Carpet Of Crocus
This carpet of crocuses at 101 N. Rolling Road, Springfield is just a hint as to the show nature has in store for Delaware County over the next few months.
And spring doesn’t even start until 7:20 p.m., March 20.
Month: March 2011
America Needs More Nuclear Power
America Needs More Nuclear Power — This article by Chris Freind is being published with his permission.
There is a story about a wealthy man who sought the world’s safest place in which to build his home, a place free from all dangers, natural and man-made. After expending a considerable sum researching such a location, he determined that a particular island in the South Atlantic fit the criteria.
The man spared no expense in constructing the most solid, fortified and beautiful home—one that was virtually impregnable.
But after planning for all contingencies, something happened for which he had not accounted.
The man found himself directly in the line of fire—of the Falkland Islands War.
The point? Life is full of risks, and despite some people’s naïve belief that risks are avoidable, they are not. Instead, our focus should be on mitigating those risks in common sense ways while still living in the real world. But we don’t.
Already, we have heard the calls to reevaluate our nuclear power program (codespeak for phasing it out of existence) because of the situation in Japan. And God forbid that we should actually forge ahead with new nuclear plants, several of which have been recently approved. That would be dangerous and foolhardy, we are now told.
So let’s get that mentality straight. We should shelve nuclear expansion—a virtually zero emission power source that significantly reduces reliance on foreign oil from hostile nations—because of problems half a world away? Problems that directly resulted from Japan being front and center on the notorious Ring of Fire—home to 90 percent of the world’s earthquakes and 75 percent of its volcanos. And problems that, for the most part, America doesn’t have, since almost none of the country sits on that Ring.
That’s not just naïve. That’s self-inflicted stupidity.
The United States has 104 nuclear plants in operation, accounting for 20 percent of our electricity consumption. It should be double that number, but for decades, leadership has been sorely lacking in both political parties, and the American people are extremely shortsighted on all things energy.
So now that we’re facing $4/gallon fuel—with experts predicting $5 by next year, which significantly inflates the prices of almost everything due to increased transportation costs—what are our options? We have none.
Our drills in the Gulf sit idle, Alaska is pumping but a fraction of its resources, there is no drilling off our continental coasts, and natural gas companies are shutting down operations because the demand is so low.
And now, the stigma of Japanese nuclear problems, combined with political cowardice, will all but halt the expansion of our nuclear program.
We can’t have it both ways. If paying less at the pump, bolstering national security and reducing greenhouse emissions are important, then nuclear power is the only real alternative.
So instead of punting away such a proven and safe energy source, America’s leaders need to show political courage by telling the people the truth, not what they may want to hear.
And here is the truth:
1) Unequivocally, China will not allow its nuclear program to be sidetracked or slowed by the problems in Japan. They have 27 new plants under construction, including the most advanced reactors in the world. While we bury our heads in the sand and bog down any new construction with litigation, our biggest economic and military competitor will continue to challenge our status as the world’s only superpower. And because of their determination and mettle, they will surpass us in a decade.
2) Nuclear power plants are safe. As is the case with anything, risks exist, but with proper oversight and increased fail-safe measures, many of which were implemented after the September 11 attacks, those risks are well within acceptable limits. And for those who may think this author is a NIMBY—Not In My Back Yard—there are four nuclear plants that literally surround my region.
Outside of the Three Mile Island (TMI) incident in 1979, there has never been a major accident in the United States. And not to minimize the seriousness of TMI, but not only was no one hurt or killed, numerous independent evaluations, including a 13-year study of 32,000 people, concluded that there were no adverse effects to the surrounding population.
3) Numerous ships in the U.S. Navy are nuclear-powered (including all aircraft carriers and submarines), allowing them to travel nonstop at high speed without needing to refuel for 25 years. Not only do these vessels represent a huge cost savings and are environmentally friendly, since they forego two decades’ worth of oil, but they are an incalculable asset to America’s national security. And in more than 5,400 “reactor years” of operation with 500 reactors, and well over 130 million miles steamed, there has never been a nuclear accident.
