We still haven't gotten the job done.

It is all still institutionalized racism. The police. The social services that the Poor receives. There is still institutionalized racism.

I worked in Newark, New Jersey for five years or so. There was a police organization of Black Officers. They way they handled themselves and addressed each other and the community was no different in 'style' than any Black man in the city or on the street. They didn't clash, they blended. They blended so well it was scary at times. That was before Cory was Mayor.

They tried. They wanted the community to be as good as it could be. There were separated from the community looking at them through a gun site. They walked the same walk and talked the same talk. They were men, I never saw a woman at any of those meetings.

They had no aspirations, except, to bring an understanding to the people they were on their side. I don't think Caucasian officers could do the same thing, although they tried. Every police officer in Newark that I had met along the way was dedicated to their jobs and the people they served.

The police force wasn't perfect, there was corruption and it was found and prosecuted. That didn't matter. The officers I knew simply saw that as a problem to explain to the community to be sure they understood all of them were not involved and mostly naive to it's existence. Corruption existed and didn't taint every member of the police force. 

It wasn't reverse racism, it is just that the Caucasian officers weren't in that space. The Black officers met on a regular basis to support each other and trade information. That was in the 1990s.

There is still institutional racism. It has to stop. When minority communities state they don't believe life is better, there is a reason why. They need to vote, but, they also have to have candidates that matter.

November 14, 2014
By Jamelle Bouie

...The grievances haven’t gone away, (click here) and in era of slow growth and stagnant wages, they’ve likely gotten worse. It’s why, in the 2012 presidential election, Republican nominee Mitt Romney ran a series of ads—concentrated in the white working-class areas of Ohio and Pennsylvania—attacking President Obama for “gutting welfare” and “cutting checks” to people who wouldn’t work. For as much as this was plainly racial—welfare is still associated with blacks in the public mind—it also reflected a genuine frustration with the shape of the world.

Working-class whites are physically closer to the poor. And to them, as Kevin Drumnotes, the poor are often “folks next door who don’t do a lick of work but somehow keep getting government checks paid for by their tax dollars.” It doesn’t matter that working-class tax rates are relatively low, and that anti-poverty programs are a small part of the federal budget. What matters is that they pay taxes but don’t get the same kind of benefits. Again, here’s Drum:...

General Dempsey met with US soldiers on his unannounced visit

November 15, 2014

Iraqi forces (click here) say they have driven away Islamic State militants from around the country's largest oil refinery.

It comes a day after officials said they had retaken the nearby town of Baiji, which had been under militant control since June.

The top US military officer, General Martin Dempsey, has also arrived in Iraq on an unannounced visit.

It is his first trip since a US-led coalition began a campaign of airstrikes against the militants.

More than 1,000 non-combat American forces are in Iraq to help train the national army. President Obama has authorised sending up to 1,500 more to support Iraqi forces....
...Fully clearing Baiji and the refinery of IS fighters would enable Iraqi forces to cut key the militant's supply lines, says the BBC's Hugh Sykes in Baghdad....

To begin with, I think MSNBC is confused to their approach to war by the USA.

Richard Engel, The Battle against ISIS (click here)

"Why We Did It," The Invasion of Iraq (click here) 

That said, the only thing Mr. Engel did tonight was to sell the need for Western Muslims to join ISIS and defeat every other group in the region, including the USA. That means more young people will lose their citizenship in Europe and North America for empathizing with a brutal, totalitarian regime known as ISIS.

Remember this? I do. I very clearly remember this.

General Eric Shinseki stated very clearly the numbers of troops needed to make an invasion into Iraq successful to allow for all the needs of the people would require AT LEAST 200,000 troops.

That was ONLY Iraq. Now add to that Syria. The numbers of troops goes up. 

There are about 30 thousand members of ISIS. It would seem as though General Hayden is as delusional about military reality today as when he was pumping up the egos of "W" and Cheney. Not that Cheney needed much pandering to his ego, but, I think I make my point.  

The USA needs to begin to plan to remove our ADVISORS from Iraq in a timely fashion and soon. Why? Because we aren't going to make a damn bit of difference if the Region doesn't do their part to end the most brutal regime the Middle East ever saw. More brutal than any caliphate in any history books. 

