Meat, fish, fruit and vegetables can continue to be sold in pounds and ounces in Britain indefinitely, after a U-turn by the European Commission.
The decision, disclosed in a letter made public last night, also means that fabrics, carpets and timber and other building materials can be sold in yards, feet or inches. Road signs can remain in miles per hour.
#8
Didn't this same shit come up about 4 furlongs ago?
Due to its once confounding currency system, Britain retains a well-deserved reputation for employing the most arcane and indivisible units of measure, such as "furlongs per fortnight".
British finance minister Gordon Brown on Friday formally announced his candidacy to succeed Tony Blair as prime minister, a day after Blair gave notice of his resignation. “Today I announce that I am a candidate to be leader of the Labour Party and to lead a new government,” said Brown, who is widely expected to take over from Blair at the end of June.
Brown, who is widely seen as dour in contrast to the charismatic, media-friendly Blair, vowed that he would demonstrate his ability to take on the top job. “Tony Blair has lead our country for 10 years with distinction, with courage, with passion and with insight,” said Brown, flanked by the slogan “Gordon Brown for Britain” at a presentation in central London. “In the weeks and months ahead, my task is to show that I have the new ideas, the vision and the experience to earn the trust of the British people,” he said. “Today there are new priorities and I offer a new leadership for this new time,” he added.
Brown is the clear frontrunner to succeed Blair, after the only credible possible rivals pulled out of the race in recent weeks, leaving only two possible token leftwing candidates.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/12/2007 00:00 ||
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Kosovo could be granted independence from Serbia by the end of the month, US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said here on Friday. “We will be circulating today with our European allies a resolution in the Security Council that we believe will lead to the independence of Kosovo by the end of this month,” Burns told journalists in the Croatian capital Zagreb. “The United States is strongly supporting the independence of Kosovo.”
The UN Security Council is set to begin debate soon on two competing texts -one Western and one Russian -that will form the basis of a draft resolution on Kosovo’s future status. Burns, speaking after meeting with Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, also warned against Serbian ultra-nationalists entering a new government. “As Kosovo becomes independent we Americans want to remain friend with Serbia and we want to have good relationship with Serbia hopefully without the presence of the Radical party in the Serbian government and Serbian parliament,” he stressed.
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#1
Huge stab in the back. After Clinton finished bombing out one of Europe's great capitals - Belgrade - he induced Serb troop pullout of Kosovo Province, with a commitment for perpetual recognition of Serb sovereignty. Now anywhere large numbers of Muslims live, they get a state.
#4
An example of wishful thinking. Do not forget about Russia and China, the permanent members of UN Security Council.
As for "Americans want to remain friend with Serbia" - what do you mean by REMAIN? Friends do not bomb any fertilizer of any friend for 78 days. Mr. Burns, you obviously must be kidding, I bet...
Posted by: Matt K. ||
05/12/2007 13:12 Comments ||
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#5
We were trying to prevent ethnic cleansing by Milosevic. In the long run the muslimes will probably ethnically cleanse the country before they are done.
Sen. Barack Obama talks a good game. If you believe all the media fawning.
He also drives a good car, but the two are not entirely compatible.
The Democratic presidential contender was in Detroit on Monday, oozing charisma and environmental awareness as he chided local automakers for building too many big vehicles and not enough fuel-efficient hybrids.
So his choice to drive a V8 Hemi-powered Chrysler 300C emits a whiff of hypocrisy along with its exhaust fumes. Obama's choice proves once again that fuel economy is seldom the No. 1 factor when Americans buy cars. The 340-horsepower 300C has plenty of room for the lanky senator, his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters. It gets 25 miles per gallon on the highway, good for a big sedan, but far short of hybrids and compact cars.
His campaign Thursday said it leases a flex-fuel vehicle, and Obama, whose family has just one car, "believes we need to work together to achieve energy independence."
So although owning a hybrid is politically correct for presidential aspirants — many report that they do — this week reminds Detroit that campaigning still is sometimes about doing what I say, not what I do. I do compliment him on his taste in cars (I drive the same thing), but he wants to take that choice away from the hoi polloi and restrict it to politicians, entertainers, and currency manipulators.
It's more than four months into the new Democratic Congress--not a bad time to see how they're doing. So far there have been 25 bills signed into law. Here's the list:
A bill to redesignate the White Rocks National Recreation Area in the State of Vermont as the "Robert T. Stafford White Rocks National Recreation Area."
