Party Unity My A**

Have you heard of the P.U.M.A. group?  This is one of the Democratic groups that feel alienated by Barack Obama becoming the presumptive nominee.  There are a few of these groups that do not accept the idea of an Obama run for president.  This group received national attention when they were discussed on CNN.  The letters stand for “party unity my ass.”  Want to learn more about this group? Go to http://riverdaughter.wordpress.com/puma-power/

My view is that unless this gaggle of people do more than write in a BLOG there will be no disruptions at the Democratic Convention.  If they do get organized they could be a disruptive force at the convention.  What fun!

“Project Independence” is a New Manhattan Project

Both candidates for president have energy plans according to their web sites. The ideas are remarkably similar. The problem is that neither McCain nor Obama have recognized this issue as significant enough to create a “Manhattan Project” to bring about U.S. independence from foreign oil. Some writers like James Pethokoukis in his U.S. News and World Report blog http://www.usnews.com/blogs/capital-commerce/2008/05/30/do-we-need-an-energy-manhattan-project.html will make fun of this idea but there really is no alternative. Too many people are talking and writing about gasoline at $7.00 a gallon for this not to be a real possibility. The consequences of that situation would be devastating to our nation.

Wind: The Power. The Promise. The Business on the Business Week web site http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_27/b4091046392398.htm is a perfect example of the need for a focused national program. The forces wanting to use coal for generated electricity are fighting against those wanting to use the power of the wind. Coal generated power costs about 1.5 cents per kilowatt-hour to produce but wind power costs 4.5 cents per kilowatt hour. Can we afford wind power?

 

Similarly agricultural interests want to convert corn into ethanol and that will impact our nation’s food supply. My own article on ethanol points out the lack of information on the real cost implications and the battle of farmers that are more inclined to fight for their own interests rather than the national interest. See The Energy Crises at http://coastcontact.blogspot.com/2008/06/energy-crises.html.

 

I believe coal is the answer for the next 100 years.  In an article posted August 14, 2007 http://green.yahoo.com/blog/climate411/24/how-much-coal-does-the-u-s-have.html   Jeffery Greenblatt, an expert on low-carbon energy technologies at Environmental Defense, and confirmed in a New York Times article dated June 21,2007, indicates the enormous amount of coal in our own country. Project Independence is all about converting our own coal to a non-polluting alternative to gasoline and oil and finding other long term alternatives.

From My Congressman On The High Cost of Gasoline

I sent a letter to my congressman, Henry Waxman (D) 30^th District California, about the high cost of gasoline and oil products.  I voiced my dismay with the lack of action by the House of Representatives.

 

Rep. Waxman is the Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and is a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

 

Following is his response. You will notice

1. The vision for reducing our dependency on oil is vague. I expect more since Rep. Waxman is on the Committee on Energy and Commerce.
2. Improved car efficiency by 2020 is too late.  Auto manufacturers should be required to start improving auto perfromance next year. 

Undoubtedly he did not personally respond to my letter.  It was sent by one of his office workers.

   

      Thank you for contacting me about the high cost of gasoline and the role of oil companies in rising prices.  I strongly share your concern and appreciate your taking the time to be in touch.

 

      According to Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman, the Bush Administration has now implemented 95% of the policies proposed by Vice President Cheney’s energy task force.  The result?  Big oil companies are now reporting record-high earnings, consumers face soaring prices for natural gas, heating oil and gasoline, and we are more dependent on foreign oil than ever.  In June 2008, the Department of Energy’s Energy Information Agency (EIA) reported that California families are paying an all-time record high of $4.58 per gallon on average for regular gasoline – more than double the cost when President Bush took office. This course is misguided and unsustainable. 

       

      To reduce gasoline prices and solve many of the other problems associated with its use, we must enact policies that aggressively promote the development and use of more efficient vehicles and clean, sustainable energy alternatives.  Sustainable energy alternatives and energy efficiency will not only help reduce fuel price fluctuations, but can also reduce toxic air pollution and global warming, create American jobs, and increase our national security. 

