Obama Should Go Solar

 Politics
Feb 202012
 

I have been very encouraged by Barack Obama’s statements of support for green energy, but the time has come for him to act on that support.  Especially in the area of solar, we have a narrow window of opportunity to move forward in both the manufacture and the deployment of solar components.

20SolarPressure has begun to build for President Obama to make good on his State of the Union pledge to greenlight vast solar installations on public lands by year’s end, with supporters seemingly growing antsy that it’s either that or nothing in 2012.

On Monday, about 20 solar industry advocates, electric utilities and major environmental groups, led by the Natural Resources Defense Council, urged Obama to formally put into effect rules for the country’s first solar program on government-owned lands by this fall.

The national solar plan, unveiled by the Obama administration more than a year ago, would open 20 million acres of federal lands in six Western states to large-scale solar plants. The most essential part of the plan is to remove permitting roadblocks that have strangled renewable energy growth on public lands blessed with abundant sunshine and other green resources. Another part is to build transmission corridors to carry the sun-powered electricity to surrounding communities…

…Obama’s State of the Union last week gave advocates an opportunity to trumpet the Interior Department’s solar plan and urge quick action.

In his speech, the president said he was "directing" his administration to approve 10,000 megawatts of clean-electricity generation on public lands by the end of 2012, enough to power three million homes. (In total, solar power now provides about 30,000 megawatts, or roughly one-tenth of one percent of the nation’s electricity.)

If the Obama administration is to reach that goal, "it must move quickly to put in place a smart solar energy program that speeds up permitting of projects," said Jim Lyons, senior director for renewable energy for Defenders of Wildlife, a Washington-based conservation group, in a collective statement of the solar plan supporters…

Inserted from <Truth-Out>

I could not agree more with this author.

In addition the nascent US solar component industry is between a rock and a hard place.  On the one hand they have to compete with fossil fuels that come to market at far less cost than they would, were they not so heavily subsidized by the US government.  On the other hand they have to compete with Chinese solar components that are so heavily subsidized by the Chinese government that they cannot compete.

One of two things needs top happen.  We can move our fossil fuel subsidies to green energy, and subsidize our solar industry to the came extent that China does.  Or we can put a tariff on Chinese solar components until they are willing to trade fairly.  My preference is the former.  If we do nothing, the jobs will go elsewhere.

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 Posted by TomCat at 12:01 am  8 Responses »  Tagged with: , , ,

Obama’s Policies Are Working

 Politics
Feb 202012
 

Early in the Obama administration, Republicans kept blaming him for the economy.  They called the recession that their policies had caused the Obama economy.  They called the job losses they had brought about Obama’s unemployment.  They promised new ideas to fix the economy, but never came up with anything more that more and bigger tax cuts for and less regulation on millionaires, billionaires and corporate criminals.  In short, they offered only more of what caused the mess.  Now they are talking less about the economy.  When they do mention it, they usually lie and say it’s getting worse.  When they cannot escape an improvement, they lie to try to take the credit for themselves.  But mostly, they are advancing their extreme social agenda out of desperation.  They will do anything keep people from realizing that Obama’s policies are working.

20bikiniPresident Obama had barely taken the oath of office when Republicans announced their highest priority was to make sure his presidency would fail. Nearly every day since, they’ve proclaimed his every policy move a failure. Whenever the news was bad, Republicans blame our president. For instance when the stock market fell below 700 points (on the S&P index), my conservative friends called it “Obama’s economy.” But now that his policies are working, and the market is flirting with 1,300 again, they ignore it.

And there are many more improvements documented at that link. The unemployment rate is dropping. Jobs are being created. The auto industry is making a comeback. Manufacturing is improving. The GDP has shown growth in numerous consecutive quarters. President Obama should be getting credit for it.

Instead, even today on the campaign trail, the Republican candidates repeat the same tired refrain. They tell the voters “Obama’s policies failed.” But is that true? The evidence suggests it is not. Despite the Republican party’s best efforts to thwart him, they were only able to slow the recovery down. So sure, the recovery is not as advanced as anyone would like, but the vast majority of economic experts agree, the Recovery Act worked… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Detroit News>

Sure, there are some things Obama had done that I have not liked, and there have been some things I consider necessary that Obama has not done. However, most fail to realize that he has done far more right than wrong, because only the problems get attention.  If it bleeds, it leads.

In January 2013 either Barack Obama or the Republican nominee will be President.  Wishing for 3rd party success will not make it happen.  No 3rd party candidate will exceed the 2.74% of Ralph Nader in 2000.  Nader had better ballot penetration then than any do today, Nader had better name recognition, and Nader was very well funded with Republican money.

