Save Kauai brings together current information about Kauai and web-based tools that allow you to take action. If we want to affect the future of Kauai in a pono way we must organize and begin implementing solutions, not just fighting the problems.
Aloha 'Aina, Imua Kakou!
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20081025/BREAKING/81025013
Updated at 9:03 a.m., Saturday, October 25, 2008
"Companies start competing for bailout money"
By MARTIN CRUTSINGER
AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — "The bailout is now the hottest lobbying game in town.
Insurers, automakers and American subsidiaries of foreign banks all want the Treasury Department to cut them a piece of the largest government rescue in U.S. history.
The betting is that many with their hands out will be successful, especially with financial markets in a stomach-churning dive and predictions the economy is about to tumble into a deep recession.
These groups argue that the credit squeeze is so severe and the risks to the economy so dire that their industries need financial support as well.
The Treasury is considering requests from a variety of industries, but has not decided whether to expand the program, officials said Saturday.
Lobbying efforts are intensifying.
The Financial Services Roundtable wrote Treasury officials on Friday requesting that the initiative to buy $250 billion in bank stock grow to cover insurers, auto companies, securities dealers and U.S. subsidiaries of foreign companies, including banks. The Treasury's plan is intended to bolster banks' tattered balance sheets and get them to resume making loans.
Farmer in Chief
By MICHAEL POLLAN
Dear Mr. President-Elect,
It may surprise you to learn that among the issues that will occupy much of your time in the coming years is one you barely mentioned during the campaign: food. Food policy is not something American presidents have had to give much thought to, at least since the Nixon administration — the last time high food prices presented a serious political peril. Since then, federal policies to promote maximum production of the commodity crops (corn, soybeans, wheat and rice) from which most of our supermarket foods are derived have succeeded impressively in keeping prices low and food more or less off the national political agenda. But with a suddenness that has taken us all by surprise, the era of cheap and abundant food appears to be drawing to a close. What this means is that you, like so many other leaders through history, will find yourself confronting the fact — so easy to overlook these past few years — that the health of a nation’s food system is a critical issue of national security. Food is about to demand your attention.
October 2, 2008
Links at: http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/10/02/bailout-bill-includes-bike-commuti...
"Bailout Bill Includes Bike Commuting Benefit"
by Brad Aaron
"Remember Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer's long-sought $20 per month tax credit for bike commuters, intended to extend a benefit to cyclists that motorists have received for decades? The measure ridiculed by North Carolina Rep. Patrick "Give Me Fossil Fuels or Give Me Death" McHenry? It didn't make it into law last year, but it seems the bike commuting credit has found its way into the latest version of the financial bailout package.
Section 211 of the "Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008" allows for a "qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement" for "reasonable expenses incurred by the employee during such calendar year for the purchase of a bicycle and bicycle improvements, repair, and storage, if such bicycle is regularly used for travel between the employee’s residence and place of employment."
Other transpo-related items in the bill include credits for biofuels and other "alternative" mixtures, plug-in electric vehicles, and what looks like a few goodies for oil and natural gas producers. Another section includes incentives for green construction and renewable energy production.
The full text of the 451-page bill, expected to be taken up by the House of Representatives on Friday, is available here. Tell us if you find other items of interest."
Solar and wind tax credits passed in this bill too,
Aloha, Brad
Published on Thursday, September 25, 2008 by The Seattle Times
The Local Community Radio Act Will Increase Local Voices, Choices
by Jonathan Lawson
This fall, Congress has the opportunity to expand local radio choices for people in cities and towns across America by passing a single, bipartisan piece of legislation. The Local Community Radio Act will allow hundreds more small noncommercial stations to fill vacant spaces on the radio dial - increasing local voices and music choices.
Folks in Opelousas, La., have a particularly strong understanding of the value of local community radio. When the Federal Communications Commission granted permission for a Low-Power FM (LPFM) community radio station in 2002, it was a point of pride for locals because the station would air zydeco music.
Despite its deep cultural roots in the community, zydeco could no longer be heard on the big commercial stations. And while the new station KOCZ didn't have the reach of the area's commercial stations - many of which are owned by conglomerates based in Las Vegas and Cincinnati - it served its listeners well with local church services, community forums and, of course, zydeco.
But when Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana in 2006, the small local station rose to the occasion. Staying on the air throughout the storm and its aftermath, the community-based station was uniquely situated to provide essential public-safety information. KOCZ broadcasts helped coordinate grassroots-led aid efforts, providing information for evacuees seeking shelter and services.
Published on Thursday, September 4, 2008 by Al Jazeera
Palin's Connection To 'Big Oil'
by Rob Winder
ST PAUL, Minn. - Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska who has shot to prominence as John McCain's choice as running-mate, is best known as a passionate believer in new oil and gas exploration, including in Alaska's National Widelife Reserve - something McCain himself rejects.
[Palin says the US should (and can) drill its way out of dependence on foreign oil. She has presented herself as a challenger to corporate interests in Alaska, although that is because she believes the major energy companies have not acted swiftly enough in carrying out drilling and pipeline projects in the state.[GALLO/GETTY]]Palin says the US should (and can) drill its way out of dependence on foreign oil. She has presented herself as a challenger to corporate interests in Alaska, although that is because she believes the major energy companies have not acted swiftly enough in carrying out drilling and pipeline projects in the state.[GALLO/GETTY
But campaigners say she has a mixed record on her dealings with the oil corporations to which the Republican party has so many historic ties.
