Unauthorized Immigrants support Medicare

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

How Unauthorized Immigrants Support Legal Users of Medicare

Unauthorized immigrants create a huge surplus in Medicare by contributing to payroll taxes.

That sound is the other shoe dropping hard: More than 300 wildfires are burning in Alaska right now.

More than 300 wildfires are burning in Alaska right now. That's an even bigger problem than it sounds.
// Desdemona's Blog

By Chris Mooney
26 June 2015

(Washington Post) – Following on a record hot May in which much snow cover melted off early, Alaska saw no less than 152 fires erupt last weekend. The numbers have only grown further since then, and stood at 317 active fires Friday, according to the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center, with over 280,000 additional acres burned just since Thursday.

"Given the high number of fires and the personnel assigned to those fires, the state's firefighting resources are becoming very limited, forcing fire managers to prioritize resources," noted the state's Department of Natural Resources Tuesday. The preparedness level at the moment for the state is 5, meaning that "resistance to control is high to extreme and resistance to extinguishment is high."

This stunning tweet from the Alaska Division of Forestry sort of says it all:

All of which is troubling for multiple reasons: (1) Recent research suggests that more Alaskan wildfires, and more large Alaskan fires in particular, are a trend; (2) In some cases, wildfires in Alaska don't just consume trees, grasses or tundra. They can burn away soils as well and threaten permafrost, frozen soil beneath the ground, and so potentially help to trigger additional release of carbon to the atmosphere.

"One major concern about wildfires becoming more frequent in permafrost areas is the potential to put the vast amounts of carbon stored there at increased risk of being emitted and further amplify warming," said Todd Sanford, a climate scientist at Climate Central and lead author of the group's newly released report on Alaskan wildfires, by e-mail. [more]

Over 300 wildfires are burning in Alaska right now. That's an even bigger problem than it sounds

Technorati Tags: Alaska,Arctic,permafrost,wildfire,forest fire,heat wave,global warming,climate change

----

Shared via my feedly reader

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Turns out Jeb! BUSH is as big and as dangerous an idiot as his brother

New gun control measures are not the way to prevent mass killings such as the shooting deaths of nine people in a South Carolina church, the Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush said on Saturday.

Bush, who plans to meet black ministers in Charleston, South Carolina, on Monday, said identifying potentially violent people before they committed such crimes was a better approach than further restrictions on gun ownership.

Because it's so easy to know the evil that lurks in the hearts of men, right?  Moron.

Gun control won't prevent another Charleston-style shooting, says Jeb Bush | US news | The Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/jun/28/gun-control-wont-prevent-another-charleston-style-shooting-says-jeb-bush
----
Shared via my feedly reader

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Graphic evidence on climate disruption that would be undeniable (if evidence mattered)

"The clear and powerful data will instantly silence your climate science denier friends."

The Sightline Institute writer who pointed out these terrific graphs is just a tad naive about how denial works (her comment above).

But still, this is a truly great visual presentation that would, if evidence mattered, matter a great deal.

http://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2015-whats-warming-the-world/

Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

It's been a tough session - end with something good: Let the Senate Vote on National Popular Vote

Senator Courtney:

I know it's been a very tough session, from its strange beginning to its brutal ending.  You've done some good and you've seen some bad done too. There's one important thing left to do:

Let the Senate VOTE on whether Oregon should join the National Popular Vote compact.

Let proponents and opponents make the case — but don't keep strangling this off-stage. If there are arguments against making sure that America's only nationally elected figure has to get a majority of Americans' votes, lets hear them.

Sincerely, your constituent,

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Just a few seconds could help cripple Icelandic whaling - please spread widely

