Can't see the forest

I'm sure the rise in earthquakes in Oklahoma is just a coincidence. We'll obviously kill ourselves trying to keep the party going. Pray for humanity.

Restore the middle class

A new study suggests the United States is a oligarchy. It's well past time that we began to properly regulate capitalism and restore the middle class.

We're getting angrier

Can you feel it? The tension is rising all around us. People are getting more frustrated every day. Sometimes I find little frustrations really pushing my anger limits. Why is that?
This article does a great job of explaining the growing stress throughout society. When we feel helpless, the most common reaction is anger.

The jig is up

I read a couple of incredible things today. One was a quote from Warren Buffet, addressing a business class. He was asked why he was a democrat, and the answer took the form of the Ovarian Lottery. Buffet turned the question around, and asked the students, "If you were given the ability to create the world in which you would live before you were born, but you have no idea what card you'll draw in it, how would you construct it?" He believes that most of us have already stumbled into some good luck. We're Americans, and we enjoy a lifestyle that is the envy of much of the world. And it's true that some of us are granted privilege by birth - being white and male sure was an advantage in the last century. But the question nails the framework for which we all should strive. If before you were born, you could lay out how the world would work, only you didn't know how you would be born it to, wouldn't you want the most free and equal world you could imagine? Whether you come out black, white, male, female, gay, smart, to a family of means or not - you would enjoy an opportunity to lead a happy and fulfilling life?
Of course you do. If one thing resonates through our national fabric, it's the concept of opportunity - that each of us should have the ability to make our lives as we see it. Inherit in that is fairness, and Republicans have talked a lot about economic fairness, but in a perverse way as stated by Buffet above. Warren credits government as the only body able to level the playing field, and it does so by regulation and taxation. When the disparities become out of whack, as in the Great Depression and again today, the system is at risk. Elevation of the few at the expense of the many is a losing proposition.
That leads me to the second article, which I found at Resilience.org. The evolution of the post carbon institute continues to find and deliver meaningful content. This column from Erik Lindberg is about how he became an ex-liberal. I enjoy his writing, and while I don't always agree with him, this is a great perspective of our predicament. His disillusion is based on reality - seeing and knowing that Powerdown is necessary now - it's hard to support liberal politicians who want the right things, but only can see getting there through more of the same, endless growth.
A lot of that resonates with me. You and I know that life can not continue as it has. The jig is up.We are exhausting all of our resources at the cost of our planet. Our economy is rigged to transfer riches to the top. All of the systems designed to help people are being starved and deconstructed. Politicians keep us divided, while empowering this disparity. Our society is sick - we are distracted with mindless consumerism, while Rome burns. We must change, and now. I must change.
What's interesting to me is how we move forward. It has to start small, but it must carry through to all levels. And we should consider along the way who the winners and losers are. Some will shout about fairness, but consider truly what that means. Imagine for a moment a world - where another family not of your choosing would adopt your child to raise. What kind of world would you want that to be?
It's not a world of greed.

Important things happen every day, and it seems I hardly have time to comment on them anymore. In recent weeks, Detroit went bankrupt, the north pole melted, and Congress continued to fail us on a daily basis. The August recess is looming, and what have they accomplished this year? Really nothing. There was an author on the Daily Show this week with a his new book about just how worthless they are. They literally only exist to enrich themselves now.
FOX News has been bashing workers making the minimum wage. Because it's really their fault, isn't it, that the only jobs available are in fast food? Which is killing us. I understand marketing, but when McDonalds makes you supersize just to get an opportunity to win MONOPOLY, what have we become? Exactly what they want - consumers. You probably have better odds of winning Powerball than finding $1 million on a Big Mac.
America has become a caricature, and yet, all of us are angry and bickering amongst ourselves while the country burns and the rich hum along. They're the job creators, remember? And how's that working out for us?
Luckily, all of it is being documented well on Resilience.org. Check out some of these articles:
Climate change is for real - take it from a former denier.
What can we do about it? Here's some hope in Knoxville, Tennessee, of all places.
How about food systems? One Vermont mining town is making a comeback.
A little something on Detroit, because this is a big deal. Capitalism is going bust, because there are limits to growth. But the GOP is still peddling tax cuts and growth as the only path forward. I'd say don't believe the hype, although it's clear we don't. Congress' approval rating is in the single digits. When will we say enough?
The Archdruid has been talking about the myth of progress a lot lately. Follow him for more.

