Progressive Slective On "Feeling Good" : Ethanol Drives Starvation For Third World

This is interesting, if Ethanol is cheaper then gasoline why is it necessary to subsidize it by more then .50cents a gallon? Even though the 'feel good' progressive democrat environmentalists rave about the benefits of saving the planet with Ethanol, I wonder why they don't seem to 'feel bad' about how third world countries that rely on our corn to just survive have to pay increased prices that bring many to the brink of starvation.?

I guess the progressive democrat can be selective about what they want to 'feel good' about and what they want to 'feel bad' about. For most democrats it's just politics as usual. If millions are on the brink of starvation, so what, I have mine.

It's really about the new slogan of the modern progressive liberal democrat, 'pull up the rope, I'm aboard'.

Biggest Problems with the Ethanol Mandate
Source: Justin Sykes, "The Top 10 Pitfalls of the Ethanol Mandate," Americans for Tax Reform, January 23, 2014.

January 31, 2014

The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) ethanol mandate lowers fuel efficiency and damages vehicle engines, says Justin Sykes of Americans for Tax Reform.

The EPA's Renewable Fuel Standard Program requires that renewable fuel be included in motor vehicle fuel, as well as in fuels for trains and marine engines. The mandate has created a number of problems for consumers, including:

• Higher gas prices: When the mandate is increased above the 10 percent blend wall in 2015, gas prices will increase $1 per gallon.
• Lower fuel efficiency: Ethanol supporters will tell you that putting ethanol in fuel drops prices, because ethanol costs less than gas. If comparing gallons to gallons, yes -- ethanol is cheaper. However, ethanol provides one-third less energy per gallon than gas.
• Higher corn prices: Since the mandate was instituted in 2010, corn prices have risen to almost $7.00 per bushel in 2014, much higher than the EPA's $3.22 estimate. Today, 40 percent of American corn is turned into ethanol.
• Conservation: Federal policies incentivize ethanol production to the point that it is more attractive to grow corn for ethanol than to receive subsidies for land conservation. As a result, 5 million acres of conservation land has disappeared since the mandate was introduced.

On top of these problems, ethanol erodes vehicle engines and livestock producers have been forced out of business thanks to higher corn (i.e. feed) costs.
 

Individual Freedom Taken, Lost : America In Survival Mode?

Ever wonder how Mr Obama ideology of "fundamental" change will effect everyone that won't bend the knee to the progressive socialist democrats that now control or government?

The officials that decided the children had to give up their food because their account had insufficient funds didn't take the food for that reason, they took the food because of their own over-riding ideology of singular power of control over others dictated the action. That this concerned small children did not enter their conscience.

Their is no compassion in progressive socialism, only the power to control. This is the true face of Mr Obama and his allies in the democrat party.

Ever wonder why more then 50 million people are on food stamps, Medicaid is growing faster the ObamaCare, Medicare Social Services has added thousands of new recipients in the last few years, more then 3 million jobs that were here in 2008 are now gone for ever, that there are more then 90 million people under employed and unemployed (25+ million)  and real unemployment is now over 16%?

Does any of this ring any bells? Is this lost on the general public? Do ya think? Yeah, I think most among us, that exercises their thumbs more then their collective brains, have no clue what is trending their way.

Men Verses Women : Significantly Different Controls

I might have shown this to you in the past but I just can't help myself, I have to bring it around again. 

What this explains is that men, as meek mortals, can never understand how women think or why they do the things they do.

Men on the other hand are very simple to understand, they are uncomplicated by most outside forces and exhibit a life style, for the most part, which resembles that of a house pet. Arouse them from their deep sleep and suddenly you have a mess on your hands. heh

Mars Landing Proposal : Video Explains Possibilities

I think this has been around for a while but it is so fantastic it's worth seeing again. Now if only we had some money left over from the NASA budget that has been allocated for Muslim Outreach, maybe this could become reality.

http://www.youtube.com/embed/XRCIzZHpFtY?rel=0

Drones Looking Down from 17,500 Feet : We Know Everything

Did you ever wonder what a Drone can actually see when Mr Obama sends them on a mission to kill terrorists or spy on Conservatives ?  And as we find out in this cool video is at more then 17,500 feet.

http://www.youtube.com/v/AHrZgS-Gvi4

Stress Relief : Teacher Verses Children's Boots

Here is something to lighten up your day given the insanity of our political climate and the obsession over the Super Bowl. The good Lord knows we need relief.

 

(Anyone who has ever dressed a child will love this)

 Did you hear about the teacher who was helping one of her pupils put on his boots?

 He asked for help and she could see why. Even with her pulling, and him pushing, the little boots still didn't want to go on. By the time they got the second boot on, she had worked up a sweat.

