But in spite of these and other achievements, President Obama has thus far failed to use the bully pulpit to make the case for bold action on climate change. After successfully passing his green stimulus package, he did nothing to defend it when Congress decimated its funding. After the House passed cap and trade, he did little to make passage in the Senate a priority. Senate advocates — including one Republican — felt abandoned when the president made concessions to oil and coal companies without asking for anything in return. He has also called for a massive expansion of oil drilling in the United States, apparently in an effort to defuse criticism from those who argue speciously that “drill, baby, drill” is the answer to our growing dependence on foreign oil.

The failure to pass legislation to limit global-warming pollution ensured that the much-anticipated Copenhagen summit on a global treaty in 2009 would also end in failure. The president showed courage in attending the summit and securing a rhetorical agreement to prevent a complete collapse of the international process, but that’s all it was — a rhetorical agreement. During the final years of the Bush-Cheney administration, the rest of the world was waiting for a new president who would aggressively tackle the climate crisis — and when it became clear that there would be no real change from the Bush era, the agenda at Copenhagen changed from “How do we complete this historic breakthrough?” to “How can we paper over this embarrassing disappointment?”

Quick, someone point out that he’s a professional leftist, who’s disgruntled, and probably racist to boot.

At the same time, no matter what any of these candidates say, I discourage all Philadelphians from voting for even one of them, building on a comment I left at the same article.

I’ll be one of the first to say that the Democratic one-party rule in Philadelphia, like one party rule anywhere, has had damaging effects on the city.

The problem is that the Republicans are not a credible alternative. We have all seen what happens when you elect them to any position of authority: they do NOTHING to create jobs, and instead spend all their time trying to bust unions, drive down wages, deny women health care, destroy necessary infrastructure projects, and turn a blind eye to corporate polluters (while cutting their taxes or, in the case of PA governor Tom Corbett, not taxing them at all). They also try to defund schools, incorporate religion into secular education (including advocating teaching the myth of Creationism in science classes).

Philly’s in bad shape because of decades of unchallenged democratic rule, but it’s no secret that the GOP acquiesced to this in return for patronage crumbs, which is something the Weekly reported on a year or so ago. The fact is you cannot trust the republicans to be fair or even competent for that matter: this is a party that believes government IS the problem, how could you expect them to govern effectively?

To me, it’s hilarious to see a Republican candidate like Elmer Money (apt name for a Republican) talk about how he wants to “promote social change and improve health services especially for those who are most vulnerable and struggle to pay medical bills because of unemployment or lack of insurance”. The only social changes Republicans promote are reactionary and regressive. “Improve health services”? This is a party that claims our medical system is the best in the world, claims Medicare is socialism, spent the past two years blatantly lying that Obama’s pathetically marginal reforms would lead to death panels, and insists that women don’t have a right to reproductive health care or pre-natal services: anyone who thinks a Republican has the best interests of expectant mothers and the poor at heart has been smoking angel dust.

Looking at each candidates campaign promises, I find something to point at and laugh derisively. John Featherman wants to get rid of the city’s Department of Ethics, so I’ll have to assume the candidate is opposed to ethics and in favor of corruption. On the other hand, he’ll let me get hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.

Lazin complains about fair elections: that’s rich coming from the party that goes out of its way to disenfranchise voters, especially youth and minority voters.

David Oh wants to undermine public education with vouchers for private and religious schools. Well, that’s nice, and I’m sure Mr. Oh has a practical solution for those kids the private schools deem unfit, and skim out of their population (I know how THAT goes: I was kicked out of private school in 8th grade for not fitting in, which was code for “fights back against the bullies”). Maybe someday he’ll share it with us, but if you value public education and a unionized workforce, David Oh is not your guy.

