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Off Shore Drilling - Don’t Buy the Lie
CAN WE DRILL OUR WAY TO LOWER FUEL PRICES?
Argument 1:
Drilling more oil and gas wells will reduce gasoline prices.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the total additional oil that could be
brought into production from drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Outer
Continental Shelf, and the Rocky Mountain states is likely to be only about 1.2 million
barrels of oil a day at peak production. This only adds up to a $1.20 reduction in the price
of a barrel of oil, which is currently well over $140.(footnotes) i ii iii
If this drop were to reduce pump prices at all, the savings would be mere pennies (only about 3 cents a gallon according to Department of Energy figures) and would not be seen by Americans for at least another 10 years.
Even in the most optimistic case, drilling in those sensitive areas combined would
possibly garner a savings at the pump of only 4-5 cents a gallon in 2025. Even the
Department of Energy admits that: “Because oil prices are determined on the
international market, however, any impact on average… prices is expected to be
insignificant.” (footnote)iv Any oil pumped here would go right into that international market, where we’d have to bid for it right alongside India, China and other nations.
In fact, a record 1.6 billion barrels a day in U.S. refined petroleum products were
exported from January-April of this year, up 33 percent over the same period in 2007.
This surge in exports seems to contradict arguments of supporters who want to increase
domestic drilling in order to help alleviate fuel shortages in the U.S. The bottom line is
profit –domestically drilled oil will not stay in the U.S. if another nation is willing to pay
more for it.
Despite the fact that drilling will not help consumers at the pump, the industry continues
to push for more drilling permits on public lands. This strategy is little more than an
attempt to control more land and reap bigger and bigger profits. Between 1999 and 2007,
the number of drilling permits issued for development of public lands increased by more
than 361%, yet gasoline prices have also risen dramatically. There is no correlation
between more drilling and lower gasoline prices.
Even if increased domestic drilling could affect the price of gasoline, there is yet no
justification to open additional federal lands because oil and gas companies have shown
that they cannot keep pace with the rate of drilling permits that the federal government is
handing out. In the last four years, the Bureau of Land Management has issued 28,776
permits to drill on public lands; yet, in that same time, 18,954 wells were actually drilled.
That means that companies have stockpiled nearly 10,000 extra permits to drill that they
are not using to increase domestic production.
Argument 2:
Vast quantities of oil and gas beneath public lands are closed to energy
development.
According to the Department of the Interior, only 38% of the oil and 16% of the natural
gas are excluded from leasing – largely because those resources are underneath National
Parks and wilderness areas that have significant scenic, recreational and wildlife values.
Industry already has more lands than it can drill. Of the 44.5 million leased acres, most -more than 30 million acres -have not been used by the oil and gas industry.
Industry isn’t developing most of the public lands it already has under lease. Although we
object to some of the areas under lease, we believe that the oil and gas industry should
make better use of existing leases before it attempts to lock up more public lands in
environmentally fragile areas.
Argument 3:
Opening the 19.2 million acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska to
drilling would reduce today’s gasoline prices.
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that it will require 8 to 10 years
after opening ANWR before oil is produced. According to the EIA, opening ANWR
could reduce U.S. crude oil imports, but not until 2022-2026 and only by a few
percentage points.
Oil prices are set on a global market. Historically, increases in U.S. oil production have
had little impact on those prices. If commercial quantities of oil are discovered in
ANWR, the effect would be a reduction of just a few pennies per gallon during peak
production.
During the next two decades, US oil imports as a percentage of consumption will
decrease, a dramatic shift in US energy policy. The reasons for this decrease are
improvements in energy efficiency and conservation and the use of alternative energy and new technologies that will reduce our nation’s need for oil between now and 2050 by 100 million barrels – that’s 10 times the amount of oil that ANWR could provide.
Argument 4:
We need to increase domestic drilling in order to achieve energy independence and
increase homeland security.
More drilling will not achieve “energy independence.” At current consumption levels,
U.S. resources are inadequate to achieve energy independence. The United States
contains 2.5 % of the world’s oil resources and 3% of world natural gas resources.
But we account for 24% of total world consumption of oil and 22% of natural gas
consumption. The U.S. could drill every national park, wildlife refuge, and coastline and still be importing 60 percent of the oil we use. Opening more areas to drilling in the U.S. can never make us less dependent on foreign oil or natural gas.
Additionally, because oil and petroleum products are traded globally, there is no
guarantee that oil drilled in the U.S. will stay in the U.S. In fact, a record 1.6 billion
barrels a day in U.S. refined petroleum products were exported from January-April of this
year, up 33 percent over the same period in 2007. The bottom line is profit -
domestically drilled oil will not stay in the U.S. if another nation is willing to pay more for it.
The only way we will ever reduce our dependency is to reduce our consumption. Federal
legislation that promotes clean, alternative energy and cuts global warming pollution will
reduce our oil imports four times more than drilling in the pristine wildlife habitat of the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, off our beaches, and in the Rocky Mountains combined.
A study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that under the Climate
Security Act, U.S. petroleum consumption would drop by nearly half by 2030—saving
far in excess of the amount of oil we could ever pull from Alaska or the coasts.
Argument 5:
There are too many environmental restrictions on drilling.
Many of these environmental restrictions are what help keep our drinking water and the
air we breathe clean. They also help conserve wildlife and lands for recreation.
Even with current environmental restrictions, wildlife and clean water and air are taking a
hit from drilling. During the first four years of development on the Pinedale Anticline
natural gas field in Wyoming the overall wintering mule deer population dropped by
46%. The Greater sage-grouse may require listing under the Endangered Species Act, in
part, as a result of damage to its habitat from oil and gas drilling. This past year in
Colorado, over 1 million gallons of polluted, industrial drilling mud was accidentally spilled into the West Parachute Creek on the Roan Plateau.
Drilling also pollutes the air. The oil industry on Alaska’s North Slope annually emits approximately 70,000 tons of nitrogen oxides, an important component of smog. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, this is more than twice the amount emitted by the city of Washington, D.C.
