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Thursday, February 8, 2007
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Wall Street Journal Online: "Take a breath. The U.S. economy is not Iraq, and today's headlines are upbeat: The economy's vigor is producing tax revenue that is keeping today's deficits in check, and the unabated willingness of foreigners to lend to the U.S. is keeping interest rates down. But look ahead, and there is an unwelcome parallel between Iraq and the budget. Current policy is unsustainable, but there is no easy way out. Extend the president's tax cuts beyond their scheduled expiration in 2009 and 2010, and the fiscal hole is enormous. Let them expire, and the tax increases could derail the economy."
"2008 pres"
5:16:24 PM 
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Reuters: "His influence may be diminished but his zeal is undaunted. Evangelist Jerry Falwell is on a mission to keep a like-minded Republican in the White House and get at least one more conservative judge on the Supreme Court. Despite his years in the trenches of America's culture wars, Falwell -- who founded the Moral Majority political movement in 1979 and helped propel the rise of the religious right -- said a major victory in his broader crusade to restore the country's moral righteousness has so far eluded him. With abortion still legal, prayer banned in public schools and pornography rife, he sees a long struggle ahead. For now, he is focusing on voter registration drives and rallying the faithful with his eyes on the twin prizes of the 2008 presidential election and control of the Supreme Court."
Thanks to the Daily Kos for the link.
Political Wire: "The latest Public Policy Polling survey in North Carolina shows John Edwards leading his Democratic opponents in a presidential primary with 34%, followed by Sen. Hillary Clinton at 31% and Sen. Barack Obama at 18%...On the Republican side, 'little has changed in the past month' as GOP primary voters continued to favor Rudy Giuliani with 31%, followed by Newt Gingrich at 25% and Sen. John McCain at 20%."
Political Wire: "A new set of American Research Group polls in Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont and Connecticut finds Sen. Hillary Clinton with big leads among likely 2008 Democratic primary voters in each state. Sen. Barack Obama and John Edwards come in second and third, respectively. On the Republican side, Rudy Giuliani leads in Maine and Connecticut, with John McCain edging him in Vermont and Mitt Romney leading in his home state of Massachusetts."
"2008 pres"
5:11:03 PM
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Andrew Sullivan: "One thing that the virulently anti-gay position of the Republican party must deal with is the next generation. I've been to several campuses the past few years to give talks and meet students, and one of the most striking things is not just how over it most campuses are on the gay issue, but how the younger generation reacts to the word 'conservative.' When I was in college, it had something to do with fighting communism, increasing individual liberty, lowering taxes, getting government off our backs, etc. Now, it is almost completely identified with religious intolerance. A key reason for that, I think, is the gay issue - and the gulf between attitudes among the young and their parents."
"2008 pres"
4:57:43 PM
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From a Coyote Gulch reader, "I was hoping you could add a note about Rep. Ron Paul's candidacy for President -- www.ronpaulexplore.com. He is a candidate who could appeal to people across the political spectrum, so I hope that you will take the time to post a note about him." So, say hello to Ron Paul Explore.com. We posted a story on February 1st.
Welcome to the race Mr. Paul, we'll be watching.
"2008 pres"
8:39:18 AM
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February 21st is the date for the first 2008 Democratic Presidential Debate in Carson City. John Edwards will be there, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal. From the article, "Former U.S. Sen. John Edwards has confirmed he will attend the Feb. 21 Democratic presidential debate in Carson City, joining six others who have declared themselves contenders, a state party official said.
The event, sponsored by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, is scheduled at noon. Ticket information is not available.
Also committed are U.S. Sens. Hillary Clinton of New York, Joe Biden of Delaware and Chris Dodd of Connecticut, former Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa, Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico and former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel, officials said."
Thanks to Political Wire for the link.
"2008 pres"
8:28:00 AM
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The Durango Herald is reporting that U.S. Congressman John Salazar and U.S. Senator Ken Salazar both have problems with President Bush's healthcare cuts in the proposed budget, while U.S. Senator Wayne Allard is more optimistic. From the article, "Southwest Colorado residents face a crisis as early as March 31 when a major health-care agency closes its clinic in Durango, said U.S. Rep. John Salazar, D-Manassa. This is not the time to play games, he said. Sen. Wayne Allard was more optimistic, saying that threatened funding cuts in the past have been restored. Sen. Ken Salazar said Medicare and Medicaid cuts are part of Bush's 'just plain wrong-headed budget.' In his budget for fiscal 2008 that was released Monday, the president wants to cut more than $75 billion from Medicare and more than $26 billion from Medicaid in the year starting Oct. 1. In fiscal 2006, the last year for which complete figures are available, spending on Medicare was $382 billion, and on Medicaid $180 billion. The Medicare/Medicaid reductions for fiscal 2008 would be made by lowering reimbursements to health-care providers, which providers say are bare-boned already. Also, Medicare beneficiaries would pay more -- based on income -- for their share of prescription drugs and doctor services."
Thanks to Colorado Confidential for the link.