To revise the composition of the House of Representatives Page Board to equalize the number of members representing the majority and minority parties and to include a member representing the parents of pages and a member representing former pages, and for other purposes.
To provide a new effective date for the applicability of certain provisions of law to Public Law 105-331.
An act to provide for an additional temporary extension of programs under the Small Business Act and the Small business Investment Act of 1958 through July 31, 2007, and for other purposes.
Making further continuing appropriations for the fiscal year 2007, and for other purposes.
To amend the Antitrust Modernization Commission Act of 2002, to extend the term of the Antitrust Modernization Commission and to make a technical correction.
To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1300 North Frontage Road West in Vail, Colorado, as the "Gerald R. Ford, Jr. Post Office Building".
To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 152 North 5th Street in Laramie, Wyoming, as the "Gale W. McGee Post Office".
To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1700 Main Street in Little Rock, Arkansas, as the "Scipio A. Jones Post Office Building".
To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 16150 Aviation Loop Drive in Brooksville, Florida, as the "Sergeant Lea Robert Mills Brooksville Aviation Branch Post Office".
To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3903 South Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas, as the "Sergeant Henry Ybarra III Post Office Building".
To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2633 11th Street in Rock Island, Illinois, as the "Lane Evans Post Office Building".
To designate the United States courthouse located at 555 Independence Street in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, as the "Rush Hudson Limbaugh, Sr. United States Courthouse".
To designate the United States courthouse at South Federal Place in Santa Fe, New Mexico, as the "Santiago E. Campos United States Courthouse".
To designate the Federal building located at 400 Maryland Avenue Southwest in the District of Columbia as the 'Lyndon Baines Johnson Department of Education Building'.
To provide for the construction, operation, and maintenance of an arterial road in St. Louis County, Missouri.
A bill to endorse further enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and to facilitate the timely admission of new members to NATO, and for other purposes.
To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide waivers relating to grants for preventive health measures with respect to breast and cervical cancers.
A bill to amend the Older Americans Act of 1965 to reinstate certain provisions relating to the nutrition services incentive program.
To redesignate the Federal building located at 167 North Main Street in Memphis, Tennessee, as the "Clifford Davis and Odell Horton Federal Building".
To amend the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 to reauthorize the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy.
To amend title 18, United States Code, to strengthen prohibitions against animal fighting, and for other purposes.
To amend the Public Health Service Act to add requirements regarding trauma care, and for other purposes.
To amend the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to extend the authority to withhold from public availability a financial disclosure report filed by an individual who is a judicial officer or judicial employee, to the extent necessary to protect the safety of that individual or a family member of that individual, and for other purposes.
A bill to designate the Federal building and United States courthouse and customhouse located at 515 West First Street in Duluth, Minnesota, as the "Gerald W. Heaney Federal Building and United States Courthouse and Customhouse".
#1
If they did nothing that would be fine but the dhemmi donks are being obstructionists and aiding and abetting terrorists. They are not supporting our troops. They are like a bunch of friggin kids--they want to whine about everything and take responsibility for nothing.
#2
If you showed me this list and asked how many working days it represented, I'd have guessed about 1 week. They're so busy pissing and crying that they can't get anything done. Most of what they did get done is redesignating buildings, I'd think that would take about an hour, max.
#3
To designate the United States courthouse located at 555 Independence Street in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, as the "Rush Hudson Limbaugh, Sr. United States Courthouse".
that had to hurt...
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/12/2007 11:03 Comments ||
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#4
Ironically, I expected nothing less. The public tends to vacillate between wanting something done and wanting peace and quiet from government. That is pretty much what the election said: the vote was only for logjam, no mandate to anyone.
Democrats are tired of the WoT that they only wanted to last a month or two, if at all.
Republicans are tired of the Republican spending spree, and just wanted Congress to STOP passing laws and throwing money around like confetti.
So for two years we get a "time out". Eventually I expect Bush to get most of the money the military needs, and some of the more "rah rah" but ineffective Patriot Act stuff will be allowed to expire.
The loser in the next election will be the candidate who promises the most change. Unless that change is government doing less.
Optimally, Al Gore will run as a Green candidate and split the Democrats.
#6
# To revise the composition of the House of Representatives Page Board to equalize the number of members representing the majority and minority parties and to include a member representing the parents of pages and a member representing former pages, and for other purposes.