The small town of Pinedale, Wyoming (pop. 1412), which sits just 100 miles south of Grand Teton National Park, experienced its first hazardous ozone alerts this past winter as a result of emissions from nearby drilling operations.
These are just a few examples of the impacts to wildlife, water and air from drilling. We
would see many more if current environmental restrictions are loosened or relaxed.
Our facts are from credible sources –the U.S. Department of Energy and the Bureau of
Land Management (under the U.S. Department of Interior). A lot of other “information”
is out there (mostly based on opinion)
i
U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Agency, “Analysis of Crude Oil Production in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge” May 2008
iii
U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Agency, “State Energy Profiles”
The Debate Last Night - by For Profit Media
When Corporate America (the powers that be) took the debates from the League of Women Voters - they delivered a death blow to our democracy.
Some of the issues Corporate America and their talking head hacks didn’t want you to think about last night are as follows;
Electric cars, mountain top removal, global warming, overfishing, pollution leading to cancer, pesticides and run off polluting the food chain and putting people out of work and at risk, overpopulation, desertification of the planet, the collapse of the Bee Colonies (it sounds minor but it has a huge impact on our food supply and the cost of that food supply), the mortgage crisis, the tax payer BAILOUT of Bear Sterns, the impeachable offenses of the Bush administration, the fire in Cheney’s record room. The tax cuts for the uber wealthy, becoming permanent or not, the deficit, the trade imbalance, the interest on the deficit, THE WAR, veteran benefits, Walter Reed Hospital Conditions, Health Care, Education, the root cause of violence. The erosion of Separation of Church and State. The widening divide between rich and poor, the over taxed middle class, gasoline prices, energy sources clean energy vs. dirty energy…the budget, the budget, the budget!
No one seriously considering the candidates gets their news from corporate sponsored television or newspaper. Reporters might want to ask or write about the larger issues but questions of profit and who your boss is, who you are working for, and what are their interest play a HUGE factor in the information you get from these profit driven sources.
Certainly the tabloid issues, gotchas mis steps (and lies) need to be mentioned at some point but two hours devoted to non-core issues is just diversionary. There are bigger issues at stake that will have a real impact on the actual function and performance of our government bodies.
Who are Obama’s financial contributers, who are Hilary’s. Why are they taking money from these people? Are they going to work for them or the American people?
When a major political financial contributor, player and entity owns the media - you won’t get those questions.
The only way to address this problem is to legislate that a non-profit organize and hold the debates. Take money out of the equation and we will get a return to the issues and a return to Democracy.
The powers that be do not want an informed citizenry. They can’t pull the wool over our eyes and pocket our tax dollars if we know what they are doing behind closed doors and trying to extract through hidden or unheralded legislation.
Where was Ralph Nader he would have addressed the issues? But because the powers that be control the media - you won’t see Ralph get any air time…
…and that’s the way it is and unless we the people make a huge noise and take the debates back from the profiteers and their corporations they hide behind that’s the way it will always be…good night and good luck!
Taxes, Taxes, Taxes, Everywhere!
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL License Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Perm it Tax
Gasoline Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax),
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax),
Liquor Tax,
Luxury Tax,
Marriage License Tax,
Medicare Tax,
Property Tax,
Real Estate Tax,
Service charge taxes,
Social Security Tax,
Road Usage Tax (Truckers),
Sales Taxes,
Recreational Vehicle Tax,
School Tax,
State Income Tax,
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA),
Telephone Federal Excise Tax,
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax,
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax,
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax,
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax,
Telephone State and Local Tax,
Telephone Usage Charge Tax,
Utility Tax,
Vehicle License Registration Tax,
Vehicle Sales Tax,
Watercraft Registration Tax,
Well Permit Tax,
Workers Compensation Tax.
Fight Tax Abuse Links
Freedom Works
Tax Revolt
National Tax Payers Union
Elitists Republicans, Democrats and their Corporate Friends Thank You For Your Taxes Paid Today!
While the uber millionaires running for office toss around the word elitist - I thought a reality check might be in order. The people running our country, the status quo are the elitist. There has been no recessionary impact on high end condos, high end yachts and high end cars. Meanwhile there is a tax on everything and an enormous amount of money headed for Washington today. The greedy are fighting like cats and dogs for that money and something like the rule of law will not deter them in their pursuit. Meanwhile these corporations and their representatives don’t clean up after themselves, and our food chain is polluted and cancer is rampant and the mountains are being pushed into the river beds. They are destroying your planet for a quick buck and they don’t care because they have enough money to move away from the pollution, but what they don’t realize is there is no escaping the environment, a poisoned food chain and spoiled air and water. It’s in their bodies as well. They are too ignorant to realize it.
The following are quotes - reposted from Ralph Nader’s site:
I hope that we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations, which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country.
- Thomas Jefferson
I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country . . . corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed.
- Abraham Lincoln
Big business is not dangerous because it is big, but because its bigness is an unwholesome inflation created by privileges and exemptions which it ought not to enjoy.
- Woodrow Wilson
The citizens of the United States must control the mighty commercial forces which they themselves called into being.
- Theodore Roosevelt
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex.
- Dwight Eisenhower
I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of society but the people themselves - and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion.
- Thomas Jefferson
The first truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism - ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
Civics Quiz
Which of the following candidates for President of the United States best reflects values expressed above?
a) John McCain
b) Hillary Clinton
c) Barack Obama
d) Ralph Nader
The answer?
d) Ralph Nader
As the Democrats bicker over the meaning of bitterness, Ralph Nader is traveling to all 50 states to challenge head-on the abusive, corrupting, corrosive corporate power that is undermining our democracy.
Ralph would definitely battle Congress and Corporate America on our behalf. It might be time to try something completely different - check out Mr. Nader’s website and take a long look at his credentials and intentions as well as his past actions. The time is now.
