The Death of Coal

Even in Kentucky, Coal Industry Is Under Siege - NYTimes.com

 Coal is dying a painful and desperate death.  It is flailing about like a wild animal wounded mortally.  Already Kentucky's once lowest electrical rates are being forced up by the increased costs of using coal.  A local legislator is using the economic impact to argue that the industry should be supported even if it costs more to the consumer.  How is this different from a hidden tax on the use of coal?  More to come.

On The Economic Ladder, Rungs Move Further Apart : NPR

On The Economic Ladder, Rungs Move Further Apart : NPR

Math On Obama Thrift Is Faulty - News, Sports, Jobs - The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register

Math On Obama Thrift Is Faulty - News, Sports, Jobs - The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register

What do Democrats have against Obama?

Why Not Obama

I know that I'm going to get hooted off the page for this one but I just don't get why Democrats don't like Barack Obama. I understand that Republicans don't like him even if I think they are wrong but I really just don't understand the 47% of our fellow Pulaski County Democrats who chose the uncommitted spot rather than cast a vote for the President. To me, the only thing that makes sense is that he has not championed the traditional Democratic causes in a loud enough voice but I get the feeling that is not it either. For crying out loud, he is to the right of Bill Clinton on everything and Kentucky went for Bill Clinton handily. Twice.

When Bill and Hillary fell on their faces with the health care bill Democrats still loved him. When he promised to end welfare as we know it and then did it Democrats howled but they still voted for him. Barack Obama gets the health care job done in what was likely the only way it could be done and Democrats don't lionize him for it? What is the deal with that?

President Obama has played to the hawks on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Rather than precipitously pull out all troops as many in his party wanted he charted a middle course and removed the troops from Iraq on a previously agreed timetable. He agreed to the surge in Afghanistan which most Democrats and, indeed, most Americans disagreed with and is now engaged in establishing a timeline for troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. Kentucky is not a state known for its anti-war sentiment so I really don't see this as a negative for Democratic voters in Kentucky.

The economy has been a negative even though the problems that President Obama has had to deal with were largely not of his making. The damage was done during the past administration and the Troubled Asset Relief Plan (TARP) was passed by the Bush administration so I don't see any negatives for Democrats there. He did buck the trend with the GM and Chrysler bailouts but his actions have proven to be wildly successful which saved hundreds of thousands of jobs and put those US manufacturers back on a profitable footing. Democrats should not have a problem with that.

The deficits and the national debt are a real problem. However the leadup to them was created by two tax cuts and two wars on the credit card during the previous administration. Shoot, President Bush did not even include them in the budget or that would have really looked bad for him. Then in 2008 the economy fell off the cliff knocking a big hole in revenue. To his credit, President Obama has included the wars in his budget which makes the deficits appear larger but not really. Now, I can see where a Democrat could see this as a negative but only if he had buried his head under a rock for the past eleven years.

The Obama administration funneled billions of dollars into state budgets that had been shocked by the economy. Most states used the money to cover up holes created when they cut their budgets. Kentucky used the money two years in a row to shore up its budget keeping teachers, cops and firemen on the payrolls up until now. With a Democratic governor in this state how in the world does this come off as a negative. Now the federal assistance is over and school districts are laying off people right and left and people are howling as if they just can't figure it out. The President has held to Democratic principles as much as this “no-way” Congress will allow so exactly what is it that Democrats don't like?

Now, the Republicans want to cut taxes, again, and cut regulations, again, so that business can just do its thing and then everything will fall into place and jobs will be plentiful again. Now, we have already seen how that works out and now the 1% has the gold mine and the 99% has the shaft. Democrats don't agree with that and the President does not either. So, Democrats! What's not to like?

As I said, I understand why Republicans don't vote for Barack Obama. Well, I don't really understand it but I accept it but I just don't understand or accept what the deal is with Democrats. Of course, there aren't really that many in the Fifth District and in recent times even the Democrats have taken to acting like Republicans so maybe that is the answer. But, for Democrats the only reason I can fathom is that he is just not liberal enough.

That's my take on un-Democratic Democrats. You know who you are. As usual, I desire your comments. Let the mayhem begin but please keep it civil if possible. If you can't, go ahead and write but I will have to put gloves on when I read it.

Only a first step.

SpaceX Dragon flies by space station - Computerworld



Wheeeooooo!  This private effort is nearing a successful completion of its mission to show that private enterprise and robotics can achieve the mundane task of delivering supplies to the space station.  NASA is already working on a next generation craft to do extra-orbital missions.  It is a long awaited achievement and it is good to see someone else besides the giant aerospace conglomerates get a piece of the pie.  This should begin to put to rest the criticism of the administration's choice to remove the shuttles from service.

