Wake the F*@# Up

Now here's a video I'm sure won't air as is on tv: http://www.thedailybeast.com/videos/2012/09/27/samuel-l-to-voters-wake-the-f-up.html. If by now you don't understand the dangerous forces heading your way via voting box, you've either had your head under a rock or working so hard you don't even have time to watch tv or listen to the radio.

This is a wake-up call, folks. If you aren't out canvassing, working the phones, or offering rides to the polls, just make sure you get your shiny, metal ass to the polls. Just make sure you can still vote, since your Republican governors and Representatives have been trying to limit your voting access.

And don't just worry about the Presedential election; if you have local elections you need to know what's going on so you go into the voting booth informed. Don't assume that the person you voted for last time actually voted the way you thought he / she did. Take 5 minutes to look it up (click the link in the previous sentence for help on this). For instance, in the state of Illinois, Sen. Mark Kirk suffered a major stroke in January and has been absent since Sept. That means that, for 8 months, he has been incapable of doing anything to further the economic situation in this country. What has your senator been doing? What are you going to do?

Conspiracy of Science

MSN.com posted an article by Stephanie Pappas called Those with conspiracy beliefs apt to deny global warming, too. The article talks about a recent research study, done by survey, that reveals that people "who tend to believe in a wide array of conspiracy theories are more likely to reject the scientific consensus that the Earth is heating up." What's funny is that, despite offering the survey on various skeptical blogs (they turned it down), those same skeptical blogs are now crying fowl--the skeptics are claiming it's a conspiracy! Just another instance of truth being stranger (or funnier) than fiction.

What's interesting in Pappas' article is, despite the fact that 97% of working scientists agree that evidence supports a warming trend, the public is split, usually along political lines. Democrats agree with the scientific community while Republicans disagree. The question then is, why do they disagree, given the overwhelming scientific evidence? Some thoughts:

1. They have never taken a science class or have forgotten all they learned about the scientific process & peer review.
2. They only listen to certain tv entertainers or radio hosts who also missed #1.
3. They are conspiracy theorists!

At the risk of oversimplification and irritating scientists, I define the scientific process (or method) as making observations and doing experiments. Once this is done, the results fall under peer review. That means other scientists have to reproduce your results. The point is that, if 10,000 scientists run the same observation and reach the same conclusion, do we believe the science or do we cry conspiracy? And if we do the latter, why? What are we afraid of?

What do these scientists look at to determine the warming trend of the planet?
1. Tree rings
2. Coral reefs
3. Ice cores
4. Temperature records

Three sources that scientists look at as responsible for global warming are the sun, the earth's reflectivity, and greenhouse gases. Of the three, which have been studied extensively, greenhouse gases have risen sharply as we burn more fossil fuels. Scientists looked at temperature records since 1850 (when they started to be reliably recorded), satellite measurements since 1979, sea-level rise, ice cores (the deeper you drill, the further back in centuries you go), tree ring width & density, & calcium carbonate in coral. A clear and more detailed look at each of these is at edf.org.

A Nobel-Prize-winning chemist, Svante Arrhenius, first proposed the idea of global warming in 1896--so we've had over 100 years to get used to the idea and doing something about it. If you took math, remember a + b= c. So, if carbon dioxide (a) traps heat in the Earth's atmosphere and burning coal and oil releases carbon dioxide (b), then c= higher levels of CO2 and thus higher temperatures. This is the greenhouse effect.

So, do we assume poor Svante, in 1896 colluded with scientists to arrive at his analysis? Do we in turn expect that, over the next 116 years, all future scientists met together in a mass conspiracy to deceive the public? Really? If all of them ran the same experiments and reached the same result, who are the naysayers? What scientist ran the same experiment but achieved diffferent results?

I explored Google and found the following folks who expressed differing opinions: Edward Townes, a libertarian (that's as much as I could reliably find) who is often quoted in various blogs but without any info on his research background or speciality; ICECAP (International Climate & Environmental Change Assessment Project, which claims a sudden climate shift is actually more likely than using imperfect climate models) and blogs that are generally unreliable (failing to provide links to real data or offer information on the columnists who write or are referred to in their posts. If I quote the American Thinker (a tea party site), the bias is astounding--they promote "drill, baby, drill", the "costs to the economy" (vs the costs to those of us who must live in it) and little or no scientific data to support their comments. In fact, not one of their staff has any biological or environmental background. Matt Ridley, at the WSJ, tweaks scientists & their theories, but appears to be a writer & historian with some sort of scientific background (not spelled out on his site); you must also note that he gets paid to write (articles & books).

Wouldn't it make sense that, if you want to build a house, you get help from an architect and/or someone in the construction industry? If you have an illness, you ask a doctor or medical professional? If you want to find out about climate change, ask a scientist. Or, better yet, ask several. 

But I forget, every single scientist is in a conspiracy to delude the public because they have something to gain...hmm. I wonder what?