John McColgan thinks that cutting spending creates jobs and wants to start by firing a good chunk of the city’s workforce. McColgan knows a lot about how much better the private sector is, because the US Navy is entirely funded by the private sector. Oh wait…

I’ve already laughed at Elmer Money’s concern for the poor, health care, and expectant mothers, but will remind you that Republicans hate the poor, oppose health care reform, and fought hard in DC to cut WIC and prevent women from having reproductive and pre-natal health care.

Mark Untermeyer wants to get rid of the sheriff’s office and no-bid contracts, but doesn’t describe how he’ll do either of those things, or what he’ll replace the sheriff’s office with. This seems to be standard Republican practice: point to something unpopular, say you’ll get rid of it, but offer no plan for the aftermath. See, “Iraq”.

FInally, we get to Al Schmidt, who i feel a little bad about criticizing because he really IS a nice guy. But again, the idea that a republican can be counted on to “make sure vote totals will be fair and ‘make sure every vote counts’” is laughable on its face. In addition, while I welcome the calls for transparency (as if Republicans are some model of open governance, just look at Tom Corbett’s administration to put the lie to that one), there’s also that characteristic GOP cheap-assedness I’ve come to love SO much. Really Al? You think that a high school kid paid a couple of hundred bucks could come up with a workable system to count votes? Hey, why not hire a McDonalds employee as head chef at Le Bec Fin? Or replace the city’s expensive EMT squad with some Boy Scouts? Maybe we can save a few bucks by ensuring all new structures in Philly are made of Legos instead of bricks and mortar. Anyway, we’ve all seen how skimping on proper software has worked Waukesha County Wisconsin, where the Republicans conveniently “found” thousands of votes for the losing incumbent.

As I said at the outset of this piece, it’s certainly true that the Democrats’ monopoly on Philadelphia’s governance (abetted by lazy and corrupt Republicans) has been harmful, even disastrous in some ways. But turning to the Republicans as some kind of alternative is insane. They won’t keep any of their promises, and will turn immediately to preventing you from getting a Pap smear or cervical exam, throwing you out of work, making it easier for their REAL constituency (corporations and the wealthy) to run roughshod over you, defunding the arts, defunding public education, and union busting.

If you’re looking for an alternative, I suggest the Green Party. They’re running a fantastic candidate for sheriff’s office, a real fighter named Cheri Honkala. The more you support REAL alternatives, especially on the local level, the stronger they grow.

But beware, always, of Republicans promising “reform”. It’s not going to be any reform that helps you or makes your life better.

Tokyo Electric Power Company began dumping more than 11,000 tons of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant on Monday, mostly to make room in storage containers for increasing amounts of far more contaminated runoff. The water, most of it to be released over two days, contains about 100 times the legal limit of radiation, Tokyo Electric said. The more contaminated water has about 10,000 times the legal limit.
[...]
But the pumping effort is not expected to halt, or even alter, the gushing leak from a large crack in a six-foot-deep pit next to the seawater intake pipes near Reactor No. 2. The leak, discovered Saturday, has been spewing an estimated seven tons of highly radioactive water an hour directly into the ocean; attempts to plug it have so far failed.

Funny thing about those attempts to plug the leak: it’s been scrubbed from the Times page (where I read it this morning), but the Atlantic caught it: they’ve been trying to stop the leak with “sawdust, shredded newspaper and an absorbent powder”. That sounds an awful lot like BP’s “let’s plug our exploded oil well with garbage” strategery, which worked… but only to inspire comedy sketches like this one:

So now we’re on to stage two in humanity’s most recent assault on the oceans: we started by killing the Gulf, and now the executives at TEPCO are making sure the Pacific’s polluted too. Hey, who gives a fuck, right? Fish really isn’t all that good for you anyway, and swimming in the ocean is highly overrated (as is singing in the rain: remember where clouds start, friends, and consider getting a lead-lined slicker.)

For example, why are so many baby dolphins washing up dead? Really, it’s SUCH a mystery:

he investigation into the many infant dolphin deaths along the coasts of Mississippi and Alabama will be multi-faceted in the months to come and watched by dozens of agencies and hundreds of attorneys in litigation with BP.