Amid Economic Concerns, Carbon Capture Faces a Hazy Future

Amid Economic Concerns, Carbon Capture Faces a Hazy Future

You may recall some recent comments I made on "clean coal technology."  Here are the main reasons that the technology does not exist.  The lack of a national energy policy hamstrings development while projects in China where initiative is not blunted by government inaction are progressing.  This gives China a technological edge while the U.S. loses an opportunity to be a world leader, just as we are doing with alternative energy.

Why Not Obama?

Kentucky, Arkansas primaries: Is it racism? - The Washington Post

I have an upcoming column dealing with the question of why Democrats don't like President Obama.  I have pounded my brain for logical reasons and for the life of me I cannot come up with any significant ones.  That being the case I have to look at illogical reasons and I find that very distasteful.  But there are always reasons, logical or illogical and there is no exception here.

On policy there is very little to disagree with the President over other than he has not championed the traditional Democratic causes enough.  But this does not seem to be the case because his support on that end of the spectrum is pretty solid.  That leaves only a few things.  Is the perception of democratic policy different in some parts of the country?  That is surely true but is it enough to deny the President the support of the party?  This President has been reviled for his person more than any politician I can recall in my 50 or 60 years of paying attention to political affairs.  Racism, the Birthers, Tea Party.  All with the only purpose of delegitimizing the person of Barack Obama to be President.

I'll post my column in a day or two.

Citizen journalism focuses on Israeli occupation | Reuters

Citizen journalism focuses on Israeli occupation | Reuters

A Milestone

TODAY Entertainment - Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees dies after long battle with cancer

the passing of an artist who touched all of us of a particular generation.  His death leaves only Barry now out of the 4 Brothers Gibb.  He was even younger than me and the Boomers claw their way into what will be the autumn of our years.  Still none too quietly, I hope.

What else?

Study links sleep apnea with higher cancer deaths | Home | Toronto Sun

well, for those of us who sleep with one of the dastardly machines this is not good news.  Isn't it bad enough to just feel terrible a lot of the time?

Behind Army’s $17,000 Drip Pan, Harold Rogers’s Earmark - NYTimes.com

Behind Army’s $17,000 Drip Pan, Harold Rogers’s Earmark - NYTimes.com

Transition or Future

Some of the news about Somerset is the announcement that the city seeks to become a major hub for supplying natural gas. It is a move in the right direction for our environment since natural gas is a far cleaner fuel than is gasoline or coal. The Commonwealth-Journal even posted a photo of Mayor Girdler with a new Honda Civic refitted to use compressed natural gas as its fuel. There are plans for the city to establish a fueling center to supply vehicles converted for the use of compressed natural gas. This is a good example of how governments can provide the impetus and startup funding for new ventures. If the idea catches on I presume that private enterprise will step in and begin to supply the demand.

The relatively recent explosion of the supply of natural gas has revealed the potential for it to be a useful fuel for the near future. Due to new methods of extraction there is potential for the United States to actually become energy independent. Don't look, however, for the tankers to stop running from the Arabian Gulf to the Gulf of Mexico. In many cases it is still cheaper to purchase oil from those sources and often the grade of crude oil is superior to what we can get from, say, Canada.

I read an article recently how a plan by our President to project fuels of the future did not include clean coal. Quite a hubbub was raised so now his plan includes that fuel. Problem is that clean coal does not exist so I guess it is harmless to include it. Maybe we should include nuclear fusion as well even though that technology is still somewhere in a future we can't quite reach just yet. I have seen that the University of Kentucky is interested in partnerships with China which is pouring funding into developing clean coal technology and conversion of coal to diesel. Which raises the question of why private enterprise is not working on that technology if the demand for coal really exists.

One of the great deficits of our national thinking is the inability to develop long range plans. Analysts say that is one of the advantages that China has over us. They will develop a fifty year plan and stick to it while our attention follows the 24 hour news cycle. For ventures as large as developing a reliable source of energy for the future we can't just simply allow market forces to generate demand when the time comes. The United States must be proactive in anticipating market needs and move to direct funding to those anticipated needs long before market forces create a profitable demand.

