Advice To Obama

Mr. President,

The Republicans are going to water down your stimulus package with tax cuts that are not going to create jobs or rebuild our crumbling infrastructure (due to their philosophy in the first place) which is so badly needed. We are on the verge of the second Republican depression of the last 80 years. You were elected because people are fed up with the GOPs, now proven beyond a doubt that it is without merit economic philosophy, and their vast corruption. Create the bill you want and get it passed. Use the political mandate you and the Democrats have. If the Republicans want to vote against what the majority of the people want, so be it. I like the moves you have made so far, except for this one very big issue.

Have a good day.

Scott

Isidore: Sanskrit Video

Collaboration between Steve Kilbey of the Church and Jeffrey Cain of Remy Zero.

Memo to Obama: National Health Insurance The Only Solution

"First off, congratulations to you and your party on your sweeping election results!

Together with a sizable majority of Americans, I am again hopeful for the future of our country. My special concern, however, is for our failing health care system and how it is pricing health care beyond the reach of ordinary Americans. Our system has come to the point where none of the many incremental reforms will work. The business model of insurance has failed, and we need to rebuild the system on a social insurance model.

Let me be direct. Although we have many dedicated health professionals, an abundance of the latest technologies, and many fine hospitals, health care has become just another commodity to be bought and sold in a deregulated market based on ability to pay, not medical need. As you well know, industry profits handsomely from the status quo, raking in money through insurance, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and so on. Industry has a war chest to defend itself and demonstrates its political power each time any new reform is brought up.

But the situation has become dire. There is no end in sight in controlling health care costs as they soar upwards at three or four times the cost of living and family incomes. We have had three decades of incremental attempts to rein in costs, including managed care and consumer-directed health care. None have worked. We have a solution in plain sight - single-payer National Health Insurance (NHI). Market stakeholders are fighting it fiercely, but it's the only real reform that has a chance to work.

Most of your advisers will likely caution you that NHI is too radical for Americans to accept, that you need to be more centrist, and that it is not politically feasible. But therein lies your trap. You wwill be persuaded to add one more incremental attempt to fix things, which will not work, will cost more than ever, will delay real reform, and will add to the pain of so many along the way. Your moment of opportunity will have been lost."

Read the rest here.

Climate Scientists: It's Time For 'Plan B'

An emergency "Plan B" using the latest technology is needed to save the world from dangerous climate change, according to a poll of leading scientists carried out by The Independent. The collective international failure to curb the growing emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere has meant that an alternative to merely curbing emissions may become necessary.

The plan would involve highly controversial proposals to lower global temperatures artificially through daringly ambitious schemes that either reduce sunlight levels by man-made means or take CO2 out of the air. This "geoengineering" approach – including schemes such as fertilising the oceans with iron to stimulate algal blooms – would have been dismissed as a distraction a few years ago but is now being seen by the majority of scientists we surveyed as a viable emergency backup plan that could save the planet from the worst effects of climate change, at least until deep cuts are made in CO2 emissions.

What has worried many of the experts, who include recognised authorities from the world's leading universities and research institutes, as well as a Nobel Laureate, is the failure to curb global greenhouse gas emissions through international agreements, namely the Kyoto Treaty, and recent studies indicating that the Earth's natural carbon "sinks" are becoming less efficient at absorbing man-made CO2 from the atmosphere.

Read the rest here.

Carbon Cap And Dividend Video

This seems like a really good idea. You know what that means? We won't do it!

350.org Video

As in 350 parts per million of Carbon.

Uncle Jay Explains Video: The Year In Review

Oh, what joy it was. 2009 is going to be even better!!