If there's any mandate the Democratniks can claim, that's the one. Prior to the '06 elections I'd never heard of Mark Foley. You'd think he was Speaker of the House given the amount of coverage of his idiocy during the midterm campaign, though.
#7
A bill to endorse further enlargement of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and to facilitate the timely admission of new members to NATO, and for other purposes.
Considering Sweden's and Finland's recent interest, and the hammer and sickle flying over the Duma again, this one suggests that someone is actually paying attention.
President George W. Bush challenged St. Vincent College's Class of 2007 to uphold the lessons they learned at the Catholic institution and live a life of service to others.
"Here at St. Vincent College, you have learned that service outside the classroom is as important as what you learn inside the classroom," Bush told the graduating class of nearly 300. "The challenge for you is to keep this up as you begin your new careers, and your new families and your new lives."
Bush was greeted with warm applause and some whistles and cheers when he arrived at Friday's ceremonies in the school's gymnasium.
No signs of protest were seen or heard from the crowd of about 2,000, despite recent disagreement on campus as to whether Bush was an appropriate speaker. In a student forum and in a letter written by 30 current and retired faculty members, those opposed to Bush's presence questioned whether the war in Iraq and his economic and environmental policies conflict with the school's Benedictine roots.
Bush was introduced by St. Vincent President H. James Towey, a friend and former director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Towey, college Chancellor Archabbot Douglas R. Nowicki and three students greeted the president after his helicopter entourage landed on the college's intramural fields.
Towey said he is grateful to be considered one of the president's friends. "History asks much of America's presidents, and it has demanded a great deal from you, Mr. President. And I suspect it will until the end of your term," Towey said. "In my opinion, you've stayed strong and true to your convictions."
Bush urged the graduates to stay true to their ideals. "When you serve your fellow citizens, you find benefits you'll never imagine," he said. "You discover that a caring person is sometimes all it takes for someone to turn their lives around. You see for yourself that kindness and respect make an enormous difference in a person's life."
In his speech, Bush lauded five members of the class of 2007 who have volunteered for military service, as well as nearly four dozen who plan to become teachers. He talked about students who volunteered at an all-boys school in one of the poorest areas of New Jersey and at an AIDS clinic in Brazil.
"Lead lives of purpose and character. Make a difference in someone else's life," Bush said. "And if you do, you will lead richer lives, you will build a more hopeful nation, and you'll never be disappointed."
Bush's speech didn't focus solely on the serious. He spoke warmly of his friendship with Towey, calling him "Mr. President" throughout the speech.
Bush joked about a letter Towey sent him inviting him to speak. "Here is what Mr. President said: 'Mr. President, I believe that by hearing you speak, every member of the Class of 2007 will leave this campus with a priceless lesson about the importance of the English language,'" Bush said to laughter. "At least he didn't say, 'I'm proud to welcome to the podium a man, the first president for whom English was a second language.'"
A half-mile from the commencement, about 125 people -- some from national peace organizations and some local residents who oppose the war -- gathered along Route 30 to protest Bush's appearance. Celeste Zappala, of Philadelphia, had an image of her late son, Sgt. Sherwood Baker, 30, on her T-shirt. Baker, the first Pennsylvania National Guardsman to die in combat since World War II, was killed in Baghdad on April 26, 2004. "I'm tired (of President Bush) using my son's death as an excuse to remain in Iraq," she said. "There's no good reason for any more Americans to lose their precious lives over there."
Marty O'Malley, a councilman from Forest Hills in Allegheny County and a 1963 St. Vincent alumnus, opposed the choice of Bush as speaker. "I'm extremely disappointed. He was chosen as commencement speaker by his friends who work at St. Vincent, who accept and condone that George Bush started a war all based on lies and, unfortunately, Americans are still losing their lives," O'Malley said.
But on campus, graduates said they were glad to have Bush as their commencement speaker. "Not many people are going to be able to say, 'I had the president speak at my graduation,'" said Matthew Kachonik, of Blairsville, who earned a degree in marketing.
Towey said he was "delighted and relieved" that Bush's visit went smoothly. "The nation saw what Benedictine hospitality looks like," Towey said. "It showed you can civilly disagree. It was a real message to the country on how you can be great Americans, you can disagree, but when the president of the United States comes, you respect the office."