This is how it ends

Not with a bang, but with a whimper.
I saw the headline this afternoon - ObamaCare delayed! Oh great, just what we need. More time with the broken system we currently have. Sadly, this is how it ends. We slowly give up on doing the big things, reluctantly give away all of our benefits and dignity, and consign ourselves on getting by with less. That part is  inevitable, but I think how we get there matters. Think; prosperous way down.
I know one thing is certain - we're not going to save ourselves by attacking the weakest among us. No one gets out of here alive.
Funny - it seems like all of those wise sayings we've always heard are starting to make sense. Maybe it's time to listen.

Climate change

In the last few weeks, we received confirmation that concentrations of CO2 in our atmosphere have risen above 400 ppm for the first time in 5 million years. It's more than doubled in the last 50 years, a period that we've been burning fossil fuels at unprecedented rates.
Some still cling to the idea that climate change is natural, but that completely ignores science. There is no natural phenomenon that correlates to the dramatic increase we've seen, and that standpoint ignores this indisputable fact: burning fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
You may recall a group called 350.org. Their goal was to stop CO2 from rising above 350 ppm, a level that most scientists agree will lead to global temps shooting past 2 degrees C increase for our planet. That could be catastrophic, yet we just blew by that like it was standing still. And we're still rising.
We've only seen 1 degree F change in the last 100 years - but Mother Nature is just getting warmed up.
Again this week, we've seen a massive tornado do damage in Oklahoma. Of course, tornadoes have been happening for quite some time, and this article points out that climate change may, in fact, reduce the number of tornadoes. However, climate change is affecting the frequency and intensity of all storms - whether floods, or blizzards, or hurricanes, and we can expect it to continue. Just here in Missouri the last three years, we've bounced from floods, to drought, to floods, in dramatic fashion. THIS IS NOT NORMAL.
What can we do about it? For one, we have to admit the connection between man and the rise of CO2. And then we must find a way to transition away from burning fossil fuels for energy.
Climate change is big and scary, and it requires us to do things differently. But there's no reason to pretend like there's nothing we can do about it. Doing nothing is the sure path to finding out we were wrong, and paying for it with our lives. I'm sure that will be much worse for business than any action we might take.

Energy

If you watch Meet The Press on Sunday morning, you've probably seen all the ads talking about a "new dawn in energy" and a lot of other propaganda spewed by energy companies about all the good they're doing for our country. They are even active on the local level - a new ad by Missourians for a Balanced Energy Future chimes in that we need to update our energy policy. It''s a slick commercial, aimed at progressives, couched in speech that makes it seem like they are for renewable energy. They aren't.
Missourians for a Balanced Energy Future takes money from Ameren to shill for Ameren. Specifically, the bill they are asking you to support is the one that allows big corporations like Ameren to pre-bill for large construction projects.
You see, there's a law in Missouri (CWIP) that makes it illegal to raise our rates before they build new infrastructure. Keep in mind that Ameren has gotten every rate increase they've asked for in the last five years and just turned in a 11 percent profit for last year. That's profit - after they siphoned off some money to MBEF to try and trick us into giving them even more. And Ameren is already a bad neighbor - the other goal this year is to try and get hydroelectric classified as renewable energy - which it is. But the reason they want it is they already operate a hydroelectric plant at Tom Sauk - the one that they had to rebuild recently - and hope to include it so they don't have to meet the standards Missourians asked for with Prop C.
I'd like to work with Ameren to put solar panels on my roof, but they don't have a program for that. Probably because it's not as profitable as their regular, polluting business.
Well, the big oil companies are just as mischievous. They claim we're on the dawn of a new age of energy, and that we could be energy independent in a just a few years. Great stuff - except it's not true.
The claims are based on a new the old, but recently revitalized practice of "fracking." That's where they inject heated water and chemicals into wells to dislodge natural gas. It's become a hot item because energy prices are high enough to make it profitable. Never mind that extremely damaging to the environment, and the gains are offset by very high depletion rates. Check out this account of how it's becoming a disaster for Colorado.
To become energy independent, what we need more of is oil. Global oil production has been stagnant since 2005, and recent declines in our country are being gobbled up by emerging economies in China and India. We've seen increased production in America since Obama's been president, but not anywhere close to the peak we saw in the 1970s. Check this story about how we'll see smaller "highs" as time goes on.
So, when you see an ad by an energy company encouraging us to continue to support their industry with tax breaks and less regulation, remember - money talks, and they're shoveling tons of it at is to keep us confused and docile while the planet burns.

