Category Archives: politics

Carbon Dioxide and Bias at the EPA

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Cass Sunstein thinks there’s bias in the Trump EPA in the way the agency handles CO2.  He’s right, but not in the way he thinks.

The only way to solve the climate-change problem, and to prevent massive harm in the US, is for all the world’s big emitters [of CO2] to agree to take account of the global damage.

There’s the heart of the political concern and a demonstration of Sunstein’s bias.

Carbon’s role in the environment is its contribution to acid rain through its role as a constituent of CO2. That problem has been solved, years ago.

CO2’s role in climate is demonstrated by ice cores that show atmospheric CO2 rises after planetary warming has begun and by longer records that show, over geologic time, a lack of correlation between atmospheric CO2 and planetary temperature. That problem does not exist.

Finally, there is some overlap between environment and climate, but they are not interchangeable terms, even though Sunstein uses them so.

Italy and the EU

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Recall Italy’s proposed budget, which defied Brussels by having a larger deficit relative to its GDP than EU budget rules allow.  I decried that budget then, and I stand by that disdain.

Now, however,

Italian Economy Minister Giovanni Tria has told the European Commission that Italy will raise its deficit to 2.4% of gross domestic product (GDP), defying eurozone budget rules. In a letter sent to Brussels in response to a formal warning from the EU.

Brussels continues to not like the budget.

[T]he EU’s European Economic Affairs Commissioner, Pierre Moscovici, reminded Italy that its structural deficit was “way too high.” He told the France Inter radio station that he did not want a “crisis with Italy” over its planned deficit-raising budget and still hoped for “constructive dialogue.”

The Italian people, though, favor the budget by a nearly 3:2 margin; this is quite a strong consensus as such things go in Italy.  From that, I say that the Italian government should stay the course, my concerns about the budget itself notwithstanding.  This is a question of national sovereignty vs the requirements of an international body.

The budget violates EU rules?  Yep.  Maybe Italy should start giving consideration to leaving the European Union.

Union Selfishness

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In The Wall Street Journal‘s Allysia Finley piece about Progressive-Democrats’ targeting California Republicans, this bit jumped out at me:

The Los Angeles Unified School District is making emergency budget cuts and layoffs to avoid bankruptcy, yet the teachers union is threatening to strike if its members don’t receive a 6% raise.

Hmm….

 

h/t Ralph

Political Debates

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New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D) seem terrified of them.  Cuomo has flatly refused to risk a debate with his Republican challenger, Marc Molinaro, and Gillibrand reneged—at the last minute—on a commitment to last Sunday’s scheduled debate with her Republican challenger, Chele Farley.

It’s not too late, though.  Both Molinaro and Farley should debate empty chairs, and their final question should be “What are you so terrified of?”

The New Left

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The modern Left and their Progressive-Democratic Party are showing their true heart, and there’s no room for freedom in it; there’s not even room for disagreement.

The Progressive-Democrat movement already has attempted to mass murder Republican Congressmen gathered for a baseball practice, nearly succeeding in the case of Steve Scalise (R, LA).

Now we have two Republican candidates for Minnesota state office being assaulted.

One suffered a concussion from his assault; the other was assaulted as she (!) tried to prevent the theft of campaign yard signs already erected in yards.

The campaign manager—another woman—for the Republican candidate for Nevada Governor was physically assaulted and held against a wall by a George Soros (a Party-approved 1%-er)-backed PAC employee after the thug had forced his way into a private room where a conference was in progress.  This same person had previously physically assaulted the Interior Secretary’s press secretary—still another woman (is there a pattern here?), and she filed criminal charges right after—so the Progressive-Democrat-supporting PAC knew who they were hiring.

Any one of these could easily have been written off as the isolated attacks of Left-wing loons.  But together they aggregate into the Party’s true attitude: they all come on the heels of attempts to intimidate Presidential Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, Senator Ted Cruz (R, TX); Senator Mitch McConnell (R, KY); Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao; and many other Republicans with loud, deliberately disruptive protests designed to completely prevent them from going about their personal business in restaurants, even walking to their cars, milder intimidation attempts that failed.

This all comes, also, against the backdrop of Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D, CA) and Senator Spartacus (D, NJ) calling for people to harass Republicans wherever encountered or to come up in their faces, Party queen Hillary Clinton saying civility with Republicans is impossible and ex-Attorney General Eric Holder (D) calling for Republicans to be kicked when they “go low.”

This all comes, also, with the Left’s Antifa taking over the streets of Portland or assaulting those whom they simply don’t like.

This all comes with Progressive-Democrat billionaire Tom Steyer (another of the Party-approved 1%-ers) looking to buy a House impeachment claque.

This all comes with some members of the Progressive-Democratic Party leadership mildly calling for (their version of) civility but doing nothing to back their empty rhetoric, or others of that leadership remaining altogether silent.

Keep this in mind as you decide for whom to vote.  And do go vote.