 

She almost cried when the little boy said,

'Teacher, they're on the wrong feet.'
She looked, and sure enough, they were.

 

Unfortunately, it wasn't any easier pulling the boots off, than it was putting them on.

 She managed to keep her cool as, together, they worked to get the boots back on, this time on the correct feet.

 

He then announced,

'These aren't my boots.'
She bit her tongue, rather than get right in his face and scream,

'Why didn't you say so?' like she wanted to.

 

Once again, she struggled to help him pull the ill-fitting boots off his little feet.

 

No sooner had they got the boots off when he said,

 'They're my brother's boots. But my Mom made me wear 'em today.'
Now she didn't know if she should laugh or cry.

 

But she mustered up what grace and courage she had left to wrestle the boots BACK onto his feet again. Helping him into his coat, she asked,

'Now, where are your mittens? He said,  'I stuffed 'em in the toes of my boots.'

She'll be eligible for parole in three years.

 

Arnie Hillmann

Common Core A Disaster for Education And The Country : A Progressive Manifesto

The Common Core agenda that has been laid out by Mr Obama and the democrats is not in the best interest of education. Just by the fact that it has been designed and established by progressive socialists means it is not in the best interest of the students but another tool to control out comes.

Since this program has been festering in the general public schools, reports of failure and inconsistency with common sense as well as proven methods of learning let alone the content is not suited to the basic principals of education, have been remarkably ignored. Stories from school districts are proving disturbing. Much of the content found in Common Care  is the basic ideology of progressive socialism.

Why hasn't there been more push back from local communities? If something doesn't work why forge ahead accepting failure? You know better then 'to get along you go along', but what is the overriding influence that restricts common sense in our public schools when it comes to making good decisions?

Some States Dump Common Core Tests
Source: Adrienne Lu, "States Reconsider Common Core Tests," Stateline, January 24, 2014.
January 29, 2014

Controversy over Common Core standards has led some states to withdraw from the testing programs, says Stateline.

Two multistate testing groups -- the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium and the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) -- received $360 million in taxpayer funds to create Common Core tests. But as concern over the program has emerged, some states have decided to use alternative tests and withdraw from the Smarter Balanced and PARCC programs.

• Kansas withdrew from the Smarter Balanced group in December and plans to use tests from the University of Kansas instead. Alaska has announced that it will do the same.
• Florida has also withdrawn from PARCC and is looking at alternative testing options. Alabama, Georgia and Oklahoma withdrew from the program in the summer of 2013.
• Pennsylvania plans to use its own tests.

Still, the 45 states that have adopted Common Core's English and math standards have kept the standards.
Smarter Balanced and PARCC will begin some testing in March, but most states will not use Common Core tests until next year.

Those in support of PARCC and Smarter Balanced say that the tests focus on depth of learning and will better evaluate students' learning levels and college readiness. But some have expressed concern that the exams are more expensive than the usual tests and question their value. Theodor Rebarber, CEO of AccountabilityWorks, says that states should really take a hard look at the tests' costs and examine whether the Smarter Balanced and PARCC tests are actually innovative.
 

Wind & Solar Power : A Progressive Tool for Control

Does it really matter that the wind and solar energy efforts are not effective in helping America become energy independent? Not really as the progressive socialist democrats spend billions on failed green energy projects that they know before hand would fail.

Twenty four of the twenty six solar companies that were subsided by Mr Obama and the democrats have failed and yet billions of tax dollars are on the way for more projects. It is also understood, I have stated this many times, that this is just another way to "launder" money that fills the democrat campaign coffers.

Green energy is not about new sources of energy, it's about catering to a base constitutes in the environmental industry at the same time demonizing fossil fuels of all kinds, and thereby reducing the access to the general public which restricts freedoms and movement.

If the public can't have freedom of movement due to the high cost of fuels and limiting their options for prosperity, they become much easier to control. Progressive liberal democrats are well aware that to control the population, options for success have to be reduced or eliminated.

A dependent person has no options.

Why Wind and Solar Are a Problem
Source: Gail Tverberg, "10 Reasons Intermittent Renewables Are a Problem," Investing.com, January 22, 2014.
January 30, 2014

Wind and solar power are frequently hailed as the solution to energy problems, but they only add to those problems, says Gail Tverberg for Investing.com.