The Real John McCain 10 Things You Should Know
This is a repost from MoveOn.org
1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has “evolved,” yet he’s continued to oppose key civil rights laws.1
2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain “will make Cheney look like Gandhi.”2
3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.3
4. McCain opposes a woman’s right to choose. He said, “I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned.”4
5. The Children’s Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children’s health care bill last year, then defended Bush’s veto of the bill.5
6. He’s one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a “second job” and skip their vacations.6
7. Many of McCain’s fellow Republican senators say he’s too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: “The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He’s erratic. He’s hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me.”7
8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates.8
9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his “spiritual guide,” Rod Parsley, believes America’s founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a “false religion.” McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God’s punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church “the Antichrist” and a “false cult.”9
10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year.10
_________________________________________
Sources:
1. “The Complicated History of John McCain and MLK Day,” ABC News, April 3, 2008
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/04/the-complicated.html
“McCain Facts,” ColorOfChange.org, April 4, 2008
http://colorofchange.org/mccain_facts/
2. “McCain More Hawkish Than Bush on Russia, China, Iraq,” Bloomberg News, March 12, 2008
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aF28rSCtk0ZM&refer=us
“Buchanan: John McCain ‘Will Make Cheney Look Like Gandhi,’” ThinkProgress, February 6, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/06/buchanan-gandhi-mccain/
3. “McCain Sides With Bush On Torture Again, Supports Veto Of Anti-Waterboarding Bill,” ThinkProgress, February 20, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/20/mccain-torture-veto/
4. “McCain says Roe v. Wade should be overturned,” MSNBC, February 18, 2007
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17222147/
5. “2007 Children’s Defense Fund Action Council® Nonpartisan Congressional Scorecard,” February 2008
http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/PageServer?pagename=act_learn_scorecard2007
“McCain: Bush right to veto kids health insurance expansion,” CNN, October 3, 2007
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/03/mccain.interview/
6. “Beer Executive Could Be Next First Lady,” Associated Press, April 3, 2008
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h-S1sWHm0tchtdMP5LcLywg5ZtMgD8VQ86M80
“McCain Says Bank Bailout Should End `Systemic Risk,’” Bloomberg News, March 25, 2008
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aHMiDVYaXZFM&refer=home
7. “Will McCain’s Temper Be a Liability?,” Associated Press, February 16, 2008
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=4301022
“Famed McCain temper is tamed,” Boston Globe, January 27, 2008
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/27/famed_mccain_temper_is_tamed/
8. “Black Claims McCain’s Campaign Is Above Lobbyist Influence: ‘I Don’t Know What The Criticism Is,’” ThinkProgress, April 2, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/02/mccain-black-lobbyist/
“McCain’s Lobbyist Friends Rally ‘Round Their Man,” ABC News, January 29, 2008
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4210251
9. “McCain’s Spiritual Guide: Destroy Islam,” Mother Jones Magazine, March 12, 2008
http://www.motherjones.com/washington_dispatch/2008/03/john-mccain-rod-parsley-spiritual-guide.html
“Will McCain Specifically ‘Repudiate’ Hagee’s Anti-Gay Comments?,” ThinkProgress, March 12, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/12/mccain-hagee-anti-gay/
“McCain ‘Very Honored’ By Support Of Pastor Preaching ‘End-Time Confrontation With Iran,’” ThinkProgress, February 28, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/28/hagee-mccain-endorsement/
10. “John McCain Gets a Zero Rating for His Environmental Record,” Sierra Club, February 28, 2008
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/environment/77913/
Bush Corporate Welfare and Parkinson Disease
Keep stickin’ it to us Georgie Boy. You figure the next guy will clean it up. Well unless it’s Ralph Nader I’m not so sure. More corporate welfare is being given away as our miner in chief, our oil well exploiter and our failed businessman in chief continues to ravage the country side and economy. Thanks for f’in the whole thing up so completely George. The dollar ain’t worth squat, and that’s on your watch. Wall Street is being bailed out by the tax payers, and that’s on your watch. The deficit is at a trillion dollar all time high, and that is on your watch. Clean air and clean water standards have been rolled back, and that is on your watch. An unnecessary war draining the economy, and that is on your watch. More corporate welfare for the screw ups on Wall Street, and that is on your watch. George heres a news flash. Your a complete idiot and a complete and utter failure at EVERYTHING you do. Hell you can’t even get being “born again” right.
George want some help? Here’s a clue. Dirty energy is killing us - literally. As you send our sons and daughters to die for oil wells and profits and a few of your close buddies get rich the rest of us breath in the cancerous fumes and try to wipe of the Parkinson disease giving pesticides off our bodies. It’s funny that such an anti-science religious right guy has so much faith in made made chemicals and exploits. It’s time to balance our lives, production and consumption and be more in tune with the world as created by god. You wouldn’t go up to god in the kitchen and say,” hey god nice Earth Soup your brewing there how about some man-made chemicals to spice things up? Here’s some mercury for the air and fish and how about more carbon we need more carbon? Oh and this nuclear waste will really add some spice to your perfectly balanced and organic recipe. The time is now big boys. We need to align ourselves with what is actually provided by the Earth and not get so enamored with our own creations. Besides most of what we create gives us cancer or kills us.
To help stop Bush’s latest forest give away click here.
To learn about Parkinson’s disease and the pesticides and herbicides in our homes click here.
To end the one sided representation of Corporate America in our political system click here.
To learn about clean energy sources click here.
WEEKLY UPDATE
GAS PRICES BREAK RECORD … 40MPG NEVER SOUNDED SO GOOD!