Subject: Days to save whales

Icelandic whalers are about to start harpooning over 150 endangered fin whales. But if we can get a tiny Caribbean nation to remove their flag from a ship that's carrying millions of dollars worth of fin whale meat to Japan, we can hit them where it hurts. Stopping this sale could turn the tide. The ship could leave in six days. Add your voice and share this urgently: Sign the petition Dear friends, The Icelandic whaling fleet is about to leave port to hunt and kill 150 endangered fin whales. We've come close to shutting down this barbaric operation before and now we have a chance to end it for good. As the whalers sharpen their harpoons for this year's hunt, their boss is trying to ship last year's whale meat to Japan right now. Over 1,700 tonnes are about to be sent through the icy passage between Russia and the North Pole. But if the tiny Caribbean nation of St. Kitts and Nevis simply removes their flag from the vessel it can't leave port! Tourism is the main pillar of their country's economy and we can put their reputation on the line by throwing them into our giant global spotlight. We have just six days before the boat could set sail.   Our community already helped push European countries to shun this shameful trade. Let's now get St. Kitts to stop helping the whalers! Sign now and share with everyone urgently -- Avaaz will deliver our voices straight to the new Prime Minister, and if he doesn't respond quickly, Avaaz'll target his biggest tourist market - the US - and show how St. Kitts is supporting the slaughter of these majestic beings: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/days_to_save_whales_loc/?biMcPdb&v=61050 Dear friends, The Icelandic whaling fleet is about to leave port to hunt and kill 150 endangered fin whales. We've come close to shutting down this barbaric operation before and now we have a chance to end it for good. As the whalers sharpen their harpoons for this year's hunt, their boss is trying to ship last year's whale meat to Japan right now. Over 1,700 tonnes are about to be sent through the icy passage between Russia and the North Pole. But if the tiny Caribbean nation of St. Kitts and Nevis simply removes their flag from the vessel it can't leave port! Tourism is the main pillar of their country's economy and we can put their reputation on the line by throwing them into our giant global spotlight. We have just six days before the boat could set sail.   Our community already helped push European countries to shun this shameful trade. Let's now get St. Kitts to stop helping the whalers! Sign now and share with everyone urgently -- Avaaz will deliver our voices straight to the new Prime Minister, and if he doesn't respond quickly, Avaaz'll target his biggest tourist market - the US - and show how St. Kitts is supporting the slaughter of these majestic beings: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/days_to_save_whales_loc/?biMcPdb&v=61050 Iceland's entire fin whaling industry is run by one man, Kristjan Loftsson, but his business is barely breaking even, so if we stop the whale meat from reaching Japan we can sink his profits! Other nations have removed their flag from vessels in response to public pressure over other environmental concerns so we know this can work for the whales. All we need to do is create a scandal and get a delay to make the crossing to Japan impossible. Japanese whalers plan to resume "scientific" whaling in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary despite widespread opposition, and St. Kitts and Nevis votes in support of Japan's "research" at the International Whaling Commission. If we take them out of the equation now we can strike a deadly blow to both Icelandic and Japanese whaling at the same time! Pressure has been mounting globally and nationally to stop the Icelandic whalers. This could be a turning point for the whales. Together we have the power to turn the International Whaling Commission into the International Whale Conservation Commission. And we can get started by stopping this year's harpooning and this whale meat shipment! Sign the urgent petition now: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/days_to_save_whales_loc/?biMcPdb&v=61050 We know our voices work! Following our 1 million strong petition in 2013, the Dutch government blocked Iceland's whale meat shipments docking in the Netherlands. And together with Greenpeace, our community managed to get fin whale meat sent back to Iceland from Germany. Since then major shipping companies announced they would never ship whale meat again. We're making it harder and harder for this industry to make a profit. Let's shut it down for good! With hope,  Lisa, Danny, Alice, Ricken, Mel, Nick, Rewan and the whole Avaaz team MORE INFORMATION Iceland sends shipment of 1,700 tonnes of whale meat to Japan (The Guardian) http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jun/05/iceland-sends-shipment-of-1700-tonnes-of-whale-meat-to-japan. Desperate whalers go north (Greenpeace) http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/makingwaves/whale-meat-iceland/blog/53241/ The Winter Bay (Vessel Fider - shows where the ship carrying the whale meat is and which country is registering it) https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/WINTER-BAY-IMO-8601680-MMSI-341433000 Japan to resume whaling hunt despite IWC warning (AFP) https://uk.news.yahoo.com/japan-resume-whaling-hunt-despite-iwc-warning-105354478.html#ohHmAJ1

Avaaz.org is a 41-million-person global campaign network that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people shape global decision-making. ("Avaaz" means "voice" or "song" in many languages.) Avaaz members live in every nation of the world; our team is spread across 18 countries on 6 continents and operates in 17 languages. Learn about some of Avaaz's biggest campaigns here, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Time to Stop Protecting Insurance Company Profits instead of Patient Safety

From that noted lefty rag, Forbes:

On Tort Reform, It's Time to Declare Victory and Withdraw: http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevecohen/2015/03/02/on-tort-reform-its-time-to-declare-victory-and-withdraw/

 

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Dutch Court finds Carbon Cuts Required

http://gu.com/p/4a49a/sbl

Happy Solstice! (Act fast to get your own solar system installed quick, federal support likely to disappear)

12 noon on Summer Solstice 2015 at LOVESalem HQ: 54 Month's output of 4.4 kW system (351 kWh/mo)

Time to "Dark Station" their police, fire and sanitary services

Want your property taxes computed on an absurd, made up "dark store" value for your property?  Fine, the residents shopping in your stores and carrying your taxes are going to start providing public services on a "dark station" model, cutting services to any retailer by the same fraction as their property tax benefit of their "dark store" assessment. 