But the old saw about this being a choice of the greater vs. the lesser evil is a non sequitur.  It is a choice of the greater evil vs. the imperfect but pretty good.

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 Posted by TomCat at 12:00 am  12 Responses »  Tagged with: , , , ,

Open Thread–2/18/2012

 Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Feb 182012
 

Yesterday I clearly needed to rest, and except for cleaning out my email, paying bill, and the normal hours I spend in research I rested, sleeping longer than usual in the afternoon.  I’m current with replies.  Today I may have an errand to run.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 3:19 (average 5:08).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From MoveOn: The Best Quote From Barack Obama We’ve Seen This Week

18Obama-quote-full

The Republican project to transfer wealth from the poor and middle classes to the 1% IS class warfare. This is another example of Republican projection.

From Washington Post: Congress passed a $150 billion economic package Friday, extending for the rest of the year a payroll tax holiday for 160 million workers and unemployment benefits for millions of others.

On a 293-132 vote, a bipartisan House coalition supported the compromise plan to keep giving workers a small amount of extra cash with each paycheck while also providing a continued cushion for the unemployed.Shortly afterward, the Senate voted 60 to 36 to approve the plan. It now goes to President Obama to be signed into law, giving him a victory on a portion of the massive jobs bill he presented to Congress last fall.

Score a big one for the good guys!

From LA Times: Pat Buchanan has been dismissed by MSNBC, the left-leaning news network, four months after the channel suspended him.

In an angry post on his blog, conservative commentator Buchanan took his critics to task, writing, "After 10 enjoyable years, I am departing, after an incessant clamor from the left that to permit me continued access to the microphones of MSNBC would be an outrage against decency, and dangerous."

Buchanan says the calls for his firing began with the publication in October of his book "Suicide of a Superpower: Will America Survive to 2025?" about America’s decline, which critics have called racist, homophobic and anti-Semitic.

Buchanan was fired because he made racist comments on air, while plugging his white-power book on MSNBC time.  Good riddance to bad Bircher rubbish.

Cartoon:

18Cartoon

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 Posted by TomCat at 12:00 am  10 Responses »  Tagged with: , , , , , ,

The Obama Budget

 Politics
Feb 142012
 

I won’t have a real handle on the Obama budget for several days at best, but what I do understand about it at this point impresses me.  I am pleased that it will increase revenue, by rising the rate on and closing loopholes that benefit the 1%.  I have no problem with his intent to reduce the nominal corporate tax rate, because the loopholes it closes and corporate giveaways it ends actually raise the effective tax rate for the large corporations, that have evaded paying their fair share, while lowering them for small companies.  I like the investments in infrastructure, job training, and technology development.  I especially like that the cuts to Medicare spending come exclusively through reducing Drug company profits.

14budgetIn the last annual budget of his term, President Obama for the first time projects a deficit below $1 trillion and foresees the federal shortfall declining to sustainable levels by 2017.

To help reduce deficits and offset the costs of his proposed spending on job-creation initiatives for infrastructure, job-training and innovation, Mr. Obama uses his budget for fiscal year 2013 to call for raising $1.5 trillion over 10 years from the wealthiest taxpayers and from closing some corporate tax breaks, chiefly for oil and gas companies. For the first time he proposes a higher tax on dividend income of the wealthiest taxpayers, which would raise about $206 billion over 10 years. The budget proposal leaves him short of his goal to cut the deficit in half by 2013.

Later this month, the administration will propose an overhaul of the corporate tax code to root out many tax breaks and lower the 35 percent rate, but Mr. Obama is proposing that the change would not raise any more revenues than the current system, despite the nation’s chronic deficits…

Inserted from <NY Times>

Ed Schultz covered this story with Bernie Sanders.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

As usual Bernie is spot-on.

The best analysis I have encountered so far comes from Ezra Klein and Peter Orzag, who compared the Obama and the Romney budgets.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Is there any question about who represents Main Street and who represents Wall Street?

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 Posted by TomCat at 12:01 am  7 Responses »  Tagged with: , , , ,

Tax Cut Draws More Republican Obstruction

 Politics
Feb 122012
 

As the deadline fast approaches, there is still no agreement on the Payroll Tax Cut Extension for two reasons.  First, Republicans are threatening Main Street America with this tax increase, unless they can get some welfare for corporate criminals as a trade off.  They want to attach the Keystone XL Pipeline.  Second, Republicans accuse Democrats of having no way to pay for it.  That, of course is a lie.