Towey seems to have set his sights even higher for next year's commencement. He asked for some help from Bush, who plans to visit Pope Benedict XVI next month. "Could you ask him a favor?" Towey said. "Could you tell him that St. Vincent College is looking for a commencement speaker for next year?"
They're crawling out of the woodwork:
While some evangelical Christians are defending the presidential candidacy of Mormon Mitt Romney from an attack by Al Sharpton, another prominent pastor is going further in his condemnation – saying a vote for the former Massachusetts governor is a vote for Satan. I am not especially enthused with Romney but this kind of attack is beyond the pale. Even the Hillary Arkancide conspiracy theorists do not equate Her Thighness with the Devil himself.
That's the word from Bill Keller, host of the Florida-based Live Prayer TV program as well as LivePrayer.com. "If you vote for Mitt Romney, you are voting for Satan!" he writes in his daily devotional to be sent out to 2.4 million e-mail subscribers tomorrow. He and Hugo Chavez need to get their stories straight.
Sharpton, the Democratic Party activist and former presidential candidate, has been widely condemned for singling out Romney's faith as an issue in the campaign. Could Romney's candidacy catalyze a weird new alliance between fundamentalists and lib race-baiters? We see gay-rights proponents and Hollywood libertines siding with Iranian mullahs so I guess anything is possible.
"As for the one Mormon running for office, those who really believe in God will defeat him anyways, so don't worry about that; that's a temporary situation," he said.
Keller also comes out swinging against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints as a cult. "This message today is not about Mitt Romney," he writes. "Romney is an unashamed and proud member of the Mormon cult founded by a murdering polygamist pedophile named Joseph Smith nearly 200 years ago. The teachings of the Mormon cult are doctrinally and theologically in complete opposition to the Absolute Truth of God's Word. There is no common ground. If Mormonism is true, then the Christian faith is a complete lie. There has never been any question from the moment Smith's cult began that it was a work of Satan and those who follow their false teachings will die and spend eternity in hell." Hmmmm. I am no fan of the Mormon religion either but, speaking of dangerous cults, I seem to have missed any news of the latest spate of Mormon instigated beheadings and car bombings.
"I guess what I can tell you is it shows that bigotry can still rear its ugly head in society," Alex Burgos, a spokesman for the Romney campaign, told WND. "It's sad that anyone would target a fellow American on the issue of faith."
"We really have no comment," Kim Farah, a spokeswoman for the Mormon church, told WND. "I am not permitted to call someone a raving psyschopath on church time."
Keller is also critical of other evangelicals who have reached out to Romney. "I have watched in horror over the past weeks as one evangelical Christian leader after another has either endorsed, supported, or just as bad, refused to denounce Romney's run for the White House and those Christian leaders who support him," Keller writes. "Last weekend Pat Robertson, founder of CBN and Regent University, had Romney deliver the keynote address to the graduates of Regent. Regent is one of the great Christian colleges in this nation, and Robertson allowed this cult member to deliver the commencement address. Is he out of his mind? Do you think there would ever be a true Gospel preacher giving the commencement address at Brigham Young?"
But the focus of his appeal to followers is to discredit Mormonism as a legitimate faith in line with the tenets of Christianity. "I have been warning you for years now about this cult born out of the pits of hell and responsible for sending millions of souls to eternal damnation," Keller says. "For the nearly 200 years this cult has been in existence they have strived for mainstream acceptance. They are the most devious of all the cults since they have always tried to portray themselves as 'just another Christian group' when in fact, they are no more Christian than a Muslim is! Their deception starts with their name, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Sounds like a Christian church doesn't it? Some Mormons have recently changed their name to simply Community of Christ to disguise even better who they are in an attempt to lure people in."
Keller goes on to say that when LDS members talk of God and Jesus they are not talking about the God and Jesus of Christianity. He claims Romney's high-profile candidacy for the presidency is an important effort by the church to gain credibility and respectability.
"There are reportedly 12 million Mormons worldwide, half of those in the United States," he says. "The worldwide holdings of the Mormon cult are in the tens of billions of dollars. Mitt Romney is the first member of this cult who has had the legitimate opportunity to help them achieve their goal of mainstream acceptance while holding the most powerful office in the world. Romney will have the full resources of this cult behind him in his bid for the White House."
