Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Complete and utter devastation. If was an EF5. Had to be.

Look at this. A single piece of furniture stands.

Tornado tally raised to at least 16 (click here)




No more shallow basements or crawl spaces as in the picture to the right. Dry full basements. These crawl spaces are not current housing code. Seriously. We have witnessed a devastating year for tornadoes. This isn't going to stop soon, especially tornadoes. Even if surface water vapor has dried up and hurricanes don't form anymore, there will be tornadoes. Cities and states have to realize the way they think about infrastructure designed to protect lives is a priority. These episodes are becoming more frequent and not less.

The drugs are in question. Finally. It could set precedent.

Joseph Paul Franklin sits in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court at the start of his murder trial in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1998.(Photo: Al Behrman, AP)

...In her 14-page ruling (click here) late Tuesday afternoon, U.S. District Court Judge Nanette Laughrey criticized the timing of the state's changes to its lethal-injection procedures, stating that "details of the execution protocol have been illusive at best."

The Missouri Department of Corrections had planned to be the first state to use propofol, a common anesthetic. But after the medical profession objected, Gov. Jay Nixon halted the execution of another inmate last month and directed the department to use another drug. Corrections officials settled on pentobarbital, made by a compounding pharmacy, but released few details, citing privacy laws protecting execution teams.

"Franklin has been afforded no time to research the risk of pain associated with the Department's new protocol, the quality of the pentobarbital provided, and the record of the source of the pentobarbital," she wrote....

Propofol/Diprivan is not an appropriate drug for executions. It is short acting, a hypnotic or amnestic agent and used as a sedative, but, it does not have the proper properties to insure a painless death.  I realize it has made it's way into mainstream media, but, the deaths is causes is over time and more form asphyxiation than overdose. The deaths known to be caused by Diprivan are from over sedation and negligence of proper monitoring. 

What is it with these short acting drugs the states are focusing on? Recently is was Versed along with another medication. That is cruel and unusual. I don't believe any of the short acting drugs used for procedures should even be considered.

The privacy issue is baloney. The state is afraid the guy will be cruelly put to death and that it will make it into the media so all of a sudden drug use is a privacy issue.

There is something wrong here.

Senators Sanders and Warren need to find their place in a Presidential run for office.

One sure way of properly addressing our entitlements is to have Senator Bernie Sanders run for President. I think it's about time he did exactly that and not just to promote an issue or bring insight to the Primary, but, to lead. 

Senator Warren needs to realize her place is in higher aspirations. I realize Massachusetts needs her and trusts her, but, they can't selfish. They need to share and it is time she also begin to realize her voice is important beyond her Senate seat.

Bernie Sanders speaking in 2011. 

(AP/Rich Pedroncelli)


Bernie Sanders (click here) is not burning with presidential ambition. He doubts that he would consider bidding for the nation’s top job if another prominent progressive was gearing up for a 2016 run that would provide a seriously-focused and seriously competitive populist alternative to politics as usual.
But if the fundamental issues that are of concern to the great mass of Americans—“the collapse of the middle class, growing wealth and income inequality, growth in poverty, global warming”—are not being discussed by the 2016 candidates, Sanders says, “Well, then maybe I have to do it.”
This calculation brings the independent senator from Vermont a step closer to presidential politics than he has ever been before. With a larger social-media following than most members of Congress, a regular presence on left-leaning television and talk radio programs—syndicated radio host Bill Press greeted the Sanders speculation with a Tuesday morning “Go, Bernie, Go!” cheer—and a new “Progressive Voters of America” political action committee, Sanders has many of the elements of an insurgent candidacy in place....

The Gettysburg Address

The White House (click here)

I am happy President Obama finds solace and kinship with his predecessors.

I am also very pleased he finds comfort in the White House. It is nice for him and I am pleased he is happy there.

The closing of Gitmo.

Look, the Republicans are scaredy cats. That is just a fact. They are full of fears no one is going to resolve, especially if it gets them power in elections.

That aside, the issues facing the USA in regard to prisoner treatment and the cost of Gitmo can't be denied. There is a larger world that is in decent of that facility and the treatment of prisoners. This is not an artificial provision proposal.
...“Why would you want to reduce the standard?” (click here) asked Sen. Kelly Ayotte, who along with Sen. Saxby Chambliss, is working on amendments to preserve the current high bar for transfers. Both are Republicans.
Even if the Senate passes the White House-backed legislation, the House earlier this year approved a measure that further restricts transfers, including an outright ban on sending detainees to Yemen. Yemen is a particular challenge since more than half of the 164 detainees are from there. It’s also home to the world’s most active al-Qaida branch....