But why the young mammals died and continue to die prematurely, weeks before the birthing season in the northern Gulf, may remain forever a mystery.

By the end of the week, there had been 39 confirmed deaths, an unprecedented number for Mississippi and Alabama, but not as unusual for the much-larger Texas coast.

Tissue samples will be checked for signs of oil. There’s no ignoring that crude oil from BP’s well was gushing into the environment when the mother dolphins were in their early months of pregnancy.

You’ll notice the word “Corexit” never appears. Not once. I wonder why, he asked cynically.

And the missing turtles? “Shrimp boat nets”. Seriously, even though a number of commenters point out that “All fishing and shrimping activities in that region were temporarily suspended due to the emergency.”

Meanwhile, Ben Marble MD provides sad reminder from last year.

As I have discussed in previous emails and calls to your office, your decision to support the president’s extension of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans was a bad idea. I did not know that it actually endangered Pennsylvania residents however: why did you, a senator whose state is plagued with crumbling highways, roads, railways and bridges near collapse, vote in favor of a bill that ended the Build America Bonds program?

Build America Bonds (BABs), a variety of municipal bonds that receive favorable tax treatment, were created in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Unlike traditional tax-exempt municipal bonds, BABs are taxable and attractive to investors like pension funds that do not benefit from tax-exempt bonds. States, counties and cities issue the bonds for infrastructure projects, and the federal government pays 35 percent of the interest. The federal subsidy greatly reduces the borrowing costs for state and local governments.

Even before the recession, the American Society of Civil Engineers calculated that the U.S. needed to spend $2.2 trillion over five years not only for new freight and passenger infrastructure but also for maintenance and repair of crumbling bridges, highways, railroads, inland waterways and ports. Infrastructure spending, which would be necessary in any event, is all the more urgent during a near-depression like the Great Recession.”

You voted to end that program. Why are you deliberately putting Pennsylvanians in physical danger? Here is the American Society of Civil Engineers 2010 Report card for Pennsylvania’s infrastructure:

Items of note, Senator:

“Of Pennsylvania’s 22,280 bridges, 27% are considered structurally deficient and 17% are deemed functionally obsolete.” They get a C.

“About 39% (302) of the state’s “high hazard” dams—dams whose failure would cause probable loss of human life and substantial property damage — are considered deficient.” They get a C-.

“Pennsylvania faces a required investment of $15.5 billion over the next 20 years to replace aging facilities and comply with safe drinking water regulations.” D+

“The average Corps of Engineers’ rating for Pennsylvania’s locks is 2.35, or a D+, and there is no long-term replacement strategy for aging waterways infrastructure.” Another D+.

“International Roughness Index statistics show that 38% of Pennsylvania’s roads are rated fair or poor. Pennsylvania’s highway network (40,000 state and 76,000 local miles) ranks as 5th largest in the nation for the number of state-owned highways… Truck traffic on Pennsylvania’s 1,754 miles of interstate roads is more than double the national average, and many of the state’s roads are at or exceed their design capacity.” That got a D-.

In addition, transit, storm water, and waste water all scored in the D range.

Senator, could you explain why you voted against Pennsylvanians’ interests and in favor of the wealthiest Americans? Just asking.

Brendan Skwire

UPDATED: Matt at Casey’s office, who is a great arguer and understand the concept of “making a case” says that the BAB was set to expire anyway, and that its exclusion from the tax cut capitulation isn’t a negative. I am not so sure. It sounds to me like someone wanted the BAB renewal in there quite a lot:

A dispute between Democrats and Republicans over the continuation of the Build America Bond program and a sharp drop in Treasury prices slammed the U.S. municipal bond market on Tuesday.