Hayden states his estimate is to send in 5 or maybe 10 thousand American troops into Iraq and Syria to END THIS. 

I don't think so, Mr. Hayden.

The USA has a strategy and it does not plan for vast deployments of our military. The strategy is to disarm the Islamic State from any and all munitions and war machines obtained from Iraq's military abandonment of their posts. 

When the COLLECTIVE known as the Iraq government needed the military to stand up it ran and it ran as far and fast as it could. Some died anyway, but, they died without even raising a finger or pulling a trigger or yelling to their comrades "Where do you think you are going, they'll kill us anyway."

The fact of the matter is the American people are being spoon fed NUMBERS of USA troops to 'get used to' having the USA 'back at it' again. 

Today, Nusra Front was suppose to ally with the Islamic State. That brings the numbers to how many exactly. 

The USA is disarming the region of billions of dollars of American provided equipment so there is a more level playing field for those that actually want to fight for their land. But, the people of the region have to fight. Land to the region is no longer a gift provided by American Blood and Treasure. It is called national building and it has cost the American people trillions of dollars for what reason? To have their young Muslims starry eyed with the promise of a caliphate like Mohammad wanted for them, run away, abandon their citizenship and attend to a hateful regime that will kill absolutely no differently than the Taliban. If al Qaeda has failed to make connections with the Islamic State is because there is no difference between them and the Taliban and why would the Islamic State want to give it all up to the Taliban.

The success of the USA strategy is not about killing people, it is about establishing AUTHORITY that will actually protect the sovereignty of countries such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey, UAE, Bahrain, Iraqi and Syrian Kurds, Qatar, Sunni Sheiks in An Albar and Jordan.

Up to now the USA has been the world's police. No more. In order for the USA to WIN this conflict it will have to commit itself to a forever war because the more American forces kill people in the Middle East, the more war there will be and the USA and it's citizens stand as ground zero for nut cases like al Baghdadi.

No more. The region has to fight this with allies from Europe and the USA. They will never be alone or without others that care about their sovereignty or the well being of their people. But, from where I stand the countries of the Middle East know exactly what is going on there and are more than capable of defeating those that want to harm them. 

Tell me for one minute Saudi Arabia ever had a problem with sovereignty or keeping the peace within the kingdom. NOT ONE DAY. And that was with the USA killing people in Iraq every day from March 2003 to December 2011.

There was no case made by Mr. Engel for the USA to ever send troops into Iraq or Syria. It was war correspondence at best. 

The DOD has been talking about nuclear weapon updating.

Guess what I ran across. It just seemed like "Old Home Week."

The two faces of Rumsfeld (click here)

2000: director of a company which wins $200m contract to sell nuclear reactors to North Korea 

2002: declares North Korea a terrorist state, part of the axis of evil and a target for regime change

Then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs states he can't guarantee there won't be American troops in combat in Iraq and Syria. Joking. What American did not recognize this? Dempsey came out of his "No Boots on the Ground" closet because he wants Congress to do something.

The American people are going to have to get used to a government that doesn't care about their opinions or need. The 113th Congress will lead into the 114th Congress that will simply railroad their priorities through. Why did Dempsey wait until after the elections to make that statement? 

Two words.

Republican Neocons.

There will be efforts by the Democrats in the House and Senate to intercede for Americans in the next two years, but, the Republicans are too anxious to pay their debt back to their cronies. The President will do his part, but, what it comes down to is that organizations of Americans will have to ban together to hire lawyers to protect their interests. 

Lawyers for the next two years are going to be a fact of life for a majority of Americans.

Lawyers and the international community. China will have to hold the USA's feet to the fire on climate at the very least. It was interesting to see the testimony of Michael Brown Jr.'s family at the meeting in Geneva. It was met with witnesses related to the parent's own investigation being asked to testify at the Grand Jury. 

When people work together and find qualified attorneys sometimes mountains can be moved.

Where did all the critics go?

Sierra Leone Surgeon With Ebola Coming To U.S. For Care (click here)

And what was Beck and Limbaugh talking about? Ebola?

I guess it just doesn't work for them anymore.

I just can't let this one go by.

