Day: July 24, 2013

Why Detroit? Part 2

We all have seen the news about the demise of Detroit….at least the filing for bankruptcy……but what solutions if any are there open to the city and the state?

Actually my first thought was….will the taxpayer be on the hook for the bankruptcy?  But alas, I do not see the government stepping in to help Detroit.  Why?  Too many other cities are near the same situation as Detroit and a precedent cannot be set….no matter how good it would be……just cannot have the government involved in any bailout.

My first thought for a solution was mediation…….I would imagine that those on the Right would not like this because it would most likely include unions and we all know what the Right thinks about them……well the lies they believe……but mediation?  What is mediation?

First, you identify the problem….get parties together and see what the biggest problem is for them both……then there is the information gathering phase where mediators accumulate as much info as possible on the two sides……next,identify the biggest problem…….move on to meeting with the two sides and let them voice their ideas and then move on to solving the problem.

I like this because both sides have an equal voice and an equal chance of success……probably not gonna work for Detroit…..the problem is money and there is NONE.  So, this solution is out of the question…..

In today’s climate…the most obvious at least for Michigan, is the emergency manager, which has been used on numerous occasions by Gov. Synder….if you are not from Michigan may not know what an emergency manager is……but guess what?  I will tell you…….!

An emergency manager can:

  • Hire/fire local government employees
  • Renegotiate, terminate, modify labor contracts with state treasury approval
  • Sell, lease, or privatize local assets with state treasury approval
  • Revise contract obligations
  • Change local budgets without local legislative approval
  • Initiate municipal bankruptcy proceedings
  • Hire support staff

An emergency manager cannot raise taxes.

My guess is that the EM will push hard for the bankruptcy……..I do not see where this will solve Detroit’s problems.

In my opinion…..the EM is unconstitutional and undemocratic….any time that the elected reps are by passed by any government is, in my book…undemocratic….an outright assault on democracy…………..but since I do not live in Michigan I am not an expert….but if some one who does would like to comment…I am open to a debate…..

The solution is a hard one…..but eliminating the democratic solution  is NOT the answer.

Thoughts?

Enough With Weiner’s Weiner!

If you have had enough gossip and BS…like Weiner’s weiner….or perhaps you are fretting over what name will be given to the pampered royal larva……while all that “news” was being reported….there was something happening in the Gulf…..yes once again……..

This is an upodate on a post I did earlier about the leaking gas well…..thanx to the AP for the  update……..

An out-of-control natural gas well off the Louisiana coast has caught fire, hours after a blowout that prompted the evacuation of 44 workers.

Meanwhile, officials stressed that Tuesday’s blowout wouldn’t be close to as damaging as the 2010 BP oil spill, in which an oil rig, the Deepwater Horizon, exploded off the Louisiana coast, killing 11 workers and eventually spewing millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

No injuries were reported as a result of Tuesday night’s fire, Eileen Angelico, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, told The Associated Press.

She said it wasn’t known what caused the gas to ignite. It also wasn’t clear early Wednesday how and when crews would attempt to extinguish the blaze. BSEE said earlier Tuesday that a firefighting vessel with water and foam capabilities had been dispatched to the scene.

Wild Well Control Inc. was hired to try to bring the well under control. Angelico said Wild Well personnel approached the well earlier Tuesday night, before the fire, but they determined it was unsafe to get closer when they were about 200 feet away from it.

The gas blowout was reported Tuesday morning.

Tuesday’s blowout occurred near an unmanned offshore gas platform that was not currently producing natural gas, said Angelico. The workers were aboard a portable drilling rig known as a jackup rig, owned by Hercules Offshore Inc., which was a contractor for exploration and production company Walter Oil & Gas Corp.

Walter Oil & Gas reported to the BSEE that the rig was completing a “sidetrack well” — a means of re-entering the original well bore, Angelico said.

The purpose of the sidetrack well in this instance was not immediately clear. A spokesman for the corporation did not have the information Tuesday night. Industry websites say sidetrack wells are sometimes drilled to remedy a problem with the existing well bore.

Just more environmental damage to an already fragile ecosystem……..may not mean much to some but I live here and it could effect so many different sectors……..how many times must a story like this come to light and people still cannot see pass their moronic slogans?

Going Green!

I know that a lot of what I post is “doom and gloom”……sadly there is more of that than good news……but from time to time I do run across a story that has merit as good news……and those I try to share with my readers whenever possible.

Our dear Prez came into the Oval office with such promise he had a vision of a more green country……a country that would break its dependency on coal and oil…….he and his people wanted to help America fight its addictions.  Sad to say he has not been very successful……..GOp and its big oil and coal handlers were doing everything to make his agenda nothing more than a fleeting dream……at least he had a dream and the willingness to try and pursue it….that is a lot more than many of his predecessors had tried….

The US may be failing in its attempt to go green…..some are doing what we could not……ever hear of Bhutan, a tiny nation just north and west of India?  From an article in Natural Society……..

Perhaps you remember a nation that proclaimed gross domestic happiness was more important than gross domestic product? Well, the very same country, Bhutan, nestled in the Himalayan mountains, has decided to become the first 100% organic nation. Anthony Gucciardi previously reported on this exciting news, but it’s so exciting that we need to report on it again with some new information.

With a population of 700,000 people, Bhutan is known as a country of farmers. If they didn’t think they could feed a large population on organic crops, they wouldn’t declare organic farming to be the best form of agriculture for their country with a comprehensive plan to make the change.

Last month at the Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley told his government he is developing a National Organic Policy because the country’s farmers are increasingly convinced that “by working in harmony with nature, they can help sustain the flow of nature’s bounties.”

Many farmers like to use chemical fertilizers, even in Bhutan, because they believe it enriches their soil and helps to keep diseases and pest in check, but admirably, the Prime minister, as well as an Australian advisor to  Bhutan named Andre Leu, Bhutan says that all-out organic farming is very doable. Leu has said, “I don’t think it’s going to be that difficult given that the majority of the agricultural land is already organic by default.” This is because the expensive fertilizers used by U.S. farmers are not readily available to most farmers in Bhutan.

The World Food Program states that Bhutan grows primarily rice, corn, and potatoes as well as oranges, but is it possible as organic food demands increase, that farmers in Bhutan can start to enjoy demand for more varied crops? Currently most organic farms in Bhutan are not certified (only 1% of all organic food is currently ‘certified’ organic) but if the whole country becomes organic, might it not enjoy larger exports of pure, non GMO food? Right now Bhutan exports red beans to U.S. companies like Whole Foods, but as the new all-organic program spreads, and farmers in Bhutan are trained in new methods that will help them grow organic and become closer to self-sufficiency, we might see ‘made in Bhutan’ more often as a welcome change to the frankenfoods being offered by companies in our own country.

With current and past research finding that GMOs lead to tumor in rats, severe stomach inflammation in pigs, and increased disease rates, it’s more important than ever to spread to the word on the importance of going organic and shifting to sustainable, safe farm practices. It is you who will ignite change.

Okay I can hear all the twats yelling that it is a small backwards country that has little to lose by trying this……..I have only one thing to say to any criticism……at least they, the Bhutanese, have the courage to make change…..something the US has yet to muster……COURAGE!