On my reading list is New Yorker reporter Jane Mayer’s new book, “Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right,” that explores how the Koch brothers and fellow right-wing billionaires have funded a political machine aimed at shaping elections and public policy. (more…)
A reader submits this absolutely stunning piece of artwork and asks, “Are Republican voters finally realizing that they’ve been conned?”
The short answer is no, but that doesn’t apply to everyone. Former Trump supporter and Army veteran, David Weissman, recently expressed his sentiments in an “Open Letter to Moscow Mitch” published by The Times of Israel, that includes the following: (more…)
Question: Since he took office, President Trump has made eliminating federal environmental regulations a top priority. Working in sync with help from Republicans in Congress, Trump has done everything possible to drive the success of the fossil fuel industry, stripping away as much Obama-era legislation as possible. How many major environmental policies has he reversed? (more…)
Apparently, Bernie Sanders wants to move all our IOUs (investor-owned power utilities) into the public sector, though I can’t image why. What’s the problem with making money if you’re doing it in an environment where you’re cleaning up your mess, and not dumping it in the sky for someone else to clean up?
There are probably at least a dozen variations on this theme, but if, for instance, you implement my personal favorite, the carbon fee and dividend plan that we’ve been discussing here, you’ll clean up the energy and transportation sectors so fast you won’t have time to blink.
Everyone involved in business transactions that involve carbon pays a fee according to its amount that is refunded, dollar for dollar, to the general populace. Big carbon sellers/consumers will lose money; low carbon sellers/consumers will make the exact same amount. Incentive to use less carbon will drive down its use and create furious R&D in the low-carbon space.
Most of our coverage on Iceland has dealt with its fabulously passionate approach to environmental sustainability. Iceland’s Prime Minister, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, became deputy chairperson of the Left-Green Movement in 2003 and has been their chairperson since 2013.
If you want a good laugh, check out the meme here. Good to see that Iceland’s progressive demeanor doesn’t stop with environmentalism; as shown at here, they don’t do homophobia. LOL!!
Trump’s behavior, with the frantic, bald-faced lying at every turn, and for no reason, is unsustainable. This cannot continue; it’s going to cross a line somewhere, and soon. The man is insane. This must cease. I feel very strongly that the end is near.
One thing you can say about humankind is that, when we have a crisis, lots of creative ideas pop up like mushrooms after a summer rain. Of course, like mushrooms, some are better than others. (more…)
There are so many enormously positive developments in our civilization it’s hard to count them. As noted, the second quarter of 2019 saw record sales of wind turbines to project developers, which surprised those who had thought that the industry was mature and might have topped out. (more…)
When my wife and I were taking our daughter Valerie to visit prospective colleges we took a tour of San Francisco State University. During a stroll along the streets downtown afterward, she told me, “Daddy, I don’t think I like this city,” to which I replied, “Well that means you don’t like cities. Outside of Paris or Prague or New York, you’re not going find more fun concentrated in one place.” (more…)
At a certain point in his life, Nikola Tesla thought about powering the world with Niagara Falls. Let’s do some rough math on that. (more…)