Senator Ayotte is inappropriate in her concern. She excludes the reality of the world that is disapproving of the USA's use of Gitmo. That statement about reducing the standard alone reveals ineffective understanding of the concerns about that facility and stubbornly so. But, she went on to say more than this on the Senate floor.

Senator Ayotte clearly stated she was concerned about recidivism of the detainees already released and most concerned about their ability to come to the USA to have such dangers happen again as hardened criminals.

Whether or not they get to the USA is NOT a reason to continue their incarceration. THAT is immigration reform and making sure the demands for Visas are reflecting the ability of illegitimate use of this commodity. That is what is suppose to be the focus, not keeping detainees at Gitmo. The detainees aren't the only ones trying to get to the USA to cause citizens harm, so that focus is nonsense.

As far as recidivism? That is simply a reality. Saudi Arabia's program to rehab their jihadists is about the best in the world. But. Their program does have recidivism up to 50% at times. So that is simply a fact of life. The answer to recidivism is not about imprisoning individuals, it is about intelligence and preventing such issues from effecting the national security of the USA.

The detainees that seem to be at Gitmo forever have to be reviewed for their ability to cause the USA any harm from inside a prison on USA soil. If the national security of the USA is intact there should be no concern about closing Gitmo and it may very well prove to be an enhancement to this country's security. Doesn't anyone stop to realize if there was going to be a prison break it would have happened already? I mean Gitmo is not all that. 

This continued problem has to come to an end. It is inappropriate to hold POWs beyond the end of any war and for those that have committed murder or conspired to do so, they need to be sentenced and imprisoned for the rest of their natural life. This is getting silly.

POWs are held to limit the ability of a military to carry out war. It is removal of soldiers from the battlefield. That ends when the war ends and the POWs are returned to their originating countries. The idea those involved will carrying out assaults against the USA infrastructure and killing citizens is not going to be solved by Gitmo; it is not accurate and a faux sense of security.

...Obama himself imposed a ban on Yemeni transfers from Guantanamo after a Nigerian man attempted to blow up a U.S.-bound flight on Christmas 2009 with explosives hidden in his underwear on instructions from al-Qaida operatives in Yemen. But Obama lifted that moratorium in his speech on May 23 at National Defense University in which he said Guantanamo “has become a symbol around the world for an America that flouts the rule of law.”...

This has NOTHING to do with Gitmo. This is about intelligence and infrastructure.

Yemen has some of the worst infrastructure to control jihadists as opposed to Saudi Arabia. To that fact I would expect intelligence to close the gap, but, to realize someone had a bomb in their underwear and was successful shows the lack of prowess of The West's infrastructure to detect it. There is nothing to say these dangers are exclusive to Gitmo detainees and to that end is a huge error in protecting citizens.

Holding onto detainees is not the way to resolve these dangers. One might realize the profound poverty Yemen experiences and THE FACT countries with these problems spawn jihadists to attack The West and otherwise. I mean Russia is not immune to such attacks either. They tend to come from regions near Russia, but, they can be joined and/or influenced by others as well.

We know jihadists come from impoverishment. Gitmo is false security. Heck, the monies the USA is spending on Gitmo is better served by improving the quality of life of Yemenis if that is what is the worry. Give people less reason to actually find it purposeful to attack The West. Holding POWs does not go on forever. If that is the paradigm The Right Wing is proposing for the Gitmo detainees, then they are setting hideous precedent for our own soldiers.
I am surprised to see Senator Inhofe on the floor. I hope he is well and quite correctly, work is important at times of loss to maintain purpose, direction and prevent depression. 

By Chris Casteel 
Modified: November 18, 2013 at 5:21 pm
Published: November 19, 2013
 Sen. Jim Inhofe (click here) returned to Washington on Monday and made brief remarks about the recent death of his son, thanking the Senate's chaplain and top leader for the condolences they sent last week on the Senate floor....

The controversy over Roscomos.

Roscomos is the Russia Space Agency (click here)

Evidently, the Russians want to place GPS within USA borders. The article by the New York Times clearly states the USA agencies worried about this are conducting internal examination to the implication of such use of American facilities.