March 11, 2008: The pain Americans feel at the pump is growing ever worse as gas prices across the country reach new sky-high records. USA Today reports: “According to AAA and the Oil Price Information Service, the average national price of a gallon of gas rose half a cent overnight to $3.2272 Tuesday. That is slightly higher than the previous record of $3.2265 a gallon, set last May.” U.S. demand for gas traditionally rises as we get closer to the summer travel months and consistently high demand from overseas is keeping prices high. In January, 71 percent of Americans said that they expect gas prices to reach $4 a gallon this summer and it seems we’re right on track to get to that point … A North Carolina man is touting filling up with CNG (compressed natural gas). “…Ronald Orr thinks we might like to hear about a different kind of gas that costs less than $2. Orr, a retired engineer, has a fleet of six cars and trucks that run on CNG — compressed natural gas. … Unlike gasoline, natural gas is abundant in the United States, relatively cheap and squeaky clean. ‘It’s the only alternative fuel that’s demonstrably cheaper than gasoline, unlike ethanol and biodiesel,’ said Orr, 68. ‘With them, you pay more to be green. And CNG essentially doesn’t pollute.’” Here’s an interesting side note: ACEEE rates the only new car on the market with a compressed natural gas system — the CNG-fueled Civic — as the nation’s most environmentally friendly “green” car, even greener than the Toyota Prius … We continue to see stories about rising gas prices causing a change in consumer behavior in favor of buying small, more fuel efficient vehicles. Is that really such a shock to anyone outside of Detroit? …
40MPG.org
U.S. Forest Service
The proponents of mining, logging, oil and gas drilling and their rather calloused representatives in Washington don’t not care about anything other than their own pocket books. Our public lands belong to the citizens of the United States. We need them to buffer and keep in tact our fragile environment. As our Captains of Industry tear down and drill everything they can get their hands on it is up to us to make sure there is enough of an environment left to counter balance their reckless pollution and disregard for life on Earth and all of creation. This planet was not put here to just be mined it has an eco-system. It is a vast array of interdependent parts including animals and environments of all shapes and sizes. It’s important to our watershed and the health of our children to preserve as much of the planet as we can in the pristine condition in which it was created by God. To do otherwise is arrogant, selfish, ignorant, and completely foolish.
Participate in democracy, stand up for your rights and take action here.
High Mercury Content in Bluefin Tuna Not Only Reason to Pass on the Sushi
Repost from Earth Justice
Stay to the low end of the food chain kids until the status quo gets it’s act together
_________________
High Mercury Content in Bluefin Tuna Not Only Reason to Pass on the Sushi
Overfishing and poor oceans management are leading bluefin tuna to the brink of extinction
February 6, 2008
|
Washington, D.C. — Recent news reports and studies revealed dangerously high levels of mercury in bluefin tuna and other fish species. Government agencies have warned consumers to avoid eating foods with high mercury levels. And while eating too much of this fish may be bad for your health, it is also bad for dwindling bluefin tuna populations.Bluefin tuna are a species in peril. Commercial overfishing and a poorly constructed government regulatory program are pushing the western Atlantic bluefin population towards collapse and even possible extinction. This amazing fish, which can grow up to 1,500 pounds, dive up to 3,000 feet in a matter of minutes, and traverse the Atlantic Ocean in just over a month, plays a crucial role in balancing the web of oceanic life.
“Eating bluefin tuna is bad for your health, but it’s also bad for the health of this species,” said Katie Renshaw, attorney with Earthjustice. “Government mismanagement has created a broken system where commercial fishers are taking advantage of legal loopholes that allow them to target bluefin on spawning grounds in the Gulf of Mexico when the remaining bluefin gather to breed. If we don’t act now, this species could disappear forever.”
Earthjustice, on behalf of Blue Ocean Institute and its president, author and scientist Carl Safina, have challenged in court the National Marine Fisheries Service’s failure to limit longline fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. Longline fishing places thousands of baited hooks in the water, indiscriminately hooking fish, turtles and sometimes even birds. Bluefin tuna spawning in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico are accidentally caught by these longline vessels. Because spawning bluefin are highly stressed, most hooked bluefin die even if they are released.
Longline fishing in the Gulf of Mexico during bluefin spawning season depletes the bluefin population and cripples the potential of the bluefin to rebuild to a healthy level. Curtailing this threat would substantially protect this critically threatened species.
“Fisheries scientists have the capacity to sustainably manage bluefin fishing, but the economic and political will is lacking,” said Safina. “The U.S. must stop all catches of bluefin tuna on breeding grounds during spawning season and press for a five year Atlantic-wide moratorium on bluefin fishing.”
The litigation has been fully briefed and is currently awaiting judgment in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
Last month, the New York Times reported that some samples of bluefin tuna sushi bought at local restaurants and grocery stores had dangerously high mercury levels. Mercury is a powerful neurotoxin; even low levels of mercury exposure in utero or during early childhood can impair the ability to walk, talk, read, write and learn. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 1 in every 6 women has mercury levels in her blood high enough to harm development in unborn children.
Oceana recently issued a report on mercury levels in popular fish and sushi that demonstrate the need for the Food and Drug Administration to post advice about seafood consumption in grocery stores and restaurants. The study found that mercury levels in fresh tuna are comparable to fish already included on the FDA’s “Do Not Eat” list.
Contact:Katie Renshaw / Steve Roady, Earthjustice, (202) 667-4500
I actually think Nader getting into the campaign is great - will they let him debate????
Here’s an eye opening issue link
I’m not so sure that middle class tax payers are duly represented in our process, and could make a case to boycott paying our taxes based on the old refrain - “no taxation without representation” - this isn’t a joke. However, as I have maintained all along the power is in the legislature to make laws, and we as citizens, must and I mean must be active in the advocacy of the issues we find important.
Advocacy links
Advocacy links
Advocacy links
That’s where the rubber hits the road in our form of government. The republicans shut down everything I stand for including a balanced budget, smaller government, reduced funding of the military, and the redistribution of that money (up to a third) into education and research and development. The elimination of the payroll tax, the separation of church and state, getting government out of our bedrooms, lobby reform, the protection of the environment and the species that god (not you and I) put here, being better stewards of the planet (that we did not create) increased fuel mileage to 50 mpg (not the paltry 35mpg by 2012)and transparency in government, the elimination of lobbyist writing the rules, regulations and laws, and the public financing of campaigns, paper back up to voting machines, the return of the debates to the League of Women Voters (impartial, neutral, and unfunded by Corporate America), universal health care, sensible gun laws and on and on the Republicans have turned a deaf ear to everyone and everything except big money and the status quo.
