Paul Krugman points us to this Bloomberg article that makes the case against the Bush administrations ethanol mandate fairly well. Some highlights: About 33 percent of U.S. corn will be used for fuel during the next decade, up from 11 percent in 2002 Farmers will have to increase planting of corn for ethanol by 43…
Author: marc
Marc is a software developer, writer, and part-time political know-it-all who currently resides in Texas in the good ol' U.S.A.
Housing Density Unnatural
Ezra Klein gets his response to this article by Alex Steffen about as wrong as he possibly could. the amount of density the study’s authors call for is extremely modest. They encourage building new projects at a density of 13 homes per acre, raising the average national density from 7.6 units per acre to 9…
A New Kind of Political Media
Dave Winer, who’s well known for his work in the technology field, particularly as a pioneer with the RSS and XML-RPC tools that underlay many current web tools, including blogging software, asks an excellent, pertinent question about political conference calls: I’ve been asking around, where can I get MP3s of all the conference calls, the…
SCOTUS Refuses Wiretapping Case
I don’t often agree with the aims of the ACLU, but I think that filing a suit against the Bush administration’s use of "unapproved", to put it gently, wiretapping was a good thing. Today the U.S. Supreme Court declined the opportunity to hear the case. Steven R. Shapiro, Legal Director of the ACLU: “Although we…
The Obamas’ Pride
Michael writes: Seldom have I heard a politician (or his or her partner) speak in such an incredible arrogant manner. Here’s the quote: “For the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country and not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change.”…
Hitting Pakistani Targets Without Permission
Failing to act decisively – or at all – when in possession of intelligence about Osama bin Laden is perhaps Bill Clinton’s biggest failure as president and his longest-lasting legacy. Now, writing about the U.S. missiles that killed Abu Laith al-Libi, an al Qaeda commander, MSNBC says: Having requested the Pakistani government’s official permission for…
Texas Two Step
The latest CNN poll shows that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are now more-or-less tied in the Texas Democratic primary race. The two candidates are essentially tied on immigration, Iraq and the economy, but Clinton has an advantage on health care and abortion. Obama must then have the personal appeal, since he’s on the move,…
Sarkozy Champions Holocaust Remembrance
According to the NY Times, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has mandated that all 5th graders in France will learn the life story of a French child murdered in the Nazi Holocaust of WW II. “Nothing is more moving, for a child, than the story of a child his own age, who has the same games,…
Denmark On a Roll
First the Danes foiled a conspiracy to murder journalists and artists linked to the Mohammed cartoons. Then, to prove the power of free speech, Danish (and other) newspapers reprinted the images. Now Danish legislators have refused Iran’s demand that they condemn re-publication. A group of Danish lawmakers has canceled a trip to Iran because Tehran…
Terrorists Victims Now?
The Wall Street Journal took on apologists for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) today, saying: These are not ordinary crimes. "For sure, I’m American enemies," said KSM in his broken English. "When we made any war against America we are jackals fighting in the nights. . . . the language of the war are killing." The…