Though not necessarily change you can believe in. That’s not the Mike Klonsky I knew.
More “Change!”
Though not necessarily change you can believe in. That’s not the Mike Klonsky I knew.
When The Power Went Out
…at Lileks’ place:
It happened when it usually happens, too – every gets home, flips on the air conditioner and turns on the TV, and the brittle infrastructure, held together at the moment with masking tape and some alligator clips, spazzes out completely. This will continue – there’s a controversy going on here about some new power lines and generating plants. A judge blocked the latter, because the utility hadn’t invested enough in wind power, as per the law. That’s the sort of sentence that makes your heart very heavy: a judge ruled that they can’t build the power plant. I’m all for trying everything – wind, solar, nuclear, geothermal, switchgrass, algae, hydrogen, steroidally enhanced gerbils running in cages attached to generators, steam, hydro, shale, and installing small pedals in movie theaters people can push to power the projector, but DO SOMETHING. NOW.
The world has gone nuts. People complain about high energy costs, and the Democrats’ response is to fight every sensible attempt to increase supply, and tell us that the price isn’t high enough. And so far, they seem to be paying no penalty at the polls for it. It would help, at least a little, if we didn’t have a faux Democrat (at least when it comes to economics) at the top of the Republican ticket.
Obama’s Ethanol
If ethanol is so great, why doesn’t he support its importation from Brazil? Surely it’s not because he’s in the pocket of ADM?
ADM is based in Illinois, the second-largest corn-producing state. Not long after arriving in the U.S. Senate, Obama flew twice on corporate jets owned by the nation’s largest ethanol producer. Imagine if McCain flew on the corporate jets of Exxon Mobil.
Corn-based ethanol gets a 51-cents-a-gallon tax subsidy that will cost taxpayers $4.5 billion this year. McCain opposes ethanol subsidies while Obama supports them. McCain opposed them even though Iowa is the first caucus state. Obama, touted by Caroline Kennedy as another JFK, was no profile in courage in Iowa.
…Last year, as President Bush was about to sign an energy cooperation agreement with Brazil, Obama said the move would hurt “our country’s drive toward energy independence.”
Really? The only thing it might hurt is Obama’s drive to the White House.
Must be that new politics. You know, “change”?
And it’s also amusing to note that the Democrats don’t want to wait for drilling to pay off, but they’re perfectly happy to wait for switch grass.
[Mid-morning update]
If it’s intended to cut the nation’s energy bill, Obama’s ethanol policy makes no sense, if it’s intended to secure the nation’s energy supplies, Obama’s ethanol policy makes no sense, if it’s designed to improve the nation’s relationship with a major Latin American trading partner, Obama’s ethanol policy makes no sense, but, if, on the other hand, it’s just another example of good old porkbarrel politics, Obama’s ethanol policy makes a great deal of sense.
Obama’s Ethanol
If ethanol is so great, why doesn’t he support its importation from Brazil? Surely it’s not because he’s in the pocket of ADM?
ADM is based in Illinois, the second-largest corn-producing state. Not long after arriving in the U.S. Senate, Obama flew twice on corporate jets owned by the nation’s largest ethanol producer. Imagine if McCain flew on the corporate jets of Exxon Mobil.
Corn-based ethanol gets a 51-cents-a-gallon tax subsidy that will cost taxpayers $4.5 billion this year. McCain opposes ethanol subsidies while Obama supports them. McCain opposed them even though Iowa is the first caucus state. Obama, touted by Caroline Kennedy as another JFK, was no profile in courage in Iowa.
…Last year, as President Bush was about to sign an energy cooperation agreement with Brazil, Obama said the move would hurt “our country’s drive toward energy independence.”
Really? The only thing it might hurt is Obama’s drive to the White House.
Must be that new politics. You know, “change”?
And it’s also amusing to note that the Democrats don’t want to wait for drilling to pay off, but they’re perfectly happy to wait for switch grass.
[Mid-morning update]
If it’s intended to cut the nation’s energy bill, Obama’s ethanol policy makes no sense, if it’s intended to secure the nation’s energy supplies, Obama’s ethanol policy makes no sense, if it’s designed to improve the nation’s relationship with a major Latin American trading partner, Obama’s ethanol policy makes no sense, but, if, on the other hand, it’s just another example of good old porkbarrel politics, Obama’s ethanol policy makes a great deal of sense.
Ouch
“Obama’s positions are like diapers: they are discovered to be full of carp, and then they are changed.”
Not clear whether the misspelling was deliberate or not, but we get the point.
The Return Of Tammany Hall
…and its senior senator, Chris Dodd. Luckily, he’s a Democrat, so it’s no big deal. They’re never corrupt, and never do anything without the best interests of the people in mind.
Blogtalking Space
Sorry I didn’t mention it yesterday so you could listen live, but hey, the ability to download and listen at your own convenience is one of the features of the Interweb. Last night I did a one-hour interview with Rick Moran on space stuff. Download it here.
Rewiring Our Brains?
Is the Internet changing the way we think?
Over the past few years I’ve had an uncomfortable sense that someone, or something, has been tinkering with my brain, remapping the neural circuitry, reprogramming the memory. My mind isn’t going–so far as I can tell–but it’s changing. I’m not thinking the way I used to think. I can feel it most strongly when I’m reading. Immersing myself in a book or a lengthy article used to be easy. My mind would get caught up in the narrative or the turns of the argument, and I’d spend hours strolling through long stretches of prose. That’s rarely the case anymore. Now my concentration often starts to drift after two or three pages. I get fidgety, lose the thread, begin looking for something else to do. I feel as if I’m always dragging my wayward brain back to the text. The deep reading that used to come naturally has become a struggle.
It’s anecdotal, but I’ve noticed the same thing. I used to read many more books (and magazines, such as The Economist) than I do now. Almost all of my reading occurs on line, and I am much less able to focus than I used to be. But it’s not clear whether this is an effect of aging, or new habits. More the latter, I suspect.
Criminal Against Humanity, Part Two
More thoughts on James Hansen’s demand of an auto de fe by those in the pay of Big Oil (further cementing the notion that this isn’t science–it’s a religion). No one expects the WARM MONGER’S INQUISITION…
Read the comments.
I do wonder if this is a violation of the Hatch Act.
[Wednesday morning update]