This is somewhat similar to a foreign interest purchasing American soil to build a business. The reason it is controversial is because it is Russia. While competition with US companies is cited as a reason to prohibit this activity, the problem really boils down to; does the USA allow Russia competition in telecommunications within the USA?

I guarantee if this was China the GOP would be looking the other way.


...But the C.I.A. and other American spy agencies, (click here) as well as the Pentagon, suspect that the monitor stations would give the Russians a foothold on American territory that would sharpen the accuracy of Moscow’s satellite-steered weapons. The stations, they believe, could also give the Russians an opening to snoop on the United States within its borders.
The squabble is serious enough that administration officials have delayed a final decision until the Russians provide more information and until the American agencies sort out their differences, State Department and White House officials said.
Russia’s efforts have also stirred concerns on Capitol Hill, where members of the intelligence and armed services committees view Moscow’s global positioning network — known as Glonass, for Global Navigation Satellite System — with deep suspicion and are demanding answers from the administration.
“I would like to understand why the United States would be interested in enabling a GPS competitor, like Russian Glonass, when the world’s reliance on GPS is a clear advantage to the United States on multiple levels,” said Representative Mike D. Rogers, Republican of Alabama, the chairman of a House Armed Services subcommittee.
Mr. Rogers last week asked the Pentagon to provide an assessment of the proposal’s impact on national security. The request was made in a letter sent to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, Secretary of State John Kerry and the director of national intelligence, James R. Clapper Jr....
But, it is reassuring the agencies that should be worried about these activities are doing so. They need to proceed to examine the requirements of Russian proposals so the national security of the USA is not compromised. Roscosmos is not a minor entity as NASA is not a minor entity. Both agencies are aligned with military interests, so the objections are reasonable. 

The question will ultimately come down to the rights of other nations to participate in commercial competition in the telecommunication industry at the WTO. These requests by Russia aren't INTENDED to undermine the sovereignty of the USA, but, there is a potential that cannot be ignored.

It just never fails whenever Russia is involved they are labeled as "The Evil Empire" with only covert interests in their actions. In case no one noticed Russia is becoming a rather interesting country, including their application of capitalism to their communist infrastructure. 

But.

The real problem with this request by Russia and if it were China or otherwise is the 'structure' of the participation of the government in the venture. 

Capitalism fits well into Russia's culture. However, NASA is not engaged in private commercial competition and there in lies the problem.

If I may as be as so bold as to suggest a different approach by Russia in their requests. The USA government applies monies for support to the states through non-profit organizations. Those organizations were noted when President Obama was putting together an Infrastructure Bank proposal in The American Jobs Act. I can't help but believe for those countries with different forms of governing, ie: communism and/or monarchies, consider setting up their own non-profit organizations that can safely and without suspicion conduct productive relationships with democracies and other nations practicing socialism.

The reasons are obvious. There are going to be problems with national security at the WTO if governments can be proven to be a threat to other nations in their capitalistic ventures. So, alternate structures have to be looked at and oversight is important for these governments to minimize corruption and prevent such ventures from even backfiring. I can easily imagine such telecommunication enterprises being tapped by American spy agencies to carry out covert operations by the sponsoring country. So. To think such structures would insure only Russia could spy on the USA is completely naive.

When the USA sets up non-profits it is careful there is no conflict of interest between these governmental non-profits and the government issuing the funding and/or any private partners participating. This structure can work well for other nations seeking to conduct business with the USA in trade relations that do not have the business infrastructure or rather have their governing interests protected. It is well known the Russia government is concerned about the ever growing prowess of their oligarchs, if there are any left. But, as long as Russia is that concerned it needs to consider how to conduct these enterprises without causing Red Flags to go up throughout the national security interests of the USA.

When this is finally boiled down to a livable reality, it very well may be there are business activities too sensitive to extend in trade with other nations. But, today that is not known. At this point to pass a law prohibiting all other nations cannot place an antenna on USA soil is somewhat appropriate simply because all the security interests haven't filed their findings. So, the BEST policy at this point should be continued talks with Russia and a time limit of six months to one year of such an law. It needs sundown within a year to reexamine the concern about such enterprises.

I'll say this much. While these concerns seem legitimate, there are activities of listening already going on between the USA and Russia that have been going on for a long time. But, since the topic has arisen, it needs to be addressed and eventually it will take it's place among the G8, G20 and the WTO for hearings and adjudicated findings.