Krauthammer is a journalist of one venacular or another. In this segment he is listening to Kelly 'make the deal' for presidential impeachment. 

Clip is here.

The argument is irrelevant to reality, but, take a good look at Krauthammer who prides himself on the stiffness of collar. 

He looks like "Weekend at Bernie's." Right? Yeah. 

Nonsense personified.

The post election behavior of the right wing press. It is almost predictable, isn't it? They can't continue to use old political issues for their hype, so they latch on to something new. 

Ed Schultz nailed Glen Beck about health care. Beck tried to work on the sympathy of his listening and viewing audience to remake himself into a desperately sick person who had to go outside the system to find help for his cause. Schultz thought it was nice to know Mr. Beck was illustrating the need for good quality health care and supportive to the new health care law.

Beck revealed his true intentions for the escapade in attempting to say he pays for quality care outside the average "Western Medicine" system and there is no insurance company that will pay for it. In other words, traditional medicine in the USA is 'on the take' now with the Affordable Care Act when so much better practitioners of 'cures' are available and cost vastly less than any doctor in a traditional field.

The cackling from Beck's radio show was more like 9 year old boys playing a joke on the teacher. I suppose for those that like juvenile radio Beck is entertaining. I won't be returning to his broadcast.

There have been non-traditional forms of medicine for a long time. By a long time I mean centuries. Not all these practices are bad or unhealthy or trivial. Many people facing difficult traditional diagnosis often turn to these other methods and frequently to some extent they work. Why? Because they focus on nutrition and herbs, things like that. Anyone eating the American diet will benefit from departure from it, so surprise there.

The malady Beck was referring to is not all that uncommon in the USA. Fatigue and adrenal gland exhaustion. It is somewhat typical of Americans actually. But, Beck found a neurological clinic helpful. They can be because they refocus the lifestyle and it pays off. I might add many of the 'alternate' therapies have already been incorporated into Western Medicine. Massage, imagery and nutritional support have become common place in most hospitals especially in their cancer centers. Mr. Beck does not have cancer. 

The most interesting addition to cancer therapy came from a disgraced cyclist, Lance Armstrong. The man beat testicular cancer and he did so while being very physically active. That proved to be of interest to Western medicine and they have incorporated physical therapy and prescriptions of 'activity' during cancer treatment. I improves the body chemistry and general health while a patient is receiving treatments.

So, the idea that Mr. Beck has 'found something out' about treating the health of Americans is nothing new, except, to Mr. Beck. Besides the neurology thing has been promoted by President Obama with funding that has been proven beneficial in finding new aspects of the brain and treatment for disease and deformation.

Mr. Limbaugh on the other hand with his struggle to retain sponsors is chasing some idea that Mr. Gruber is actually a money grubbing thief of the American people. While he may have been foolishly playing with concepts, he has done nothing but embarrass himself that might belong on social media. Mr. Limbaugh is betting this is the Golden Ring for his future in radio. 

Mr. Limbaugh is practicing pure nonsense. Mr. Gruber is an esteemed academician that engages in research and also attempt to move foreign societies and governments through his research. 

The statistics are in on the Massachusetts health care law and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. 

End of discussion.

If Russian jets and tanks are stupid enough to assault sovereignty of any country on Earth...

...shoot them down and blow up the tanks. Putin wants war, then give it to the damn Russian. Put him out of his misery. 

There is at least one private zoo owner in Paris that will take over the protection of tigers.

Nov. 13 (Bloomberg) -- With Russia (click here) flying bombers to the Gulf of Mexico and Nato saying Russian troops have entered Ukraine, Bloomberg's Ryan Chilcote looks at the state of Russia's military might and what that could mean for the stand off in the region. (Source: Bloomberg)

Two Dutch F-16 fighter jets on a NATO mission intercepted a Russian aircraft in the Baltics after it approached Estonian and Lithuanian airspace.

The F-16s intercepted an Ilyushin transport plane that hadn’t announced a flight plan yesterday near the two countries and escorted it out of the area, the Dutch Defense Ministry said on its website. The plane flew in the direction of the Russian Baltic Sea exclave of Kaliningrad, the ministry said....

