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In reply to wmstoll;
I think you need a few facts about FDR and his deeds. Why don't we start with his National Industrial Recovery Act. He got industry to shorten the workweek from 48 hours, which had been the minimum, to 40 hours, and they were not to fire any more employees or cut any more wages. These measures with the shorter work week put more people back to work. It also provided 3.3 billon to build needed public works.
In order to prevent more sale of worthless stocks by brokers Roosevelt's Security and Exchange Commission helped put an end to such fraud. However your buddies, Bush , Gramm, and others have defunded and deregulated the industry so that we might repeat ugly history!
He won approval for the Tennessee Valley Authority to help prevent disastrous floods and the dams that were used also provided affordable energy for one of the poorest sections of the country. I guess disastrous floods no longer need govt. intervention!
He established the Civilian Conservation Corps, putting 250,000 jobless men to work on projects for the public good.
He set up the Emergency Relief Adminstration in order to provide $500 million in relief payments to states.
He got the Agricultural Adjustment Act passed, a bill designed to raise the income of farmers and to provide loans to prevent foreclosures.
The fact is the private sector had broke down completely and FDR had to act. There is nothing new when it comes to unregulated greed, it's called feudalism my friend, it's a world where most are miserable so a few can grow fat and lazy with untold wealth! You say FDR prolonged the depression, I say he gave hope to a frightened population in one of our nation's darkest moments.
Now why don't you list some facts concerning trickle down and the role it plays in job creation, wages, concentration of wealth, our budget deficit...........
I want to be a socialist
I want to be a socialist myself, but first I have to know how you become an allocator of resources. I don't want to be the allocated too.
Too cute by far! Unless you live on Mars or youo are a Non-US, citizen, you are already a Socialist, An Allocator and an Allocated to!
Social Security! Unless of course you don't pay into it and so won't use it.
And you didn't even see the Social in The Security! My My!
Purgatory was an invention of
Purgatory was an invention of the Catholic Church, so that newly converted pagans didn't think that one sin and it was game over.
Wrong - Purgatory was invented by the Money-Lenders so they could cheat borrowers and levy interest rates during their life-time and then have Purgatory as a safety valve so they could re-cant and then go to heaven!
Though usury was considered a mortal sin and Money was "Filthy Lucre", the Church still had to make a living! So the theologians figured a way out of that dilemma! Ingenious I would say!
Not un-similar to their modern counterparts the Fascist Corporatists!
And that success was the fact that the Democrats WORKED with the Republicans!
TODAY - Republicans vote enmass - THEIR WAY!
Can't believe you can't see the difference!!!
AND WHERE ARE THE JOBS BILLS??? See any? Hear of any?? Are there any that the DEMOCRATS can vote on?
You need a History refresher my friend! And knock if off with the Miss - makes you look foolish!
DailyMail.UK Article: The world's first solar power station that generates electricity at NIGHT
June 3rd, 2011
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1393879/Gemasolar-Power-Plant-The-worlds-solar-power-station-generates-electricity-NIGHT.html
This is awesome. Here's another step to getting off of nuclear, coal and petroleum. This solar power center in Spain is expected to produce 110GWh/year, or enough to power 25,000 homes in the Andalucia region at a cost of 260 million pounds, (a little over $400 million US dollars).
According to the Daily Mail,
"The Gemasolar Power Plant near Seville in southern Spain consists of an incredible 2,650 panels spread across 185 hectares of rural land. The mirrors - known as heliostats - focus 95% of the sun's radiation onto a giant receiver at the centre of the plant.
Currently, SENER is the only in the world that has developed and built a commercial plant with central tower molten salt receiver technology that has already started operation.
Enrique Sendagorta, the chairman of Torresol Energy, added: 'The standardization of this new technology will mean a real reduction in the investment costs for solar plants. The commercial operation of this plant will lead the way for other central tower plants with molten salt receiver technology, an efficient system that improves the dispatchability of electric power from renewable sources.'"
Wait until you get a look at the plant. It looks like it's arranged into a Fibonacci spiral pattern or the golden ratio, which can also be seen in nature, like in sunflowers, pinecones and other natural forms. Let's see where this technology goes. I'm sure the nuclear, coal and petroleum industries in the U.S. will lobby against technology of this kind as they have already done with solar and wind.
I want to be a socialist myself, but first I have to know how you become an allocator of resources. I don't want to be the allocated too.
Purgatory was an invention of the Catholic Church, so that newly converted pagans didn't think that one sin and it was game over.
You are right, it is time to look at history and solve this problem. FDR poisoned the dialog, making industry uncertain, resulting in no real investment, thus the US depression dragged on and on. Either we are going to plan for another world war, or we are going to create some certainty and encourage the private sector to be optimistic. That is what Keynes would say.