"2008 pres"
8:17:27 AM
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The Right's Field: "Howie Klein has a fascinating piece on the John McCain that the media doesn't tell us about, but all his colleagues in Congress know about. He's not garnering support from his congressional co-workers because he's, quite simply, unpopular. Worse still, McCain is hemorrhaging state-level endorsements that he'd previously locked down."
Political Wire: "In a Pennsylvania presidential primary, a new Quinnipiac poll finds Sen. Hillary Clinton leads the Democratic pack with 37%, followed by 11% each for Sen. Barack Obama, John Edwards and Al Gore. On the Republican side, Rudy Giuliani leads the Republican field with 30%, with 20% for Sen. John McCain and 14% for Newt Gingrich."
"2008 pres"
7:49:47 AM
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Biofuel from algae is the subject of this article from WorldChanging.com They write, "As we inch closer towards a post-carbon economy, the future mix of energy sources is slowly bubbling to the top. One potential addition to this mix is the large-scale production of oil-containing algae. Jamais brought GreenFuel to our attention last year, but, as with most things in the sustainability realm, the momentum behind algae has grown tremendously since then. New companies, new methods, and a changing landscape indicate that biofuel from algae is poised to play a larger role. Unlike other plants that are currently being using for oil production such as soy, palm, corn and jatropha, some strains of algae contain as much as 50% oil. Once algae is grown, harvested and pressed to extract the oil, the remaining residue can be processed into ethanol, or burned directly in a power plant. The oil can then be processed into biodiesel using the ethanol (or methanol from another source). The National Renewable Energy Lab also believes jet fuel from certain strains of algae is possible."
There's some good detail in the article, read the whole thing.
"2008 pres"
7:09:34 AM
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Is there enough water to develop energy resources on the western slope without making Colorado a national energy sacrifice zone? The White River Roundtable and Colorado River Roundtable are asking the state for some dough to try to answer that question, according to the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. They write, "Two northwest Colorado water basin roundtables are expected to ask the state for money to study how much water may be available for energy development in the region. That critical question was overlooked in 2003 when the state took on the Statewide Water Supply Initiative, or SWSI, a water needs assessment and availability study that examined the state's water supplies basin by basin. The water supply report, issued in 2004, acknowledged it didn't account for the water needs of potential natural gas and oil shale development throughout the state, said Chris Treese, external affairs officer for the Colorado River Water Conservation District. When the study was being developed, commercial oil shale development wasn't foreseen, he said. Now, faced with questions about how much water the natural gas and oil shale industry and related power plants will need, Treese said, the Yampa and White River Basins Roundtable and the Colorado River Basin Roundtable are expected to ask the Colorado Water Conservation Board in March for $300,000 to get some answers. The state, he said, needs to figure out if it needs to reserve water for the energy industry...
"The problem all along, he said, is that oil shale extraction technology is still being developed, so it's difficult to guess how much water the industry will need. Historically, he said, the oil shale industry needed between one and five barrels of water for every barrel of oil it produced. Some in the industry say they may have a zero net water demand, he said, and others say oil shale extraction may produce water. Quantifying the energy industry's water needs and figuring out how much water is available to the industry is 'absolutely critical,' said Cathy Kay of the Western Colorado Congress. 'That's something you should have done first before you went into the oil shale business.' She said that even if the industry uses one barrel of water per barrel of oil it produces, that's still millions of barrels of water the industry will need. 'We don't know what they're going to do to the water, how they're going to clean it up,' she said. 'There will definitely be drawdowns.' But most importantly, she said, she is concerned the potential for the industry to use up all the water that's left in the Colorado River Basin could prevent other industries from locating in Colorado...
"Water availability in the Piceance Basin shouldn't be a problem for oil shale companies, the report stated. Based on 1981 hydrological data, the report estimated that enough water exists in the basin for oil shale companies to produce 3 million barrels of oil daily. Shell already is purchasing senior water rights for its oil shale projects, recently spending $14 million for the YZ water right on the White River in Rio Blanco County, [Jill Davis, spokeswoman for Royal Dutch Shell] said. She called it a 'very senior industrial water right. It's our intention to only have industrial rights because we want to work in combination with the (agriculture community),' Davis said, adding the company doesn't want the state to build reservoirs to supply water for oil shale development."
"colorado water"
6:50:42 AM
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Climate change is being accelerated so policies are needed to help populations adapt. Here's an article about the subject from the Denver Post. From the article, "In the face of global warming triggered by people burning fossil fuels, it's not enough to turn to the wind and sun for electricity, a new report says. Countries and communities also need to become better at handling normal climate variation - dry years and wet ones, good years for bugs and bad years for crops, said University of Colorado science policy professor Roger Pielke Jr. Energy policy changes could make it less hot a century from now, but people are already dying from floods, tropical diseases and crop failures related to capricious weather, Pielke said in a paper appearing today in the journal Nature. Helping vulnerable people - including residents of New Orleans and other hurricane-prone areas - become more resistant to today's weather problems will also help them deal with a warmer future, Pielke and three co-authors wrote. 'Climate change is unavoidable,' Pielke said. 'We need to invest in adaptation.'"
"2008 pres"
6:45:21 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/15/09; 12:34:00 PM.
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