Saturday, November 29, 2008
Interesting
For whatever reason the graphic is cut off on the right. Clicking on the graphic will take you to the full picture though. I blame the HTML.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
On why Lieberman still has limited uses
A lot of liberal bloggers (myself included) are still mad that Lieberman was punished for his actions during the campaign. By all rights he should have been stripped of his committee chair on the Homeland Security Committee (he's been abysmal in oversight) and possibly tossed out of the Democratic causus.
So why wasn't he? Why did president Obama give the word that he didn't want Lieberman removed (while still fobbing off Lieberman to Biden when he did call)
Two words: Legislative priorities.
It looks like Obama's first priority is to overhaul health care. His selection of Tom Daschele for Health and Human Services shows he is serious about dealing with the problem. The issue for Obama is that he will need every vote he can scrape together to get legislation passed, and that includes Lieberman. I don't think a lot of senate republcans will flip on the issues. They are pretty lock step in calling any kind of fair health policy 'socialized medicine' and they will not see reason on this issue.
Now Lieberman gets a lot of money from the insurance industry, and had he been kicked off his committee posts, he wouldn't hesitate to side with them and oppose any kind of reform. But he DID get to keep his committee posts, and keeping them depends on having the good will of the president and Senate Democrats. I don't think he'd hesitate to sell out the insurance companies to hold on to his committee chair.
Now what about the war? For me and many liberal bloggers, this ought to be the first priority. So why isn't it? again priorities. I believe President Obama wants both Health Care reform AND and end to the war, and the only way to get both, is to do health care first.
Liberman won't flip on the war, he'll sell out a lot of things, but I don't think he'd sell out (what he thinks) is in Israel's best security interests. I happen to think Israel would be a lot more secure with a more diplomatic approach to 'The War On Terror', but Lieberman is convinced a military solution is the only one. And he won't vote to withdraw troops, and if we tackled the war first, he won't vote for anything else on the Obama agenda. ON the other hand I think a lot more Republican senators will flip on the war then on health care. Fiscal Conservatives see the war a big waste of money (as they also see health care reform) and would vote to end it, and in that case Lieberman's oppostition will be neutralized.
So as I posted earlier, Lieberman is being used for the greater good. We will get better health care options, AND we get to end the war.
I do allow the chance that I may be wrong. And if, in six months time there is no signficant movement to reform health care, and no significant move to end the Iraqi occupation, I'll eat my words on this blog. But give me six months.
So why wasn't he? Why did president Obama give the word that he didn't want Lieberman removed (while still fobbing off Lieberman to Biden when he did call)
Two words: Legislative priorities.
It looks like Obama's first priority is to overhaul health care. His selection of Tom Daschele for Health and Human Services shows he is serious about dealing with the problem. The issue for Obama is that he will need every vote he can scrape together to get legislation passed, and that includes Lieberman. I don't think a lot of senate republcans will flip on the issues. They are pretty lock step in calling any kind of fair health policy 'socialized medicine' and they will not see reason on this issue.
Now Lieberman gets a lot of money from the insurance industry, and had he been kicked off his committee posts, he wouldn't hesitate to side with them and oppose any kind of reform. But he DID get to keep his committee posts, and keeping them depends on having the good will of the president and Senate Democrats. I don't think he'd hesitate to sell out the insurance companies to hold on to his committee chair.
Now what about the war? For me and many liberal bloggers, this ought to be the first priority. So why isn't it? again priorities. I believe President Obama wants both Health Care reform AND and end to the war, and the only way to get both, is to do health care first.
Liberman won't flip on the war, he'll sell out a lot of things, but I don't think he'd sell out (what he thinks) is in Israel's best security interests. I happen to think Israel would be a lot more secure with a more diplomatic approach to 'The War On Terror', but Lieberman is convinced a military solution is the only one. And he won't vote to withdraw troops, and if we tackled the war first, he won't vote for anything else on the Obama agenda. ON the other hand I think a lot more Republican senators will flip on the war then on health care. Fiscal Conservatives see the war a big waste of money (as they also see health care reform) and would vote to end it, and in that case Lieberman's oppostition will be neutralized.
So as I posted earlier, Lieberman is being used for the greater good. We will get better health care options, AND we get to end the war.
I do allow the chance that I may be wrong. And if, in six months time there is no signficant movement to reform health care, and no significant move to end the Iraqi occupation, I'll eat my words on this blog. But give me six months.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
20 Degrees with the Wind Chill
Ok, today it was too cold to go for one of my marathon bike rides. Getting late in the season. I can mabye do the bike and bus thing for a few more days, but proabably not after thanksgiving.
Unfortunately the bike is indespensible to me using the bus to get to work. The ZOOM bus's closest stop in Portland to my house is about 2.5 miles away, and the closest the bus comes to my office is still about 2.9 miles. There are a couple of Metro Lines I could take to get to a ZOOM bus stop, the problem is how to get down town.