Much of the downward pull was because of weaker Treasuries prices, according to Chris Mauro, a muni market strategist at RBC Capital Markets, but the battle over extending BABs legislation was an underlying negative as well.
[...]
Congressional Republicans will block any inclusion of Build America Bonds, a taxable bond program popular with states, cities and other muni issuers, in the tax deal they clinched with President Barack Obama, a Republican aide said on Tuesday.

The dispute underscores the tension between Democrats, who feel they were left out of the deal extending Bush-era tax cuts that Obama spelled out Monday night, and Republicans.

Sounds to me like no one fought for it. Senator Casey has apparently written a letter urging its inclusion in the bill, which coupled with the language about “a dispute” kind of makes that whole “it was going to expire anyway” line ring false.

Imagine that, a politician’s office lying to constituents.

As a resident of Philadelphia, PA, a city affected with nearly 10% unemployment and decrepit transit infrastructure, I read your October 29th guest editorial in the New Jersey Star-Ledger with deep interest. I share your disappointment in Governor Christie’s decision to kill the ARC project: I believe the decision was foolish, driven by ideology, and damaging to that state.

However, I also believe that New Jersey’s loss can be Philadelphia’s gain. In fact, I can name many important projects that could find new life with a $3.358 billion federal investment, helping to rebuild our struggling economy, improving Philadelphia’s quality of life, and helping to meet our mayor’s stated goal of being America’s greenest city.

For example, for years there has been a need to extend the Broad Street Subway all the way to the Navy yard, where there is a technology park. Extending the subway to the Navy Yard would not only create near-term jobs during construction, it would provide long term jobs for anyone qualified to work for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA), would stimulate small business creation along the transit route. It would also relieve the overused and cramped stretch of I-95 that serves the area, and encourage new ridership.

As you may know, SEPTA is the fourth largest transit system in the US. What you may not know is that it still operates on obsolete token/transfer technology, because the funds to transition to a “smart-card” system have not been easy to find. The funding Governor Christie is declining could very well fund this necessary upgrade, which would make using SEPTA much more convenient, increasing ridership and making Philadelphia a more livable city.

Governor Ed Rendell made news this past May when he visited the nearby Wayne Junction station, noting that the power-generating substation and the passenger area are in dangerous disrepair: completing this project would cost only a fraction of the $3.38 billion rejected by Governor Christie. In addition, the retaining walls and supports surrounding the trainyards at Amtrak/30th Street Station are in terrible shape: they are visibly crumbling, putting riders and railway employees alike in danger. Should one of the walls collapse, service in the Philadelphia area, a major hub in the Northeast Corridor, could grind to a halt for weeks. The impact of such an event could spread far beyond the city’s boundaries.

We also have trolley lines that could be re-opened, like the historic Route 23. We could repair and refurbish every single stop on the Market Street El. We could put the money into the long-delayed Reading-Philadelphia light rail, or construct new light rail between Pottstown and Philadelphia, which could have beneficial economic impacts for the entire southeastern Pennsylvania region, and relieve traffic congestion on the dangerous Schuylkill Expressway. The possibilities are limited only by the imagination, which may be in short supply in Trenton New Jersey, but certainly not in southeastern Pennsylvania.

I have shared my idea with Senators Casey and Specter, and will also be sharing it with the governor and the mayor. It is truly a shame that New Jersey has decided that they prefer high unemployment and inefficient, obsolete links to the city of New York, but when I think of the similar troubles we face here in Pennsylvania, I feel confident that we can use the money wisely to put our people to work re-building our transit infrastructure for the 21st century and beyond.

In your editorial, you state “A $3.358 billion federal investment in the region’s economic future will move elsewhere.” I agree strongly, and hope that you will consider re-allocating the funding for Philadelphia, PA, a place that, unlike New Jersey, actually wants to emerge from the economic crisis that has laid so many of our once-productive residents idle.
Sincerely,

Brendan Skwire

Via.

You’re going to be sick.

“Whaddya mean ‘here we go’?” I asked.

