reversal of November's food stamp cuts, and many remaining parts of the sequester--all to protect massive tax loopholes for the rich and mega-corporations, which remained untouched despite the need for new revenues. And the looming debt ceiling showdown in February remains unaddressed, which the Repugnicans will most likely try to exploit once again when the time comes. But all this is the logical consequence of negotiating a compromise between a right-wing extremist like Ryan and a moderate centrist Democrat like Murray--we end up splitting the difference and getting a deal that is, on balance, actually even further to the right of the status quo just to keep the ax away from our most crucial and popular social progams. Long story short, Congress is still broken, and is clearly FAR from being fixed anytime soon. So one more time, we will say it again to them:
"YOU'RE FIRED!!!"
Except for a very few of you (Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Tammy Baldwin, and Alan Grayson), we will send ALL of you packing in 2014. Goodbye, and good riddance! Don't let the door hit you on the way out.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Just Say No to the TPP!
The latest so-called "free trade" agreement being proposed, known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, is basically NAFTA on steroids. We all know what NAFTA did to American jobs as well as workers in all three countries involved, and it wasn't good at all. We can clearly expect such terrible trends to only accelerate should the TPP come to pass. That alone is reason enough to vote "no", since we all should know better than to fall for something like this again.
But what makes the TPP particularly scary is what it actually does to the rights of We the People. At least under current law, from local communities all the way up to the federal government, there still remains some power that we have to regulate the behavior of American corporations. We understand the need for checks and balances against corporate excesses, after learning the hard way time and again. But the TPP would essentially subordinate any such power to the "international standards" that the corporations involved in the partnership have agreed to, and practically forbid any local standards that are stricter. Thus, our government would be forced to relax any standards that could be considered a "trade barrier" as a result of the cleverly-written trade rules. In fact, the bulk of the agreement deals more with these arcane rules rather than with traditional trade matters. So it should be obvious what the TPP really is: a corporate coup in disguise, that will allow corporations to run amok even more so that they do now. And if we weren't a full-blown corporate plutocracy before, we sure will be after it comes to pass.
Just a few examples of some of the more shocking features of the TPP include: a prohibition on financial transactions taxes (including the kind that the TSAP proposes), no limits allowed on the size of banks, increased monopoly pricing on Big Pharma's drugs, the worst parts of SOPA, increased fracking, and less regulation of public services. And if these are the "features," we'd really hate to see what the "bugs" are!
The TSAP unequivocally condemns the Trans-Pacific Partnership and any attempt to pass it. There is really nothing good that will come of this Faustian bargain, except for the elites and mega-corporations who are fighting like hell to get it passed. And we must fight equally hard to ensure that it does NOT pass, ever. The alternative is permanent corporate rule over all of us.
But what makes the TPP particularly scary is what it actually does to the rights of We the People. At least under current law, from local communities all the way up to the federal government, there still remains some power that we have to regulate the behavior of American corporations. We understand the need for checks and balances against corporate excesses, after learning the hard way time and again. But the TPP would essentially subordinate any such power to the "international standards" that the corporations involved in the partnership have agreed to, and practically forbid any local standards that are stricter. Thus, our government would be forced to relax any standards that could be considered a "trade barrier" as a result of the cleverly-written trade rules. In fact, the bulk of the agreement deals more with these arcane rules rather than with traditional trade matters. So it should be obvious what the TPP really is: a corporate coup in disguise, that will allow corporations to run amok even more so that they do now. And if we weren't a full-blown corporate plutocracy before, we sure will be after it comes to pass.
Just a few examples of some of the more shocking features of the TPP include: a prohibition on financial transactions taxes (including the kind that the TSAP proposes), no limits allowed on the size of banks, increased monopoly pricing on Big Pharma's drugs, the worst parts of SOPA, increased fracking, and less regulation of public services. And if these are the "features," we'd really hate to see what the "bugs" are!
