Day: August 12, 2009

More Societal Sickos

I recently wrote an opinion on a pstory about the the killing of a baby by her mother who ate parts of the child.  I was immediately attacked by some who say that post partem was nothing to bitch about…I asked for any link that would confirm that it was the case…so far I have nothing.

Also asked the question of what type of society breeds that type pf mental sickness…well still no answer to that question either.  Then I read this story of the 13 year old girl in Wisconsin on the AP website:

A long-simmering feud between a 13-year-old girl and her step-grandfather erupted after the man allegedly poured her milk down the drain, prompting the girl to fatally stab him in the neck, court documents said.

The Milwaukee girl is charged as an adult with first-degree reckless homicide, which carries a maximum penalty of 60 years in prison. At an initial appearance Tuesday in Milwaukee County Children’s Court, she was ordered held on $150,000 cash bond.

Her mother and grandmother declined to speak with The Associated Press after the hearing.

Public defender Joy Sherard told the AP that county officials had intervened in the household on several occasions in the past but she declined to elaborate, citing concern for the family’s privacy.

In their criminal complaint, prosecutors said the confrontation began Saturday after Brown went shopping with her mother and Moon’s stepdaughter, Denitra Aldridge, and brought groceries back to the house.

Aldridge and Brown poured bowls of cereal, but when they tried to add milk Moon sarcastically told Brown she could have some only after Aldridge’s child was served, authorities said.

Aldridge told investigators Brown responded with a profane outburst, adding “Next time I’m going to bust you.”

Prosecutors said the 48-year-old Moon dumped what was left of the milk down the drain and turned his back, taking a glass of milk into the living room, apparently to prepare it for the baby.

Aldridge told authorities Brown grabbed a paring knife with a 2- to 3-inch handle from the sink and charged after Moon. Aldridge told investigators she previously had seen Brown threaten Moon with knives but never use them.

Brown knocked the milk out of Moon’s hand, and when he turned, she swung at him, according to the complaint. Aldridge said she thought Moon had been punched in the face, but then saw he was covered in blood.

State law mandates that children older than 10 accused of first-degree intentional or reckless homicide be charged in adult court, said district attorney John Chisholm. He said the case should remain in adult court, although he expected the defense would seek to have the case returned to juvenile court.

Okay there maybe some history of discontent between the two, but wasd this something to kill another person over?  I continue to ask, what type of society do we have that this type of thing is becoming common place?

One could argue that it seems more common because of the 24 hoour news cycle and this type of thing has been going on for some time and we are just now being exposed to it my readily.  Even it that is true…what type of society are we leaving for our children?

Obama’s Assault On Education

With the Congress debating Cap and Trade and especially the partisan fighting over health care, Obama’s plan for education went a bit unnoticed.

President Barack Obama announced an assault on public education that would go beyond the Bush administration’s “No Child Left Behind” program. He outlined an education “reform” that would link teacher pay to the test performance of students and force state governments to shift funding from established public schools to so-called charter schools.

Tom Eley writing for wsws.org is reporting:

Obama outlined three “strategies” for so-called underperforming schools, all of them reactionary. “One strategy involves replacing the principal, replacing much of the staff, and giving the school a second chance,” he said. “Another strategy involves inviting a great nonprofit to help manage a troubled school. A third strategy involves converting a dropout factory into a successful charter school. These are public schools funded by parents, teachers, and civic or community organizations with broad leeway to innovate.” The second and third strategies—featuring “great nonprofit” groups and “community organizations”—indicate that Obama may see a role for religious groups in public education.

Merit-based pay for teachers will only discourage educators from taking positions at disadvantaged schools and among students who need the most help. Its practical effect, like No Child Left Behind, will be to shift funding out of the schools that need it most. It is a giant step toward the privatization of public education in America and the formalization of a two-tier, class-based education system.

Already, the quality of eduction for American children depends largely on the affluence of the area in which any given school is located. Much of US school funding is based on property taxes and other forms of local revenue, and certain states make available far more money per student than others. In this set-up, the public schools in the wealthy neighborhoods and suburbs are vastly superior to those in the inner cities, small towns, reservations, and other financially starved areas. Rich and upper-middle class families may also bypass public education altogether by sending their children to expensive private or parochial schools. Obama’s policies will serve to deepen, and make official, these disparities.

Make no mistake, Obama has proposed a class-based system of education. For the children of workers and the poor—who will not perform as well on standardized tests as the children of the rich—there will be financially starved schools and overworked and underpaid teachers. This will, of course, only worsen the education of the students, which will be reflected once again in worsening test scores. They and their teachers will pay the price through the reallocation of resources to the better-performing “charter” schools, which, like private schools, have no obligation to accept all students who might wish to enroll, and which routinely dispense with old union work rules and dismissal practices for teachers.