He says if Romney wins the White House, millions of people will be attracted to Mormonism. "Those who follow the false teachings of this cult, believe in the false jesus of the Mormon cult and reject faith in the one true Jesus of the Bible, will die and spend eternity in hell," he charges. "Romney getting elected president will ultimately lead millions of souls to the eternal flames of hell!"
Keller also criticizes Romney for political flip-flops on issues like abortion, citing a recent report that his wife donated money to Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the world. "Please take some time today and pray for Mitt Romney and all those who have been deceived by the lies of the Mormon cult," Keller adds. "The fact is that unless they renounce those lies and turn to faith in the one true Jesus of the Bible, they will die and spend eternity in hell. Pray also for these Christian leaders who have for whatever reason, foolishly aligned themselves with Romney. Pray the Holy Spirit will convict them and that they will renounce Romney and find a candidate to support who will hold to Biblical values. There is no excuse, no justification for supporting and voting for a man who will be used by satan to lead the souls of millions into the eternal flames of hell!" T-H-O-R-A-Z-I-N-E, now, max dose.
Keller was a businessman convicted of insider trading in 1989, a crime for which he served more than two years in federal prison. After getting out, he received a degree in biblical studies from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, and has been in full-time ministry ever since. Why am I not surprised? Be sure to check out Keller's photo at the link. What is it with televangelists and goofy haircuts?
#3
Look, the Mormons do believe in some pretty strange crap. But as long as Romney doesn't demand that everyone convert, get temple marriages and baptize their dead relatives, I could care less what church he goes to on Sunday.
I bet if Mr Keller would have been around back in 1960, he would have said that a vote for Kennedy was a vote to put the Pope in charge of the US.
#4
Know what you mean, SB. My dad married a Mormon woman after he and my mom divorced. He converted, mostly to please her I think.
Some years later, when I was in my late 20s, I was depressed about a broken engagement. I talked to Dad on the phone and he finally got me to consent to visit with a couple of Mormon missionaries if he could arrange it.
I was in Lubbock, Texas and Dad was in Carlisle, England; but the well-groomed missionaries showed up at my door within the hour.
Nice chaps, and they gave me a copy of their book, complete with a photo of the nice Utah family who had donated it. I read it cover to cover. It reminded me a lot of Lord of the Rings for some reason.
#6
Whether you accept any or all of the tenets of the Mormon faith, my experience has been that they are very honest, hard-working people who hold an extremely strong appreciation for education and the United States Constitution. As a group, one would have to look very hard to find one more patriotic. I've also seen that the military thinks Mormons are absolutely wonderful; they, as a religious group, are overrepresented there relative to their percentage of the U.S. population. As for Mitt Romney, I'm not sure he's the best choice for president, but of all the people running, he's sure the one I'd like most on my board of directors if I was starting a business. The man certainly knows how to get things done.
Posted by: Mac ||
05/12/2007 10:31 Comments ||
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#7
Ima suspicious. Why DO they need all those stocked-up canned goods?? It's not like we ever have natural disasters! Errr....... nevermind
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/12/2007 11:29 Comments ||
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#8
Now le's get to the fundamental? Do the Moromons beheadd people, slam planesaganist buildings, incite four year old children to become suicide bombers, call for the extermination of non-mormons?
#9
The Book of Mormon is about as believeable as the Quran. Both fantasy. But the two populations have turned out radically different. Mormons are very respectable in the lives and actions they lead. Muslims are despicable and totally untrustworthy and useless. Mormons are hard workers and honest. I come from the area around Nauvoo, Illinois where they had settled after being driven out of Ohio. Illinois was worse for them and locals started lynching them and burning their churches(Temples). So they crossed the Mississippi on ice at night to escape to an unknown place which became Salt Lake City. The remains they left behind at Nauvoo are impressive even to this day.
#11
raised in the West, Colorado, Arizona and caliphornia I have found that Mormons are as easy a group to deal with as there is.. honest, cheerful and trusting. what's not to like.
#12
Romney is a good example of a good Mormon/good citizen, someone you would love to have as a friend and neighbor. Harry Reid? Not so much
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/12/2007 18:28 Comments ||
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#13
The Book of Mormon is about as believeable as the Quran. Both fantasy. But the two populations have turned out radically different. Mormons are very respectable in the lives and actions they lead.
South Park had a good episode on Mormons. They ridiculed the beliefs but defended the believers as decent, utterly honest and good citizens. Certainly the kind of people you'd want to have as neighbors.