We should all stop paying taxes until we get what we want. We should at least be able to target our tax dollars when we send them in and that one simple change in legislation could make a world of difference. Tax reform is not even being discussed. Or another idea the elimination of the payroll tax would jump start this economy like a defibrillator. Where is the creativity and “outside the box” thinking. It’s certainly not being promoted by the three front runners.
Our representatives are blind to their own ambition, devoid of any new ideas, unable to stand up to the status quo because their egos are tied to their jobs and perks and do not consider the big picture of sustainability.
What runs our government is the election cycle itself, getting elected and being reelected and padding their incomes, and connections by any means necessary. The actual stewardship of the Republic and the good of mankind is a distant second. It’s pathetic that not even the Constitution is put first above the self interest of our dubiously elected (mass media marketed) politicians.
It would do us no harm to have Ralph banging away at these issue for the next 9 months.
He has my vote!
Paul Burke
Author - Journey Home
Not that long ago Move On members voted 70% to 30% to support Obama. Since then all the information I have received from the MoveOn Organization has been cheer leading. Here is a letter I sent to them.
Dear Move On,
I want to know why you are supporting Obama it should be listed by bullet points on your homepage. Never mind the vote count of those swept away by the fashion of Obama I want to know what are the specific policies he states that have lead you and your members to this decision, and not campaign rhetoric. What has he done in the past ? What legislation has he supported on any level, local, state and federal that leads you and your members to believe he is the right choice for the job?
That’s the kind of information I need to make a decision. Testimonials about how wonderful he is because he is handsome, well spoken, and delivers pulpit like Sunday morning speeches are empty. The rubber hits the road on his legislative agenda, the planks in the party, his supporters who have financed him with the BIG dollars, and his track record.
Please for the good of the country stop cheer leading and get the facts out.
Then we can all make an “educated decision” other than being swept along by a fad or because Oprah says so. Come on Move On is supposed to excel in this area. I am hearing about big coal and nuclear power funding him early on in his career. Nuclear waste in toxic drums leaching into the water system is another example of dirty energy solutions gone bad. King Coal is the thief who has designed mountain top removal and blasts the debris into the valleys and waterways destroying everything in it’s path. If these two big, corrupt, well heeled corporate monsters are in bed with Obama you are all being duped and guilty of group think. If these are rumors you owe it to your members who you actively solicit for money to ferret the rumors out and dispel them.
Don’t fall for the song from the pulpit and his glowing persona and charisma, but who are his big money backers? Let’s do some real homework here.
I’m repulsed and dismayed at the quotes from the Obama supporters who just gush at his “leadership” style. I want to hear more than the word “change” ! You have a duty to inform the MOVE ON members just what change he has supported and what Senate votes has he ducked. Your daily emails and homepage have been extremely lacking in that regard.
I thought we were all a little more sophisticated than all that, and who’s this radical preacher in his background - his mentor? Come on guys lets do our homework and help educate the Move On members to this unknown, fashion of the moment, almost cult like figure named Obama. Maybe he is the real deal, maybe he’s just good at public speaking either way I assure you the Swift Boaters are laying in wait to dismantle him spreading rumors about dirty money already. They are doing their homework or making it up either way are the Obama supporters in for a big surprise along the way? The lockstep frenzy surrounding Obama has me worried. So let’s talk policy, actual votes and legislative action and money, and actual background and education the serious questions instead of promoting hero worship and adulation?
This is not a popularity contest. We need to make an educated decision about real documented substance and rely on the candidates track record and ignore the rhetoric. This election of personality is bogus and does our country a great deal of harm. After all everyone thought George W. Bush was a “good guy”. Well look what that “good guy” left us after eight years.
Without a doubt that is no way to choose a president!
Paul
Author- Journey Home
Related link - Nuclear Waste
Related Link - Congresspedia
Related Link - Voting Record
Vote Your “First Choice!”
(this is an important repost) Vote your "First Choice!" by MsProgressive A "Republic?" You decide! This year especially, Americans may have become disenfranchised, of their votes, and their VOICES, by means of a carefully calculated manipulation of "public opinion." The Candidates whose voices have called for REAL change ... the kind of stuff that would return us to the genuine "American Experiment" - have been effectively SILENCED. Broadcast pundit toadies, whose bosses are nothing more than multinational corporations with FCC licenses, have paid willing lip service to ONLY those Presidential Candidates who will continue to kiss corporate butt! (Coincidentally, these are many of the Same candidates who have plenty to spend on political advertising. "Go figure!") This is not a new technique. But since the League of Women Voters was forced, in frustration, to relinquish their oversight of our Presidential debates, the situation has become much worse. Please ask yourself this question: How can the results of ONE caucus and three primary elections give pundits the license to declare impending "winners" for an office that will represent the citizens of fifty states? Shouldn't these assumptions raise a few "red flags?" Surely I am not the only American voter who is reminded of those old stories about elections in the USSR? (Where traditionally, only One Candidate ever appeared on the ballot?) By their deliberate acts of omission, broadcast companies have effectively silenced any ideas that might threaten to snatch government policymaking from the clutches of their corporate stranglehold. (To whit: the proposals of Kucinich and Paul.) Both Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul were unceremoniously dumped from the final debates on the week-end before New Hampshire's contest. When voters don't see candidates in the debates, they THINK those candidates are no longer in the running - period! Therefore, deciding that one candidate, or another, does not "qualify" to be in a debate, is a lot like owning a "delete key" for political adversaries! Even C-SPAN seemed to be complicit in their generation of "selective" coverage! (They followed Bill Richardson around a near-empty Dunkin' Donuts in New Hampshire, for more than an hour, while