Tverberg gives 10 reasons why renewables are not all that they are cracked up to be, including:

• It is doubtful that intermittent renewables actually reduce carbon dioxide emissions: World carbon dioxide emissions actually increase when intermittent renewables increase. For example, increasing renewables boosts China's economy as it generates more wind turbines and solar panels. Those proceeds are used to build homes, roads and more businesses. Coal is primarily used for manufacturing in China.
• Wind and solar photovoltaic panels (PV) do not fix our oil problem: Oil and electricity are used for different things, and while wind and solar create electricity, electricity does not power cars or airplanes, for example. Those still require oil.
• The high cost of wind and solar PV doubles our energy problems, rather than solving them: Oil is costly to extract, and adding costly electricity from wind and solar is not going to help anyone's pocketbook. Moreover, exported goods are less competitive in the world marketplace as a result of the high fuel prices.
• Wind and solar PV don't ramp up quickly: Government has spent years encouraging wind and solar energy, but in 2012, wind still did not constitute even a full 1 percent of the world's energy supply, and solar was responsible for only 0.2 percent of world energy supply. It would take a massive effort to raise those numbers even to 5 percent.

Tverberg says other problems include: wind turbines have shorter life spans than coal, gas and nuclear; wind and solar PV create serious pollution problems; there is a danger that wind and solar PV will make the electric grid less long-lived, rather than more long-lived; adding more wind and solar PV tends to make government finances less sound; we are reaching an investment capital and debt bottleneck, because of higher extraction costs of oil, and ramping up wind and solar PV actually makes this worse; wind and solar PV come nowhere near to fulfilling the promises made for them.
Tverberg suggests looking away from renewables and finding a better solution to deal with energy needs.
 

Minimum Wages Increases by Executive Order : Unemployment Assured

Unintended consequences? Hardly. When Mr Obama decides he has to act to solve a problem, you can bet it's intended consequence is increasing the voter base for the progressive democrats or it's a way to bring 'clean' money into the coffers of the party.

He and his people in the democrat party know full well that raising the minimum wages will result in people losing their jobs, but they also know this will bring more voters in the fold by providing assistance to keep them unemployed.

And it appears that a majority of the voting public agree as Mr Obama has been elected and reelected for this purpose of changing how we live. Why would anyone actually want to become disadvantaged?  Go figure.

Minimum Wage Executive Order Has Unintended Consequences
Source: Diana Furchtgott-Roth, "Obama's Minimum Wage Order is Out of Step with America," Economic Policies for the 21st Century, January 29, 2014.
January 30, 2014

President Obama's minimum wage executive order will lead to job losses, says Diana Furchtgott-Roth, a senior fellow and director of Economics21 at the Manhattan Institute.

• The executive order will raise the minimum wage for federal employees from $7.25 to $10.10 per hour, including for employees of federal government contractors.
• Some workers will see up to a 39 percent raise.

But as Congress is not likely to increase funding for those contractors, those companies will likely have to lay off workers to keep costs level. Or, prices could go up. Food service contractors that run federal cafeterias, for example, could simply raise the price of the food that is served in order to keep their employees on the payroll.

• Demos, a left-wing organization, reported that federal contractors have 560,000 employees making less than $12.00 per hour.
• Furchtgott-Roth says that, assuming 250,000 of those employees make an average of $8.10 per hour and work 2,000 hours per year, contractors will have to spend $1 billion annually to raise those wages to comply with the executive order.
• That's an extra $4,000 per employee.

The minimum wage is not the way to raise earnings. Instead, children should finish high school and seek post-secondary education in fields that are growing, such as health care or computer programming. With those skills, employers will compete to hire graduates with salaries far above the minimum wage.
 

Affordable Housing : Countries and Cities Ranked

If you ever wondered why the cost of housing is out of sight, this article will bring some facts about how government interference in the free market and unhinged environmentalism are the problem.

Both groups have too much time on their hands and not enough real world experience. And of course too much disposable income of their own and others; Taxpayers!

A Ranking of Housing Affordability
Source: Wendell Cox and Hugh Pavletich, "10th Annual Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey: 2014," Demographia, 2013.
January 30, 2014

Urban planning policies are responsible for raising housing costs, says a new survey from Demographia.

The survey examined 360 metropolitan markets in nine countries (Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States), ranking housing affordability based on a number of factors.

• The United States, Ireland and Japan contained the most affordable major metropolitan markets (ranked as "moderately unaffordable"), while Canada was ranked "seriously unaffordable," and Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong "severely unaffordable."
• The most affordable major markets in the United States were Pittsburgh, Atlanta and Indianapolis. Conversely, San Francisco, San Jose, San Diego and Los Angeles -- all in California -- had high unaffordability rankings.
• Of all 360 markets measured, 95 of them were ranked "affordable," 84 of those being in the United States. Of the rest, seven affordable markets were in Canada and four in Ireland.

The study found that increases in housing unaffordability over the last 10 years in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, as well as some places in the United States, corresponded with an increase in restrictive land use policies (policies such as urban containment, smart growth or growth management, etc.).

To make housing affordable, a market needs a competitive land supply. Urban containment policies -- which, while ineffective, are mainly justified as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions -- are incompatible with that need.