Next time force the lousy jets to land and take it away from Russia. With the entire world tired of Putin's antics by threatening and killing people, Russia will lose and the world will have a better country to deal with afterwards. There are many Russians willing to serve as a President that can be civilized and become a friend to other nations. I am sure they'll protect tigers, too.

There are several subspecies of tiger. There are three subspecies that have gone extinct. This is a picture of a Siberia Tiger also known as an Amur tiger.

It is my guess this is the tiger that have been seen near Paris. The other subspecies lives in more tropical areas of Asia and far more east and south. This particular species could migrate east from Siberia. It is a long trek, but, considering this species thrives in snow and the cold, this is the most likely to have walked a great distance to insure it's survival.

If this is a young tiger he is a lone male that has been forced from it's normal habitat. That is more normal than one might think.

If one recalls in 2010 there was a huge fire in Russia that killed 50 thousand people. The fire would also be a threat to any Siberian tiger that might have been living in that region. This tiger lives in the farest east of Russia, but, with habitat destruction and pure survival of a young cat could push it east into Europe.

This is a more mature Siberian Tiger. It doesn't matter what species of tiger might be surviving in and near Paris, it is an endangered species. 

The tiger is most probably hungry. It's usual prey include horses, cattle, pigs as well as wild deer. If the tiger continues to be elusive a trap with an animal within it's normal diet would likely draw him or her in. I would be surprised if it is a female.

When looking for this tiger, check the trees, too. 

Competition (click here)

As tigers compete with humans and industry for land, they find less and less to eat. Local people hunt the same prey as tigers do, pressing tigers to resort to domestic animals and, on rarer occasions, even humans. (Tigers are one of only two animals–the other is the polar bear–that are known to stalk humans.)

I know this sounds glib, but, if he had to be alone in the wild and wandering for habitat, I am glad it was into France and ultimately Paris. At least he will survive the hunt for him. I am also not surprised he was seen by people at this point. Tigers are scared of unfamiliar activity. He has probably used his instinct to survive to this point and avoided being seen to this point.

There is another less romantic notion of where this tiger came from. He could have been a pet and turned loose when he began to long for mating and the hunt. Tigers will remain passive and dependent for awhile, but, as soon as the tiger is capable of hunting it will become aggressive and unfriendly. I doubt the owner will voluntarily come forward, but, asking him or her to come forward might give ultimate handlers a clue to the tiger's behavior.

The reason to know whether this was a domesticated or wild tiger will provide insight to where he should live. Either maintain him/her in a zoo or return the tiger to the wild. If it was a pet the idea of survival in the wild might be unrealistic.

I can fully imagine a French citizen finding a way to protect a least one tiger from demise. It is possible if the tiger was a pet, it was conducted out of compassion for the species. 

If a pet, the owner may have been attempting to return it to the wild without much information or resources to bring the animal to east Asia. If it is a pet, it could be any of the subspecies as well.

Good luck.

Immigration Reform

Does no one HEAR President Obama when he makes statements? No one?

All anyone hears is "Immigration" - OMG "Amnesty." - OMG "Impeachment"

November 13, 2014

By Deborah Hastings

Bloody demonstrations (click here) are taking place across the country, threatening tourism and creating a challenge to President Enrique Pena Nieto. The small town of Iguala, site of the murders, installed a new mayor after the incumbent was arrested for ordering the massacre....

Any of this ring a bell?



The strange garbled sound is wind blowing past the microphone. No bells, huh?

A light went on, maybe?



Still nothing?

President Obama stated the resources at the border are being used to arrest and deport people that aren't a threat while there are other priorities better served.

Any chance anyone remembers that?

If no one heard that but me it is because you are brainwashed by FOX News and the Republicans empty headed politics even AFTER the elections were over.

I'll tell you something, I don't know how anyone can vote for Republicans and really expect to pay them for their antics. The election is over, the country needs governance and the Congress is getting paid for NOT SHOWING up for work for more than 64% of the year. That was SIXTY-FOUR percent of any given year since John Boehner has become Speaker there was no work being done, EXCEPT, to have session called without any business conducted so the recess, WHEN NO ONE WAS THERE BUT THE person with the gavel, was not really a recess.