As usual with the ruling powers when it comes to education, it is always the teachers fault when things go wrong and the governments expertise when all goes right.  It appears that Obama’s educational policy is yet another policy that leaves the working class out in the cold…yet again.  Wall Street screwed Main Street…Auto Industry screwed the workers…..and now the teachers will be the brunt of the government assault on education.

The Forgotten Debate

In case you are not sure it is the Cap and Trade debate.  Actually, cap and trade is only a part of the entire package, but it gets all the press.  Kinda like the health care issue only part of it is news worthy, or at least it seems.  But this issue is being beaten out of the news by the drama that is the health care debate.  The energy bill the Dems reads like this:

Amends the Federal Power Act to require FERC to adopt electricity grid planning principles derived from a federal policy (established by this Act) on electric grid planning that facilitates the deployment of renewable and other zero-carbon energy sources for generating electricity to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) while ensuring reliability, reducing congestion, ensuring cyber-security, and providing for cost-effective electricity services.
Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to revise: (1) rules regarding improving energy efficiency in industrial equipment; (2) efficiency standards for electric motors; (3) conservation standards for lighting and appliances; and (4) the Energy Conservation Program for Consumer Products Other Than Automobiles.
Requires the Secretary to establish Clean Energy Innovation Centers to promote commercial deployment of clean, indigenous energy alternatives to fossil fuels, to reduce GHG emissions, and to ensure that the United States maintains a lead in developing and deploying state-of-the-art energy technologies.
Amends the Energy Conservation and Production Act to revise energy conservation standards for new buildings. Requires the Administrator to establish: (1) standards for a national energy and environmental building retrofit policy for residences; and (2) a building energy performance labeling program. Establishes a rebate program to assist low-income households residing in pre-1976 manufactured homes in purchasing new Energy Star qualified manufactured homes.
Designates carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulfur hexafluoride, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) from a chemical manufacturing process at an industrial stationary source, perfluorocarbons, and nitrogen trifluoride as GHGs and establishes a carbon dioxide equivalent value for each gas. Prohibits any person from manufacturing, introducing into interstate commerce, or emitting a significant quantity of certain fluorinated gas that is generated as a byproduct during the production or use of another fluorinated gas.
Requires the Administrator to establish specified emission allowances (annual tonnage limits) for: (1) each of 2012-2049; and (2) 2050 and thereafter. Provides for the establishment and distribution of compensatory allowances for the destruction and conversionary use of fluorinated gases and the nonemissive use of petroleum-based or coal-based liquid or gaseous fuel, petroleum coke, natural gas liquid, or natural gas as a feedstock.
This is not the whole act but it is the parts that I thought were the most essential to a clean environment…..the bill number is HR 2454…in case you would like to read the whole thing….my bad….
Now we have the cowards of Washington, the Blue Dog Democrats, that have their own agenda pertaining to energy.  Their statement is called the “Blue Dog Coalition Energy Principles” and it states:
I summarize:  The Blue Dogs say that a long term solution should be considered.  And that all domestic energy should be considered biomass, alt energy, other (nuke?).  Veiled wording for off shore drilling.  They are pushing energy efficiency to include buildings, appliances, lighting and fuel standards.  And of course their normal “pay-go” philosophy.
And then the debate turns to the GOP and their normal solutions to ALL problems.
New and Expanded Technologies: The bill creates a Renewable and Alternative Energy Trust Fund to provide funding for energy programs authorized by federal law, such as biomass, hydroelectric, clean coal, solar, wind, geothermal and other forms of renewable energy. The fund will encourage the development of renewable, alternative and unconventional fuels, and new energy sources, using receipts from the new federal and oil gas leasing in the Arctic Coastal Plain and the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).
Alternative Fuels: The bill spurs the development of America’s alternative fuels by repealing the “Section 526” prohibition on government purchasing fuels derived from sources such as oil shale, tar sands and coal-to liquid technology. The bill also encourages the use of clean coal-to-liquid technology by allowing federal agencies to enter into long-term contracts to buy coal-derived fuel and by authorizing the Secretary of Energy to enter into loan agreements with coal-to-liquid projects.
Tax Provisions for New and Expanding Technology: The bill encourages new and expanding energy technologies by making permanent tax credits for the production of renewable electricity, like wind, solar, and biomass. The bill also makes permanent investment tax credits for solar energy and for fuel cell properties and extends the biodiesel and renewable diesel tax credits.
And there it is the BIG answer from the GOP–TAX CUTS!  Since Ronald Reagan let Dr, Arthur Laffer use his Laffer Curve theory, which states, simply, if you give the rich a tax cut then the economy will flourish.  It was BS in th 80’s and it is BS today.  But the GOP keeps using the Laffer Curve every chance they get and the people should know that it is a discredited theory.
There you have it everybody in Washington has an opinion on the environment and energy.  Will the environment win in the end or will the corporations?  If history is any indication, then the corporations will have the inside track.