#15
I'd take a Mormon as a neighbor over a Democrat, any day.
Posted by: Natural Law ||
05/12/2007 21:32 Comments ||
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#16
Mormons are overrepresented in the IC back office as well. Not as overrepresented as us Catholics (far more than in the general population). But more Mormons per capita than in the general population - and they're good folks.
If Romney is Satan, then whats left for Hillary? We don't have a standby title for her, dang it.
Despite constant denials that he is running for president, Mayor Michael Bloomberg laid out a national energy plan today in a speech in Houston and took veiled jabs at his potential opponents, accusing them of "politics as usual." SMACK! Sounds like he should be in politics. :-)
The Republican billionaire outlined an energy plan that proposes creating profit motives gasp! for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, building new wind farms and nuclear plants, phasing out the incandescent light bulb and setting early deadlines to accomplish these goals. Forget the deadlines. Just wave the profit carrot out there. They will follow.
Bloomberg, who recently launched an effort to drastically reduce pollution by 2030 in New York City, suggested that those who set later deadlines like 2050 and 2070 are afraid to do the work and make the commitments now. A number of presidential candidates, including Democrats John Edwards, Barack Obama and Chris Dodd, and Republican John McCain, have their own proposals with a 2050 endpoint, or support plans with that deadline. 2050? I guess this assumes we're pulling ahead in the long war because we won't need them if we end up losing with a whimper and living in caves.
"When an elected official makes a promise to achieve something in the far-off distant future, but refuses to take the steps now that would allow us to begin making progress, that's not leadership. It's passing the buck. And unfortunately, it's politics as usual," Bloomberg said, according to a copy of his prepared remarks. Like arguing about abortion is politics as usual, too?
The Democrat-turned-Republican says repeatedly he will not enter the race and promises to serve his full second term as mayor, which ends December 31, 2009. The former CEO of a financial information company, whose wealth was recently estimated at more than $13 billion by Fortune magazine, says he then plans to focus full-time on philanthropy.
But just this week, Bloomberg relaunched the Web site that he used for his mayoral campaigns in 2001 and 2005, saying he wanted a place where people could learn all about him and his passions.
So the speculation persists that he will enter the 2008 race as a self-financed independent candidate. The mayor and his supporters don't exactly throw water on the buzz, and actually help fuel it with coy remarks as well as a greater focus on national issues and travel outside New York. Didn't you hear? He's holding secret meetings about this. It's just that nobody's figured out where he's holding them yet or what is talked about in them.
Bloomberg's Houston speech also ridiculed the idea of taxing sugar-based ethanol imports while subsidizing corn-based ethanol; both policies are intended to help U.S. corn growers. But the inconsistent approach to the two cleaner-burning fuels is "nothing more than pork-barrel politics," the mayor said. I'm guessing that there must be more votes out there who want to grow corn than sugar, and that corn probably makes less sense.
Corn-based ethanol is a topic of great interest among Iowa voters, but observers say Bloomberg doesn't have to court them like other candidates do because he would likely not enter the race until after the first few primaries and caucuses.
The moderate Republican often parts with his party, supporting abortion rights, gay marriage, stem cell research and gun control, but took the rare moment in Houston on Friday to praise President Bush more than once. Strange. He kinda makes ... sense. Sorry, unless you play that game where you do stupid stuff in return for the authority you're granted you'll probably never make it.
He applauded Bush for forming an alliance with Brazil to promote ethanol trade as an alternative to costly foreign oil, but went on to say that "politically-driven policies are costing taxpayers billions while providing only marginal carbon reductions." I wonder if corn could replace cocaine in South America. I wonder what the gangs would look like. I wonder if it would look silly if they killed each other in corn turf wars.
He also said government that wants to encourage private investment in clean energy sources can "begin by learning a lesson" from Bush, who signed a law when he was Texas governor that helped create a major market for renewable energy in the state.
Bloomberg proposed expanding access to natural gas sites, with more natural gas pipelines, and building new nuclear plants and wind farms. But many people, he said, aren't willing to do what it takes by allowing wind farms in the water off the coast. Don't forget solar! Makes for good water heaters, too!
"You've heard of 'Not in my backyard?' This is what you call 'Not near my beach house,'" he said. How about solar panels as a roof for your beach house that pump power back into the grid when you aren't there to use it?