What President Obama stated is that he is changing the engagement of undocumented workers (UNDOCUMENTED WORKERS - These are people working without papers. PEOPLE WORKING without papers.) so the resources currently doing clerical work can go back to doing important work.

That is what he said. 

Bells? Lights? 

Oh, well.

"Fortunate Son" was first released by Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1969

"One Extraordinary Year" - John Fogerty (click here)

"Creedence Clearwater Revival" from left to right Tom Fogerty, Doug Clifford, Stu Cook and John Fogerty. This was a rare photo where John actually had a mustache. The year was 1969.

The critics expect all veterans are in favor or war. And that all wars are legal and moral.

Don’t expect John Fogerty (click here) to join the chorus of folks who think it was in bad taste for Bruce Springsteen, Dave Grohl and Zac Brown to perform his song ‘Fortunate Son’ at the Concert for Valor on Nov. 11.

Iraq Veterans Against the War (click here)

What I find so interesting is "We are still there." Johnson deployed troops and drafted Americans starting at the age of 19. Vietnam was just as immoral and illegal as Iraq. The civilian body count in Vietnam on both sides of the war is estimated to be 1,600,000 precious lives gone.

American soldiers go where and when they are told. They defend this country. President Obama made a promise to them. He stated American soldiers would always know the reason for war and they would have a clear reason for their service.

There are a lot of reasons why the songs of the 1960s are still relevant today.

Thirty-two years ago today, after a week of honoring American veterans, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Washington, D.C. With more than 4 million visitors each year, the Vietnam Memorial is a beautiful tribute to the heroes of the Vietnam War.

No federal funds (click here) were used to construct the wall. Thanks to private contributions from individuals, corporations, veterans and other organizations, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund raised almost $9 million.

"Fortunate Son"

Some folks are born made to wave the flag

Ooh, they're red, white and blue
And when the band plays "Hail to the Chief"
Oh, they point the cannon at you, Lord

It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no Senator's son
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no fortunate one, no

Some folks are born silver spoon in hand
Lord, don't they help themselves, oh
But when the tax men come to the door
Lord, the house look a like a rummage sale, yes

It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no millionaire's son, no, no
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no fortunate one, no

Yeah, some folks inherit star spangled eyes
Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord
And when you ask them, "How much should we give?"
Oh, they only answer, more, more, more, oh

It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no military son
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no fortunate one

It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no fortunate one, no, no, no
It ain't me, it ain't me
I ain't no fortunate son, no, no

Cassidy has about $1.5 million more in his campaign fund than Senator Landrieu.

Any vote on Keystone is simply politics and crony politics at that. Although, I am quite sure the only Louisiana political figure running for Senate receiving money from the petroleum industry in regard to this project is Bill Cassidy.

Top 5 Senate Race Contributors

Cajun Industries (click here)     $46,800 (Cajun is a general contractor which includes the energy sector.)

Elliott Management (click here)  $45,900 (Elliott rather not way what they do.)

Koch Industries (click here)  $36,000 (Pipelines and petroleum industry)

Schilling Distributing (click here) $28,100 (Distributor for items like Arizona Iced Tea and wine, beer and spirts.)

Mockler Beverage (click here) $26,700 (Distiller of wine, beer and spirits)

Top 5 Industries contributing to Bill Cassidy for Senate

Health Professional (self explanatory - MDs usually) $630,465

Oil and Gas (the top three above are all oil ans gas) $377,370

Retired (probably living on income dividends) $372,119

Securities and Investments (Wall Street) $360,383

Leadership PACs  $307,000

I thought this was interesting. I suppose he is running for both the House and Senate. He really exceeded his fund raising this cycle. He has spent all but $3 million. 

Hm.

The man likes food, his contributors came to breakfasts, lunches, dinners and simple reception. And he is having an appearance of "Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson at a rally. 

If the US House and Senate are going to vote on the KXL they should be stating the FACTS. No lies. No hubris. No deceptions. No rhetoric. I know that is a hard thing to do for those that have friends that want them to vote and make a great argument for voting. But, facts are important.

The US State Department had an estimate of the facts made and according to that report the building of the pipeline would generate 3,900 full time jobs IF completed in one year. If completed in two years it would generate 1,950 jobs. When completed the permanent positions would be about 50 and 15 temporary jobs.