Isn't it true, that LBJ fought Ike's civil rights bill so the democrats would get the credit and the undying devotion of the black vote. Or was he racist, that found himself with no alternative at the time?
In 2001 we were warned by Paul Hewitt, director of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies' global aging initiative, that by 2010 we would be doomed to a permanent "aging recession" if we did not radically rethink our labor, tax and social policies. He claimed if we did not restructure our economy to account for our aging population, higher childcare cost, lower birth rate, fewer workers, higher longevity rate, lower consumption and the burden on healthcare we would follow in the footsteps of Japan and fall into a permanent recession. Our recession has lasted almost 4 years, and now we are considering privatizing Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Was this a warning to the American people, or a gift to the Republican Party?
What's stopping us?
Failure to escape from the illusion 'all comes down from above'; from a 'master-slave' mentality. This is what has enabled world-wide corporate control.
Individualism was the American signiture!
In similarity to the study of quantum mechanics--which studied what didn't seem to exist, but proved true,--so did the premise that each person is endowed with unalienable rights prove true. That we came to life after individuals were allowed to follow personal conscience should not be an enigma. The American difference was to structure a nation in likeness to nature,--to all living things. Where each cell matters, all serve each other, through harmonious giving and receiving they compose a whole. Continued existence is dependent on welfare of all parts, and allowance for energy to flow from the inside-out.
A common belief in Colonial America was that a person's primary responsibility should not be to religious or secular government, but first to his Maker, and next to the Creation.
To follow personal conscience was the liberty extended. President Lincoln through ending physical slavery, President Roosevelt through the New Deal, and President Johnson through much legislation, most especially Civil Rights further decreased barriers to expression of this inherent social conscience.
It was with the development of the A-Bomb that government secrecy began to grow. In essence, despite increased civil rights legislation, soon our government stopped moving toward becoming a product of 'We the People',--not toward an eventuality of being a whole formed through free individual contribution.
Then, corporations swallowed up private enterprise. There is no privitization, everything is corporate controlled;--no government formed by personal talents,---people have not only been deceived,--made dependent,--but placed in an economic prison.
The only way out may be to recognize that unlike the natural predator-prey animal motion,--our ancestors proved master-slave is a mutual agreement that does not need to be;--and they gave us the legal right to separate from it,--to follow our own conscience.
Unless we utilize that opportunity soon,--the whole will collapse--because already the foundation of free enterprise,--of individual contributions toward common welfare,--is crumbling under corporate pressure.
This is another one of those issues that torques the living hell out of me! "Economic Recovery"
What's stopping our un-representative govt. from implementing economic measures that have historically proven to work in pulling a country out of a "working class" DEPRESSION like the one we're currently in ? The answer makes me furious. Mitch McConnell made himself the poster geezer representing the economic terrorists,aka, "republican/tea party", when he commented that his main goal is to make sure President Obama does not get re-elected. Thus we have seen his party of terrorists block or hold hostage every corrective economic proposal made by the Democrats, including getting rid of tax breaks for corporations who ship jobs overseas. -Talk about a threat to our national security!
Thom could not be more correct, we need President Obama to declare war on the economic terrorists and take a FDR- like- stance. I hope he finds a way to get the message out ...... fireside chats? The republican mass-media will do all they can to prevent truth and facts from reaching the vast majority, so we all need to speakout and keep fighting.
The following is off topic but I keep hearing bits and pieces about Michelle Bachmann on radio free America stations, and think it needs to be said, "it" ,relates to politics and religion.
"Of all tyrannies that effect mankind, tyranny in religion is the worst; every other species of tyranny is limited to the world we live in; but this attempts to stride beyond the grave and seeks to pursue us into eternity." Thomas Paine
For Bachmann to say God called her to run for political office is no different than me saying God told me he does not want her to run for political office, but that would mean we both have mental illness.
I recommend she read, The Age Of Reason, by Thomas Paine.
I have said this before, the religious right has a far greater influence on the derailment of our democracy through tax-exempt institutions spewing misguided info, to manipulate citizens into voting against their own best interests in favor of the wealthy top 2%, more than anyone can imagine.
http://www.salon.com/technology/how_the_world_works/index.html?story=/tech/htww/2011/06/03/this_why_the_united_states_is_doomed&source=newsletter&utm_source=contactology&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Salon_Daily%2520Newsletter%2520%2528Not%2520Premium%2529_7_30_110
Why am I always right???
http://www.opednews.com/articles/America-s-Addiction-Wagin-by-Stephen-Lendman-110604-975.html
Americans are addicted to wars.
