Category Archives: politics

Why Bush Was Dumb to Veto SCHIP

Punditry of the Week:     In vetoing reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, George W. Bush has fired the first shot in the battle over health-care reform. The likely result will be to help mobilize support for further government intervention in the health-care market, which would be a very good thing. Thank you,Continue reading “Why Bush Was Dumb to Veto SCHIP”

The Usefulness of Fear, according to Exxon…and IBM

Dave Chase, who once worked for Microsoft, aptly describes the method of Exxon and other global warming deniers as "FUD" — sowing Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt. During the late 80’s and into 90’s, there was a major shift away from so-called “host computing” (i.e., mainframes & minicomputers). That shift nearly killed IBM and did killContinue reading “The Usefulness of Fear, according to Exxon…and IBM”

Laura Bush Takes Action to Save Burma

Don’t usually discuss non-climate politics in this space, but because I’ve been to the lovely nation of Burma years ago, want to bring up a couple of points. First, until you’ve visited a nation ruled by a Communist dictatorship, it’s difficult to understand how crushing its grip on the population can be. When I visited,Continue reading “Laura Bush Takes Action to Save Burma”

Experts Criticize Bush Administration on Climate Science

A scientific panel today released a report critical of the Bush administration’s handling of global warming science, according to Andrew Revkin at the New York Times. Of the $1.7 billion spent each year on climate research, the report said only about $25-$30 million a year is going to studies of impacts on human affairs. TheContinue reading “Experts Criticize Bush Administration on Climate Science”

Republican Senator Invents New Theory of Global Warming

Ted Stevens, the Republican senator from Alaska whose vacation home was recently raided by the FBI, and who made over $800,000 from a shady real estate deal last year, has come up with a brand-new theory of global warming. He told a CBS reporter in Alaska: "We’re at the end of a long, long termContinue reading “Republican Senator Invents New Theory of Global Warming”

Bush Lies, er, Misleads on Global Warming…Again

The Prez has a long history of misleading the nation on climate change. Not unlike his father, who promised to be the "environmental president" on the stump, Bush promised on the campaign trail in 2000 to reduce CO2 emissions, then promptly reversed himself once taking office. But that’s in the history books. Yesterday, according toContinue reading “Bush Lies, er, Misleads on Global Warming…Again”

Clinton: Global Warming Must Become Voting Issue

Is climate change the perfect political problem? Andrew Revkin of the New York Times seems to think so, and recently asked the best political analyst of our era, Bill Clinton, how we face up to that, in a video interview. Yours truly has taken the trouble to provide a transcript of his answer. After admittingContinue reading “Clinton: Global Warming Must Become Voting Issue”

A Year After Katrina: Is the Corps Getting a Clue?

We all know that New Orleans is threatened by hurricanes, but less dramatic and less well-known is the fact (as discussed by Time and below) that naturally the Big Muddy would help protect New Orleans by tirelessly constructing wetlands, mud banks, and the like — if only the Army Corps of Engineers didn’t get inContinue reading “A Year After Katrina: Is the Corps Getting a Clue?”