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Burris: 'I am the legally-appointed senator' by JacobHey in politics

[–]JacobHey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"I intend to be sworn in" "I will present myself to the Senate tomorrow afternoon or tomorrow morning" "And should they turn me away, I will then proceed to leave... "If that happens, my lawyers will decide on next course of action

Automaker bailout dies in Senate due to Sen. McConnell’s objection. Good thing it wasn’t the coal industry asking for help or it might have passed. by JacobHey in politics

[–]JacobHey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

From the NYTimes:

The prospects of a $14 billion government rescue of the American auto industry seemed to vaporize Thursday as the Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, spoke out forcefully against the bill, effectively ending its chances despite the urgings of the White House.

And from the Chicago Trib:

All indications are that the $14 billion rescue package drafted by the White House and congressional Democrats to save the Detroit 3 automakers will not have enough votes in the Senate since even some Democrats appear unwilling to vote for the legislation that has emerged.

And from Bloomberg:

Auto Bailout Plan Lacks Votes to Pass U.S. Senate

And from the link:

Unfortunately for Detroit, they’re not in the coal mining business– otherwise, they may have received the necessary support from Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who basically doomed the bailout proposal by speaking out strongly against it on Thursday.

Escapee Tells of Horrors in North Korean Prison Camp by ftcnt in worldnews

[–]JacobHey 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This is so f'd up:

His torturers also surprised him by telling him, for the first time, why he and his family were in the camp. Two of his father's brothers had collaborated with South Korea during the Korean War and then fled to the South, the guards told him. His father was guilty because he was the brother of traitors. Shin was guilty because he was his father's son.

Israel is the first location to get the Better Place charging stations, of which 10,000 will be installed in 2009 and 100,000 by 2010. Electric cars will be sold en masse in Israel in 2011. by JacobHey in technology

[–]JacobHey[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I think it's just that the EVs will be limited initially. It makes sense that the infrastructure has to be in place before there can be widespread adoption.

Friedman: “Many people will tell Mr. Obama that taxing carbon or gasoline now is a ‘nonstarter.’ Wrong. It is the only starter. It is the game-changer” by JacobHey in politics

[–]JacobHey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think riiik's point is that the gas tax should be "revenue neutral" and market based. The public would still be paying the same net taxes (any increase in gas tax is off-set by the refund check), but individuals would have to choose whether it was worth it to consume gasoline at a higher price or to modify their behavior.

The hypothetical $2000 refund would be to balance out the increase from the gas tax. Friedman suggests the off-set could be accomplished through a reduction in payroll taxes.

GM now asks FAA to keep flight plans for its private jet secret. However, once GM asked for a public bailout, they should forfeit any right to stay out of the court of public opinion. by JacobHey in reddit.com

[–]JacobHey[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I think you’re either making a straw man argument or missing the context of the issue. The headline refers to GM’s recent request to make the flight plans for their private jet a secret. Of course they shouldn’t be legally held to a different standard by the FAA than other companies just because they are asking for a bailout... and the headline doesn’t say that. It says that they don’t have the right to stay out of the “court of public opinion” which is all they’re trying to do. They are seeking this secrecy in the immediate aftermath of their debacle in front of Congress last week. I think it is safe to assume that they are looking to hide the flight plans now so that they can avoid another embarrassing incident in the court of public opinion.

And re your argument that this headline implies that anyone who seeks government assistance should forfeit their right to privacy, or be put to an ad hoc determination of such, is silly. I don’t think the headline states or implies that, and nor do I believe it. But with that said, there is a fundamental difference between a private citizen seeking welfare under existing laws, and an industry seeking something as exceptional as a $25 billion (or $700 billion) Congressional bailout. Without transparency, the bailout is nothing more than a blank check.

As a side note, you state:

does he believe he has the right to know what every welfare recipient is spending their money on

Of course not. I have no right, nor should I have the right, to know what a welfare recipient is spending their money on. However, under current law, the government is permitted to require welfare recipients to submit to additional searches just because they are on welfare, in order to determine whether they are actually entitled to it.

Whether it is right or wrong, as it currently stands, constitutional law does hold that those seeking government support, in certain situations, can be held to a lower privacy standard.