That report was for the ENTIRE LENGTH of the pipeline from Canada to the Gulf Coast. Today, the southern half is already underway, so those figures for the northern extension would generate about HALF those numbers.

And about those jobs. It might be the jobs are more for WARM WEATHER, so if I were a Congressman or woman I would not be counting on the Canadian Tar Sands as a reliable source of tar or oil.

One of the favorite arguments. 

Oh, think that is just one truck? 

No. 

Here is another one. 

Now, the truth of the matter is this disaster in Canada is exactly that. There is a lot of land lost from these extractions of sands. A lot. And the land is not reclaimable. It is like the Gulf States, in particular, Louisiana and the loss of land from sea level rise but also from oil disasters. The land just isn't the same. Alaska's Prince William Sound's Bligh Reef still has oil that is collected from time to time and that was well over 20 years ago. Actually, let's see, 1989 and today is 2014 means that was 25 years ago. Yep, 25 years ago March. Still problems.

But, the truth of the matter is tar sands is a very poor option for the USA. The pipeline is a disgusting project. I runs right down the middle of the country, through prime farm land, native indian lands, places where there are endangered species and some are only now being re-introduced and then there is the water.

The cost of producing any oil out of those lands is extremely expensive. When the price of oil went up there were small operators all over the oil fields putting up drills and derricks to extract what was left after the major petroleum companies were finished with the old wells. With the drop in prices today and the 'idea' of putting that pipeline down the middle of the country there won't be anymore small operators. To extract the oil costs far more than any will receive in payment and they'll be begging for loans and bailouts. 

That is another thing. When this disaster finally ends up in bankruptcy, who is going to bail them out, the USA or Canada?

The project is NOT Feasible. If the project is not feasible, then why vote on it when the USA is sincerely compromising the land, water and NATIONAL VALUES. Why? Why, indeed.

I could say a lot more right now, but, I don't think that is required at this point. So, the vote in the House and Senate is politics. Pure unadulterated politics for cronies.

Senator Landrieu has about $1.5 million left in her campaign fund. I think she is deserving of re-election. She is dedicated and her interests go beyond oil and gas. Some of her large donations came from lawyers. Most of the lawyers are probably engaged in representing the victims the BP Deepwater Horizon. There are a lot reasons to vote for her, but, so very few to vote for Cassidy. I think the people will be hurt if he is elected their Senator. Senator Landrieu has a long history of supporting the people of Louisiana. Why change now?

Please be careful out there.

November 12, 2014
9:45 AM Est
The Weather Channel 
Current Temperature Map

If anyone is flying in the next week or so, especially a private plane it would be good to pay attention to temperatures.

I realize planes fly in colder temperatures at altitude anyway, but, most if not all the commercial airlines were running a little late today.

No, no, it wasn't because of the snow. It was because of the temperature and ICE that had formed fro water condensation in the air and collection on the wings. Most commercial carriers were DE-ICING their wings before take off today.

November 13, 2014
5:15 PM
The Weather Channel 
Current Temperature Map

I'd like to remind the Republicans of the US House...

...when it came to real governing the Hastert Rule was dissolved. The Republican leadership might want to remember that.

I heard the words, "We are going to work hard everyday..."

Really? I am just wondering how many months of a few sessions here and a few sessions there it will take to run through impeachment?

The last time the US House pulled this boner it took two months. If that is what is on the table to defy the President's governance of the United States of America with only 11 session days per month on the average, it might whole year this time.

The tone the Republican leadership took was full of hubris and/or rhetoric. I thought was AGAIN at a Republican convention rather than the US House.

I just don't see anything substantial that will benefit the USA getting done. I do hear a lot of support for crony benefits though.

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

There is doubt about President Obama's adherence to his oath? I don't see it. At least he WAS working hard everyday to get the job done.


Now if Republicans really want to talk about incompetence, I can think of a lot to point to starting with the President's Oath of Office.

In case there are rumors in the vapors of radio and television that China is not a willing partner...