The Lady Senators are more than correct, but, the men don't like it.

The stories are unbelievable. They are counter culture to what this country believed or wants of it's military.

This is a great bill. There is no reason to reject the hard work these Senators have carried out in regard to restoring honor to a military in what would appear moral degradation.

Letter comes ahead (click here) of a showdown over the issue as Gillibrand set to offer plan as an amendment to annual defense policy bill

Associated Press in Washington
theguardia.com
Monday, 18 November 2013


...In a letter to Senate colleagues, 11 members of the Senate Armed Services Committee wrote that sexual assault in the military is an abomination and must be dealt with forcefully, but they rejected the solution offered by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York Democrat.
Gillibrand has the public support of nearly half the Senate for removing commanders from deciding whether serious crimes go to trial and giving that authority to seasoned trial lawyers who have prosecutorial experience and hold the rank of colonel or higher.
"We believe strongly that this would create a system that would actually be worse for victims and significantly undermine the military system of justice and discipline," the senators wrote. "It could lead to constitutional hurdles for military prosecutions; undermine the ability of prosecutors to execute plea bargains that can spare victims a difficult trial process."
The senators also said the plan would undercut the ability of commanders to threaten courts-martial and carry out non-judicial punishments....
The status of women in the military requires the leadership of the country and the military to act to protect their honor and in doing so will provide status in the needed respect they ask and need as superior officers.
Sexual assault is very damaging. It creates an understanding of victimization due to the very gender and/or stated sexual identity of a person. That can inhibit the growth of the strength of our military. We need men and women free of victimization to address their interest and leadership in the military.

If the USA is to have a volunteer military it will have to be an attractive opportunity for a career. This sort of problem will deter men and women to enter military service as well as make it a career. I don't know where any Senator gets the idea this is an option. It is not. It is outrageous to believe even the work these wonderful women Senators conducted is rejected. It seems to me to be more victimization of women that already exists within our military command.

Rejecting the work of these Senators is an extension of the idea the military answers to no one, not even our elected federal representatives. Like what?

This is not debatable. The research and testimony is ON THE RECORD supporting the decisions within this bill. To stand in opposition to FACTUAL RECORD is nothing but hubris and politics. So, the men and women of our military now know that putting political pressure on members of Congress maintains the status quo of the few when so many others are victims to that hubris and those politics.

I suggest everyone think twice before crossing the line of having this a deciding factor in their elections. For those that vote NO to improving the morality and morale that leads to a livable culture in our military to promote confidence in readiness will have problems when they run again for their Senate seat.

Safe Basement is needed.

In the debate on Flood Insurance there is a demand to exempt waterproof basements. That is only realistic in saving lives if the elevation of the home allows for any possibility to flooding in a basement. North Dakota is probably a state that can allow for many exempted from such a requirement, but, the majority of states are not in that category.

The US Army Corp and USGS can provide guidance to such an exemption in flood insurance. This is not about affordability, this is about saving lives and the possibility of flooding if residents are forced to use the basements as shelter. In recent events, the basements across two states saved lives. If one recalls there was also rain and at times torrential rains accompanying these storms. If basements in these regions of the country are not flood proof either by design/architectural improvements or elevation above any possibility of flooding, it can cost citizens their lives.

That allowance for exemption MUST be carved out in the legislation in order to allow "The Basement Exemption" over and above Homebuilders' willingness to allow these unsafe conditions. It is outrageous to believe a flat exemption in every state applies. That is simply a way to end higher costs to home building and sell substandard housing that allows for danger in citizen's lives. All too often government is blamed for tragedy in this country in these instances when in fact it is the very powerful lobbies such as the Homebuilder's Lobby that provide inaccurate information for these laws. 

The elevations of lands across this country haven't changed in 200 years. USGS can easily provide good information to the possibility of flooding according to elevation. Also the US Forest Service can provide information about deforesting due to logging and/or fire threat to allow for an understanding of flooding to nearby communities. Also the US Army Corp is well equipped to address needed infrastructure projects to begin to protect citizens lives and THUS reduce costs of flood insurance. 

To conduct legislation without proper input from these vital US agencies and conduct proper regulations is nothing but knee jerk politics and provides no improvement in the conditions our citizens face. FEMA is not a secondary mortgage company and can't be expected to save lives AFTER THE FACT.

