The answer to the question posed here is that corruption is the standard by which the U.S. Congress operates. It’s really no more complicated than that.
This is part of the reason that the United States has fallen in rank to #15 in the world in terms of freedom. People who are incapable of electing honest leaders are free in an extremely limited sense of the word.
Switching to electric appliances cuts climate-changing gas, eliminates dangerous indoor air pollution and saves homeowners money. However, in yet another effort to prevent the cessation of fossil fuel consumption, the state of Oklahoma is proposing to make homeowners pay a $1400 fee to terminate service to make the transition. This, of course, will ensure that millions of homes remain on natural gas for the indefinite future, while making rooftop solar less attractive.
Fortunately, Oklahoma, among the 10 poorest states, doesn’t represent the sensibilities of the bulk of the U.S.; in fact, it’s arguably the most regressive state in the union. Trump beat Biden 65.4% to 32.3%, the widest margin in all 50 states.
Nonetheless, this is disgusting, and we can only hope that the judge reviewing the proposal puts a spear through it.
Key points from their article:
• Fourteen states including Louisiana and Wyoming filed suit on Wednesday against President Joe Biden’s moratorium on new oil and natural gas leases on public lands and waters.
• Biden’s order on Jan. 27 to pause new leasing was part of a series of executive actions to address climate change and curb planet-warming carbon emissions. (more…)
A companion point to be made here is that, in the absence of green infrastructure, the United States is actively contributing to the incineration of our planet.
In addition, building low-carbon energy generation, electric transportation, smart grid, energy storage, and the rest will create millions of high-paying jobs.
The photo comparison here shows two views of Düsseldorf, Germany, taken about 20 years apart. It depicts something that is happening all around Europe, i.e., replacement of single-passenger vehicles with mass transit, bicycling, and walking.
In the not-too-distant future, all the remaining cars and trucks will be electric, because most of the developed world has concluded that defying the oil companies is necessary if our planet is to avoid climate catastrophe.
Here we see Biden taking an optimistic tone about America’s future, and there is some value in that; it’s certainly better than its opposite.
Here’s what I used to say as a soccer coach, where my kids weren’t performing well, and were just barely ahead of a clearly inferior team at halftime: “If we don’t start making better passes and improve our control of the ball, I predict we’re going to lose this game.” (more…)
We’re intelligent, but that’s not our only attribute.
We’re also cruel, selfish, subject to demagoguery, neurotic, superstitious, tribal, and indifferent to the suffering of others.
We know that the path we’re on is completely unsustainable, but most of us simply don’t care, and that’s especially true about the most powerful among us.
“Wrong” isn’t the word I would use here. Trump supporters have to be some blend of racist, selfish, cruel, ignorant, and above all, credulous. How anyone could possibly believe the garbage coming out of that man’s mouth is astonishing.
Greta Thunberg is normally photographed with a scowl on her face, but not when in the presence of a person like Jane Goodall, who has spent her life building an understanding of life forms and using that knowledge to make life better for everyone.
One of the problems facing the United States is that a large group of people believe that no crimes were committed on January 6th. Jenna Ryan, the realtor/rioter who is now famous for saying that she wouldn’t go to prison until the judge handed her 60 days, says, “I did nothing wrong.”
This country exists in a surreal state at this point.
