Politics
How Climate Change Might (Finally) Affect the Presidential Race
There’s been a lot of debates over whether Hurricane Sandy and the damage that it caused in the Northeast was in part the result of climate change. But Sandy appears to have had at least something of an impact on the role that climate change has had in the Presidential race. Up till now, climate …
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CONTINUE READINGSuper PACs, the Presidential Election, and the Public Good
This is going to be a very close election — close enough that, if Romney wins, a key factor will be Citizens United and related judicial rulings that have helped create the Super PACs. Figures collected by the LA Times show that since April 15, Super PACs have spent over $216 million to defeat Obama …
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CONTINUE READINGDraining Hetch Hetchy — Some History for San Francisco’s “Measure F”
San Franciscans will be voting next week on Measure F to study the draining of Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite National Park. Hetch Hetchy, for those who don’t know, is a spectacular, glacier-formed valley of equal proportion to its neighbor Yosemite Valley. Congress authorized a dam in 1913 to provide public hydroelectric power and a …
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CONTINUE READINGFrom Green Governor to Conservative Candidate: The Amazing Transformation of Mitt Romney
“EPA New England applauds Governor Romney for his strong environmental leadership.” That quote from EPA’s regional director in 2004 shows the extent of Romney’s transformation in the past eight years. It’s no secret that Mitt Romney’s current views on many issues differ from his actions as Governor of Massachusetts. Still, it’s a bit shocking to …
CONTINUE READINGHow Did Alaska Avoid the Resource Curse? Can Anyone Else Do So?
Dan made a useful point the other day about the possibility that increased energy production could yield a resource curse, i.e. an increase in unproductive and oligarchical rent-seeking when an economy becomes based upon resource extraction. One might add that this rent-seeking also tends to underdevelop a country’s human capital, as it has in Saudi …
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CONTINUE READINGRomney Versus Disaster Assistance
In assessing Romney’s argument that disaster response should be a state or private responsibility, we should consider his record in Massachusetts. In his last year as governor, Romney refused to provide state assistance when major floods hit western Massachusetts., even though the state government had ample funds. Romney had already begun to run for President, …
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CONTINUE READINGRomney’s Opposition to Federal Emergency Assistance in Disasters
The federal role in disaster response dates back to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, when General Funston sent troops from the Presidio to deal with the city’s desperate emergency. Governor Romney seems dubious about this century-old federal role. During one of the GOP primary debates, Governor Romney was asked what he thought about the idea …
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CONTINUE READINGNew Climate Denial Talking Point!
Or at least one that I’ve never heard before. On Friday night, I was lucky enough to be the “left” in a local version of NPR’s “Left, Right, and Center” with Matt Miller. We did it at my local synagogue, where Miller (and I) are members. The “right” was my old friend Larry Greenfield, who …
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CONTINUE READINGHow to Act Like a Windmill: Spin Quickly While Standing in One Place
1. Shawn McCoy, a spokesman for Romney’s Iowa campaign, told The Des Moines Register, “He will allow the wind credit to expire, end the stimulus boondoggles, and create a level playing field on which all sources of energy can compete on their merits. “ (July 31,2012 Wall Street Journal) 2. “We will support nuclear and renewables, but …
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CONTINUE READINGRomney verus Obama: Showdown at the Auto CAFE
Perhaps lost in the media focus on the Republican convention, the Obama Administration created CAFE standards two months ago. (CAFE stands for Corporate Average Fuel Economy, a fancy name for gas mileage rules.) Romney immediately attacked the rules. It’s a very revealing – not to mention acrimonious — dispute. According to the Administration, the new …
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