I congratulate all the Senators for bringing this issue to the floor today, but, I implore them to do this well and be sure beyond any doubt citizens will be safe as well as insured.


Thank you so very much. You guys are great.

This is a wonderfully elegant car ad from Russia

One would get the feeling as though the Olympics are coming

The idea the GOP can't actually be real people to effect legislation is nonsense.

It panders to political donors and doesn't seek to represent the people in effective ways. The US House is not going to change. We are going to be effectively facing about the same majority except for a few seats after 2014. They are gerrymandered. 2010 was a war against Americans by the GOP.

Rothenberg has about six seats in the House in sincere play.

Outlook (click here)

Republicans have a 234-201 majority. Democrats need a net gain of 17 seats for a majority.

PURE TOSS-UP

Democrat: 3Republican: 3
AZ2DBarber
CO6RCoffman
FL13ROpenVACANT Special
NC7DMcIntyre
NJ3ROpenRunyan
UT4DMatheson
The country needs a functional government and not rhetoric or political turbulence.

Impeachment? Well. This is getting to be a House tradition when there is a Democratic President in his Second Term.

The House is trying to get away from their disapproval over the government shutdown and brinkmanship of the National Debt. Who is kidding who?

U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder speaks during the Community Memorial Service at 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama September 15, 2013.
CREDIT: REUTERS/MARVIN GENTRY


"This was not a decision that I made lightly. Since the House voted in 2012 to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt, the pattern of disregard for the rule of law and refusal to be forthright has only continued," Texas Representative Pete Olson, who drafted the articles, said in a statement provided to Reuters on Wednesday.
"The American people deserve answers and accountability. If the attorney general refuses to provide answers, then Congress must take action."
The Justice Department did not respond to requests for comment on the possibility of an impeachment move....
I wouldn't respond either. The entire idea is nothing but dysfunctional and extremist politics no different than it was before.

Republicans are desperate. Very. They have pulled some hideous and outrageous stunts this past year and they are desperately trying to change the dialogue in the electorate. The only reason they are attempting such hideous rantings in the media is because they see one year to turn their loser agenda around. 

Republicans never change their agenda. They only change the dialogue. Their agenda is set in stone because people like Koch have them bought and sold. It is the dialogue they are plugging away at and Attorney General Holder is a convenient target based in old lies and rhetoric. I am sorry to hear he is still a target to the GOP, he doesn't deserve it. His decisions in seeking election freedoms to vote openly in the USA is very important. He didn't have to take that response to the Supreme Court decision, but, Congressional response to build a better Voter Rights Bill is so lethargic someone had to do something.

There needs to be an investigation.

This woman was cited by President Obama in his belief in the PPACA. Afterwards she is then penalized. I am very skeptical of all these errors and how convenient it is for insurance companies to continue to increase rates after their future customers are given a rate quote. Those quotes are suppose to be set in stone when consumers decide to change carriers. There is something wrong here. Once quoted Ms. Sanford's decision to change policies were made and she was then penalized for a logical decision. That, within my understanding, is illegal.

I am not saying there are not problems with the rollout, but, this is very suspicious and more than an egregious error. Isn't there a Senate race in Washington next year? I find that some of the states without good functioning systems are in politically sensitive states. That is predatory and leaves the citizen in a political breach they don't deserve..

By LUCY MCCALMONT
11/19/13 7:46 AM EST
...But Sanford said (click here) she was then notified by the state that a miscalculation in tax credit eligibility meant her coverage costs would increase from $198 a month to $280. CNN also notes that Sanford initially paid $169, but had switched plans.
Sanford said she was then notified again of a “system error” and given a higher quote. Alternate plans were out of her budget. Yet another letter explained Sanford would receive no federal tax credit to help cover the cost, which she said she had a “good cry” over.
A spokesperson for Washington’s exchange is “looking into” Sanford’s situation, CNN said.

Texas is among the most egregious states in this country when it comes to human rights abuses.

...Cornyn holds at least a 7% lead (click here) over all potential 2014 challengers, including former Houston Mayor Bill White (47/40), State Senator Wendy Davis (48/40), Mayor of San Antonio Julian Castro (50/37), and Mayor of Houston Annise Parker (49/36)....

The reason Texas has so many problems with poverty, gun violence, crime rates and the death penalty is because there is a smothered counter narrative by Democrats. There are wonderful people wearing blue and not red in their party affiliations with ideas that would build better lives for Texans. I refuse to believe someone as dedicated as State Senator Wendy Davis is unable to overcome GOP rhetoric that has caused this tragic realities to Texans.

