Politics

Sadly, it is common for people to cover up contamination of water and food sources, or environmental toxins, which may harm or kill other people.  Here is an article about one such case, for which a study is finally to receive funding.

This article explains the moral issues behind health care.  Americans are supposed to have the right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Without adequate health care, people have none of those; health is a prerequisite for them, and therefore so is health care.  It is not legal to point a gun at someone and demand their money — but it is perfectly legal to demand their money in order to prevent a disease or injury from killing them, and to let them die if they do not hand over however much you demand.  Legal, but not moral.

The argument over carbon is heating up in a whole new way.  Clue-enabled states are getting cranky about other people’s sluggish response to climate change.  So they’re starting to phrase their displeasure in the only language those people seem to understand: money.  Minnesota has opened with an attempt to put a tariff on North Dakota’s coal-fired electricity.  Score!

The climate bill is allegedly supposed to help America move towards clean, renewable power.  Instead it contains giveaways to industries which are neither clean nor renewable.  This is not helping.

Here is a summary of the ups and downs of the Copenhagen meeting from the activist organization 1Sky.

Whenever the government tries to keep something secret, that should send up a warning flag.  Occasionally the reasons are legitimate, but most of the time not and it just means someone is trying to hide shady actions.  The following article considers the validity of “secret holds” on legislation.

I’ve been keeping an eye on some bills that involve water rights for various Native American tribes.  Remember that we need to be careful with our use of water and make sure there is enough — not just for people who need it, but for the rivers and lakes and remainder of the environment.

The problem with climate change is that it doesn’t slow down and wait for you to catch up.  We can’t afford delays; we’ve already delayed far too long. Yet our leaders are doing it again.  They are staring at the ticker on the bomb and saying, “Screw it, let’s just come back later.”  This is very frustrating.

I’ve talked about many different aspects of water conservation and water use. This issue is especially heated in the southwest, where water is scarce, and along the coasts with their concerns about river deltas and marsh habitats.  I was pleased to see that California — a state with serious water problems — is taking steps to form a wide-focus water management plan.