4) Much of the damage to Japan’s plants was due to the tsunami after the earthquake. A common-sense policy might be to build American plants several miles inland from the sea and not on fault lines, especially on the more earthquake-prone West Coast. While the rest of the country is not immune to earthquakes and tidal waves, the likelihood of those events occurring on even a fraction of the scale in Japan is remote. And America’s nuclear facilities are designed to withstand the power of the largest earthquakes.
America’s nuclear energy policy cannot and must not be formulated by what happens in other parts of the world where natural disasters (Japan) or human incompetence (Chernobyl) exist.
Common sense tells us that we can increase our nuclear-power knowledge from Japan’s unfortunate series of events. Those “lessons learned,” combined with the huge technology advances that have been realized from the days of TMI, would make America’s nuclear program the envy of the world.
Incredibly, it has taken a Democratic president to push this initiative, despite the vehement objections of his party’s biggest constituencies.
With Republicans in control of the House and poised to take over the Senate, there is absolutely no excuse for not pushing ahead on the next generation of American nuclear power plants, which would be the first constructed in three decades.
With no end to soaring fuel prices and the Asian Tiger’s appetite growing every day, Americans should embrace nuclear power for what it is: a gift of clean and limitless energy.
To ignore this reality would be too great a risk.
Chris Freind is an independent columnist, television commentator, and investigative reporter who operates his own news bureau, www.FreindlyFireZone.com. Readers of his column, “Freindly Fire,” hail from six continents, thirty countries and all fifty states. His work has been referenced in numerous publications including The Wall Street Journal, National Review Online, foreign newspapers, and in Dick Morris’ recent bestseller “Catastrophe.” Freind, whose column appears regularly in Philadelphia Magazine and nationally in Newsmax, also serves as a frequent guest commentator on talk radio and state/national television, most notably on FOX Philadelphia. He can be reached at CF@FreindlyFireZone.com.
America Needs More Nuclear Power
Jap Disaster Boon For Nuke Power?
Jap Disaster Boon For Nuke Power — Today’s lead headline in the New York Times reads in part “Nuclear Risks Loom” regarding the troubles in Japan, and an above-the-fold story says that “U.S. Nuclear Push May Be Impeded.”
Other major media outlets have said the same thing.
Is it true?
This article by Barry Brook on BraveClimate.Com, a pro nuclear power site, claims the Japanese plants have held up surprisingly well and that reports of a nuclear disaster are vastly overblown.
The truth will come out in the next few days but if what Brook says turns out to be correct the disaster will be anything but an impediment to the nuclearization of our energy supply. Considering that it would mean that the ancient plants maintained their integrity during a 9 magnitude earthquake and 30-foot tsunami, it would actually be an incentive.
We will soon see.
Jap Disaster Boon For Nuke Power?
Extraterrestrials Have Infiltrated Our Government
Extraterrestrials Have Infiltrated Our Government
By Hawthorne Tarry
At ease!
No, I’m not about to go all military on you. I just want to set your minds at ease because I am about to provide you with information that will shock, upset and terrify you to such a degree that it will likely put you in a life-long state of despair.
Extraterrestrials have infiltrated our government.
It is well established that extraterrestrials, aliens if you will, have long been abducting Earth people — frankly I find the term “Earthling” to be quite offensive and refuse to be addressed by it — for perverse experiments. Professors at such elite schools such as Harvard University and Temple University have written extensively on this subject to such a degree that it can no longer be doubted and well-regarded news sources such as the Discovery Channel have aired documentaries about this.
Unfortunately, the American public would rather watch a Charlie Sheen rant or some cooking show than acquire the necessary knowledge to enable them to defend themselves.
For shame.
Of course, it has now gotten much worse over the last three decades. No longer are these aliens simply satisfied with sick games, they now wish to govern us.
Do you need an example? Minister Louis Abdul-Haleem Farrakhan Muhammad, Sr., one America’s most influential leaders and a clear member of our elite, openly boasts about communing with the aliens’ “mothership.” Why hasn’t he been taken into custody? Why hasn’t his skinny ass been waterboarded to wring like a dishtowel every bit of intelligence from him about this “mothership” so we can mount a defense?
People, can’t you connect the dots?