One of the most dramatic examples of the wind change in traditionally Red States is South Carolina's Lindsay Graham.
TOM KLUDT – 
Perhaps even more disconcerting for Graham, who is staring at a GOP primary in 2014, is his steep drop among Republican voters in South Carolina. The latest survey from Winthrop showed 45 percent of Republican voters approving of Graham, compared with 40 percent who disapprove.
Those mediocre numbers represent a massive decline since February, when nearly 72 percent of GOP voters said they approved of Graham. In Winthrop's April survey, about 57 percent of Palmetto State Republicans approved of Graham.
Three Republicans have already announced their intention to challenge Graham next year....

As recent as this past Sunday, Graham is staying the course of his rhetoric. He is hanging on to old lies and it is showing. 

Why is Palin still an iconic figure?

July 30, 2013

Q24 Would you describe yourself as very liberal, (click here) somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat conservative, or very conservative?
Very liberal ...................................................... 8%
Somewhat liberal ............................................ 17%
Moderate......................................................... 30%
Somewhat conservative.................................. 25%
Very conservative ........................................... 20%


Q5 Given the choices of Joe Miller, Sarah Palin, Dan Sullivan, and Mead Treadwell, who would you most like to see as the Republican candidate for Senate next year?
Joe Miller ........................................................ 12%
Sarah Palin ..................................................... 36%
Dan Sullivan.................................................... 15%
Mead Treadwell .............................................. 26%
Someone else/Not sure .................................. 11%


Palin continues to hold her place among the GOP because she appeals to Moderate conservatives over those of the extremists. Where are Democrats in Alaska to stand up for those moderates? It makes no sense Palin has standing among those folks. She is not moderate and assaults the rights of women on a regular basis.

The way conservatives think.

Thad Cochran's claim to fame for re-election is defeating increases in Flood Insurance.

There was a bill passed in 2012 asking FEMA to re-evaluate the Flood Insurance Program. There are reasons to believe there is chronic abuse of the program. In other words, FEMA is suppose to designate flood plains. In doing so they issue flood maps which dictate insurance rates. Not only that but it indicates where development of infrastructure is a bad idea. Let's say there is a major power plant being planned it would be important it wasn't placed on a flood plain.


DIY: This home in Vicksburg, Mississippi (click here) is surrounded by tons of earth and sand as its owner tries to hold back the floodwaters from the Yazoo River

In July 2012, (click here) the U.S. Congress passed the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (BW-12) which calls on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and other agencies, to make a number of changes to the way the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is run. Some of these changes already have occurred, and others will be implemented in the coming months. Key provisions of the legislation will require the NFIP to raise rates to reflect true flood risk, make the program more financially stable, and change how Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) updates impact policyholders. The changes will mean premium rate increases for some—but not all—policyholders over time. Homeowners and business owners are encouraged to learn their flood risk and talk to their insurance agent to determine if their policy will be affected by BW-12....

So, with a history of chronic use of The Flood Insurance Program as a means to maintain building of homes in flood plains, the Congress fairly much stated in 2012, enough is enough. 

Flooding isn't just about having a home safe and sound from destruction or ending the purpose of the the home in sheltering a family, it is also about setting standards for where to safely homes, so lives are not in danger. Within the legislation in 2012 was the request for research to determine the rates of flood insurance. That is not yet completed. So, to that end Senator Thad Cochran had a legitimate reason to ask for a delay in issuing higher rates. But, it is astounding to me how flippant Republican law makers are when it comes to these issues. 
...Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., (click here) is a member of the subcommittee that Tuesday backed provisions in the flood insurance program that would put off for a year implementation of Federal Emergency Management Agency plans that opponents say would dramatically increase flood insurance premiums.
“We need to make sure the National Flood Insurance program is solvent, but we can’t make flood insurance protection unaffordable for the average family, business or community,” Cochran said in a release. “A one-year delay would give communities more time to plan for and mitigate possible rate changes.”...

That is populous mind speak. People aren't suppose to be building in areas where flooding is known to occur. It is just that simple. To continue the idea the USA's Treasury can continue to sustain losses in insuring the nation against BAD CHOICES is hideous.