“It’s our first electric bill since we installed solar panels,” mom replied, as she tore open the envelope. “YES!!” she shouted, pumping her fist in the air. “THIRTY-FIVE DOLLARS!”

“What does the bill usually look like during summer?” Christina asked.

“More like three HUNDRED dollars,” my mom said. “And what’s even better is that now that we’ve installed solar, the utility has to buy power from us.”

“Yup,” my dad added. “Not only are we expecting to save a couple thousand dollars over the course of the year, I’m also going to get tax credits and rebates up the wazoo, as well as about $5000 in SRECS.”

These, I learned are “solar renewable energy credits”:

Electricity suppliers, the primary purchasers of SRECs, are required to pay a Solar Alternative Compliance Payment (SACP) if they do not meet the requirements of New Jersey’s Solar RPS. One way they can meet their RPS is by purchasing SRECs. As SRECs are traded in a competitive market, the price may vary significantly. The actual price of an SREC during a trading period can and will fluctuate depending on supply and demand. See recent SREC trading prices.

“You mean the utility has to..”

“Yup! THEY have to buy power from US!” my mom cheered. “Plus, we’ve already got half our investment back in rebates.”

And that go me thinking. Despite the Obama administration’s [willfully?] mistaken belief that “government can’t create jobs” (uh, riiiiight: so the entire US bureacracy doesn’t count as employment?), my friend atrios regularly points out ways that jobs can be created, especially when it comes to energy and energy conservation:

I’m again flummoxed by the idea that there’s just nothing to be done jobs wise.

There are a lot of flat black roofs in Philadelphia. For a not very high per-unit cost, they could all be painted white/silver. This isn’t public infrastructure per se, but it would have public benefits in terms of reducing energy use/carbon emissions, and there are also externalities impacting the heat level of the city as a whole.

The DC version of this cunning plan would be to have a program, so that organizations could apply for grants, which could then… Or maybe they’d have some tax credit which would partially offset costs.

My version is…just go to door and offer to paint peoples’ roofs. I get that it’s a bit more complicated than this, but not too much.

I’d take that a few steps further. Right here in Philadelphia, there are solar panel manufacturers. As a matter of fact, several. And as atrios points out, there are TONS of flat roofs in a city that gets an awful lot of sunny days. Furthermore, I hear reminders every day on the radio that Pennsylvania’s electricity rate caps expire in 2011, with an increase of 10% (at least) expected.

You’d figure with pressures that include the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, two ongoing wars, one of which is was explicitlyabout oil, and oh yeah TEN FUCKING PERCENT UNEMPLOYMENT AND LOOMING ELECTORAL DISASTERS the administration would be all over efforts like this. Imagine the jobs created by installing solar panels on every roof in Philadelphia that wanted one: jobs making the things, jobs shipping them from the plant to the consumer, jobs installing them, jobs maintaining them. Think of the savings for ordinary families, who could then put that extra income into paying off their debts and buying new stuff. Think of the impact on the environment!

Als, they did not go big:

We put together a package that by then the target had been trimmed to $1.2 trillion. And then [White House Chief of Staff] Rahm Emanuel said to me, “Geez, do you really think we can afford to come in with a package that big, isn’t it going to scare people?” I said, “Rahm, you will need that shock value so that people understand just how serious this problem is.” They wanted to hold it to less than $1 trillion. Then [Pennsylvania Senator Arlen] Specter and the two crown princesses from Maine [Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins] took it down to less than $800 billion.

But hey, what do I know. It’s probably just my “permanent outrage and relentless negativity fostered and fueled by the blogosphere” talking.

Via Susie:

What BP is claiming is that if fishermen choose not to talk part in the oil spill cleanup, BP will consider that as potential income declined and deduct it from their claims.

In other words, if you didn’t want to risk your health and expose yourself to their toxic waste, you’re going to suffer financially as a result.

I read Susie Madrak’s blog EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Why? Because she’s almost always right, ahead of the curve, and has insights most other bloggers don’t have.