Every one of our presidents since James Earl Carter – the last honest Earthman — has been working hand in glove with these monsters. President Carter actually observed one of the alien craft. Tragically, he had neither the intelligence nor competence to do much about it.
Yes, my friends Ronald Reagan was but a genial movie actor in their employ. The Bushes, with their financial interests and dreams of a “new world order” — or perhaps “new otherworld order” — were easily co-opted. Bill Clinton was obviously a willing and joyful participant in their twisted experiments.
And that brings us to today and Barack Hussein Obama. Naive people think he is merely hiding his birth certificate because he had been born in Kenya. On no, it is not Kenya from whence he comes. People, look at those ears!! I am telling you
Ed note: Time to say goodnight, Hawthorne.
Extraterrestrials Have Infiltrated Our Government
Sam Rohrer For Senate?
Sam Rohrer, the Tea Party candidate who made a surprisingly strong showing in last year’s Republican gubernatorial primary, is being touted for U.S. Senate.
A Facebook page has even been set up to push him into a candidacy.
Run, Sam run. It is time to retire Little Bobby Casey.
Why Teachers Have To Be Laid Off In L.A.
This email attributed to a Los Angelese English teacher being circulated around the internet was submitted courtesy of Mickey Rair.
900 teachers just got laid off from the Los Angeles Unified School District . They are $650,000 over their annual budget.
The following English teacher helps to explain one area that looms large over California ‘s educational crisis.
“As you listen to the news about the student protests over illegal immigration, there are some things that you should be aware of:
I am in charge of the English-as-a-second-language department at a large southern California high school which is designated a Title 1 school, meaning that its students average lower socioeconomic and income levels.
Most of the schools you are hearing about, South Gate High, Bell Gardens, Huntington Park , etc.. where these students are protesting, are also Title 1 schools.
Title 1 schools are on the free breakfast and free lunch program. When I say free breakfast, I’m not talking a glass of milk and roll — but a full breakfast and cereal bar with fruits and juices that would make a Marriott proud. The waste of this food is monumental, with trays and trays of it being dumped in the trash uneaten.
I estimate that well over 50 percent of these students are obese or at least moderately overweight. About 75 percent or more have cell phones . The school also provides day care centers for the unwed teenage pregnant girls (some as young as 13) so they can attend class without the inconvenience of having to arrange for babysitters or having family watch their kids.
I was ordered to spend $700,000 on my department or risk losing funding for the upcoming year even though there was little need for anything; my budget was already substantial. I ended up buying new computers for the computer learning center, half of which, one month later, have been carved with graffiti by the appreciative students who obviously feel humbled and grateful to have a free education in America ..
I have had to intervene several times for young and substitute teachers whose classes consist of many illegal immigrant students here in the country less than 3 months who raised so much hell with the female teachers, calling them “Putas” ( whores ) and throwing things , that the teachers were in tears.
Free medical, free education, free food, day care, etc, etc, etc. Is it any wonder they feel entitled not only to be in this country but to demand rights, privileges and entitlements?
To those who want to point out how much these illegal immigrants contribute to our society because they like their gardener and housekeeper and they like to pay less for tomatoes: spend some time in the real world of illegal immigration and see the true costs.
Higher insurance, medical facilities closing, higher medical costs, more crime, lower standards of education in our schools, overcrowding, new diseases etc., etc, etc. For me, I’ll pay more for tomatoes.
Americans, we need to wake up. The guest worker program will be a disaster because we won’t have the guts to enforce it . Does anyone in their right mind really think they will voluntarily leave and return?
It does, however, have everything to do with culture: A third-world culture that does not value education, that accepts children getting pregnant and dropping out of school by 15 and that refuses to assimilate, and an American culture that has become so weak and worried about ” political correctness ” that we don’t have the will to do anything about it.
If this makes your blood boil , as it did mine, forward this to everyone you know including your Congressmen and Senators.
CHEAP LABOR? Isn’t that what the whole immigration issue is about?
Business doesn’t want to pay a decent wage.
Consumers don’t want expensive produce.
Government will tell you Americans don’t want the jobs.
But the bottom line is cheap labor. The phrase “cheap labor” is a myth , a farce, and a lie. There is no such thing as “cheap labor.”