ignoring, or barely mentioning, several other candidates who were campaigning in the race!) But the corporate press is not alone in these subversions. The dominatrix known as the Democratic National Committee has punished her supplicants in Michigan and Florida as well. When uncowering Dems in those states refused to respond to the mistress' demands for a "preferred" primary date, she castrated them of their delegates. (Leaving registered voters in two states, politically impotent!) So I must ask you all ... Is this a Republic? Or a political rape? Why would a political committee seek to disenfranchise so many - unless they were trying to ensure that challengers to their agenda will have exhausted their resources, just before America really "weighs in?" If we succumb to these manipulations, we have become little more than "sheeple!" (Sporting our little flag pins and peace buttons, as we are willingly herded off the edge of a cliff!) So, Please! Whether your most pressing political issue is the Iraq war, or the economy; immigration or health care ... do NOT let the pundits convince you that your gut feeling "doesn't stand a chance." Refuse to be "herded" by those who seek control! Your Vote is powerful! If it were not so, why would so many millions of dollars be sacrificed to Win that precious vote of yours? I offer this simple solution to all Americans, no matter what their political leaning: Vote Your "First Choice!" All of the candidates who have qualified for your State ballot, are STILL on that ballot! (Even if a candidate has announced a "withdrawal" from the race!) Therefore, I urge you all to refuse to be "herded" into submission! Do not let them convince you, that unless you switch your vote to one of their chosen candidates, that your vote will be "wasted!" That is exactly what these corporate and political strategists WANT you to do! Just imagine the scenario if the citizens in 24 States go to the polls on Tuesday and reject the pundits' "front runners" by voting their First Choice! Do you really think that the Conventions would be able to ignore our votes? Our ballots will all be validated, and become a part of the Public Record! If you agree with me, I hope you will pass these thoughts along, because your "word of mouth" is very powerful too! But unless we are willing to vote our "First Choice" how can anyone ever possibly know the "Will" of the American people? Aren't the "primaries" supposed to be a poll of the peoples' choice? If we acquiesce to the pressure to compromise our choices, we are enabling the devaluation of our Democracy! As for me, I will refuse to vote for their agenda. I will be voting for MY Agenda! What about you? Please take action NOW, so we can win all victories that are supposed to be ours, and forward this alert as widely as possible. If you would like to get alerts like these, you can do so at http://www.usalone.com/in.htm
The Wolf Slaughter - a message to hunters
It’s too easy to sit in a helicopter and chase down a wolf and blast it with your rifle from the air. I’ve got news for the hunters who pay to do this: You are not men. Zero challenge, zero degree of difficulty and zero sportsmanship. You’ve got nothing. Blasting a wolf from a helicopter is a joke. People actually pay for this service to prove what - they didn’t fall out of the helicopter? If you want to feel like a man ACT like a man. Shooting bears and wolves from helicopters is lazy and virtually child’s play. Do you actually think anyone respects you or admires your dead wolf? Sorry boys it’s too easy, no challenge and only a fraud would fool themselves into thinking it was righteous.
To the helicopter pilots who have sold out - there is nothing rugged about you either. All you are doing is wasting fossil fuel and stealing from a bunch of retards. You want to hunt and shoot living things for sport get your ass out of bed early and hike into the wilderness and meet your prey head on in their house. Maybe then you aren’t a fat ugly American looser who thinks shooting things makes him a man. Mounting a dead animal on the wall proves nothing except that you need some sort of misdirected praise for “your accomplishment” try curing cancer. Anybody who thinks what you do is anything other than wrong is just blowing smoke your way because you have a few dollars.
You and your pilots are arm chair outdoors men with no real stones and an overblown sense of ego. Your closest friends and family are either frauds or laughing at you. Yeah nice kill dad. Nobody in their right mind respects you. Do you respect suicide bombers blowing to bits open air markets and citizens minding their own business? Well….do you - hey genius news flash you are no different.
Yeah real tough guy afraid to get his feet wet. If you knew what being a man was I wouldn’t have to tell you.
For the rest of us with a true sense of honor and integrity click here
Alaska is the last place in the U.S. where a few hunters still use aircraft to chase and kill wolves. They shoot these animals from the air or chase them to exhaustion before landing and shooting them point blank.
Thirty five years ago, Congress passed a law to put an end to aerial hunting. But Alaska is exploiting a loophole in federal law to resume the practice, not only for wolves, but bears as well. Hundreds of scientists and the Alaskan citizens have twice voted and condemned what a few Alaskan’s making money off of this practice are doing. Some of the lower 48 States threaten to follow Alaska’s lead. It’s time to stop aerial hunting once and for all.
Rep. George Miller (CA) has introduced the Protect America’s Wildlife (PAW) Act, legislation to close a federal loophole and curb Alaska’s brutal aerial hunting program — and prevent programs like it from spreading to places like the Greater Yellowstone region.
Please urge your Representative to sign on as a cosponsor to Rep. George Miller’s PAW Act.
Paul Burke
Author - Journey Home
Even McCain is ashamed of the “pigs at the trough” mentality the oh so conservative, fiscal giants (sarcasm) of the republican party have demonstrated with their massive abuse of the earmark system, and the Clinton surplus turned into a 9 trillion dollar deficit. The fact that the democrats and the Clinton’s have a better track record regarding the economy is hilarious compared to the decades long rhetoric of fiscal responsibility by the Repubs.
They loose all credibility with the public (believe me they have) except for those that think running the country is a team sport (repubs v.s. dems). If voters would just vote their pocket book and pay attention to their local representatives we could clean up this mess by sending reputable people to the House, Senate and White House.
The missing word in all of this behind closed door dealing, scandal, death, “terror”, fear, mismanagement, greed, corruption, and duplicitous word game, mumble speak from W is the word INTEGRITY. We could all use a healthy dose of that into our political process. Sadly I don’t even think Obama’s got enough integrity for the system. But it would be interesting to see a real majority in congress with him as President have as much free reign as the Repubs have had over the past eight years.