This has been a problem in the southern Red States for a long time and then the nation wonders why these states continue to be afflicted with chronic problems and poverty. Well, if one is always patching their homes back together at the cost of national funding do those homes actually have value enough to build wealth? 

No.

Then there is the interruption in income and sustainable plans for a quality community where education is important and long term plans can be carried out. Flood Insurance is not suppose to support bad choices, it is emergency funding. It is when in a wicked instance nature turns a dream into a nightmare. But, it was never intended to chronically support a community or a state in bad choices.

I hope the flood plains, new or otherwise because of the Climate Crisis, are identified and enforced by higher insurance rates. The idea that building will continue on flood plains or the side of mountains where deforestation will allow large deluge of rain to wash away homes and lives along with it is nonsense. 

This is the problem of ignoring the Climate Crisis and denying the cause which is anthropogenic. The USA legislature has to recognize the chronic problems this country is facing in relation to a Wild West climate and the deadly trend it is on. The problems within these programs don't belong to citizens so much as the general fund to the USA Treasury. When that shift in thinking occurs the budget of the nation will have to reflect the need for better infrastructure regardless of the cause, be it storm cellars in Oklahoma for tornadoes or walls surrounding cities as Europe has built to save cities from high velocity storms.
Senators like Cochran are not the people that anyone can call a responsible legislator. He simply and chronically puts out fires rather than recognizing the sincere core of the problem and addressing it. He is ineffective in protecting the citizens of Mississippi on a long term basis. The way infrastructure is thought about in the USA has to change because lives depend on it. 

The tornadoes and hurricanes and Superstorms occurring in the USA are NOT single occurrences anymore. Lives of citizens are in the balance and to continue to deny at a legislative level there is no anthropogenic climate change is moronic and extremely expensive. If Republicans want to complain about the debt on future generations they need to address the chronic problems they create as an insult to the USA Treasury because it is convenient to their political dogma.

Resisting Unions does not place employers out of reach to litigation and fair labor practices.

The NLRA: Key Issues For All Employers (This is from a PDF on the net) This was decided as far back as 2008.

No Union, No Problem...But Is It? The NLRA's Impact on Non-Union Employers1
National Employment Law Council
April 26, 2013
Dean Burrell, Gary Harrison-Ducros, Darren Jones, Samantha Martinez

It used to be that non-union employers paid little attention to the National Labor Relations Act, thinking it had no applicability to the non-union workplace. However, through a number of decisions, enforcement actions, and guidance documents, the National Labor Relations Board reminded management during the first Obama administration that the law applies to all workplaces, whether unionized or not. This article summarizes the most important labor law issues of the last year that are applicable to all employers....


Office of Public Affairs
202-273-1991
publicinfo@nlrb.gov
www.nlrb.gov

The National Labor Relations Board Office of the General Counsel has investigated charges alleging that Walmart violated the rights of its employees as a result of activities surrounding employee protests. The Office of the General Counsel found merit in some of the charges and no merit in others. The Office of the General Counsel has authorized complaints on alleged violations of the National Labor Relations Act. If the parties cannot reach settlements in these cases, complaints will issue.

The Office of the General Counsel found merit to alleged violations of the National Labor Relations Act against Walmart, such as the following:
  • During two national television news broadcasts and in statements to employees at Walmart stores in California and Texas, Walmart unlawfully threatened employees with reprisal if they engaged in strikes and protests on November 22, 2012.
  • Walmart stores in California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and Washington unlawfully threatened, disciplined, and/or terminated employees for having engaged in legally protected strikes and protests.
  • Walmart stores in California, Florida, Missouri and Texas unlawfully threatened, surveilled, disciplined, and/or terminated employees in anticipation of or in response to employees’ other protected concerted activities.
The Office of the General Counsel found no merit, absent appeal, to alleged violations of the National Labor Relations Act against Walmart, such as the following:
  • Walmart stores in Illinois and Texas did not interfere with their employees’ right to strike by telling large groups of non-employee protestors to move from Walmart’s property to public property, pursuant to a lawful Solicitation and Distribution policy, where the groups contained only a small number of employees who either did not seek to stay on Walmart’s property or were permitted to remain without non-employee protesters.
  • Walmart stores in California and Washington did not unlawfully change work schedules, disparately apply their policies, or otherwise coerce employees in retaliation for their exercise of statutory rights.
The National Labor Relations Act guarantees the right of private sector employees to act together to try to improve their wages and working conditions with or without a union.