Take, for example, an illegal alien with a wife and five children. He takes a job for $5.00 or 6.00/hour. At that wage, with six dependents, he pays no income tax, yet at the end of the year, if he files an Income Tax Return, he gets an ” earned income credit” of up to $3,200 free.
He qualifies for Section 8 housing and subsidized rent .
He qualifies for food stamps..
He qualifies for free health care.
His children get free breakfasts and lunches at school.
He requires bilingual teachers and books.
He qualifies for relief from high energy bills…
If they are or become, aged, blind or disabled , they qualify for SSI.
Once qualified for SSI they can qualify for Medicare .
He doesn’t worry about car insurance, life insurance, or homeowners insurance.
Taxpayers provide Spanish language signs, bulletins and printed material.
He and his family receive the equivalent of $30/hour in benefits.
Working Americans are lucky to have $5 or $6/hour left after paying their bills AND his.
Why Teachers Have To Be Laid Off In L.A.
Ends, Means And Unintended Ends
The extremes on the left and right may never agree but for the vast middle the debate is almost entirely about means with everyone agreeing on the ends.
Who for instance does not believe that we as a society should try to get quality health care for all?
There actually are some. Some on the right think “I’ve got mine, and you are not my problem.” More damnably, some on the left think that as long as there are those who need health care there will always be someone to manipulate to do their political bidding to keep them in wealth and power.
ObamaCare perfectly illustrates this. Remember that debate was never about health care but about the “uninsured”. ObamaCare’s political supporters stuck to the matter of cost and never broached actual health care namely how to increase the quality, quantity and efficiency of those who provide it i.e. doctors, nurses, pharmaceutical manufacturers etc.
They never attempted to understand what makes someone go through the expense and effort to become one of these professionals nor did they consider what makes one of these professionals stick with their taxing jobs and put forth the extra effort that can’t be itemized on a spreadsheet.
They did however listen to the trial lawyers and political bureaucrats and so what we end up with are cuts in Medicare, increases in middle class health insurance and doctors quitting their practices. For many Obama voters this would be an unintended end because they truly wanted better health care for all. What they might still not understand, though, is that many opponents of ObamaCare wanted the same thing.
The rising dispute over compensation for public workers is another example. Decent people don’t begrudge public workers good pay. Decent people, however, also understand that it is wrong for a widow barely getting by to be forced to pay another thousand dollars per year in property taxes to give these public workers their nice pay.
Or consider the minimum wage. Most don’t want to see others made to do soul-sapping work for a pittance. On the other hand, most also would like to see a business owner pay an otherwise unemployable drunk a little self-respect to sweep out the store room without having to answer to government. And anybody sane would understand the benefits of this business owner being allowed to take a chance and give a teenager his first job which the red tape now put on his plate might otherwise dissuade him from doing.
The more the ends are discussed rather than the means the more likely common ground will be found among the typical American and the more likely the plans will be foiled by those who seek to divide and rule us.
Some More Criticism Of The Daily Times
The Delaware County Daily Times, today, devoted almost four pages — including the front page — of its ever shrinking paper to the recent allegations of sex crimes by clergy of the Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
They used the men’s names and extensively quoted a fellow with a blatant ax to grind who baldly convicted the accused.
The allegations stem from a Philadelphia grand jury report last month which resulted in charges being levied against three priests and a teacher, and said that 37 others remained in the ministry “even when there is very convincing evidence that the accusations are true.” These 37 included the 21 whose names became public two days ago when the Archdiocese put them on administrative leave.
Still, in all this righteous rage and huffing, there was no solid explanation as to why the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office wasn’t prosecuting these men being as how “there is very convincing evidence” and such.
The next-to-last paragraph of the main story mentioned that charges were never filed against some mentioned in a 2005 grand jury report concerning sex abuse in the Archdiocese due to the statute of limitations having lapsed but then said the statute was expanded in 2006 to age 50 for the victims, and never explained why those mentioned as having “very convincing evidence” against them in the 2011 report were not being prosecuted.
You think there might be a large religious institution being set up for some money-grab lawsuits?
Anyway, back to the Daily Times. Contrast the way it handled the story involving these unarrested, uncharged and unconvicted Catholic men with the wire story it ran on page 21: TV exec gets 25 to life for beheading wife.
