Comments stuflash has made
Do some Dems want to fail?
I don't think this applies particularly to Boxer, but I'm sure there are some democrats, particularly those up for re-election in "purple" states or in the rust belt, who might feel vulnerable if they were pinned with supporting a "job-killing" global warming bill. Of course this ignores the role the American automakers have had in continuing to push SUVs, and the need to find alternative uses for coal other than burning it. (In theory, coal ought be be a potential substitute for a lot of petrochemicals.)
What the Democrats seem to lack most is an exciting long-term vision of how this entire country could look in a successful fight against global warming.On Lieberman-Warner's failure this year underdetermines next year's efforts posted 1 year, 5 months ago 5 Responses
Too narrow a view
This rating system focuses on conventional visions of what's "green". That vision is far too narrow. Why the focus on public transit rather than a broader focus on alternative transit modes? Why nothing about walkable communities, where automobile use is minimized by design? Why the big concern for traffic congestion when reducing congestion is known to entice people to use their cars even more? What about looking at green jobs? What about policies encouraging businesses to "green up their act?" I'd give the rating scale a C-.On Green-city ranking group SustainLane explains its methodology posted 1 year, 6 months ago 2 Responses
My platform - close to the ground
- I agree with Terry. Apologize to the Iraqi people, commit to US reparations, and start trying to extricate this country from being the world's policeman (and a rather brutal one at that). Along those lines, endorse a UN sponsored regional peace conference to resolve the situations in both Iraq and Afghanistan. (Some suggested proposals - a) a federated Republic of Iraq, with oil revenues distributed among the various provinces based solely on their population size; b) regional disarmament [including EVERYONE, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, India, Israel, Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, etc.], coupled to a promise that all US [and Western European and other outside countries] forces will be permanently withdrawn from the entire region.)
- Totally revise US foreign policy as follows: a) no more military aid to ANYONE; b) humanitarian and development aid to countries based on need through UN agencies, with no US strings attached; c) a new US policy favoring allowing every country the right of self-determination, based on popular plebescite, on what kind of government it wants; d) no more US interference with any country's internal affairs; e) a commitment to take international disputes to the UN, rather than attempt unilateral action; f) agree to have the US participate in the World Court; g) have the US ratify the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
- Announce a policy of phased demilitarization of the country. Included in that would be the unilateral reduction in the size of the U.S. military to make it comparable to those of other major world powers. Follow that up with a proposal for phased reductions, through internationally supervised treaties, in all countries' military forced. Unilateral action by the U.S. to reduce nuclear stockpiles to a size comparable to that of Russian stockpiles, followed by phased and policed reductions in the stockpiles of all nuclear powers.
- Establish a national single-payer healthcare system, modeled loosely after the Canadian system.
- Establish public financing for all federal elections, along the lines of the systems already put in place in Maine and Arizona. Propose a constitutional amendment allowing reasonable limitations on "independent" campaign expenditures in elections and providing for a one week campaign-free "cooling off" period just prior to the election. Eliminate the Electoral College and replace it by a national popular vote for the presidency.
- Make combatting global warming the number one national priority. That includes: a) establishing new gas mileage standards for all vehicles, with those standards to be ratchetted up on an annual basis; b) establish a national institute of climate and energy research, with all research coming out of the institute freely available in the public domain. Major research areas would include: alternative power sources, with an emphasis on renewable carbon-free sources, study of ways of removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, etc.; c) establish a national carbon tax, with the proceeds to be used both to fund energy research and to assist in decreasing the societal disruption caused by reducing energy use
- Establish a National Institute of Environmental Research to study how American society is impacting the environment, how the US can have a smaller "environmental footprint" on the world, and what can be done to undo some of the environmental damage that has already been done.
- Agree to undo NAFTA and other "free trade" agreements, and replace them by trade agreements that require participating countries to respect uniform environmental, labor, and human rights standards.
- I agree with Terry. Apologize to the Iraqi people, commit to US reparations, and start trying to extricate this country from being the world's policeman (and a rather brutal one at that). Along those lines, endorse a UN sponsored regional peace conference to resolve the situations in both Iraq and Afghanistan. (Some suggested proposals - a) a federated Republic of Iraq, with oil revenues distributed among the various provinces based solely on their population size; b) regional disarmament [including EVERYONE, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, India, Israel, Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, etc.], coupled to a promise that all US [and Western European and other outside countries] forces will be permanently withdrawn from the entire region.)