Global Warming News

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/ Global Warming News #461  
How about the fact the SEIU gave $60 million to the Obama campaign in 2008?

Corporate influence in the Obama administration? Who's complaining about that? That's a knee slapper, unless you are referring to the businesses that were nationalized.

Mike,

Before this ruling it was illegal for corporations and unions to make campaign contributions to political candidates.

Show me the source of this claim that the SEIU gave $60m to the 08 Obama campaign.

I don't know how on the one hand you could be concerned about limits on political contributions and on the other hand seemingly argue against them.
 
/ Global Warming News #462  
Interesting info on deforestation in Haiti:

"The island nation suffers from one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world. This is troubling for a number of reasons. The loss of nearly all its trees promises to amplify how dramatically earthquakes, hurricanes, and other periodic natural occurrences impact Haitians, to say nothing of deforestation's impoverishing legacy of erosion and climate change on local scale (less moisture). Without trees holding the soil in place, a heavy rain let alone a hurricane or an earthquake can easily cause mudslides on the island's steep slopes.

Haiti and the Dominican Republic share the same island in the Caribbean Hispaniola. Both countries are at the same latitude and, generally speaking, the same climatic conditions prevail.

But one country, the Dominican Republic, has lush forests. The other, Haiti, is almost completely brown and bare. The stark difference is visible from high above one side green and full of foliage, the other bare.

Here's a photo from NASA and another from a National Geographic story in the 1980s.

Fewer than 100,000 acres of forest remain in Haiti, a country that was three-quarters tree-covered when European explorers first arrived 500 years ago. The nation, the poorest in the Western Hemisphere, has lost perhaps 98 percent of its tree cover, one of the worst cases of deforestation in the world."

Loren

Must be a result of the "Pact with the devil":rolleyes:


Why Is Pat Robertson Blaming Haiti? - The Haiti Earthquake - TIME
 
/ Global Warming News #464  
Less competitive at what ? Making money for the owner ? The fact is that I can buy technological product with a high precision machining content in Germany for half the price that I need to pay here. And apparently the German businessman is perfectly satisfied with his margin at that lower price. When you look at examples like Oracle, the CEO compensation alone represents an overhead cost of $500k/month before anything else is added.

The germans can apparently do this while having unionized labor, high taxes, strict environmental legislation and very high real estate prices (very limited land is zoned industrial, or residential and sprawl is basically taboo). It might have something to do with the work ethic, margin expectations, skills pool and the fact that since getting rich is a sin, the business is not run as a "get rich quick" stunt. I don't know if this is a fact, but I suspect that the high taxes are in fact an incentive for owners to continue investing profits into their business instead of pocketing the money and buying personal yachts the size of battleships. Just like here, businesses do get tax breaks if investments result in increased employment opportunities. Many lament the loss of the manufacturing base in America, but who exactly trains machinists and other tradesmen nowadays ? In Germany, the training programs have been reformed to the point that small family operations are training artisans without dealing with a mountain of paperwork. The artisans in training get paid a wage, get to work in a true manufacturing environment and go to school, whereas here the candidate may need to take a loan, go to school and then try to find somewhere to do their internship at what could be considered "slave labor" rates, unless it is part of a unionized operation (like pipefitting).

Perhaps part of the answer lies in the different role taken by the unions in Europe. If you have a productivity issue with a union employee, you talk to the union, and the union officials deal with the issue. The union role has converted to preservation of jobs rather than trying to incrementally improve bottom line pay and benefits year after year regardless of the status of the industry. And unions are acutely aware of the consequences of permitting businesses to fail through uncompetitive labor cost.

I guess your statement that "getting rich is a sin" says it all.
Obviously if those are you feelings then the discussion enters into religion, and I think that ones faith is out of bounds for discussion.
 
/ Global Warming News #465  
I guess your statement that "getting rich is a sin" says it all.
Obviously if those are you feelings then the discussion enters into religion, and I think that ones faith is out of bounds for discussion.

Oh is that funny! If that analogy was applied across the board half of the post would need to be deleted. Thanks I needed a good laugh tonight.:p
 
/ Global Warming News #467  
Oh is that funny! If that analogy was applied across the board half of the post would need to be deleted. Thanks I needed a good laugh tonight.:p

Actually I wasn't trying to be sarcastic. I have found that along with Global warming and the capitalist vs socialist arguments, it really does become a religious/faith based
phenomenon. No matter how much you present what you consider to be a cogent well reasoned argument, some people are invested so much in a certain position that to entertain an opposing view would cause cognitive dissonance.
 
/ Global Warming News #468  
Jeez, some of you are soooo serious...

I thought it was a commonly held perception that in socialist countries making money was a crime and being rich was a sin ? Perhaps this is British humor ?

I am an atheist as a reaction to my upbringing in a household with an activist pentecostal / revivalist mother. As a child growing up in a 3rd world country, I had well known people like Billy Graham and his wife stay in our house and preach in the Assembly of God church my mother founded and was chief organizer for. Unfortunately her life behind the scenes didn't match her pious image.
 
/ Global Warming News #469  
Show me the source of this claim that the SEIU gave $60m to the 08 Obama campaign.

Correction, SEIU didn't give it, they just spent $60 million of their members' dues.

Click Here.

The SEIU spent $60 million to help elect Obama, according to the union. Stern said the group deployed 100,000 volunteers during the campaign, including 3,000 who worked on the election full time...
 
/ Global Warming News #470  
Jeez, some of you are soooo serious...

I thought it was a commonly held perception that in socialist countries making money was a crime and being rich was a sin ? Perhaps this is British humor ?

I am an atheist as a reaction to my upbringing in a household with an activist pentecostal / revivalist mother. As a child growing up in a 3rd world country, I had well known people like Billy Graham and his wife stay in our house and preach in the Assembly of God church my mother founded and was chief organizer for. Unfortunately her life behind the scenes didn't match her pious image.

