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With all due respect, you are incorrect on virtually every point, although this has long been a popular theme. Yes, one person earns less than two. Two earn less than three. None is this is relevant to the issue at hand. It is important to note that the majority of poor, and the majority of single parent families, are white. Not black. You indicate that we need a solution to single parent families. Any suggestions? With very rare exception, the reason there are single parent families is that American men routinely walk away from their responsibilities toward their own children, something that women almost never do. Our brutality toward women and children in poverty won't change this. I can assure you, a marriage license does not change this fact. Marriage has no impact on this. Poverty has soared to crisis levels precisely because of the poilicies chosen by this generation. Since Reagan, the US shipped out a huge share of our working class jobs. Clinton then effectively cut the rungs off the ladder out of poverty, making it cool to scapegoat the powerless poor. In short, we looked at all the policies and programs that took the US to its height of wealth and productivity, from FDR to Reagan, and chose to reverse course, doing just the opposite. And on your recitation of the old call for "across the board cuts," that notion is as simplistic and irresponsible today as it was 30+ years ago. We need to look at the agenda that brought the US to this miserable point, look back to see what actually DID work, and plan a course of action.
And don't forget about blood gases- too muh CO2 and you can start walking toward the light...
Could we PLEASE have some honesty about America's poverty crisis and the successful crushing of any American left/progressive movement? The campaign to redistribute public dollars out of public needs and into corporate bank accounts was initiated by the Reagan Republicans. It continues to be driven by the Clinton Democrats in Congress and most of the media marketed to middle class Dems. Every step of the way, the middle class has supported this agenda. Dems and the media marketed to liberals have maintained our "war on the poor," implicitely preaching that our deregulated corporate system is so perfect that everyone is able to work and there are jobs for all who need one (therefore no need for poverty relief). This leads directly to current Dem Party efforts to once again snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Can anyone explain why lib media appears to have gone into overdrive to promote, of all people, Hillary Clinton? The 2016 Demn Party candidate is, of course, VP Joe Biden, and this media almost never mentions his name. Clinton or any other Dem can challenge Biden for the nomination, but won't. Above all, the Dem Party leadership knows that H. Clinton, with her long, consistent record of support for the right-wing agenda, is unelectable on the Dem Party ticket, due to her record (though she might consider the Tea Party ticket). The Clinton (neoliberal) branch of the Dem Party is powerfully responsible for today's poverty crisis/phasing out the middle class. Most notably, B. Clinton's NAFTA/free trade has resulted in a massive loss of working class jobs,m while cutting the rungs off the ladder out of poverty. At the same time (with a nod from media libs) B Clinton ended the Great Society as a necessary step toward ending the New Deal, making it cool to throw the poor off the cliff. These two factors have created a poverty crisis while deeply dividing Dems and liberals. I can only hope voters take a little time to examine H. Clinton's own record.
Taxing the wealthy will help, but you have to tackle the biggest problem first. Single parent families. Since 1960 children being raised without a father in the US has almost tripled. 1/3 of American children are brought up in a single parent family. About 20 million American children are raised without a father in the home. The problem is staggering with black children where almost half are raised in a single parent family. All we have to do is look at how the standard of living drops after any divorce in almost any family.
As far as raising taxes it is a great idea as long as the Government cuts its budget by the same percentage right across the board.
Lately, you've been talking about ISIS and John McCain helping to fund them, and telethons for ISIS. I cannot find any reputable news articles, or news on TV or anything. They mention John McCain, and the "thank god for the saudi's" etc. But it is more of an insinuation that he did it. Also, telethon doesn't really connect either. Do you have any better sources?
Complete jibberish.
They WILL drop dead if forced to re-breath their exhalation.
Capitalism is the enemy of true progress.
I just wanted to pretend that I had written AIW's very true words.
It's because Capitalism makes the most money for its corporate shareholders if everything remains Business As Usual. Progress requires Change. Change erodes profits for the shareholders. So don't look for Capitalism to promote any changes that lead toward progress. But retrogression is always possible. Big Lie Fascism is one such retrogression.
I propose we take Hamilton off the 10-dollar bill and put Madison on it. I just can't figure out what to put on the back that is associated with him, except maybe a facsimile of the preamble of the Constitution.
I'm quite happy for believers to trust in their gods, but I don't think that such sentiments should be on coins unless every singlie individual in the country does, in fact, trust in god. And that clearly is not the case. It sends a false message.
The hypocricy and hate of the pretend "left" is obvious in this blog.
I have much more important questions which show the ludacracy of this debate and and also the ludacracy of Beauracracies.
To Mr. Harris
Are you against renewable energy? Do you believe mining coal is sustainable? Do you want sustainable/clean energy? We are probably in agreement on the energy debate and moving to solar/wind is much more important than a debate about the cause of climate change...Unless of course you would prefer nulear/coal energy over sustainable energy? Then, I would have to say you are backwards.