solar energy

I'm a big believer in the power of the sun. In fact, one of the things I love most about my house is passive solar heating we receive in the winter. My heating unit rarely runs when the sun is shining.
Here's an interesting piece on a potential energy source in solar winds. I found it on www.spaceweather.com, a great source for tracking solar flares, sunspots and northern lights. They also have great images of auroras and the recent passing of Comet PAN-Starrs.

nukes

I meant to link to this excellent op-ed in the Columbia Missourian about nuclear energy a few months back - right about the time many were drawing conclusions from the Fukishima disaster in Japan a year later. It has some significance for me, since it comes from the perspective of Columbia, where research has been conducted for years on the subject, with a nuclear plant nearby in Callaway county, where lawmakers and business leaders have tried to resurrect the industry in recent years.
As Republican business types clamor for more growth, nuclear remains a part of the equation, because, quite frankly, there are few energy sources left to power our rise from human energy. We've about cooked up all the cheap, easy to get energy, and what's left will cook us just prospecting for it.
The talking heads this morning called for new pipelines and more growth as the only path to solving our problems, which apparently are all economic in nature. Ultimately, nuclear will have to power that growth, because little effort is being given to develop alternatives. My problem with nuclear has always been, "What do we do with the waste?"
Today, we're seeing that answer. One of the oldest "storage facilities" for spent nuclear fuel, read: waste, is leaking. Badly. Yes, we're not supposed to worry because it could take years to make it into our groundwater. You get that? Years! No matter that we're all toast, at that point.
Really, it doesn't matter, because we're already tainting our ground water with the chemicals used in fracking. We'll soon be drinking so much toxin we'll be able to save electricity at night due to our glow.
I wish I could say I was kidding. The recent meteor sensations have left us questioning whether or not we should be spending more money on watching the skies. I say we're doing a fantastic job of destroying the earth already.

Stay positive

I've always been skeptical that "the power of positive thinking" was little more than bullshit. This article on Alternet pretty much confirms it.

BTW - the Archdruid is back and has been doing a series of interesting articles. This one on the influence of Mexico in the southwest is worth a read.

Mini In The Box

Don't buy anything from this online store.
I really wanted some LED lights to replace the bulbs in my bathroom, and since they're rather expensive, I searched the internet for a good deal. I found one, from Mini In The Box.
Silly me - bulbs from overseas DON'T WORK IN AMERICA.
Lesson learned. Save youself the trouble and don't order anything from Miniinthebox.com.

It's getting hot in here

Meteorologists in Missouri have already determined that 2012 has been the hottest year on record for much of the state. This, as I crack the window on Dec. 1, is somewhat disturbing. We don't even have to wait until the end of year for evidence our planet is warming.
Other reports this week state that polar ice is melting faster than previously expected. On the heels of multiple natural disasters this year, you'd think we'd start paying attention.
There is little doubt that burning fossil fuels and pumping carbon into the atmosphere is acerbating this condition. Yet, many politicians think we still need MORE fossil fuels to keep the party going.
I think it's time to put on our big boy pants and start looking for a way out of this mess. As much as I enjoy wearing short sleeves in December, I'd also like my children to have a planet to call home.

chillax

I'm getting a little kick out of all my conservative friends declaring the end times following the president's re-election. There's the "voting anomalies," in various states (voter fraud still doesn't exist - only two-thirds of eligible voters cast a ballot.), there's the coming health care layoffs, the fiscal cliff, the austerity crisis...
I think it's funny because, what did they think would happen if Romney had been elected?
Pretty much the same stuff, I imagine.
Here's a fantastic interview with Archdruid, who puts it all in perspective. When the four horseman of the apocalypse arrive, offer beer.

Finding truth

I'm going to have to tell some of my friends on Facebook to step away from the FOX News. It's making you sound crazy like Todd Akin.
It's science, people.
I found it interesting that many of the early comments last week on an blog post about Hurricane Sandy on Accuweather were harumpphing about storms being connected to climate change. "Really? There's no way any one storm is a product of climate change. It's not even hot out."
She's dropping tons of water on the east coast right now. And here's the thing - while we can't pin down causation of any given storm to climate change, you can say generally that climate change is impacting the number and size of storms we're seeing. This one is at the end of the supposed hurricane season. They're all connected to climate change now.
Here's a great blog post from Bob Priddy on the Missourinet about Carnegie, and his views on wealth. Some might consider him "old school." He thought men should give their wealth away while they lived, so they could direct the good causes it benefitted. You know, mankind.
Not today's leaders, who think we should eliminate the estate tax, let men keep more of their own money, and starve government of any purpose at all. Except government does a lot of things that we all need and want.
It seems our nation is sleepwalking into the abyss, only because we don't want to wake up. It's much easier to listen those who promise a return to greatness and plug away, hoping that the twinge of commonsense we feel in our brain will go away. Yet, you don't have to scratch far to see it for what it is.