"There is no question that Palin's appointment as the Republican vice-presidential candidate cements the fact that John McCain is the candidate of big oil," Dan Weiss, a senior fellow at the Centre for American Progress, a Washington-based think-tank, told Al Jazeera.
"She supports the agenda of big oil - of more drilling - and she opposes investments in clean and renewable energy," he said.
Oh, man, these guys got their s**t together. It's a fully automated website by the airline lobby.
Here's their webpage: www.stopoilspeculationnow.com
Here's the letter they send online starting today:
Support S. 3268
Thank you for using Stopoilspeculationnow.com Mail System
Message sent to the following recipients:
Senator Akaka
Senator Inouye
Message text follows:
[sender address inserted here]
July 16, 2008
[recipient address was inserted here]
Dear [recipient name was inserted here],
I strongly urge your support of S. 3268 - the Stop Excessive Speculation Act. This bill accomplishes the most important goal of putting position limits on excessive speculation.
S. 3268 is also a good first step towards ensuring that formerly "dark" over-the-counter markets are required to do business in the sunshine and to ensure that no one entity unduly controls the market.
I encourage you to back this bill because it creates a much needed distinction between legitimate hedgers and those who are in the market for purely speculative purposes, ensuring that traders who have no relationship to the physical product are unable to take advantage of existing loopholes. Another key provision in the bill you should know about closes the "London Loophole". It's critical this loophole be closed to create more transparency and establish reporting requirements which are already required for trading on U.S. exchanges.
Published on Saturday, June 7, 2008 by Inter Press Service
As Climate Bill Dies, Greens Express Hope
by Jim Lobe
WASHINGTON - While Republicans succeeded Friday in effectively killing major bipartisan legislation in the U.S. Senate to cut greenhouse emissions that contribute to global warming, environmental groups expressed hope that the three days of debate on the measure have set the stage for success next year after the November elections.”
The American people are seeking a change from the kind of cynical political games we saw (the Republican leadership) play this week,” said Carl Pope, the executive director of the Sierra Club, after the bill’s supporters fell 12 votes short of the 60 they needed to cut off debate and force a vote.
“While these procedural ploys may have succeeded in today’s closely divided Senate, we are confident that a larger pro-environment majority will allow us to prevail in the next Congress,” he added.
The 48 votes cast to halt debate on the Climate Security Act (CSA) marked a significant advance from the 38 votes that similar legislation gained in 2005.
In addition, six senators, including the two presumptive presidential candidates, Democratic Sen. Barack Obama and his Republican opponent, Sen. John McCain, who were not present to cast their votes Friday, sent letters saying they would have voted in favour of the act.
Published on Friday, June 6, 2008 by the Associated Press
GOP Blocks Senate’s Global Warming Bill
WASHINGTON - Senate Republicans on Friday blocked a global warming bill that would have required major reductions in greenhouse gases, after a bitter debate over its economic costs and whether it would substantially raise gasoline and other energy prices.
Democratic leaders fell a dozen votes short of getting the 60 needed to end a Republican filibuster on the measure and bring the bill up for a vote. The 48-36 vote failed to reach even a majority, a disappointment to the bill’s supporters.
Majority Leader Harry Reid was expected to pull the legislation, in all likelihood pushing the congressional debate over climate change to next year with a new Congress and a new president.
The bill would have capped carbon dioxide coming from power plants, refineries and factories, with a target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 71 percent by mid-century.
“It’s a huge tax increase,” argued Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, a prominent coal-producing state. He maintained that the proposed system of allowing widespread trading of carbon emissions allowances would produce “the largest restructuring of the American economy since the New Deal.”
McCain, Obama reportedly backed
Supporters of the bill accused Republicans of muddying the water with misinformation.
Bill to aid isle residents, farmers
POSTED: May 19, 2008
WASHINGTON — Members of Hawaii’s congressional delegation say island farmers and consumers should benefit from last week’s passage of the Farm Bill in both the House and the Senate by what appear to be veto-proof margins.
Key provisions of the bill for Hawaii residents include:
• Adding macadamia nuts to the mandatory Country-of-Origin Labeling Program so that macadamia nuts produced elsewhere cannot be labeled as Hawaii-grown.
• Authorizing $15 million in reimbursements per fiscal year for farmers and ranchers in Hawaii, Alaska and the U.S. territories because their remote locations leave them disadvantaged with both production and transportation.
• Establishing a Western Insular Pacific Subcenter at the University of Hawaii for nearby states, territories, republics and commonwealths to explore how to enhance agricultural production through biobased energy and product technologies.
• Adding Hawaii to the list of states eligible for grants under the Agricultural Management Assistance Program, which provides cost-sharing assistance to help producers construct or improve parts of their business.
The Farm Bill also contains report language that acknowledges the vulnerability of Hawaii’s ecosystem to threats from invasive species, which cause an estimated $300 million in annual crop damage and lost exports in the islands.
The measure passed with solid majorities that should ensure that it will survive a threatened veto by President Bush.