The cities of Biddeford and Saco run a bus line but the schedule doesn't coincide with my work schedule. The system is more geared for people living in Biddeford to work in Portland then for people living in Portland to work in Biddeford.
Amtrak's Downeaster is another possability, it gets to Saco at about 8:22, and is only a short walk to my office, the drawback here being that it does not head north to home in Portland in any reasonable time. Also, getting to the station via public transportation involves at least one transfer, and would require an hour of travel and transfer just to get to the station.
The point of this is that it as it stands now, the region's public transit system works for me as long as I can use my bike to augment it's shortcomeings. It would only take a few modest schedule changes, for me to be able to use it year round without a car or bike (don't get me wrong I love useing the bike, but I need a back up for bad weather). Now these changes to be practical, can't be just for MY convenience but for everyone's convenience. There also has to be the will out there by commuters to be open to trying alternative transportation. Convenient scheudling and frequent service are the two keys to making public transportation more viable for larger groups of people. And as gas becomes scarcer, as our climate becomes more unstable, we are going to need to use these alternatives, to insure our own futures on the planet.
Unfortunately the bike is indespensible to me using the bus to get to work. The ZOOM bus's closest stop in Portland to my house is about 2.5 miles away, and the closest the bus comes to my office is still about 2.9 miles. There are a couple of Metro Lines I could take to get to a ZOOM bus stop, the problem is how to get down town.
The cities of Biddeford and Saco run a bus line but the schedule doesn't coincide with my work schedule. The system is more geared for people living in Biddeford to work in Portland then for people living in Portland to work in Biddeford.
Amtrak's Downeaster is another possability, it gets to Saco at about 8:22, and is only a short walk to my office, the drawback here being that it does not head north to home in Portland in any reasonable time. Also, getting to the station via public transportation involves at least one transfer, and would require an hour of travel and transfer just to get to the station.
The point of this is that it as it stands now, the region's public transit system works for me as long as I can use my bike to augment it's shortcomeings. It would only take a few modest schedule changes, for me to be able to use it year round without a car or bike (don't get me wrong I love useing the bike, but I need a back up for bad weather). Now these changes to be practical, can't be just for MY convenience but for everyone's convenience. There also has to be the will out there by commuters to be open to trying alternative transportation. Convenient scheudling and frequent service are the two keys to making public transportation more viable for larger groups of people. And as gas becomes scarcer, as our climate becomes more unstable, we are going to need to use these alternatives, to insure our own futures on the planet.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Some thought on the GM crisis
Forget bailing out the auto industry. Nationalize it. Yank the companies away from the incompetent boobs who created this crisis. The last thing we need is taxpayer funds paying their golden parachutes.
Take over the companies and retool them to build hybrids, electric cars, you know the cars real Americans want to buy, but havn't been able to get American Made because the dumb jerks running the Big Three have resisted every attempt to madate better gas milage, and instead they keep hunkering down and building more SUV's that nobody wants.
Also put the plants to work buidling heavy equipment that we're going to need to fix the infrastructure of this country, and building public transit vehicles like buses, light rail and subway trains.
And then with the companies back in the black, the US govt. can get out of the auto business, and sell off the companies to responsible investors, and let the market decide once again.
Take over the companies and retool them to build hybrids, electric cars, you know the cars real Americans want to buy, but havn't been able to get American Made because the dumb jerks running the Big Three have resisted every attempt to madate better gas milage, and instead they keep hunkering down and building more SUV's that nobody wants.
Also put the plants to work buidling heavy equipment that we're going to need to fix the infrastructure of this country, and building public transit vehicles like buses, light rail and subway trains.
And then with the companies back in the black, the US govt. can get out of the auto business, and sell off the companies to responsible investors, and let the market decide once again.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Tax Benefits of Biking
Ok so it's the third week of November, and I am still using my bike to ride to work. At lunch I did my 'Three Cities Tour' through Biddeford, Saco, and Old Orchard which goes for a total of 13.9 miles according to my odometer.
Next year, there sill be an added incentive for biking to work. Congress has inserted a provision into the massive bailout plan allowing bicycle commuters to deduct up to $20 for each month that they commute starting in 2009. This year I started biking in mid April, and have continued through to Mid November, and possibly longer. That makes 7 months of comuting, so if I continue to take my bike to work I could write off $140. Small potatoes perhaps, but any bit will do.
Now will I be able to write off my breakfast and lunch as fuel expenses?
Next year, there sill be an added incentive for biking to work. Congress has inserted a provision into the massive bailout plan allowing bicycle commuters to deduct up to $20 for each month that they commute starting in 2009. This year I started biking in mid April, and have continued through to Mid November, and possibly longer. That makes 7 months of comuting, so if I continue to take my bike to work I could write off $140. Small potatoes perhaps, but any bit will do.
Now will I be able to write off my breakfast and lunch as fuel expenses?
Friday, November 14, 2008
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