So, while I am encouraged by Somerset's actions we must realize that this is not the end game. The end game must continue to be a nonpolluting, renewable energy source to drive the next century's industries. Natural gas can effectively fill a void as a transitional fuel from coal and oil to a nonpolluting fuel such as wind, solar, geothermal, hydrogen fuel cells or fusion. The future of those sources is stellar while the use of carbonaceous fuels must inevitably die. Even as we use cleaner carbon fuels and improve efficiency we must still realize that the use of those fuels can't be endless and here is why.

Even with as little pollution as the improved use of carbon fuels can deliver there is still a cumulative effect on the environment. Sometimes the word “environment” is a cue for people to get all up in the air but just think of it as fouling your own nest. Even the lower animals don't do that. But in the larger sense the problem is the damage to our nest created by the extraction of those carbonaceous fuels. The devastation caused by strip mining is awesome in the truest sense of the word. The damage is not only visual but also invisible in the degradation of our water supply and loss of habitat for the natural residents of those areas. We are extracting oil from harder to reach places such as the ocean depths. We are extracting crude from oil sands that require a large expenditure of energy and its consequent pollution. Our reliance on these fuels has to decline even sooner than our supply of those fuels. Natural gas can serve as a relatively long term transition fuel but the current glut of natural gas is created by the newer methods of recovering that gas. The process known as “fracking” is causing many environmental problems that were unforeseen and even now are being denied by the energy producers. The process of fracking involves the use of chemicals, water and other substances the companies won't reveal. There are explosions set off at the bottom of the well to create cracks in the rock and then the chemical concoction is pumped into the well under pressure to widen the cracks and release the gas. There are widespread reports of people who live near where this method is being used becoming ill and suffering other negative effects. There are many reports of the underground water supply becoming contaminated with the fluids used in the process. What made the lights go on for me was the “60 Minutes” report where a homeowner in Pennsylvania lit the water coming out of his taps in his house. Yep, opened the tap and lit the water. Now, we know that under normal circumstances water won't burn but when mixed with the byproducts of fracking it can. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to realize that can't be good.

So, kudos to the City of Somerset for its forward thinking and willingness to assume the cost of development. But it would benefit everyone if government and private enterprise would be thinking about what is to follow.

That is my take on both government intervention and the eventual demise of fossil fuels. I am curious as to what your ideas are on this matter. Write me.

So, there!

The National Memo � Gay Romney Donor Shifts Support To Obama

Don't do us any favors

Pakistan agrees to reopen NATO supply route to Afghanistan, but for a fee - World Wires - MiamiHerald.com

another chapter in the continuing saga of "with friends like these."  These people really tick me off and I can't for the life of me understand what we hope to accomplish by having people like these for partners.  Pay the ingrates the $365 million and use it to bring everyone home.  Then burn the bridge.

Goodbye, Americans Elect. We hardly knew you.

Third party group gives up seeking a candidate �| ajc.com


This is a disappointment.  There were several big name backers of such an effort but, at least for me, the game rules were not well publicized.  With the demand for more choices and the lack of enthusiasm for the ones we have the time seemed ripe.  We need a party that will take a more centrist line and that can move the political conversation away from polarizing themes.

TJ's Garden

Thomas Jefferson's Vegetable Garden: A Thing Of Beauty And Science : The Salt : NPR

I had long wanted to visit Monticello not only because of my respect for Thomas Jefferson but because I am an avid hobby gardener.  Juanita and I went there on a long labor day weekend trip up through the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Indeed, the entire property was a magical thing but his gardens were the life's work of a crop scientist.

Jefferson was a product of the enlightenment but was a man of contradictions who often lacked the will to live by his own convictions.  His writings indicate that he knew of the vileness of slavery but lacked the courage to try to live without them.  Even in his Presidency he proved to be feckless to his philosophy of states rights and a decentralized government when he purchased the Louisiana Purchase area from France by executive action.  In one swoop he more than doubled the size of the existing fledgling republic.

This link will take you to some photos of his garden which are beautiful.  But, if I could have someone else do the work and allow me to watch and take notes then perhaps mine would be beautiful too.

Thanks For The Memories

It is funny how the power of music can return you to a time and place long forgotten with a sense of familiarity. You can recall with clarity the emotions and sensual pleasures associated with the music. Just such a thing happened to me recently while watching a couple of concerts on television. One was a concert with a current Joan Baez who, I have to say, still has the right stuff. The other was one with Leonard Cohen at the Isle of Wight festival in 1970. Two performances separated by over 40 years but both with the power to evoke emotion and memory.