The TSAP unequivocally condemns the Trans-Pacific Partnership and any attempt to pass it. There is really nothing good that will come of this Faustian bargain, except for the elites and mega-corporations who are fighting like hell to get it passed. And we must fight equally hard to ensure that it does NOT pass, ever. The alternative is permanent corporate rule over all of us.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Is a 100% Renewable Energy Future Possible?
While many pundits would like to claim that the answer is a resounding "no", there are at least some experts who believe that it is, in fact, possible to go to 100% renewable energy (excluding nuclear and biofuels) by 2050 if not sooner. This is precisely the holy grail that so many people have been clamoring for. So what exactly is holding us back?
First, there are technical issues. The notorious intermittency problem comes to mind, namely that the sun is not always shining and the wind is not always blowing. Then there is the problem of transmission from one area to another. However, the aforementioned experts note that a mix of various renewable sources, including hydroelectric, can help fill in the gaps, and transmission lines can be upgraded over time. Thus, the technical difficulties of renewables are not insurmountable, and are not the biggest problem at all.
Second, there is the issue of materials needed for renewable energy technologies. While rare-earth minerals seem to get most of the attention, there will also be a huge demand for base metals such as copper. And much of these materials are currently being imported from countries like China rather than produced domestically. Of course, unlike fossil fuels, once the materials needed for renewable energy have been extracted, they will last for decades. And the USA could start mining more of these materials domestically to make us less dependent on foreign minerals. As for the cost issue, it is worth noting that while solar and wind power have been getting consistently cheaper over time, fossil fuels (especially oil) and even uranium have been getting more and more expensive every year.
But the biggest problems of all are political. The enormous vested interests in the status quo (i.e. the fossil fuel industry), combined with the lack of political will to fight such interests, is the most significant obstacle to a (nearly) 100% clean energy world. This could obviously be solved rather quickly, but for some reason it has not been. Wonder why?
The TSAP fully supports a transition to a completely clean energy economy as soon as possible, by 2050 if not 2030, as noted in our party platform. The need to end our addiction to fossil fuels grows more and more urgent every year. And we believe that we can speed up the transition even more rapidly by adding modern nuclear power (especially the thorium fuel cycle) and responsible biofuels to the mix of non-fossil energy technologies. Combined with increased electrification and conservation, we already have the technology to make the change sooner rather than later. We have the chance to gain true energy independence and help save the planet at the same time. So what are we waiting for?
First, there are technical issues. The notorious intermittency problem comes to mind, namely that the sun is not always shining and the wind is not always blowing. Then there is the problem of transmission from one area to another. However, the aforementioned experts note that a mix of various renewable sources, including hydroelectric, can help fill in the gaps, and transmission lines can be upgraded over time. Thus, the technical difficulties of renewables are not insurmountable, and are not the biggest problem at all.
Second, there is the issue of materials needed for renewable energy technologies. While rare-earth minerals seem to get most of the attention, there will also be a huge demand for base metals such as copper. And much of these materials are currently being imported from countries like China rather than produced domestically. Of course, unlike fossil fuels, once the materials needed for renewable energy have been extracted, they will last for decades. And the USA could start mining more of these materials domestically to make us less dependent on foreign minerals. As for the cost issue, it is worth noting that while solar and wind power have been getting consistently cheaper over time, fossil fuels (especially oil) and even uranium have been getting more and more expensive every year.
But the biggest problems of all are political. The enormous vested interests in the status quo (i.e. the fossil fuel industry), combined with the lack of political will to fight such interests, is the most significant obstacle to a (nearly) 100% clean energy world. This could obviously be solved rather quickly, but for some reason it has not been. Wonder why?
The TSAP fully supports a transition to a completely clean energy economy as soon as possible, by 2050 if not 2030, as noted in our party platform. The need to end our addiction to fossil fuels grows more and more urgent every year. And we believe that we can speed up the transition even more rapidly by adding modern nuclear power (especially the thorium fuel cycle) and responsible biofuels to the mix of non-fossil energy technologies. Combined with increased electrification and conservation, we already have the technology to make the change sooner rather than later. We have the chance to gain true energy independence and help save the planet at the same time. So what are we waiting for?
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