To the "left"
Do you actually think that the EPA and the corrupt government that you criticize, the same government that made monsanto head of the USDA, the same government that made the corrupt/polluting corporations you criticize in charge of the EPA, will solve the problem, as Thom is suggesting? How does that work? The beauracracy is the problem.
Here is an idea. Add up all the money spent on the epa over the last 40 years and figure out how many solar panels we could have bought with money. My guess is that with all the money spent on the beauracracy which pays fors beauracrats lunch with the fossil fuel industry, we could have made America energy independent by now.
I will do the math to check my hypothesis
So True my friend ,anything you can make from hydrocarbons in oil you can make from vegetable crops like HEMP. And just how much has the information about Cannabis been surpressed !
The point about carbon is that for Humans to survive and Thrive on this planet we need to understand our role as Good Stewards and take responsibility for our childrens and there childrens future .The planets temperatures must remain stable for Humans to evolve and this means understanding the laws of cause and effect .There are consequences for our actions and how we use the resources of our world .
We forget that the choices some of us make have a big impact on the collective and burning fossil fuel instead of using Solar and sustainable energy is one of them .We do not need to do this .
There is Another Way
Carbon dioxide has some similarities with Dihydrogen Monoxide, a chemical that can also kill. But this government does not class it as dangerous, when it clearly can be fatal. ;-)
For the past several decades, since I was in my twenties, I have been aware of this sort of innovation suppression, keeping us all under the boot of corporate fascism.
I checked out that article, Mr. Griffin; admittedly, I don’t have the patience to read the whole thing. But I get the basic point, which I got in the first place ages ago, simply by “connecting the dots”. What first opened by eyes to this phenomenon was marijuana & hemp prohibition; then I saw the larger picture, and it was quite an epiphany. This artificial reality we live in has never looked quite the same to me since.
I think that if technology were truly harnessed to serve the interests of all, there would be no need for privately owned, centralized power sources or utilities. Every household would be functioning independently, autonomously and cheaply, without the monthly bills. We could use our own sewage to heat our homes, drive vehicles that run on organic non-polluting fuel sources, and stop using single-use, disposable, overpackaged products, buying food and other provisions in bulk instead. The list goes on and on. I’m no engineer, scientist or inventor but I have endless faith in the abilities of those who are. I really believe all this would be possible without corporate monopoly getting in the way.
Capitalism is the enemy of true progress. If we can’t figure out how to get this monkey off our backs, it will be the death of us yet. - AIW
With what I know its very fustrating to hear people talk about carbon and regulating it and taxing it or anything about it. I agree that carbon is very destructive and unhealthy. SO WHY USE IT AT ALL!! There are energies that their exhaust is only heat or water and are free to produce. If this sounds crazy is because that you don't know about this:
http://theorionproject.org/en/documents/Gary_V.pdf
The powers that be keep it from us and force us to buy their products. We shouldn't be using oil or coal or any dirty fuel, especially atomic fuel. This world is so dysfunctional all in the name of greed. Alternative fuels must be used and the word must get out that there are other options. I don't hear anyone that against carbon talk about it.
Thom Hartman, could you please check out these technologies and help get the word out? We don't need to deal with carbon at all..
One more point, during the current period of warming, we may not be following the natural trend seen during previous periods, due to human-caused combustion. If the idea that CO2 rises lag temperature increases were always true, then this planet should have had significant warming centuries ago, but instead, both temperature and CO2 levels appear to be rising simultaneously.
By the way, by clicking on our names on this site, people can see the real names of both Leighmf and myself, so, anonymity -- no way.
A lot of us men are actually sapiosexuals, you know. :)
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ice-core-data-help-solve/
http://www.skepticalscience.com/co2-lags-temperature.htm
So, new data indicates that rising CO2 levels lag temperature rise by only about 200 years.
In the second link, it is mentioned that 90% of temperature rise in past events, occured after CO2 levels rose.
Regarding cause and effect, when temperatures rise:
CO2 could cause temperatures to rise,
Temperature rise could cause CO2 levels to rise;
CO2 levels and temperature could interact to cause a rise in both;
or, a third factor could cause both to rise.
Given the complexity of the earth's ecosystem, and the available data, it seems likely that the third scenario is the case: CO2 and temperature interact to cause mutual rises in both during periods of global warming.
Perhaps rising temperatures cause the release of more sequestered CO2, or methane (as is beginning to happen now). Also, warming temperatures could cause more fires, resulting in more release of CO2 into the atmosphere, or, it could devastate forests, reducing the amont of CO2 absorbed by plants.
(By the way, the devastation of forests by humans over the centuries is another factor causing CO2 levels to rise, since plants absorb CO2.)
Leigh, I think there will always be men who hate intelligent, thinking women whether they are clad in bikinis, burkas or anything inbetween. We present too much of a threat to their illusions of male superiority.