     

      On December 19, 2007, the United States took an important step toward stabilizing the global climate and achieving our clean energy goals when H.R. 6, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, was signed by the President.  The centerpiece of this historic law will require an increase in the average vehicle efficiency 35 miles per gallon by 2020, a nearly forty percent increase compared to today’s cars and light trucks.  This change is estimated to save American families $700 – $1000 each year, to save at least 1.1 million barrels of oil a day in 2020, and to reduce global warming pollution by an amount equal to taking 28 million of today’s average cars and trucks off the road. This new law also gave the Federal Trade Commission the authority to investigate market manipulation of oil and gas prices and fine those who engage in this behavior.  

     

      Unfortunately, the President has threatened to veto a number of other energy bills that might help to further reduce gas prices.  In February, the House passed the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act (H.R. 5351), which would shift $18 billion in subsidies and tax breaks for the oil and gas industries into incentives for clean energy technologies.  In May 2007, I also voted for two bills to prevent oil companies from cheating consumers at the pump.  H.R. 6074 would authorize the Justice

Department to take legal action against OPEC state-controlled entities that conspire to limit the supply, or fix the price, of oil.  H.R. 1252 would impose criminal penalties for price gouging, and permit states to bring lawsuits against wholesalers or retailers who charge unconscionably excessive high prices.  I will continue to work hard for passage and enactment of these bills into law.

     

      To learn more about my work in Congress or sign up for periodic e-mail updates, please visit www.henrywaxman.house.gov

and www.oversight.house.gov.

 

      Again, thank you for contacting me and I hope you will continue to keep in touch on issues of concern.

     

      With kind regards, I am

 

Sincerely,

 

Henry A. Waxman

Member of Congress.

George Carlin

George Carlin was a foul mouthed comedian.  I am truly astonished by the amount of time and print space given to this man who made a living by using dirty words.  Undoubtedly he was popular because he used words that most of us won’t.

 

He became famous for telling us all the seven words you can’t use on television.  He told us those words in this You Tube recording, http://youtube.com/watch?v=GDWTp5as1vE.  Supposedly this was part of his on stage presentation.  If you don’t want to hear him tell you the seven words you can read them at http://www.erenkrantz.com/Humor/SevenDirtyWords.shtml.

 

There is after all the first amendment giving us freedom of speech.  However just as there ought to be restrictions to second amendment (gun ownership) rights there needs to be limits to freedom of speech.

  

Now what is better, my political opinions or George Carlin?  OK maybe that’s not a fair question.          

Kaiser Permanente

Both my wife and I have coverage at Kaiser Permanente.  I am covered under their Senior Advantage plan at the same rate as Medicare Part A and B.  That includes Medicare Part A and B, special rates for lab test other procedures and they provide low cost prescription drugs as well.  My wife is not old enough to qualify for Medicare and we must pay the premium for the group in the age range 60 to 65.  That amounts to $387 per month and we pay a $50 co-pay for each office visit.  Her plan does not provide any drug plan thus many of her prescriptions are filled at Costco.

 

Talking to friends and relatives, I find many either love or intensely dislike Kaiser.  I call it the McDonald’s of health care because they fill the needs of most people at a low cost.  The nearby facility in Woodland Hills, California has a hospital, all the labs, urgent care, and doctor examination facilities for every imaginable kind of ailment.  It is truly a “one stop facility” for all your medical needs.

 

There are doctors there that I do not like but there are many that are very good.  When I collapsed at a party with vertigo on a Saturday night my wife took me to urgent care.  They put me through a battery of test that included a brain scan at 2 a.m. on a Sunday morning.  They came up with the vertigo diagnosis.

 

What is wrong with Kaiser?  They rarely send patients outside of their facilities for any treatment.  They most likely will not send you to City of Hope, UCLA, Mayo Clinic, etc.  The big advantage of a PPO is that you can go to those famed hospitals and the doctor of your choice.

The Death of Newspapers

Jon Fine’s weekly column in Business Week entitled Media Centric has been writing about the slow death of daily newspapers for the past two years. Here in Los Angeles we have seen the Los Angeles Times shrinking away along with its many smaller localized newspapers. The Orange County Register and the Daily News of Los Angeles have been the Times primary competitors. Sadly they too have been shrinking before our eyes.