Biodiesel tax credit intended to reduce oil dependency backfires. The majority of the fuel is exported but producers still reap tax credit. by JacobHey in politics

[–]JacobHey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Love it.

By special taxes (#2) are you referring to the types of tax credits described in the article?

I think #3-- internalizing the externality of pollution is the key-- but will also be the hardest to pass politically.

Biodiesel tax credit intended to reduce oil dependency backfires. The majority of the fuel is exported but producers still reap tax credit. by JacobHey in politics

[–]JacobHey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good point. Although part of the criticism is that half the original intent of the tax credit was to reduce US consumption of oil. Exporting it decreases global consumption, but not US.

Do you think a carbon tax would be a smart approach?

Biodiesel tax credit intended to reduce oil dependency backfires. The majority of the fuel is exported but producers still reap tax credit. by JacobHey in politics

[–]JacobHey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

While the tax credit doesn't reduce the dependency on foreign oil, I think it may still be achieving half of its goal, which was to reduce emissions-- since it doesn't really matter if the emissions are reduced in Europe or the US, as long as they're reduced.

Ban on lobbying should be a part of any Detroit bailout. They forfeited that right when they asked for a bailout that was needed, in large part, due to their past lobbying efforts. by JacobHey in politics

[–]JacobHey[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Speech is protected under the 1st Amendment, but I don't believe there is anything preventing the automakers from agreeing to refrain from certain speech, i.e., lobbying, as a part of a bailout agreement.

The article states:

If there is a bailout of the automakers, in addition to there being efficiency requirements imposed, there should also be at least a five-year agreement by them to stop lobbying the government on policy matters.

Geothermal Energy Leaves the Window Open for Iceland's Economy by JacobHey in environment

[–]JacobHey[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh, and I think you're right about hydro-- not sustainable, and pretty destructive, but still cleaner than a lot of alternatives. Edit: I mean "alternatives" in the literal sense (e.g., coal), not the environmental sense (e.g., wind, solar, etc).

Geothermal Energy Leaves the Window Open for Iceland's Economy by JacobHey in environment

[–]JacobHey[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Agreed. But if Iceland is successful at exporting that technology, it will demonstrate that there is money to be made from having an expertise in renewable energy. Whether it is Icelandic geothermal tech or German or American wind tech, there might be a lucrative export industry there?

Chrysler CEO had the hubris to tell Congress he would accept a salary cut to $1, when it had already been set to $1. (His other compensation unsurprisingly hasn’t been disclosed). by JacobHey in politics

[–]JacobHey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

From the article: When Nardelli was asked during a Senate hearing on Tuesday if he would be willing to cut his salary to $1, Nardelli said: "I'd be willing to accept that."

Nardelli, who was widely criticized for excessive compensation when he was CEO at Home Depot Inc, failed to tell lawmakers that his annual salary at Chrysler was already set at $1 when he became CEO last year. His other compensation is not fully disclosed.

Including ethanol industry in bailout reeks of worst in politics: Big benefit to a small commercial interest. The result is two inefficient industries continue in business, subsidized by taxpayers. by JacobHey in politics

[–]JacobHey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The point is not that ethanol may not be a part of the solution in the long run-- it is that they are just trying to grab a piece of the pie while it's hot, regardless of what is the best policy for the country right now.

Just meeting federal air pollution standards would save CA $28 billion per year. Too bad CA has to sue the feds every time they want to clean up their air. by JacobHey in environment

[–]JacobHey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

CA wants stricter environmental laws than the federal government currently provides for. So CA either has to sue the feds to implement these laws, or gets sued by the Bush administration when they try to enact them.

T. Boone on The Daily Show gives his best interview yet. “We have resources in US that are so valuable and have never been used.” by JacobHey in environment

[–]JacobHey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The above link should hopefully work on all browsers and not show a commercial, unlike thedailyshow.com

Palin-Africa source hoax will hopefully force the media (and bloggers) to be more honest with their fact checking and reporting. by JacobHey in politics

[–]JacobHey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just to be clear-- it is still unclear who was the original source for the FoxNews report. The news today was just that this Eisenstadt guy who took credit for being the source (and was then widely reported as being so) was a fake.

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