Framing the Dialogue

Posts Tagged ‘epa’

Stats Rhats

Many years ago I was fortunate to be invited on a school trip to Gettysburg National Military Park.  That trip sparked a love affair with the city and the Civil War.  If you are from below the Mason-Dixon line you would call it the War Between the States.  A favorite book about that era is The Killer Angels which was the basis of a favorite movie, Gettysburg.

One of ending scenes of the movie was an encounter between some captured Confederate soldiers and Union soldiers after the epic Picket/Pettigrew charge.  The southerners were resting on some fencing when one of the Union officers asked the prisoners why they were fighting this war.  One of the Confederates answered that they were fighting for “Stats Rhats.’ 

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News Briefs Volume I

newspapersSometimes a news article makes me shake my head, but I do not want to base a whole posting on it.  I will collect these gems and present them as News Briefs for your enjoymnent from time to time.

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Is Blackmail Too Strong A Word?

You can be the judge regarding whether the term blackmail should be attributed to the actions of government officials in the following two stories. 

blackmail ravenstahlThe first story features local politicians in the City of Pittsburgh.  As a little background, the City of Pittsburgh has been in state receivership for a number of years because city officials cannot control their spending.  One of the biggest factors is their underfunded pension funds.  Pittsburgh’s Democrat boy mayor, Luke Ravenstahl, has quite a scheme to raise taxes (it always seems to be about raising taxes) without really ticking off his constituents.  He has decided to impose a one percent tax “tuition” tax on all students attending institutions of higher educations within city limits.  His position is that they receive “services,” but do not pay anything towards them.

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New Carbon Dioxide Rule Riles

epa_sealLeaders from around the world are flying their private jets to Copenhagen this week to attend a summit to develop a framework for global governance predicated on man made global warming or climate change.  With this meeting as a backdrop, the United States Environmental Protection Agency is expected do designate carbon dioxide as a dangerous pollutant.

This ”endangerment” finding by the Environmental Protection Agency could pave the way for the government to require sources that emit carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases to take measures to reduce emissions regardless of whether the legislature passes the unpopular cap and trade legislation.  

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