Of course, Baez was a voice of the sixties. She was acquainted with Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie and was already on the scene when a young Bob Dylan appeared. She is schooled in the traditional folk music and sings with a serious heart of the plight of the downtrodden and shares her talents generously with those who share her heart. The concert that I saw was with Ms. Baez, now with gray hair, closely cut rather than the long dark hair of her youth but still with the same intensity and devotion of that earlier time. She sang songs of her passion for equality and her hatred of war. With her voice I was transported to the time of my own youth when it seemed that all things were possible and that we could truly usher in a new age of peace and harmony. I remembered what it was like to not be encumbered with doubt and unaware of the selfishness and faithlessness of my fellow human beings. It was still possible to believe that a people could rise to attain the highest ideal in peace with his fellow man. That assurance is long past but Ms. Baez was able to rekindle those feelings and, along with them, the awareness that I, too, had been unfaithful to the cause.

In the other instance Leonard Cohen came on stage in the 1970 performance and in the words of Kris Kristofferson, it is difficult to imagine why he was not hooted off the stage like so many others, Kristofferson included. Cohen's delivery was flat and nearly monotone but it was evident that the basis of his music was poetry and, even though the lyrics were often indecipherable, one could discern that the basis for them was a perception of life and philosophy. I realized that just because I did not understand them all did not mean they were not understandable. His songs were those of humanity and the mundane things that often shape our lives. What were we to make of them? I think this is OK because it leaves a thoughtful person attempting to associate them with his own life and give them meaning in a personal way.

In both of these I became aware once again of the philosophy that surrounded so many of us in that more bucolic time. Bucolic only because of our optimism because we were surrounded by social tumult and a war in Southeast Asia that kept trying to devour us.

Now, we are forty years hence and that optimism and attitude of possibility seems so distant and so unrealistic. But is it really? The intervening years have brought to us incessant war and destruction of the basic institutions that tried to ensure that the wealth of many is shared by all. So, it is good to revisit the emotions and beliefs that were a formative part of the philosophy I still hold. I am aware that not a few will ridicule such reminiscences and considerations but I remain convinced they are not without value.

I remain convinced of the dignity of the individual and his or her right to be treated with respect regardless of station in life or derivation. It is evident to me that if we practiced this that violence would be far less necessary. Regardless of the evidence to the contrary I believe it is still possible to achieve peace without war. In short, I still believe in the inherent nature of people to get along.

Now we are bombarded with assertions that there must be winners and losers, that it is not possible to reach a consensus beneficial to all. And if you accept our behavior as proof then it may not seem possible. If that is the case it is just possible that we have abdicated our right to be here for what is humanity if it is nothing more than strife and conflict?

So, to Ms. Baez and Mr. Cohen, thanks for the memories. And thanks for the music that can rekindle things so long untended and restore them to life. What a gift music is! It is perhaps the most effective of the artistic endeavors humanity has created.

Peace.

Words from the Ragin' Cajun

Carville: Wake up Democrats; you could lose - CNN.com

 

Now is not the time for Democrats to become complacent.  The electoral map shows a much different picture than the daily press offers.  Incumbents have lost in Europe but the advantage that Obama has is that theirs was a vote against austerity.  Obama does not favor that.  However, he has not been as populist and he could be about the survival of the middle class.

The 1% are not campaigning for Obama.  We have seen the financial industry go from 15% of the American economy to 40% largely due to cushy regulations or the lack of effective enforcement.  We need to move our economy back to actual production and the tax code needs to reflect our effort to do that.

The battle is just beginning.  The existence of the middle class is at stake.

Let's hear it for Bernie.

The Nation: Austerity Doesn't Work Anywhere : NPR

one of the few still unafraid to speak his convictions to the world.  He voices a hope that the rejection of austerity measures in Europe will transfer across the pond to the American voter.  There is just no need to call for the middle class, who's resources have dwindled, to carry the burden of cleaning up the mess caused by the wealthy.

Desperate Request

Dick Lugar plea for Dems, independents - Mackenzie Weinger - POLITICO.com

Lugar is a fair man and willing to listen to contrary arguments.  He has shown a willingness to work with the opposing party to attain compromise much unlike many of his party.  This is seen as a negative by the reactionary right and he faces tough tea party opposition in the primary.

Weasels

Republicans shift burden to avoid defense cuts - May. 7, 2012

did you really think the GOP would live up to its deal?  Now, here they are trying to weasel out of making the cuts to the defense budget as agreed.  They want it to come from, where else, the social programs.