...there is this:

October 9, 2014

By Fayen Wong

SHANGHAI, Oct 9 (Reuters) - China, (click here) the world's top coal importer, will levy import tariffs on the commodity after nearly a decade, in its latest bid to prop up ailing domestic miners who have been buffeted by rising costs and tumbling prices....

The tariff will decrease the amount of imported coal by Chinese power companies. They will have to rely more and more by domestic coal. With that, China then has a reason to relieve the smog covered cities with alternatives. As China moves to alternative methods of energy, the skies of their cities will clear as well. 

...China set out (click here) an ambitious plan in 2011 to build 5,000 megawatts of offshore wind turbines in four years, enough to power 5.4 million homes. With less than 10 percent of that capacity in place, officials now say they won’t meet that goal.

Strong, steady offshore breezes have the potential to become an important source of electricity, but installing jumbo-jet sized gear in the harsh, marine environment is a complicated and expensive endeavor. The slow pace in China is matched by the U.S., which has no offshore wind farms after more than a decade of development efforts.....

...Offshore turbines are insignificant when compared to China’s onshore wind capacity of 77 gigawatts. That’s the most in the world, and the government has plans to install an additional 18 gigawatts this year, according to the National Energy Administration. The cost of power from land-based wind rivals that of coal or natural-gas fired plants....

The coal miners are complaining they have mined in his country for decades and work in extreme circumstances down 2000 feet to supply the USA with energy. That may be true and I am sure they regard their work as important, but, the fact of the matter is THE COAL COMPANIES have told coal miners and coal miner families they are no longer needed because mechanization has taken over. The USA needs to move on and we are doing that. The coal miners need to regard their skills as antiquated that even their employers no longer want.

Yes, the Cockroach Republicans.

The Cockroach Republicans came out of their vermin laden lair immediately after the elections of 2008 funded by the billionaire Koch Brothers. They have been accepted in the national political scene because of the money and POPULOUS they can breed, primarily in the South. 

Currently, any form of extermination has not worked. They are a species of roach that is immune to civilized discourse. 

The biggest of the Cockroach Republicans is Tillis. He stated to the people of North Carolina during a public appearance, "...it is about time to think the Medicaid expansion could help the people of North Carolina...."

What was his answer yesterday when asked how he regards the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act? He stated it has to be repelled because it is unsustainable. 

He is liar and typical of how a Cockroach Republican speaks out of both sides of his mouth. The only way to get rid of Cockroach Republicans is to step on them. That is probably more true in the case of Tillis.

Professor of Economics, MIT, 1997-2014

His specialty is ECONOMIC RESEARCH and HEALTHCARE ECONOMIC RESEARCHER. He is respected voice in the vapors of 'the educated' and in no accounting of his credentials does it say he authored the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy, U.S. Treasury Department, 1997-1998

Member, NIH Center for Scientific Review Study Section on Social Sciences, 1998-2002

Co-Editor, Journal of Health Economics, 1998-2001


Co-Editor, Journal of Public Economics, 2001-2009

Inaugural Medal for Best Health Economist Age Forty and Under, American Society of Health Economists, 2006

Named “One of the Top 25 Most Innovative and Practical Thinkers of Our Time” by Slate Magazine, 2011.

Named to 100 Most Powerful People in Health Care in the United States, Modern Healthcare Magazine, 2006 and 2012

Any attack by the Cockroach Republicans is due to the fact they DO NOT VALUE education nor do they recognize educated people as a strength to our country or the larger global community.

I read the law from page one to end and there was nothing wrong at all with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

He is one of the many cockroaches that came out of the right wing woodwork in 2008. Don't worry about it. It's pure slander of Democrats.

"I don't know who he is. He didn't help write our bill," she told reporters at her weekly briefing. (click here)

The Republican cockroaches can take it up with the man who really wrote the bill. My his soul rest in peace. 

Gruber is a paranoid right winger. This is the kind of crap he writes. He's a pundit.

“Does Church Attendance Cause People to Vote? Using Blue Laws’ Repeal to Estimate the Effect of Religiosity on Voter Turnout,” British Journal of Political Science, forthcoming (also available as NBER Working Paper #14303, September 2008) (with Alan Gerber and Dan Hungerman).

Hello? A church is suppose to be a non-profit and it cannot mix prayers with politics. Like I said, this Gruber guy is a pundit.