In the Apostle’s Creed there are words, “He descended into hell “(the original version) and the new version, “He descended to the dead.” When Jesus died on the Cross, He descended to the dead. He was in Purgatory until He arose on Easter Sunday. Jesus, actually, experienced the loss of heaven and the purging that takes place in Purgatory. He has a first hand account of what many of us will experience until our sins are purged and our souls are pure for entry into heaven. The Son of God’s love is infinite. Please do not let Him down through more and more sin! Please try to emulate Jesus in love, mercy, and forgiveness!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VGuqk5sleA
Come to Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUjUvoynGMM&feature=related
Change My Heart Oh God
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk2CHhjlFj4&feature=related
Here I Am Lord
Here is some good reading!
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/05/perpetual-war-is-a-bigger-threat-than-terrorism/239671/
Perpetual war!
http://www.fff.org/comment/com1106c.asp
The other side of war!
The joke about Germany is that by shutting down their own power plants they will be forced to import electricity from the countries surrounding Germany... which is mostly generated by nuclear power.
@wmstoll, social democracy sounds good for me! I consider myself a Socialist, a progressive with Democrat leanings, a Jesus liberal, and hopefully to be a better Christian someday.
Consider this:
Note the source:
Robert Steinhaus - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Retired)
http://timeforchange.org/advantages-cost-electricity-new-nuclear-power-s...
Note the message:
"We should Change the Nuclear Fuel Cycle to Thorium"
Note the reasons:
"Mature existing nuclear technology exists that can produce clean nuclear power without generating any long term toxic nuclear waste requiring sequestration in the Yucca Mountain long term geological repository.
Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors (LFTR) produce electrical power more cheaply than coal or conventional Light Water Reactors. Coal fired power plants, for all of their green house gas climate control problems, currently produce electricity at the lowest cost per watt. A careful cost study of the costs of electricity from the major contending power generating technologies has been made by one of the finest nuclear engineers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Dr. Ralph Moir. Dr. Moir’s analysis was published as a journal article “Cost of electricity from Molten Salt Reactors "
(MSR)”in Nuclear Technology which can be downloaded online through the following link:
http://www.geocities.com/rmoir2003/coe_10_2_2001.pdf
In this study Dr. Moir shows that the cost of electricity from LFTR reactors versus LWR and Coal is
Molten Salt Reactor - 3.8 ¢/kWh
Light Water Reactor - 4.1¢/kWh
Coal Fired Power Plant - 4.2 ¢/kWh
By Dr. Moir’s analysis LFTR Molten Salt Reactors produce electricity at 90.5% the cost of Coal Fired Power Plants which are the current reigning champion of low cost power generation. All other commercial costs of power generation including wind power and solar thermal power generation are significantly more costly (estimates for the cost of electricity from solar thermal technology from an independant source, Earth Power Institute, sugest a 2008 figure of 13-17 ¢/kWh) .
A very nice Google Tech-Talk presentation on LFTR Thorium Reactor Technology delivered by Dr. Joe Bonometti can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHs2Ugxo7-8
LFTR Thorium reactors can produce 1 part in 10,000 the amount of toxic nuclear waste as conventional current one pass through LWRs. This small amount of toxic waste can be reduced to truely NO long term nuclear waste when the LFTR reactor is teamed with a Liquid Chloride Thorium Fast Reactor (LCFR). One LCFR can process its own waste and the waste of 50 LFTR worker power generation reactors thereby producing NO long term toxic nuclear waste requiring storage in Yucca Mountain. This combination of reactors would produce only fission products 83% of which would decay to the level of natural radioactive background within 10 years. All of the remaining 17% of fission products would decay to natural background in 300 years. A reference describing theLiquid Chloride Thorium Fast Reactor follows:"
Taube, M., “A Molten Salt Fast Thermal Reactor System with no Waste” Eidg . Institut fur Reaktorforschung Wurenlingen Schweiz
http://moltensalt.org/references/static/downloads/www.energyfromthorium....
Need more?
"Official reports suggest that around 10,000 people may have died from cancer as a consequence of the world’s gravest nuclear disaster in Chernobyl in 1986. But that’s a relatively small number compared with the thousands of deaths caused by coal-mining and its associated pollution. Although contaminants released by both technologies have caused death, coal-mining rarely provokes the kind of hysteria that nuclear energy does."
Frank Furedi, Spiked-Online.com, "Nuclear vs climate change: the clash of the alarmists"
And...
"George Monbiot, a Green fundamentalist if ever there was one, has been persuaded to drop his opposition to nuclear power by the facts of the case. This is his logic: if an ageing nuclear plant, incompetently managed and with obsolete safeguards, is hit by one of the worst earthquakes in recent history, yet hardly anybody is killed, then we must conclude that nuclear power has a lot to be said for it."