Granted, it wasn’t a local story but one would have at least thought they would have mentioned the name of the network at which killer Muzzammil Hassan had been an executive, actually CEO. It was Bridges TV which he founded in 2004 to counter stereotypes that Muslims were violent people.
You think if it was a Catholic network it might have been noted?
The Good, The Bad And The Inconsistent Of The Corbett Budget
This article by Chris Freind is being republished with his permission.
Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett’s “day of reckoning” budget, containing substantial cuts and rolling back spending to 2008 levels, may well pass the GOP-dominated legislature without major changes.
But just because the state constitution requires a balanced budget doesn’t mean it always happens that way.
Take the budgets of the last two years, which former Governor Ed Rendell championed and were passed by a Democratic House and Republican Senate.
In 2009, $400 million in revenue was budgeted from the tolling of Interstate 80. Except that the tolling never happened. Put that in the debit column.
And last year, the budget was passed on federal Medicaid dollars that hadn’t yet been appropriated (and ended up being $255 million less than budgeted) and a Rendell-promised Marcellus Shale gas tax that would generate hundreds of millions — but which never materialized.
And the forecast general tax revenue was over a billion dollars short.
But that’s not all. The legislature and Rendell raided MCARE in 2009 — the fund to offset Pennsylvania doctors’ skyrocketing medical malpractice insurance rates — to the tune of $800 million. A Commonwealth Court ordered the money repaid, but the Rendell Administration appealed. Odds are the state Supreme Court will uphold that decision. The hole deepens.
So despite some cuts last fall, we’re still looking at a $3 billion revenue gap which, by the way, is not factored into the acknowledged $4 billion deficit. The fact that no one wants to talk about this is not surprising, since it’s not in the interest of the politicians, and most of the media doesn’t do its homework.
Let’s put this type of maneuvering into perspective. What would happen if a publicly traded pharmaceutical company, in an attempt to placate Wall Street, added billions to its books to reflect a medicine it hadn’t yet produced? People would go to jail.
But in Harrisburg, it’s called Business As Usual. Instead of solving the real problem, the state’s leaders have resorted to what they do best: bury their heads in the sand.
Just because you pretend a problem doesn’t exist, though, doesn’t mean it’s not there. The can is being kicked, yet again, down the road. But the road is quickly coming to an end.
Overall, the budget rates a B-, assuming that you believe the numbers — and that’s a big assumption. There is nothing particularly special about this budget, since spending cuts were imminent after the federal stimulus money dried up. It gets the job done at a basic level, and Pennsylvania will continue to limp along.
While there were clearly some elements in the Governor’s address that could help Pennsylvania re-invent itself into an economic and industrial powerhouse, the speech lacked the breakout vision that is essential in selling those ideas to the public. No one expects Corbett to have the jazz of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, but Pennsylvanians need to be inspired if their state is to forge ahead.
A prime example would have been explaining why the Marcellus Shale holds such so much promise for Pennsylvania’s future, from the thousands of sustainable jobs it creates (and the accompanying houses bought and income spent in-state), to untold millions in tax revenue, to the manufacturing boom it can foster by providing extremely cheap energy.
Corbett could have showcased manufacturing companies that drill wells on-site and, as a result, now realize incredible cost savings for what is always the largest line item: energy. This directly translates into business expansion, more hiring, and a way to finally compete with China.
Or he could have decreed that from this moment, all future state vehicles will run on natural gas, currently about one-eighth the cost of gasoline, with zero emissions. This would be a win-win by increasing demand for natural gas — and if that doesn’t happen soon, the industry will start packing up by next year — and saving taxpayer money. And what a boom to the entire economy if we had an alternative to $4/gallon gasoline.
But that didn’t happen. So all the public knows is what they see in the headlines: “We’re Getting Drilled,” “How Corbett Fracked Pennsylvania’s Middle Class,” and “Big Budget Cuts? We Smell Gas,” along with editorials about how much the industry contributed to the Governor’s campaign.
Reality is now setting in; what a Republican candidate said on the campaign trail in October 2010 — a landslide election year for the GOP — was easy. Now the rubber meets road.