Bloomberg unveiled his long-term sustainability plan for New York City last month on Earth Day. The plan calls for reducing carbon emissions through greener buildings, hybrid vehicles and greater fuel efficiency standards, among other initiatives. Doesn't personal transportation make up about 20% of our energy budget, or am I way out to lunch here? Seems like we also need to work more on manufacturing technology (both power and materials), green construction techniques, more efficient power grids, and the recycling infrastructure which I personally think is a joke.
#1
I think anthroprogenic global warming is a complete crock, but if you want to reduce emissions, the only way to do it is to increase the price of carbon derived energy.
All the rest is more or less pointless handwaving. In particular, conservation (turning off lights etc) merely frees up purchasing power for some other economic activity which of course requires energy.
And BTW, biofuels, wind and solar power work to the extent they are government mandated taxes (All government subsidies are taxes on something else). Just very wasteful and inefficient taxes.
#2
His nanny-statism won't play in the GOP nationally.
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/12/2007 18:13 Comments ||
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#3
I just want us to get off of foreign oil, I don't care how we do it. As long as it works good enough and doesn't trash the economy any worse than the terrorists.
#4
How does an ass like Bloomburg get to be a millionair ?
There is no problem with 'greenhouse gases' except water vapor. And, the light bulb ?
Really, folks this is just leftist/commie bullshit to attempt to upset our roaring economy.
Want proof ? The worst year for manmade CO2 was 1928, by a wide margin, but nothing happened to the weather.
Want more ? Manmade CO2 is a small percent of total CO2, much of which comes from volcanic eruptions.
Want more ? The SUN accounts for 97 percent of global warming, and 100 percent of Mars warming.
Like Earth, Mars has been warming. There is no measurable CO2 on Mars.
Water Vapor accounts for over 2 percent of global warming, and ALL of global temperature moderation in the form of rain. There is no way to measure the amount of rainfall or the effect of rainfall on the weather. All we have are the results like floods and draughts, and instead of avoiding flood plains, we bullshit about global warming.
Bloomburg should shove a lightbulb up his butt.
Finally, why Bloomsy won't get my vote; he hired a bunch of Clintonistas to run the schoolocracy in NYC. You judge a man by his friends.
Zimbabwe has been elected to head the UN's commission on Sustainable Economic Development (CSD) despite strong objections from Western diplomats. The UN displays its stupidity for all to see daily, but this one is a beaut.
#2
Lessee...a prosperous country pre-ZimBob Mugabe is run into the ground such that it now cannot even provide food enough for its entire population and this country is now going to chair a sustainable economic development commission?
Where's my dictionary. I need to see if the word "stupid" has "See United Nations" as part of its definition.
#3
They're not stoopid, they're on the other side.
IIUC, the UN started as a vehicle for the allied powers (hence its name) and then later as a stabilizing scheme for the post-WWII world, but it has been co-opted first by the soviet, and now by the third-world, with countries voting by regional blocs to pursue their own interests and/or stick it to the Man, not to uphold any grand ideal. In that regard, having zim-bob-we head that commission makes perfect sense, it doesn't have to be "logical", it just have to serve ethnic/regional solidarity.
So, you've got an org whose servants and administrators are moved by and ideology from the very start constructivist, globalist and socialist (tranzi), which had been subverted by the soviet, by arab oil money-born influence (cf. the obsession with Israel, not a coincidence), and whose member States in majority share an anti-white, anti-western worldview.
Add corruption from the recruiting of the thirld world's "elite" to file the ranks of the cogs in the UN machinery and how this spread to normally not-so-corrupt servants from industrialized countries, add antisemitism and anti-americanism and anti-western resentment from those same people (even from the south americans)...
#4
You haven't hear the punchline yet. They'll come around asking us to pay for it. We already foot half the bill for the whole damned thing. I don't see where it is serving our interests at all anymore.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal revenue collections hit an all-time high in April, contributing to a further improvement in the budget deficit for the year. Releasing its monthly budget report, the Treasury Department said Thursday that through the first seven months of this budget year, the deficit totals $80.8 billion, significantly below the $184.1 billion imbalance run up during the first seven months of the 2006 budget year.
So far this year, tax revenues total $1.505 trillion, an increase of 11.2 percent over the same period last year. That figure includes $383.6 billion collected in April, the largest monthly tax collection on record. Tax collections swell in April every year as individuals file their tax returns by the deadline.