AccuWeather.com - Outdoor - Extreme Super (Full) Moon to Cause Chaos?

AccuWeather.com - Outdoor - Extreme Super (Full) Moon to Cause Chaos?




I used to be highly motivated by full moons and they still have an allure for me.  There is a primal urge to "howl at the moon" and do singularly irrational stuff.  Probably at this stage of my life I will resist it but I will look at it with fond memory.

How do you spell relief?

Recently the new effort by the General Assembly to address the epidemic of deaths due to overdose of prescription medication was signed into law. It did not contain the provision that would have transferred enforcement to the Department of Justice and left it in Health, Education and Welfare. I'm OK with that. The proclivity of government attorneys to grab any case they consider a slam dunk and to convert it into a conviction for the stat sheet is reason enough for me.

The KMA opposed parts of this bill ostensibly due to the doctor/patient confidentiality rule. I'm not so sure about that. I think that doctors just don't like being questioned about the practice of their art. However, requiring them to consult KASPAR, our drug reporting system, seems to me to be a practical move. Pharmacists already do it and it seems requiring doctors to do it will not be too burdensome if the concerns about providing timely relief can be adequately addressed.

But, I want to tell you a story. It is a story about the flip side of that coin. It is a story about a woman who has been plagued with back pain for over 20 years and has undergone surgery after surgery in an effort to relieve the pain, which is debilitating and unending. She is disabled due to this condition and receives SSI, Medicaid and Food Stamps. Sounds like a pretty flush deal until the last week of the month when the money and food have run out but that is fodder for another story.

You may not be aware but recently Kentucky, in an effort to save money, outsourced Medicaid to private enterprise in a concession that the state just could not manage its business or was that the rationale at all? Any business person knows that to make money one must receive more than one pays out and administering Medicaid is no different. The question is how do these managed care companies save money? Are they more efficient or do they just deny care? I am going to tell you that I believe it is the latter and, if so, it is a despicable abdication of the responsibility of the state. Already the managed care companies are in lawsuits all over the state due to lack of payment or denial of services and payments to providers. The governor and his administration say we just need to give them more time to iron out the kinks. I doubt that is the problem at all.

But, back to the story. This woman, after complying with all the demands of the Medicaid regulators, finally found a pain clinic that would prescribe the narcotics necessary to control her pain. Not remove it but control it. The clinic prescribed her fetanyl patches which delivered the medication in a measured way so as to not deliver too much or too little. The problem is that when she would get hot the patch delivered too much which would then cause the effective period to be shortened. When this woman would go to check in at the clinic, which was required each month in order to refill the prescription, she would be tested to see if an acceptable amount was present in her system. So, one day it turned out that there was not so the doctor accused her of selling her drugs and discontinued seeing her as a patient.

No problem, right? Just go to see one of the myriad of pill pushers willing to prescribe anything to anybody. Well, not so. It is amazingly difficult for a person who is genuinely in need of help to gain access to those drugs. One reason is that medical professionals are scared to death of running afoul of the enforcement police and are loathe to prescribe the necessary medications. In addition, the Medicaid administrators require that a person endure each and every step all over again just to prove they really need it. Try one step, even if it has previously been proven ineffective, and if it doesn't work then try the next step. What controls the steps? Is it medical knowledge, is it concern for the patient's health? No, it is cost. Money, pure and simple. Even this would not be too onerous except that weeks expire between steps. Not just weeks but pain filled, non-productive, writhing in the bed weeks of pain for something we know how to treat but are unwilling to pay for. The reason for this? It is fear of having to defend oneself from people who know nothing about it and to avoid paying for medical care. It is the profit motive plain and simple.

You might say, well, it is unfortunate but some must suffer so that we can bring the larger problem under control to avoid all the deaths of the prescription pill abusers. Now, ask yourself if you would be so sanguine about this if the woman were your daughter. I can answer that for you. You would not. You would do what the woman's Mother and I have done which is insist that she receive adequate care and you would be disappointed and dejected just as we have been. You would be irate at managed care companies and the inappropriate pressure brought on physicians who treat acute and chronic pain and furious at the physicians who succumb to it.

I sincerely hope that the new law works better that hoped and that our General Assembly adequately funds the enactment of it. Perhaps if doctors can gain rapid access to prescribing history then those who suffer may receive relief from the torturous life they live. Perhaps that will mean that we will not need those intrusive enforcement actions. Perhaps doctors can go back to doing what they are sworn to do. Then all we will have to do is deal with the heartless actuaries who refuse to pay for the necessary care.