So what have we America become in our lifetime? Gone are the days of the Walter Cronkite’s replaced with Bill O’Reily’s. Do you really think the antics of FOX (swift boating) the lazy reporting of just passing the spin on, and the politics of destruction are an example of greatness?
We beat on our chest, tell the world how great we are, how wrong everyone else is, and “we’re gonna put a boot in your ass” (that’s not a George M. Cohan lyric) if we don’t get our way. While behind closed doors our so called “leaders” siphon off our hard earned tax dollars into their off shore accounts.
America has become every man, woman, and child for themselves. The concept of rugged individualism on steroids, and there is nothing great, honorable or smart about any of it.
Paul Burke
Author - Journey Home
The Long Goodbye - Movie Review
Robert Altmans tung in cheek Film Noir detective movie ambles along at a wonderful pace, and takes a few twist and turns. Great characters, setting and scenes punctuate this droll take on a 50’s gum shoe in 1970’s California. Elliot Gould (that’s okay by me) or Rip Van Marlow as the character implies - seems to sleep walk through a crazy world - from his perspective. Unable to get a bead on things Elliot never lets em see him sweat and pursues head long into and on his instincts. You can tell this is a 70’s movie as Henry Gibbson plays an evil psychiatrist emasculating his patient (or is that client). Anyway great one liners and the rebirth of one of my favorite old time sayings “BALLS” just swept me along. Hint’s of sexual over tones - nude yoga and the juxtaposition that Altman usually thrives on presents itself with ease. We wonder along with Gould -”what the hell is wrong with these people” turns out that despite the trappings of time and fashion it’s the same old damn thing that’s always been wrong with us - just in wider lapels. I loved all the characters as caricatures and Elliot’s water off a ducks back approach.
I highly recommend this lark for film buffs and casual fans. By far my favorite Elliot Gould performance.
Paul
Author-Journey Home
This is a repost from the good people at 40MPG.org
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WEEKLY UPDATE
CONGRESS ENABLES EPA TO KILL CALIFORNIA TAILPIPE CONTROLS
December 21, 2007: You have to give Detroit credit where credit is due. They may not know how to build high-MPG cars the way every other automaker in the world has figured out how to do … but they sure know how to run rings around a Democratic Congress. First, Congress passes a pathetically weak and elongated MPG improvement target and then the Bush Environmental Protection Agency responds by using the new law as the primary justification for striking down California’s attempt to tighten up on tailpipe emissions. Talk about adding insult to injury! Of course, it’s nice to know that Congress is up in arms and that Washington state and The Terminator want to sue The Decider to overturn the EPA decision. But this was a totally predictable and entirely self-inflicted wound for Democrats who controlled the energy legislation. By caving into Detroit by pushing the 35 MPG standard out much farther into the future than is technologically necessary, Congress made it possible for the Bush Administration to kill a much more serious-minded state-level initiative to control wasteful energy consumption by autos. The EPA may have pulled the trigger, but Congress handed them the bullet …
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT 40MPG.ORGTo learn more about 40mpg.org, go to http://www.40mpg.org. Or contact Ailis Aaron Wolf, (703) 276-3265 or aaaron@hastingsgroup.com.
Freedom of Choice = The Right to Choose
Why is there a war on freedom of choice? This country was founded on religious freedom and an “individual liberty concept” that should be guaranteed, and taken into consideration with every act this government takes. The right to manage one’s own life within the tenants and arc of one’s own experience should never be impinged. It is not a one size fits all world but a tapestry of experiences and awareness that runs from the enlightened to the obsessive and power hungry. Sacrificing the bedrock foundations of this Country to the whims of fanaticism in order to gain power jeopardizes the very freedoms and virtues that make this country the land of freedom, opportunity, and great in every sense of the word.
A womans right to choose and to govern her very existence should not be dictated by anyone save her own mind, heart and soul. If we do a good job with education, including sex ed, and have easy access to birth control then we are fulfilling the “planned parenthood” mission. If we impart the wisdom that there is a difference between having a child and raising a child, and the life long commitment that entails then we will achieve responsible parenting.
If you believe every sperm is sacred and your 14 year old daughter gets pregnant what does she do? Is it up to the 14 year old? Should the parent give guidance? It could be argued that your 14 year old didn’t receive good guidance in the first place, or she wouldn’t have become pregnant. So you can see this is a very tricky issue based on the specifics of the situation and blanket rules, assumptions and attitudes do not apply.
That the government provides for safe medical procedures is its duty not only for staph infections in hospitals but abortions as well. That the government tell each and everyone of us what to believe or not believe is most definitely the largest affront on individual liberty that man can come up with short of the holocaust.
Paul Burke
Author - Journey Home
W. sucks too - he said he “couldn’t” sign the energy bill - why not is his hand broken? What he is really saying is he “wouldn’t” sign the energy bill because Big Oil owns him - owns his soul, his every thought, his career his house, his kids education - owns him - his daddy, his mommy and all his friends.
What right does the Senate have caving into special interest when it’s OUR TAX PAYER MONEY! We gave them the right by OUR vote to act in OUR interest. Big money comes in and says we aren’t going to fund your campaigns anymore, and they fold like a house of cards. Where are the real men and women the leaders who have a vision for the future? Read this NY Times article below and in the Mercury News link in the title above and weep people. In an era that cries out for bold action we limp along and now we are going to be subsidizing the unprofitable nuclear industry. I am so disgusted with the Status Quo. What a bunch of vision less wimps. We are on a tiny rock with a wisp of air and a spit of water and we continue to champion dirty energy solutions. I wanna puke all over the keyboard. My resolve is more hardened we need to toss the Senate out on it’s ear and get a REAL representative government of independents and realists.
Industry Flexes Muscle, Weaker
Energy Bill Passes
WASHINGTON — Pared-down energy legislation cleared the Senate on Thursday by a wide margin after the oil industry and utilities succeeded in stripping out provisions that would have cost them billions of dollars.