civic duty

Here's what you need to understand about the upcoming election. No one is going to solve our problems and send us back to the happy days of cheap energy. If we cheer for that delusion, we end up with a scapegoat and an even bigger mess. Yet that's where we're headed.
Some may not even vote, because it doesn't matter. While I think it's fair to say Washington is broken (probably more accurately brokered), that doesn't abdicate us from our civic duty. We choose our government, and we get the government we deserve.
If we fall for the slick-talking, snake oil salesman in the fancy suit, then I think we know what to expect. 
A bellyache.

magical thinking

I've read some interesting things lately showing how growth is really our problem. Anyone with a high school education should be able to understand that all things have limits. We live on a finite planet. It's not rocket science.
Yet, Republicans still believe that growth is the answer to our problem. Mitt Romney suggests that if we just lower the tax rate, businesses will hire and everything will be rainbows. Our economy will grow so much that we'll have more revenue, (hopefully enough to erase the excess environmental damage from burning carbon to fuel all that growth. Go easy on big oil, yo!)
What else should we expect from someone who believes in magic underwear?
Fact: Income disparity in America is as great as it was in the 1920's - the era of the robber barons. Tax cuts have concentrated more wealth in the hands of the few. And where are the jobs? Give a poor man a dollar and he spends it. That's what drives this economy. If the rich think they can hide out in the Catskills from the starving, angry mobs, then I hope they ask Marie Antoinette about how laissez-faire worked out for 18th century France. I bet she's speechless.

We can do better

Come on, Missouri.  We can do better.
I'm worried that society is slipping into the fringe. People are coming unhinged, and it's playing out in movie theatres, grocery stores and behind closed doors in our homes. Faced with an uncertain future and shrinking resources, people are checking out rather than buckling down. Let's not go out this way.
Times may be tough, but we control the outcomes. We can do better.
One place  you see the frustration is in our public discourse. Everything is super-partisan now. Wages are falling? It's because our socialist president has the wrong policies. Health-care cost going up? Must be Obamacare. It's never the result of our own actions, or inaction, if you will. Don't look for a logical explanation - just listen to what that candidate says, who promises roses if you just elect him.
You see it in the policies of the right. Voter ID. Obviously a plan to suppress the vote, by making it harder for poor and old people to vote. You see, minorities are more likely to vote for Democrats. And even though GOP leaders in other states have admitted as much, our own politicians hold on to the charade that we have to solve a problem that doesn't exist.
They'll try and cut the budget, too, but not for the super-wealthy, who pad their campaign coffers. The rich already "pay their fair share," as if the size of our contribution is all that matters.
And in the name of Jesus, no less.
GOP voters in a recent primary voted to alter our constitution to "protect" the right to pray. Not that it needed protecting. We'll see if it holds up to legal scrutiny. Most likely not.
We got another look this weekend. The Missouri candidate for senate let this beauty fly this weekend. He opposes abortion in all cases, including rape, because women's bodies have a magical way of shutting down pregnancy when it's "legitimate" rape.
I love Missouri, and I'm proud of my heritage. But it seems we're letting our common sense slip away for the comfort of delusion. I pray that we find it again.

nowledge

Fall is approaching - it's back to school time in Missouri. Republicans will try and school us in all the evils that we must guard against. Obamacare is going to raise the cost of pizza by 11 cents! We have to protect the voting process by making it tougher to vote! There's a great article in the KC Star this week making the point again that the promoted solution fixes a problem that doesn't exist. Just like they say we must make cuts to social security and medicare because of a debt problem - caused by wars, prescriptions, TARP and the Bush Tax cuts that they voted for.
I wonder if we don't need to be taken to school. Maybe our public education system has failed us if we can't discern fear from common sense, or need from equality. Here's a thoughtful article from Sharon on the value of education.

when the lights go out

While a coalition in Missouri is trying to jump start the next wave in nuclear energy (here's a look at the technology suggested for an addition to Callaway), a third of the citizens of a major country in another part of the world experienced power outages. Officials in India were too baffled to explain the problem - too much demand for too little supply.
You might think that would never happen here, but beliebe me, never say never.