The question isn’t if Tom Corbett can get this budget passed, but whether can he sell it to the people, and at what cost to his agenda and party, particularly since 2012 will prove a better year for the Democrats. His deliberate strategy to remain silent for four months has resulted in lost opportunities to earn much-needed political capital needed to sell his budget cuts to the public.
To reverse that, he must now barnstorm across the state, a la Christie, attending everything from natural gas forums, explaining why an extraction tax will hurt the state, to school board meetings, where he can push his idea of teacher salary concessions. Time will tell whether he will effectively be that messenger.
There were a number of common sense proposals that, based on the legislature’s make-up, should come to fruition: the reduced spending and no new taxes; legal reform targeting frivolous lawsuits (the Fair Share Act); school choice in which competition and accountability would be injected into the educational system; the phase out of the Capital Stock and Franchise Tax, the elimination of pork-barrel walking around money (WAMs); and calls for pay freezes and give-backs by public workers.
Likewise, there are a number of problem areas:
-Eliminating 1,500 jobs is a good start, but since reports state that 1,000 of them aren’t filled, the real number is only 500 jobs, which isn’t a huge budgetary factor. So why the gimmick?
-The assumption that revenue will grow by 4.7 percent, while not impossible, is hugely optimistic. Inflated revenue has been a hallmark of past budgets to make the numbers work on paper. In reality, they came up short, adding to rolling deficits. Without substantial growth in Pennsylvania, that rosy figure will prove unattainable.
-Calling for cuts to higher education by 50 percent, while increasing welfare spending substantially, will also be an extremely hard sell, for two reasons. First, many will frame the issue simply as education versus welfare, and which provides the better return on investment. Second, state-related schools, such as Temple, Penn State, Pitt and Lincoln, have immensely powerful lobbying operations, including parents and students, who will deluge their elected officials in opposition. Look for that figure to drop substantially, to be made up somewhere else.
-One item that is noticeably absent from the budget is the privatization of liquor stores, which is curious since it was the one issue on which the majority of Pennsylvanians agree. Instead, a blue-ribbon commission was formed to study privatization. Here’s a newsflash. Voters elect politicians to solve the problems, not authorize more meaningless commissions. A major chip in the fight has been shelved, shifting the momentum to the unions which support the status quo.
-Other areas left out but still mandatory for a healthy business climate were the reduction of the corporate net income tax (second-highest in nation) and the looming pension issues, which may be addressed as public sector union contracts are negotiated this
spring. The Governor has taken the elimination of collective bargaining off the table though, a concession that simply didn’t have to be made this early. They received nothing in return for that move. Another head-scratcher.
-There are also several inconsistencies that the Governor must address. While he advocated salary freezes and reductions, he raised the salaries of all his executive staff, and the budget of the Lieutenant Governor’s office increased 30 percent. And despite de-funding the adultBasic program, which provided healthcare to working poor on the premise that there was no more money, he found a way to bail out the Philadelphia Shipyard to build ships with no buyers.
Saying all the right things about fiscal discipline, free enterprise and removing government from where it doesn’t belong rings a bit hollow in light of some recent Corbett Administration decisions.
* * *
The Governor used the analogy of reviving an apple tree to explain why the cuts are necessary, stating that if the tree isn’t tended, it will grow into a tangle of limbs and bear no fruit. The pruning (hard cutting) was needed so the tree could once again bear fruit.
In keeping with the theme, here’s a piece of advice: if you’re afraid of getting a rotten apple, don’t go to the barrel. Get it off the tree.
The Governor is right: we need to revive the tree. But as of now, too much of this budget is coming from the same old barrel.
I’d Almost Be Willing To Get A Job To Strike
I’d Almost Be Willing To Get A Job To Strike — The popularly elected majority in the Wisconsin Senate finally got sick of the game-playing by Democrats and their public union masters, and approved 18-1, March 9, a bill stripping away collective bargaining rights for most public workers.
Needless to say the left has become quite upset and for us that means we get the image of the week.
This was taken from DemocratUnderground.Com on March 9 shortly before midnight and ProudDad perfectly illustrates the mindset of the liberal/progressive/giveme giveme voter.