Other states need to take notice.
By Alec Regimbal
Gov. Gavin Newsom (click here) announced a plan Wednesday that would both expand abortion access in California and lure businesses away from states that are expected to ban the procedure in the coming weeks.
The plan is a response to a recently leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that revealed the body planned to overturn Roe v. Wade. If that happens, political analysts expect abortions to be illegal or difficult to obtain in roughly half of the U.S.
“California will not stand idly by as extremists roll back our basic constitutional rights,” Newsom said in a statement. “We’re going to fight like hell, making sure that all women — not just those in California — know that this state continues to recognize and protect their fundamental rights."
It’s not uncommon for Newsom to capitalize on what he sees as bad political moves being made by other state leaders, namely those in Florida and Texas....
Governor Newsom is also enjoying a huge budget surplus. How? By taxing the wealthy, of course.
State coffers (click here) are overflowing with an unprecedented budget surplus as Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday unveiled a massive $300.7 billion spending package that funnels billions in cash payments to vehicle owners and hospital workers while dramatically boosting spending on education, infrastructure and wildfire resilience.
During his highly anticipated May budget revision, Newsom said the state’s surplus ballooned to $97.5 billion — far higher than his $76 billion January estimate. A large chunk of this surplus is mandated toward education and other spending categories, while lawmakers have discretion over about $49.2 billion, some of which will be given back to taxpayers, Newsom said.
The bountiful budget is buoyed by a trend accelerated during the pandemic: Economic gains enjoyed by California’s wealthiest residents translated into unusually high tax revenue for the Golden State. In the 2021 tax year, residents will report a staggering $291 billion in investment profits, according to the revised budget estimate.
“It’s simply without precedent,” Newsom said during a two-hour press conference. “No other state in American history has ever experienced a surplus as large as this.”
But despite the rosy outlook, Newsom argued that California needs to ready itself for a stock market bust by putting $23.3 billion in a rainy day fund and using the vast majority of the surplus on one-time spending. He compared the state’s current budget situation to the bubble before the dot-com crash and said the recent stock market downturn is cause for concern....
Governor Newsom has more water problems that is mostly not experienced before.
By Stephanie Elam
As Southern Californians (click here) brace for unprecedented water restrictions, officials worry some communities won't have enough water to get through the summer -- at least not without residents and businesses significantly cutting back on their usage.
The state's top natural resources officer told CNN that California's water emergency clearly shows the climate crisis in action.
"Some would consider this a wake-up call. I disagree," Wade Crowfoot, California's secretary for natural resources, told CNN. "The alarm's already gone off."...
Governor Newsom has discussed the idea of desalination plants. It is a serious prospect. I might add, if the desalination plants are used, accompanying that reality is the RIGHT TO MAINTAIN A LAWN. Why? Because placing moisture back into the troposphere will return function to the climate. Desalination does not have to be used forever, if function can be returned to Earth. Artificial rain, which is what a sprinkler system is, can reverse the trend of drought that has been spinning out of control for the past three decades.
Ridding society of greenhouse gases is a must, but, accompanying that is the reality that Earth has entered NEGATIVE FEEDBACK LOOPS. Eliminating GHG pollution is vital, however, it must be accompanied by a REHABILITATION of Earth through returning water vapor to the circulating air mass of Earth. Basically, eliminating greenhouse gases is a rebalancing of Earth's troposphere to the place that was benevolent to life. Earth is going to need some help to return function to the climate by once again introducing moisture to the troposphere and that is best done by increasing the moisture to soil and land.
The best example I can provide is the loss of Ethiopian biotic areas that lead to nearly permanent famine. The dam used to replace water availability to Ethiopia is always criticized. But, along with the criticism there were no other viable alternatives offered.
April 2011
Benishangul-Gumuz region, Ethiopia
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), (click here) formerly known as the Millennium Dam, is under construction in the Benishangul-Gumuz region of Ethiopia, on the Blue Nile River, which is located about 40km east of Sudan. The project is owned by Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCO).
Construction of the Grand Renaissance Dam started in April 2011 after the ETB80bn ($4.7bn) engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract was awarded to Salini Costruttori.
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam project is expected to be completed by July 2017. The people and Government of Ethiopia are funding the project, which will not only serve Ethiopia, but Sudan and Egypt as well. The latter two countries depend on the Nile River for their water although 85% of the river flows in Ethiopia.
The dam’s construction is expected to create up to 12,000 jobs. Approximately 20,000 people will be resettled during the course of the project.
The reservoir and dam will offer major benefits to Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan. Egypt has for a long time held the major ownership of the water from the Nile River and prevented Ethiopia from constructing a dam. Egypt depends on the Nile for 90% of its water needs.
A tripartite committee was formed in January 2012 to promote understanding and look into the benefits and impacts the project would have on the three countries....
Dams such as this is not about recreation or boating, it is about returning function to the land through evaporation of water in places now droughted and through irrigation to crops and even for the benefit of restoring forests and above all other interests, rainforests.
Once the biotic areas, OF NATURAL and NATIVE FLORA, is returned the need for irrigation ends in time and complete function can be facilitated through natural Earth processes.
BUT.
The ending of greenhouse gas pollution MUST OCCUR, otherwise, these projects will only prove to be long lived without the benefits initially intended. Evaporation of water from Earth into the upper atmospheres is happening. It has to stop and immediately if not sooner. The volatility between the troposphere and stratosphere is extremely dangerous and will result in the collapse of Earth's natural life sustaining air masses by MIXING of the two Earth atmospheres.
Currently, Earth's troposphere is expanding due to heat. The hotter it becomes the bigger a space it takes up and the more pressure it exerts on the stratosphere. Currently, Earth's stratosphere is being compressed and some of it lost to the mixing of the two atmospheres. This cannot continue and is an emergency that no country has a right to ignore. Projects such as this dam and desalination plants that return biotic function to land are vital to ending the climate crisis, but, the GHG pollution MUST STOP.
It was most heartening to pass by one of the electric recharge stations near home that are mostly empty only to see three cars at the charge stands. It was a sight that made me smile and lifted a great deal of hope for our society. We can do this. It is not that difficult. Consumption of fossil fuels must end.