The Chief Choice

November's Presential Election is one for the decade, if not the century. Sit on the sidelines and you'll find your future impacted in grave ways. Here's a peek at the candidates & where they stand, based on introduced bills and/or campaign speeches:

Obama (Dem)

• Signed the Affordable Care Act (banning preexisting condition denials, allowing healthcare age extension for children, etc.)
• Saved the US Auto industry
• Improve Social Security
• End special trade laws with China
• Diplomatic sanctions against Syria
• Paid taxes and released many years of copies
• Slight tax increase to those making over $250,000/yr and up
• Maintain senior prescription drug benefit in Medicare
• Promotes infrastructure jobs (roads, bridges, etc.)
• Supports clean air/water
• Pro-choice and women's rights
• Pro same-sex marriage
• Supports current gun laws
• Has saved/extended Medicare by eliminating gross costs to insurance companies
• Supports reforming the tax code
• Promotes voter access to polls
• Would appoint less extreme Supreme Court judges

Romney (Rep)

• Would abolish the ACA in his first 100 days if elected; $8,000 vouchers for those under 55.
• Editorialized to let the US Auto industry fail
• Privatize Social Security to banking/financial industry (Wall St)
• Voted against trade laws with China
• Invade/bomb Syria
• Released 1.5 yrs of taxes and refuses to release more
• Tax decrease to those making over $1 million a year and up; tax burden increase on all those under this
• Bring back prescription drug "donut hole" in Medicare (costing seniors $$)
• No jobs plan
• Supports eliminating the EPA
• Federal Ban on most forms of contraception and bans ALL abortions (including from rape & incent)
• Federal Ban on same-sex marriage
• Supports no background checks on gun purchases
• Would end Medicare as we know it
• Would reduce taxes on top 1%
• Promotes voter restrictions at the polls (requiring photo ids, passports, SS cards, etc.)
• Would appoint extreme/activist Supreme Court Justices

Don't see a difference between the candidates? Get your vision checked and read again.

A Rant on Lies and Misinformation

I have heard so much misinformation on these issues recently, I just had to blog.

1. Healthcare. With our current system, insurance companies are paper pushers who reap 20-30% profits annually (the last CEO of United Healthcare reaped in $1 billion over his ~4 yr term). If we leave it as is, they will continue to manufacture double digit increases each year. As I see it, we have 2 choices: ban for-profit healthcare (did you know most developed nations do NOT allow healthcare to be managed by for-profit co's?) or extend Medicare so that it is Medicare FOR ALL. If you take the time to understand the Affordable Healthcare Act, you'll discover that it includes the things like banning insurance co's from denying care due to pre-existing conditions, offers tax incentives for small businesses so they can provide affordable care to their employees, and mandates that healthcare co's spend at least 80% on healthcare. Reports I have read indicate that it will reduce costs in various ways.  Instead of freaking out about it, you should learn how it will benefit you.

2. Financial news. I am sick of the Faux News lies. Every leading indicator I've seen has shown that the US economy is doing better, with lower unemployment & expanding jobs. This country needs fixing--big time--starting with Wall Street. Why aren't those banksters in jail? Who do you think caused the current financial crisis? Why doesn't Congress have the balls to enact legislation banning derivatives and non-business speculation in energy? The answer is that the Congress, the President AND the Supreme Court are controlled by, or at the mercy of, those with the biggest moneybags. I will remind you that, according to our Constitution, the HOUSE introduces all bills dealing with money--not the Senate or President. So, when it comes to spending bills, you must look to the House. If you really are so concerned about the federal deficit, why don't you complain about the fact that Congress just rubber stamped the Dept of Defense budget--without any cuts whatsover. Recall that the US Pentagon spends more than all the countries in the world combined. Couldn't we have cut at least one battleship out of the budget? Read this (from http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Pentagon-F-36-cost-overruns/2012/03/20/id/433286):

WASHINGTON — Future cost overruns on the stealthy new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter built by Lockheed Martin Corp will reduce how many planes the U.S. military will ultimately buy, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley told a Senate committee on Tuesday.

The latest restructuring of the $382 billion program should allow the program to proceed with the "least risk," Donley said a message repeated by the Pentagon's F-35 program manager, chief weapons buyer and the Air Force acquisition chief at a separate House subcommittee hearing.

 

3. Fear. Some people & organizations realize that, if Americans are fearful, they're more easily swayed and will allow a loss of freedom. Well, that has certainly happened. Just read the Patriot Act, passed in 2001. Why haven't you complained about this loss of Constitutional rights? (Go here for more: http://www.scn.org/ccapa/pa-vs-const.html). When it was passed, many of its provisions were supposed to have expired; however, in 2006, most of these were extended. And now the Supreme Court says it's ok for police to strip search you for any reason (http://www.nj.com/times-opinion/index.ssf/2012/04/editorial_us_supreme_court_str.html). The next time you join a protest, remember that you might be arrested & strip-searched. Or, the next time you get a parking ticket. Or litter.  Some members of the Supreme Court should be impeached by Congress, but, because of their 'lock step' mentality, I'm sure nothing will happen. (see http://dissidentvoice.org/2011/02/political-corruption-at-supreme-court-white-house/ for details on this corruption). Congress' biggest job is to campaign for money in order to win re-election. If they win re-election, they are at the mercy of their biggest contributors. Their biggest contributors are: Wall Street, corporate CEOs, and PACs. How did this money free-for-all happen? Look up the Supreme Court's Citizens vs United decision.

 

I personally think the current political campaigns are designed to distract you from what's really going on: you are losing your rights, your right to vote, and your right to protest. You are being misdirected by lies & misinformation in order to persuade you to think a certain way. It is so sad that so many Americans fall for it.