The Daily News has had a 4 page opinion and editorial section every Sunday. It has featured some of America’s best columnists. Those writers have included Thomas Friedman, Richard Cohen, David Brooks, Bill O’Reilly, Maureen Dowd, and Thomas Sowell. Today they announced the shrinking of that section to two pages buried in the front section. http://www.dailynews.com/search/ci_9661925?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com. Clearly we will see less of their writing in print in the future. Blame it on the internet. The Daily News only printed about one third of all the letters I submitted to their opinion page but it was always fun to know that my letters might appear. That is why I was motivated to start two BLOGS. They are http://coastcontact.wordpress.com and http://coastcontact.blogspot.com/ . The same items do not appear in both BLOGS. This entry is the exception.

Tell me again, this is progress, right?

What Has Israel Done That Is So Great?

For starters I must tell you that I am a Jew.  That is my religion.  However, I am not a Zionist.  I am an American and proud of it.  I have never been to Israel.  If I should go there it would be as a tourist.

 

My view is that the U.S. should help all nations regardless of their race, color, religion or origin.  Israel is a parliamentary democracy.  Parliamentary democracy originated in Great Britain.  Israel has been an ally of the U.S. since it came into being in 1948.  Israel has depended upon the U.S. to help defend its borders but no Americans have ever fought there.  Aid has always been in the form of money and military arms.

So what has the U.S. gained from this relationship?  This web site tells it better than I. http://www.ads4israel.com/ . 

 

 

World Oil Crises

The world has been using oil as far back as 347 B.C. http://www.geocities.com/mudsmeller/history.html#ancient_to_present and there were some sources even farther back in history.  The 20^th century brought the widespread use of oil in cars, trucks, and industry that have brought us to this dilemma.  Today’s dwindling supply has created the world wide crises.

 

Articles by Kenneth Deffeyes http://www.princeton.edu/hubbert/current-events.html and Paul Krugman, a well respected economist who writes a column in the New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/12/opinion/12krugman.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Paul+Krugman+may+12+2008&st=nyt&oref=slogin are indicators of how complicated this issue has become.  An article in my local newspaper entitled “understanding ethanol” written by Renee Schoof and Kevin G. Hall of  McClatchy-Tribune (not accessible on the internet) left me with more questions than answers.  I have not heard or read any reasonable plan proposed by any politician.

 

Going forward I am going to track the progress of this very serious world issue.  Inputs and links are appreciated.

Tim Russert

Tim died this morning from a heart attack.  He was 58 years old.  He was one of the greatest interviewers of all time.  Perhaps he was the greatest.  I recorded and watched every one of his shows (Meet The Press on NBC and Tim Russert on MSNBC).  Even as I post this item on my BLOG the accolades are non-stop as they should be.  He made me feel that there was one interviewer who really asks the right questions.  The Associated Press reported that many feared the grilling he would give his guests but they knew he was the conduit to the truth. http://apnews.excite.com/article/

20080613/D919FDKO0.html

Is NAFTA Good for the U.S.?

This question was posed in a letter to “The Welchway” in the April 22, 2008 column that appears weekly in Business Week. It is written by Jack & Suzy Welch.  Jack is the former CEO of General Electric and is most likely the primary writer of this column.  http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/

content/08_17/b4081138462308.htm

   

The article contends that “countless American product lines have withstood the onslaught of Asian imports thanks to Nafta and partnering with Mexico.”  Well the product lines may have withstood the onslaught but American jobs have not.  NAFTA is part of the export of American jobs.  Some have gone to Mexico and many more have gone to Asia.  American workers are hurting badly and so is the entire American economy as the result of the exporting of our jobs.  The result of this situation is that it is now almost impossible to buy any item that is made in the U.S.A.  The third effect is that the dollar is now worth less to other nations and that is helping to drive up the cost of oil.

  

Of course the Jack Welchs and the Jeff Immelts (current CEO of GE) of the world are not impacted by this situation.  American corporate executives now earn 200 times the average American salary.  Corporations are all doing just fine thank you.

 

This will be an issue in the next election for president of the United States.