12shared-sacrificeLawmakers agreed in December, after much bickering, on a two-month extension, but that runs out at the end of this month. Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address Saturday that Congress "needs to stop this middle-class tax hike from happening. Period. No drama. No delay."

Obama said the economic recovery must not be jeopardized by a failure to stop payroll taxes from rising, and he urged listeners to add their voices.

"I hope you’ll pick up the phone, send a tweet, write an email, and tell your representative that they should get this done before it gets too late. Tell them not to play politics again by linking this debate to unrelated issues. Tell them not to manufacture another needless standoff or crisis," Obama said. "Tell them not to stand in the way of the recovery. Tell them to just do their job. That’s what our middle class needs. That’s what our country needs."

Lawmakers have made halting progress on legislation to extend the tax cut. The bill also would renew jobless benefits for the long-term unemployed and prevent doctors from a 27 percent cut in their payments from Medicare, the government health care program for the elderly. But the plan costs $150 billion-plus and lawmakers will have to find a way to pay for it… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <USA Today>

Here is the video, or if you prefer, the transcript.

Democrats, do have a way to pay for this, a tiny surcharge on people making over $1 million per year, but Republicans insist on blackmail.

12GOPBlackmailCongressional Republicans said Thursday that negotiations over extending a payroll tax cut were going so poorly that it was possible the tax break — along with added unemployment benefits — could expire at the end of the month.

If the benefits are allowed to lapse, it will be a stunning coda to a battle that has lasted months on Capitol Hill over whether and how to extend a two-percentage-point tax break for nearly every working American and to provide additional unemployment benefits for millions more. A temporary agreement forged in December cost Republicans politically and left both parties locked in another round of fights over how to cover the costs.

In addition, Republicans are seeking numerous policy changes connected to unemployment benefits — like a mandatory high school equivalency program and possible drug testing for beneficiaries — that Democrats have rejected out of hand. They would also reduce the benefits to 59 weeks, far less than the 79 weeks sought by President Obama… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <NY Times>

This is not difficult to understand.  Republicans want tax cuts for millionaires, billionaires, and corporate criminals only.  Republicans want to raise YOUR taxes.  They face the problem that the public is solidly against them on both extending the tax cut and on how to pay for it.  So they are casting about, desperately seeking a way to pick YOUR pocket and blame it on the Democrats.

I urge you to support Obama’s request and make some noise.

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 Posted by TomCat at 12:09 am  19 Responses »  Tagged with: , , , , ,

Open Thread–2/11/2012

 Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Feb 112012
 

Yesterday my back was giving me quite a bit of pain so I stayed down.  I’m current with replies.  Today I still need to get a haircut, and do research for a meeting next week at the prison.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 3:11 (average 4:32).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From USA Today: President Obama announced a plan today that attempts to accommodate certain religious employers opposed to a rule that would require them to provide access to birth control for women free of charge.

Obama announced that the rule would be tweaked so that in cases where non-profit religious organizations have objections, insurance companies would be required to reach out to employees and offer the coverage directly.

"Under the rule, women will still have access to free preventive care that includes contraceptive service no matter where they work," Obama said. "That core principle remains.

This was a stroke of brilliance.  The Church as withdrawn their objections.  Women’s groups are most pleased.  The only people who are unhappy are vulture capitalist  health insurance companies and Republicans.  Here’s Ed Schultz.

 

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

From Washington Post: The Office of Congressional Ethics is investigating the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee over possible violations of insider-trading laws, according to individuals familiar with the case.

Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.), who holds one of the most influential positions in the House, has been a frequent trader on Capitol Hill, buying stock options while overseeing the nation’s banking and financial services industries.

This is one of the reasons why Republicans are trying to gut the law banning Congressional insider trading.

From Business Week: The Arab League may seek approval in the United Nations’ 193-member General Assembly of its plan for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step aside, after Russia vetoed the initiative in the Security Council, UN diplomats said.

The 22-member League, which has suspended Syria and imposed economic sanctions on the country, is looking for fresh ways to intensify pressure on Assad and may seek a vote in the General Assembly by Feb. 17, according to two senior UN diplomats, who spoke on condition of anonymity because plans haven’t been made final.

Kudos to the Arab League for patience and wisdom in the way they are taking the lead, as they should.

Cartoon:

11Cartoon

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 Posted by TomCat at 12:01 am  11 Responses »  Tagged with: , , , , , ,

We Spoke Out; Obama listened!