Don't ever lose that sense of humor. It rocks. - AIW
NASA also states that "The year 2013 tied with 2009 and 2006 for the seventh warmest year since 1880."
I checked into some of my industrial data and found that worldwide, 1880 was a peak period of railroad manufacturing- foundries, smelting houses, mines, and canals dug for steamboats.
1880 Examples
Auburn Foundry and Machine Works, J. W. Baxter, President, C. H. Hanna, Secretary and Treasurer Manufacturers of Engines and Boilers and Wood-Working Machinery, Also Designers of Special Machinery On Wabash tracks at foot of Main and Jackson Sts Established 1880 Incorporated 1888;
The phosphate boom of the 1880s;
Jay Cooke (former railroad tycoon) once again wealthy by investing in a silver mine in Utah
Nickel Plate Road built
Oregonian Railway formed in Dundee by Robert Fleming; Earl of Airlie (chairman), Messrs T. H. Cox, Wm. Lonrson (mnnagiug director), John Long, and P. M, Cochrane.
1/21/1880 NEW YORK, ONTARIO AND WESTERN RAILWAY COMPANY Filing Date: JANUARY 21, 1880 Jurisdiction: NEW YORK Status: ACTIVE
2/29/1880 Gotthard railway tunnel between Switzerland and Italy completed
ATLANTIC COAST STEAMBOAT CANAL AND IMPROVEMENT COMPANY JACKSONVILLE FL Filed 11/23/1880 DISS 1/01/1933
INDIAN RIVER RAILWAY AND TRANSPORTATION COMPANY JACKSONVILLE FL Filed 03/22/1880 VOLUNTARY DISSOLUTION 12/31/1963 Officer/Director CHURCHILL, WILLIARD TITUSVILLE FL D SHOEMAKER, JANICE M JACKSONVILLE FL D BASSETT, ARTHUR JACKSONVILLE FL
Naturally I have more examples than the human attention span can handle, but 1880 was a year of great industrial carbon-based pollution, and boy was it hot.
Mr. Harris, all the long-winded posts from you and your ilk won't change the reality of global warming one iota, so you are wasting your time here. I don't pretend to be a scientist, but I am smart enough to know how to distinguish credible scientists from industry hacks like yourself. Sorry you don't like Thom's input on this issue, but it's not going to go away, nor are the 97% of climate scientists who agree with him. So have a nice day, and run along now. - AIW
NASA has a different perspective:
http://climate.nasa.gov/key_indicators/
The graphs show a direct relationship with temperature rise and rise in atmospheric C02 and sea level rise, in recent time, year by year. This only strengthens the argument that slower causes of global warming in the past such as tectonic movements and gradual changes in ocean circulation patterns indicate that the year by year increase we are experiencing is highly accelerated compared with the past. NASA says the cause is greenhouse gases.
You say, "Geologists have shown from geological records, that every time CO2 levels rise, planet Earth warms."
No, you have cause and effect mixed up.
You should have said, "Geologists have shown from geological records, that every time temperature levels rise, CO2 levels also follow with a time delay up to about 8 centuries."
Alice what a riot! That is not my real belly button. That icon is an experiment to see if men would be less hostile to a thinking bikini. Plus, it is satire, farce, and my outrageous sense of humor at work.
Thank you for liking my face- I prefer faces too. I'll be back....
Tom Harris, people on this site usually use monikers that are expressive of who they are or their views, rather than their actual names. It typically has nothing to do with a desire to remain anonymous. In fact, Leigh is her real given name, and M.F. are her other initials. I know what her family name is too, so nothing anonymous is going on there. It's right wing trolls who really hide their identities by revealing as little about themselves as possible on this site. Oh, Leigh and a bunch of other people know my real name, too.
I am still dumbfounded as to what part of global warming people such as you and others in your organization don't understand. People burn stuff, and they have been ever since humans first learned to use fire. Burning stuff combines oxygen and carbon to create CO2 gas, along with direct heat and lots of smoke containing various chemicals.
As human culture has evolved, the rate at which people burn stuff has accelerated, especially with the discovery of fossil fuels. Now, such fuels are being burned at a mind boggling rate as the human population has increased and humans have become dependent upon them as part of our industrial lifestyle. Thus, CO2 levels have increased drastically. Since CO2 acts to trap in heat, the planet is warming. Geologists have shown from geological records, that every time CO2 levels rise, planet Earth warms, with massive ecological consequences. Thus, there is strong circumstantial evidence that CO2 does indeed cause global warming. There is also laboratory evidence showing how CO2 works to trap in heat.
This is the second time I have explained this simple logic this week. The other person has been convinced as have so many others, by wild conspiracy theories that global warming is a hoax being perpetrated by a small cadre of wealthy people in order to tax the rest of us. Do you really want to be associated with the likes of such conspiracy theorists? I guess money talks a lot louder than science for people such as yourself. I certainly don't think 97% of climate scientists could be all that wrong.