For the first seven months of this budget year, which began Oct. 1, revenue collections and government spending are at all-time highs. However, the spending total of $1.585 billion was up at a slower pace of 3.2 percent from the previous year. The difference in the growth of tax collections and spending is the reason for the narrowing deficit. He must know TW is reading this.
The Congressional Budget Office said that it now expects the deficit for all of 2007 to total between $150 billion and $200 billion. That would be a significant improvement from last year's deficit of $248.2 billion, which had been the lowest imbalance in four years.
The federal budget was in surplus for four years from 1998 through 2001 as the long economic expansion helped push revenues higher. But the 2001 recession, the cost of fighting a global war on terror and the loss of revenue from President Bush's tax cuts sent the budget back into the red starting in 2002. Let's see, lower taxes by 20% or whatever, double the revenue stream or whatever, and end up with 1.6 times as much money as before. Obviously broken because the fed's cut is only 80% of twice as much. Now why are you looking at me like that?
The administration's budget sent to Congress in February projects that the deficit will be eliminated by 2012 even if the president achieves his goal of getting his tax cuts made permanent. They are now due to expire in 2010.
However, critics say the improvement in the deficits will be only temporary with deficits expected to balloon again with the higher Social Security and Medicare payments needed as 78 million baby boomers retire. Critics of what? The resilient Bush economy or our government's "illogical" refusal to address looming social security shortcomings? I'll bet they're wishing they hadn't raided social security using that "pay as you go" bull$hit excuse. Oh well. Where's the credit card?
While Bush sought to make entitlement reform the centerpiece of his domestic agenda in a second term, his proposals to bolster Social Security with personal savings accounts has gone nowhere in Congress. Why?
White House Budget Director Rob Portman said the surge in tax revenues over the past two years was directly related to the economic rebound spurred by the Bush tax cuts. He said Congress should reject efforts to roll back the tax relief. They should. It will depend on whether or not a bunch of insecure self-righteous power-hungry hypocritical myopics are in charge or not.
"With strong economic growth and spending restraint, we can continue to reduce budget deficits and balance the budget as the president has proposed," Portman said in a statement. If it ain't 100% perfect, fix it until it is!
For April, revenue receipts totaled $383.64 billion while spending totaled $205.97 billion, leaving a surplus for the month of $177.7 billion.
#2
Congress just does not get the concept of "spending restraint". We need a line item veto and a legitimate fiscal conservative as our president before we can get out of the red.
#3
White House Budget Director Rob Portman said the surge in tax revenues over the past two years was directly related to the economic rebound spurred by the Bush tax cuts........and millions of Mexicans working here "illegally" but paying taxes. He said Congress should reject efforts to roll back the tax relief.
#4
Thank you, gorb dear. What a lovely bonbon with which to start the weekend!
a bunch of insecure self-righteous power-hungry hypocritical myopics
Ouch.
his proposals to bolster Social Security with personal savings accounts has gone nowhere in Congress.
*shrug* Those of us coming up behind the baby boom understand there isn't going to be any Social Security money for our retirement, except for the very poor. We're saving on our own, tax break or no. (Mr. Wife wants to ensure I'm not a burden on our great-grandchildren, should I live to 120 as I keep threatening.)
#5
Jeez, it's all BS, everyones bedwetting about the defecit and the NATIONAL DEBT. Yawl ever think of your grandchillrun? Don't want to leave them a piece of the bill? Why the hell not? Those little unborn tykes should shoulder a burder of what makes them free. Ima talking about the Virginias, the Improved Nimitz's, the cost of bringing freedom to Iraq and the Aghans, it right that they should pay. Is there a damn cost accountant left alive? Hell if you amortized the cost of a B-52 over 50 years it would come down to less than the cost of keeping open the Capps Post Office.
#6
Meanwhile..the tax bill at the state and local level continue to rise.
Remember when you're paying more than 50% of the product of your labor or skill to the government in one form or another regardless of level, we've returned to a tax based serfdom.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
British finance minister Gordon Brown on Friday formally announced his candidacy to succeed Tony Blair as prime minister, a day after Blair gave notice of his resignation. “Today I announce that I am a candidate to be leader of the Labour Party and to lead a new government,” said Brown, who is widely expected to take over from Blair at the end of June.