The legislation still contains a landmark increase in fuel-economy standards for vehicles and a huge boost for alternative fuels. But a $13 billion tax increase on oil companies and a requirement that utilities nationwide produce 15 percent of their electricity from renewable sources were left on the floor to secure Republican votes for the package.
The tax measure and the renewable electricity mandate were included in an energy bill that easily passed the House last week. But industry lobbyists focused their attention on Republican members of the Senate and on the White House, which repeatedly threatened to veto the bill if the offending sections were not removed.
Earlier in the week, Senate leaders agreed to drop the renewable electricity section. And on Thursday, after a failed effort to cut off debate on the bill, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader, said he would reluctantly remove the tax provisions as well, clearing the way for passage in the early evening.
The slimmed-down bill passed 86-8.
The Edison Electric Institute, which represents investor-owned electric utilities, led the opposition to the renewable electricity mandate. Along with its member companies in the Midwest and Southeast, the group carried out an extensive lobbying campaign warning that the bill would cause sharp increases in electric rates.
The institute was joined by the National Association of Manufacturers, the Chamber of Commerce and groups representing the paper, mining, petrochemical and refining industries.
Dan Riedinger, a spokesman for the institute, said that a federal mandate would conflict with mandates for renewable power in place in more than half the states and that this could possibly complicate efforts to pass a nationwide program to combat climate change.
“The federal government jumping in now and second-guessing the states and enacting a fuel mandate in advance of economy-wide greenhouse gas regulation just wasn’t going to make it out of Congress,” Mr. Riedinger said.
The bill now returns to the House, where Speaker Nancy Pelosi predicted that it would pass overwhelmingly early next week. A White House spokesman said President Bush was pleased that the bill was “moving in the right direction” and that he would sign it when it reached his desk.
The oil industry conducted its own campaign of opposition to the tax provisions, arguing that it would impose burdens on the industry when it needed all the resources it had to find and develop new sources of energy.
“We made sure that everybody knew our point of view — the White House, the House, the Senate,” said James Ford, director of government affairs at the American Petroleum Institute. “We told our story and told it thoroughly.” (READ that as the THREAT it was intended to be people)
Mr. Ford said that even with the tax provisions removed, the oil industry had concerns about meeting the bill’s requirement that 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels be blended into gasoline by 2022. He said the bill was far too specific about how much of certain kinds of fuels must be produced, whether from corn, various other plant fibers or animal fats.
“With all these boutique biofuels, we need an ability to adjust the mandate if technological advances aren’t made,” Mr. Ford said.
Environmental advocates were generally pleased with passage of the new vehicle fuel-economy standards and the biofuel provision. Dan Becker, an environmental consultant who has been working on auto efficiency issues for nearly 20 years, called passage of the bill the biggest environmental victory since enactment of the Clean Air Act of 1990.
But some environmentalists said they were unhappy that the bill would not provide large incentives for expansion of renewable energy sources like wind, solar and biothermal.
Brent Blackwelder, president of Friends of the Earth Action, accused Senate Democrats of “capitulating” to Senate Republicans and the White House.
“When the Republican leadership and the polluter lobby have blocked important legislation, Senate Democrats have been all too willing to move in their direction,” Mr. Blackwelder said in a statement. “The result is that the two most positive provisions of the energy bill — a clean energy mandate and a tax package reining in handouts for fossil fuels and promoting clean energy — are being removed, while detrimental provisions, such as a radical five-fold increase in unsustainable biofuel use, remain.”
Separately, Congress reached a tentative agreement on a major energy package that it plans to enact outside the energy bill, according to a Senate Democratic staff member. The agreement, to be included in a broad government spending bill, would authorize the Energy Department to guarantee loans for various energy projects, making financing far easier.
The agreement would guarantee loans of up to $25 billion for new nuclear plants and $2 billion for a uranium enrichment plant, something those industries had been avidly seeking. It would also provide guarantees of up to $10 billion for renewable energy projects, $10 billion for plants to turn coal into liquid vehicle fuel and $2 billion to turn coal into natural gas.
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Paul Burke
Author - Journey Home
PROTECT ALL ENDANGERED RED LIST SPECIES
We did not make this world or even ourselves, we did not make the universe or the stars in the sky, we did not make the plains or the mountains, or animals that dwell in them. We did not make the oceans or the sky. We did not make the weather, the rain or the apples that grow from the trees. We did not make anything accept destruction and war, and consumption. How arrogant are we to hold this magnificent creation in disdain as we slash and pollute, burn and kill, destroy and extinguish all that has been given to us. It should be revered, used sparingly and manged with care. We have been given the free will and intelligence to accomplish great things. We have been given the consciousness to know the difference between right and wrong. Mankind needs to evolve and quickly to a forward thinking less self absorbed being and realize his/her true place in the universe on a tiny rock in a distant solar system with a wisp of air and sea to sustain us.
Paul Burke
Author Journey Home
Internal Combustion Engine Obsolete!
I am reprinting this article from a major publisher. The internal combustion engine is obsolete. You wouldn’t use a computer that was five years old why are you driving a car based on a technology developed 100 years ago? The only reason there haven’t been any advances in car and oil technology is because the status quo has gotten insanely rich on this outdated mode of transportation and the fuel that drives it. Why plow the money back into innovation when your current business is making money hand over fist? Because the country deserves better from the status quo who rely on our troops, banking system, form of government and labor to keep them swimming in cash.
America take back your country from the dinosaurs of the antiquated industrial revolution from over 100 years ago, and take back your health, environment and independence while you are at it. We don’t need Bush’s Oil War - we don’t need all that oil. The status quo does and will fight until the bitter end to keep selling us cars and trucks that get 20 miles to the gallon while moving oil prices up so high that they cripple the overall economy. Take it back America all of it - and the free market economy too!
Paul
Author - Journey Home
Putting the zoom into electric cars
Watch out, Detroit. A new crop of electric-vehicle startups aims to put a dent in the Big Three by applying the latest in high-technology engineering and design.
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