I think that you are probably correct in stating that becoming rich is viewed negatively in socialist/communist societies. I guess that's why I'm not there.
Okay.... going out onto very thin ice..... but let me ask you a question vis a vis your atheism.
What entity or institution ,do you think ,in the US guarantees your right to talk on this board or to stand in the street and say whatever you might feel. And hopefully we can attain consensus on this. Awaiting your reply.
 
/ Global Warming News #472  
Actually it's not the Constitution. It's God/Allah/Buddha/Your dog fred.
You are endowed by your Creator with certain inalienable rights.
Meaning because they were not given to by man, thus they cannot be taken away by man. Which is the anathema to Socialist/Communists, where the state takes the place of God.
I highly recommend that everyone read the US Constitution , It is a magnificent document, that is in plain language, and one that has inspired the greatest country ever created.
 
/ Global Warming News #473  
Actually I wasn't trying to be sarcastic. I have found that along with Global warming and the capitalist vs socialist arguments, it really does become a religious/faith based
phenomenon. No matter how much you present what you consider to be a cogent well reasoned argument, some people are invested so much in a certain position that to entertain an opposing view would cause cognitive dissonance.

I agree.
 
/ Global Warming News #474  
Correction, SEIU didn't give it, they just spent $60 million of their members' dues.

Click Here.

The SEIU spent $60 million to help elect Obama, according to the union. Stern said the group deployed 100,000 volunteers during the campaign, including 3,000 who worked on the election full time...

The Chamber of Commerce spent $145m last year on lobbying Mike. Agrigate healthcare industry spending on the healthcare bill last year was more than 600 million.
 
/ Global Warming News #475  
The Chamber of Commerce spent $145m last year on lobbying Mike. Agrigate healthcare industry spending on the healthcare bill last year was more than 600 million.

Can I butt in here.
The chamber of commerce may well have spent that much, won't split hairs, but to the best of my knowledge the chamber of commerce is a voluntary organization
SEIU on the other hand is a tax payer funded(Albeit thru union dues) that gives it members no say in how it's mandatory dues are distributed. I would be willing to bet a dollar to a donut,if a poll were taken of SEIU members that not all of them are Democrats, but what percentage of that money went to Republicans/Independents?
 
/ Global Warming News #476  
The constitution ? Although I do not truly enjoy its protection since I am not a citizen and for instance am not permitted to own any kind of firearm for my own protection, regardless of having a legal immigration status.

Yes you can purchase a firearm. I recently asked a firearms dealer because my brother in law is a Canadian living here and is interested in purchasing a gun.

What entity or institution ,do you think ,in the US guarantees your right to talk on this board ...

There is no guarantee on this board. "Freedom of the press only applies to those who own the presses." The Constitution recognizes your right to stand on public property and speak your mind.

Actually I wasn't trying to be sarcastic. I have found that along with Global warming and the capitalist vs socialist arguments, it really does become a religious/faith based
phenomenon. No matter how much you present what you consider to be a cogent well reasoned argument, some people are invested so much in a certain position that to entertain an opposing view would cause cognitive dissonance.

I think you hit the nail on the head.

Ken
 
/ Global Warming News #477  
I thought we were talking about global warming? Here is some relevant info:

From Watts Up With That?, voted the best science blog in 2008:

Headlines: "Arctic temperatures above 80ーN are the lowest in six years."

"UK Parliament to investigate Climategate and CRU data issues"

"The purge Continues" (NASA quietly changed it's data fix a misrepresentation)

"Sanity check: 2008 & 2009 Were The Coolest Years Since 1998 in the USA" (This after last week the media reported they were the warmest years. I wonder who is right and who is fudging the numbers?)

So for those who want the thread to get back on track, there is something to talk about.
 
/ Global Warming News #479  
FallbrockFarmer - The first Amendment to the Constitution gives us the legal right to freedom of speech (and something made up along the way says that a corporation is a person) This was the first of 10 amendments which are the Bill of Rights. It was not in the Constitution.

Amendments
First Amendment Establishment Clause, Free Exercise Clause; freedom of speech, of the press, Freedom of Religion, and of assembly; right to petition,
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Second Amendment Militia (United States), Sovereign state, Right to keep and bear arms.
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. [5][6]
Third Amendment Protection from quartering of troops.
No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
Fourth Amendment Protection from unreasonable search and seizure.
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Fifth Amendment due process, double jeopardy, self-incrimination, eminent domain.
No person shall be held to answer for any capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
Sixth Amendment Trial by jury and rights of the accused; Confrontation Clause, speedy trial, public trial, right to counsel
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district where in the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense.
Seventh Amendment Civil trial by jury.
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.
Eighth Amendment Prohibition of excessive bail and cruel and unusual punishment.
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
Ninth Amendment Protection of rights not specifically enumerated in the Bill of Rights.
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Tenth Amendment Powers of States and people.
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Loren
 
/ Global Warming News #480  
Can I butt in here.
The chamber of commerce may well have spent that much, won't split hairs, but to the best of my knowledge the chamber of commerce is a voluntary organization
SEIU on the other hand is a tax payer funded(Albeit thru union dues) that gives it members no say in how it's mandatory dues are distributed. I would be willing to bet a dollar to a donut,if a poll were taken of SEIU members that not all of them are Democrats, but what percentage of that money went to Republicans/Independents?

FF, the chamber is funded largely by corporations. Are you implying that all shareholders, folks like me for instance, are conservative? :D:D:D I'm not sure how taxpayer funds got mixed up with union dues. You'll have to clarify that for me.

I'm responding to the notion that unions were exempt from BCRA campaign restrictions. Clearly they weren't.
 
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