 Politics
Feb 102012
 

For weeks I have listened to complaints about Obama’s coming deal with the big banks that was sure to leave main street Americans out in the cold while giving criminal Banksters  a get out of jail free card.  Today that deal arrived.  It is a modest down payment on what the US needs to restore the housing market on main street.  Given the Republican Party’s unwillingness to do anything at the federal level to help suffering Americans, it was the best Obama could do, with the help of State Attorneys General from both parties from every state but Oklahoma, whose AG sided with the Banksters.  The deal neither leaves main street Americans out in the cold, nor does it give criminal Banksters a get out of jail free card.

10MortgageState and federal officials on Thursday announced a settlement of more than $25 billion with five of the nation’s banks over their flawed and fraudulent foreclosure practices. It is the largest government-industry settlement in more than a decade.

The deal aims to help troubled borrowers by reducing the amount they owe on their mortgages, lowering their interest rates and paying restitution to homeowners who suffered mortgage-related abuses. It will force lenders to revamp how they interact with troubled homeowners and bar them from trying to foreclose on borrowers while simultaneously negotiating mortgage modifications.

In addition, firms will have to make sure borrowers have a single point of contact with a lender, rather than being shuttled to different employees with each interaction…

Inserted from <Washington Post>

Here are more details about the deal.

KEY PROVISIONS OF THE SETTLEMENT

Immediate aid to homeowners needing loan modifications now, including first and second lien principal reduction.  The servicers are required to work off up to $17 billion in principal reduction and other forms of loan modification relief nationwide.

State attorneys general anticipate the settlement’s requirement for principal reduction will show other lenders that principal reduction is one effective tool in combating foreclosure and that it will not lead to widespread defaults by borrowers who really can afford to pay.

Immediate aid to borrowers who are current, but whose mortgages currently exceed their home’s value.  Borrowers will be able to refinance at today’s historically low interest rates.  Servicers will have to provide up to $3 billion in refinancing relief nationwide.

Immediate payments to borrowers who lost their homes to foreclosure with no requirement to prove financial harm and without having to release private claims against the servicers or the right to participate in the OCC review process.  $1.5 billion will be distributed nationwide to some 750,000 borrowers.

Immediate payments to signing states to help fund consumer protection and state foreclosure protection efforts.

First ever nationwide reforms to servicing standards; something that no other federal or state agency has been able to achieve. These servicing standards require single point of contact, adequate staffing levels and training, better communication with borrowers, and appropriate standards for executing documents in foreclosure cases, ending improper fees, and ending dual-track foreclosures for many loans.

State AG oversight of national banks for the first time.  Something no court could award. 

  • National banks will be required to regularly report compliance with the settlement to an independent, outside monitor that reports to state Attorneys General.
  • Servicers will have to pay heavy penalties for non-compliance with the settlement, including missed deadlines.

 

BANKS ARE STILL ACCOUNTABLE FOR OTHER CLAIMS NOT COVERED BY THIS SETTLEMENT

This agreement holds the banks accountable for their wrongdoing on robo-signing and mortgage servicing.  This settlement does not seek to hold them responsible for all their wrongs over the  years and the agreement and its release preserve legal options for others to pursue.  Specifically, this settlement does not:

  • Release any criminal liability or grant any criminal immunity.
  • Release any private claims by individuals or any class action claims.
  • Release claims related to the securitization of mortgage backed securities that were at the heart of the financial crisis.
  • Release claims against Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems or MERSCORP.
  • Release any claims by a state that chooses not to sign the settlement.
  • End state attorneys general investigations of Wall Street related to financial fraud or the financial crisis. 

The agreement settles only some aspects of the banks conduct related to the financial crisis (foreclosure practices, loan servicing, and origination of loans) in return for the second largest state attorneys general recovery in history and direct relief to distressed borrowers while they can still use it. 

State cases against the rating agencies and bid-rigging in the municipal bond market, for example, continue.  Claims and investigations against MERS and how Wall Street packaged mortgages into securities also continue.

On January 27 U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder along with Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Director of Enforcement Robert Khuzami and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced the formation of the Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Working Group.  The working group will investigate those responsible for misconduct contributing to the financial crisis through the pooling and sale of residential mortgage-backed securities.

Inserted from <http://www.nationalmortgagesettlement.com/about>

Rachel Maddow covered the deal in two segments.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

In the second, she interviewed Eric Schneiderman about the deal.

 

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

All things considered this is acceptable.  There is far more that needs to be done, but this is a first step in the right direction.  When people tell you there is no difference between the parties, ask them if the Republicans would have done this.

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 Posted by TomCat at 12:01 am  12 Responses »  Tagged with: , , , ,
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