(Daniel Johnson: Why Germany said no to nuclear power - The Daily Telegraph, 31 May 2011)
Now try to clear your head with a few down-to-earth facts from comments in the Economist by Hubert J. Farnsworth: http://www.economist.com/node/18441163/comments?page=2
Starting with:
"The iodine-131 that has gotten so much press has a half life of 8 days and is only produced during normal operation of the reactor, not in its SCRAM'd shutdown state. All of the reactors at Fukushima correctly SCRAM'd when the earthquake struck. That was two weeks ago, and in another 2-3 weeks there will be nearly zero iodine-131 remaining of what little was released when steam was vented from the reactor. The levels reported in food and water are far too low to have any health effect unless you consumed them for a year, but since no new iodine-131 is being produced at the reactor or introduced into the environment, that is impossible.
So this presents zero risk to anyone, anywhere." (What was that? Zero?)
And concluding with:
"Such newly minted objective readers might also be surprised if they look at how many radioactive particulates are shoved into the atmosphere every year by fossil fuel plants."
Fear is easy- (Fox news). Reality is often hard to sell.
But we may be forced to reconsider Thorium in the next two years, or sooner:
In 1993, the United States and Russia launched a program known as "HEU-LEU." This Russian program accounts for 10% of our total electricity -- more than current solar, wind and hydro COMBINED. This fuel powers one out of every 10 homes, businesses, schools and hospitals in America. 31 million people rely on electricity generated by defunct Russian missiles. Combine a looming shortage of Uranium with the fact that producing power from Thorium CONSUMES those troublesome waste stockpiles everybody's worried about and you have brand new reasons for moving from Uranium to Thorium. It could take 2 years to construct Thorium power plants in contrast to the 10 required for a "standard" Uranium-based power plant. Combine that with the fact that Thorium nuclear plants do not need massive amounts of water, can't melt down because liquid already is "melted" (reducing insurance costs or the need for subsidies) and is many times more efficient.
Facts, not fear. Reality, not dreams.
Nice try with the caller on Friday, but both of you were working with half the facts. Try talking to someone who does have the facts: Call John Kutsch, Executive Director, Thorium Energy Alliance - Phone: 312-303-5019
Just don't put him on 45 seconds before the end of a segment.
Miss Dnarnadem,
In 1981 when Regan began his Presidency, there were 46 Republicans, 53 Democrats and 1 independent in the US Senate (the same as now). In the house, there were 242 Democrats, 192 Republicams and 1 independent. The reason for Regans' success is he saw solutions in that mix. You and the dems see problems.
The Republicans never have solutions to anything other than cut taxes. Yet everyday they appear on the news and harp on jobs and the state of the economy and stress what little Obama has done to turn things around. The only newscasters I have ever seen that point out how ridiculous this is are Thom Hartman and Ed Schultz. The Republicans, of all people know where the jobs are. It is well documented they supported the exporting of 8 million jobs by Corporate America via tax credits. The Republicans in the Senate last year filibustered 75% of all bills by Democrats and Obama to improve economic issues. Immediately after Obama was elected Mitch McConnell stated the primary objective of the REpublicans was to defeat Obama and block any initiative to improve conditions. I hear intelligent people such as Chris Matthews say that if unemployment doesn't get below 8% that Obama won't be re-elected. Obama did not ship 8 million jobs overseas and close 50,000 manufacturing plants. He did not invade Iraq and Afghanistan, establish Medicare Drug Coverage without funding and disallow negotitation with drug companies as in Veterans Care, or deliver tax cuts to the wealthy, deregulate Wall Street and the banks, and deregulate the oil and gas industry.We were losing 750,000 jobs per month upon Obama entering office and for months have been adding 150,000 to 200,000 and we still hear from Republicans state Obama has done nothing to turn things around. We need the news media to do their jobs, at least those not controlled by the right wing, and remind people who created this mess, how they did it, how they block all efforts to improve things, and how it will never get better if the Republicans get control of Congress and the Presidency. It is time to fish or cut bait.
You bring up a good point. Why hasn't Harry Reid and the democratic majority in the senate eliminated the filibuster rule? They can do that the beginning of each session, but they ignore it.
"Corporatism" is business, labor, and government working towards national goals. Sounds like social democracy to me.
What's Stopping Us?
The corporatists in both parties. The Corpocrats, the corporatist Democratic Party, and the Republicorps, the regressive uber-corporate Republican Party, have led to the corporatization of America and The Second Gilded Age. They're sending us back to the raw deal. Democracy, not corporatocracy!