This paper analyzes (click here) Thailand’s 2001 healthcare reform, “30 Baht”. The program increased funding available to hospitals to care for the poor and reduced copays to 30 Baht (~$0.75). Our estimates suggest the supply-side funding of the program increased healthcare utilization, especially amongst the poor. Moreover, we find significant impacts on infant mortality: prior to 30 Baht poorer provinces had significantly higher infant mortality rates than richer provinces. After 30 Baht this correlation evaporates to zero. The results suggest that increased access to healthcare among the poor can significantly reduce their infant mortality rates.

When the health care law was being written it was long before President Obama came into office. The Democratic legislators had the bill ready to go. I remember being surprised at the level of detail of the legislation and realized it wasn't written overnight. There was a lot of thought that went into it and the MODEL for the national law was the Massachusetts law. So there was no economist involved to the point where he wrote the law. He didn't write the law, he was in places like India while the law was being written.

The cockroach with the fancy education was writing about health care reform in journals in 2009 while the debate was taking place. This article he authored talked about the place where funding could be found for the ACA.

...There are a number of possible sources.(click here)  One is reductions in existing government spending on health care through cost controls. President Barack Obama proposed more than $300 billion of such cost controls in his budget, but it is not clear that either politicians or providers have the appetite to go further. Another is increased taxation of “sin goods” — cigarettes, alcohol, and high-sugar or high-fat foods that cause obesity — whose use raises the cost of health care for all Americans. These taxes make sense, yet it is difficult to raise sufficient revenues from them. The government can also look outside the health care system to increased revenues from taxes on carbon emissions or on other goods and services. But this approach would involve expanding the fight over health care into other realms, compounding the difficulty of passing any legislation.

There is one final potential source: the elimination or limiting of the income-tax exclusion for expenditures on employer-sponsored insurance. Ending the massive tax subsidy for such insurance would result in both the most natural source of financing for health care reform and one of the few that is clearly large enough to finance the necessary subsidies.

The $250 billion per year in foregone revenues attributable to the tax exclusion of employers' health insurance expenditures represents the federal government's second-largest health insurance expenditure (after Medicare). When my employer pays me in cash wages, I am taxed on those wages. But the roughly $10,000 per year that my employer spends on my health insurance is not taxed, and it translates into a tax break for me of about $4,000. To be clear, this exclusion represents a tax break for individuals, not for firms; firms are largely indifferent about whether they pay employees in wages or in health insurance. But employees are not indifferent: they pay taxes on the former but not on the latter....

So, if cockroach Gruber wants to become a noted expert with the right wing he can find his fame interrupted by THE TRUTH.

This is from January 2011.

The Importance of the Individual Mandate — Evidence from

Massachusetts (click here)

The most contentious aspect of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is the individual mandate requiring that most documented U.S. residents obtain health insurance or pay a tax penalty. Many experts have long advocated a mandate as a central pillar of private-sector–based health care reform. Others, however, have argued that a mandate is not necessary for successful reform....

...At the beginning of the mandate's phase-in in mid-2007, there was a greater increase in the number of healthy enrollees than in the number of enrollees with chronic illness. When the mandate became fully effective at the end of 2007, there was an enormous increase in the number of healthy enrollees and a far smaller bump in the enrollment of people with chronic illness. The gap then shrank to premandate levels as the remaining uninsured residents complied with the mandate, but clearly the mandate brought many more healthy people than nonhealthy ones into the risk pool. The large jump in healthy enrollees that occurred when the program became fully effective suggests that enrollment by the healthy was not simply slower than enrollment by the unhealthy, but rather that the mandate had a causal role in improving risk selection....

Eat Shit, Boner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At what point in time are your House Republicans going to become civilized ?

This study of the Massachusetts individual mandate PROVES people come to the new health care law to have health care no matter their physical condition AND they maintain their insurance from then forward. There is EXTREMELY healthy balances of income from subscription rates collected to administer to those that need the coverage and it's use. Everyone in an exchange or private employer receives FREE health care when it comes to physical exams and PREVENTIVE health.

I could do this all day long.

The cockroach Republicans can crawl back into their holes now!