Constructive gadfly
stevendedalus's Articles In Politics » Page 22
August 21, 2008 by stevendedalus
Though the Russian overreaction with tanks reminiscent of old Soviet tactics should be condemned we must keep in mind that overreaction by the US serves no purpose, especially in light of Georgia initiating the attack on Tskhinvali. Bush’s condemnation that invasion of territorial rights is not acceptable in the 21 st Century is laughable. McCain’s bluster shows he’s still a cold front warrior in a time when our resources are spread too thin. Secretary of State Rice has no...
August 16, 2008 by stevendedalus
 Between a $6million going rate for offshore oil prospectus and almost a billion for oil rigs it appears that there's really no incentive to get moving on drilling offshore. It's a bit much to think that oil companies are that inspired to search for more oil where it will take them at least a decade to bring to fruition and the return on investment would be virtually nil unless the going rate for a barrel of oil at the time would be in the neighborhood of $500. Try to imagine the costs i...
August 16, 2008 by stevendedalus
    With the freshness of Obama wearing down like a new car smell, it’s back to politics as usual, given the clarity that the grumpy old man surprisingly is keeping the race close. Normally a failing administration in an election year would cause the opposing candidate to be at least double digits in the lead. Despite the crystal grazing even when backed by polls and analyses that favor Obama, there is no certainty he will be the clear winner. Albeit the youth vote in th...
August 13, 2008 by stevendedalus
    The JU "controversy" should clear the air over offshore drilling. First off as Pelosi says let's start up the inactive licensed areas; then Congress for one dollar should permit all other areas to be explored for plausible oil reserves. When more or less proven, license at $1mil the oil companies to drill as long as it beyond horizons, and if not states in question must approve. As for the use of the Arctic Ocean already under exploration and in competition with other nations...
August 11, 2008 by stevendedalus
    Comprehensive energy policy from oil drilling, CAFE and hybrid cars to taxing bottled water carbon emissions; and materially producing alternative fuels. Reduce the annual deficit to zero in four years. Reduce the national debt to four trillion in eight years. Eliminate earmarks by having each governor submit a list of state priorities subject to fair revenue sharing. Scrap NCLB and allocate funds to schools in disrepair and develop relevant teacher education. Start a Mar...
August 9, 2008 by stevendedalus
    OBAMA: Paris Britney MCCAIN Paris Britney http://stevendedalus.joeuser.com http://www.lulu.com/rrkfinn
August 8, 2008 by stevendedalus
    Big oil has stolen a page from the early ’90s pharmaceutical and AMA conglomerates that had frozen the escalating health costs while Hillary was threatening them with her universal health plan. The freeze lasted about a year until the threat subsided. Then again, perhaps it was the other way around: that the health industry stole from OPEC and corporate affiliates’ pages of the ’70s when America went on a tear to insulate their homes, lower the thermostat...
August 6, 2008 by stevendedalus
    Supplying him with 50,000 more troops from global bases, order General Petraeus to launch a final mop up of all pockets of resistance in Iraq. Enact single payer universal health care by extending Medicare to all, doubling Medicare payroll tax and a 1% national sales tax. Employees will expect compensation in wage adjustments. For every dollar spent on environmentally sensitive domestic oil drilling two dollars will be spent on alternative fuels and modernization of rai...
August 5, 2008 by stevendedalus
    If McCain is too old and Obama too young what is the ideal age for an incoming President? If McCain is too experienced causing him to flipflop and being all over the lot on issues, and if Obama is too inexperienced to form solid policies so that he, too, inflicts flipflopping on himself, what is the ideal level and kind of experience for an incoming President?     http://stevendedalus.joeuser.com http://www.lulu.com/rrkfinn
August 5, 2008 by stevendedalus
  In the post war ’40s millions became homeowners—courtesy of the G.I. Bill, requiring merely nominal closing costs, insurance and decent wages of the male breadwinner. [To be honest, I’m not sure those who served in women’s reserve were eligible.] The government guaranteed $4,000 of the loan which actually in most cases exceeded 50% of the loan as the average home was priced at $6500-7500—in addition interest was 4½% —resulting in a ho...
August 2, 2008 by stevendedalus
  A sixteen month timetable set by Obama is meaningless and dishonest when it is still conditional on the situation in Iraq. The “horizon” set by Bush is also without meaning because by definition it recedes as approached and thus never reached. McCain’s goal of 2013 is equally pointless since it is a dead giveaway that the surge apparently is not working and troop detainment could very well be extended for a hundred years. The real point is that it is clear no one h...
August 1, 2008 by stevendedalus
    The “surge”is a misnomer; there was no dramatic counterinsurgency. It was more like “more cops on the streets” tactic, rather than the previous blunder of patrol cars [Humvees] vulnerable to IEDs. The surge troops, instead of handing out candy to children or repairing bombed out buildings, lavished malcontents with 300 bucks a month to “awaken” the incentive to police pockets of resistance in their neighborhoods. If you can’t fight th...
July 31, 2008 by stevendedalus
    All the hoopla over ANWR, Arctic Ocean rights and offshore drilling is nothing but a ruse to delude the public into believing so-called energy independence will bring down the cost of gasoline and energy in general. Undisclosed is the oil industry’s motive that with the price of oil at an all-time high, profits will continue to grow like never before. There is no intention to ultimately reduce the price because there would be no incentive for the oil titans to explore f...
July 30, 2008 by stevendedalus
What does it mean really to bail-out financial entities at taxpayers’ expense as though the public is the ultimate in capitalization? In truth, they are debtors of multi-trillions, an immense share of which is held to the vests of foreign lenders. So, when it said that the Federal Reserve intervenes by subsidizing or lending billions to financial markets it is based on funny money backed by the treasuries of Saudi, Japan and China—the true source of capitalization. In reality...
July 27, 2008 by stevendedalus
If we pretty much concede to mandatory insurance on our homes and cars why then is it so hard to accept mandatory health insurance? We consent to multibillions for war, casinos, stadiums, luxury offices and apartments why is it so hard to demand modern railways, and safe bridges? We carry on the war on terrorism, yet how is it we leave our borders and neighborhoods vulnerable? In free trade is it really no concern of ours to insist that underdeveloped countries strive for decent liv...