Let's see, intermittent electrical and water service, police and fire protection only during weekday daytime business hours ... How's that for starts?


For Cities, Big-Box Stores Are Becoming Even More of a Terrible Deal | Planetizen: The Urban Planning, Design, and Development Network
http://www.planetizen.com/node/78730
----
Shared via my feedly reader

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

ALARM: Corporate thug running amok, claiming right of privacy and mental anguish

The coal company Murray Energy suing PUBLIC CITIZEN invokes Citizens United to claim a right meant for people.

There's been a bizarre twist in Big Coal's lawsuit against Public Citizen.

Last month, I alerted you that Public Citizen has been sued by a major coal company, Murray Energy, after we called out its attempts to block new rules intended to help protect workers and prevent air pollution.

Murray Energy is now claiming that Citizens United — the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that has allowed unlimited election spending by billionaires and Big Business to corrupt our democracy — may also give corporations privacy rights previously belonging only to people.

In response to our motion to dismiss the lawsuit, Murray Energy is arguing that radio ads we ran about it challenging new worker safety and clean air protections "invaded its privacy" and caused it "mental anguish and emotional distress."

Remember, Murray Energy is a corporation.

And Murray Energy sued us, not the other way around.

But in this post-Citizens United, "corporations are people" world, companies claim to have human privacy that can be invaded and human feelings that can be hurt.

A hearing in the case is scheduled for December 9.

I wish we didn't have to devote time and money to fighting a lawsuit that is the desperate act of a member of an industry engaged in a losing battle against the tide of history.

But we do.

Can you chip in right now so that we don't have to eat into funding for real work while we defend ourselves from this attack? Go to https://secure.citizen.org/p/salsa/donation/common/public/?donate_page_KEY=8201&track=w15idMrry1122a.

As if invoking Citizens United to claim a right intended for living, breathing human beings isn't radical enough, Murray Energy goes even further, suggesting that it is willing to make this lawsuit about the truth of climate science itself.

It could be the Scopes Monkey Trial all over again.

To recap, here's what we're up against:

A corporation with very deep pockets — claiming that Citizens United entitles it to rights meant for people and seemingly eager to put science on trial — is suing us.

I hope you'll make a contribution to help us fight back and keep standing up to corporate power.

Thank you for whatever you can chip in today.

Onward,

Robert Weissman
President, Public Citizen

© 2014 Public Citizen • 1600 20th Street, NW / Washington, D.C. 20009


"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Coal is cheap like giving yourself lung cancer with discount cigarettes is cheap

 

http://www.governing.com/gov-institute/voices/col-myth-coal-cheap-health-societal-costs.html

Promoting bottled water screws up an otherwise reasonable message

City of Salem hits a foul ball here -- they connect solidly with the message not to give panhandlers cash, but then they send the message out of bounds by promoting bottled water.

Hate Gridlocked Legislatures? | Sightline Daily

http://daily.sightline.org/2015/06/18/hate-gridlocked-legislatures/

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Why "growth" only produces the Illusion of Wealth

From: Charles Marohn <marohn@strongtowns.org>
Date: June 17, 2015 at 03:
Subject: Sneak Peak of Illusion of Wealth

First, here's our latest Curbside Chat video from Gracen Johnson: Illusion of Wealth. You're getting it a few hours ahead of everyone else. We think you'll like it.

-Chuck

Charles Marohn
http://www.strongtowns.us/

Invest $5 to save much more on your biggest energy use: your house

Here at LOVESalemHQ, we have enjoyed almost $20,000 of tax and rebate incentives for our solar hot water system and our 4.4 kW solar electric system, helped support good jobs in Oregon, and significantly reduced the amount of carbon emitted to make this place comfortable. The Energy Trust of Oregon -- which we all pay for through a surcharge on all our power bills -- did all the hard parts for us, cheerfully and efficiently. 

And this year, ETO just helped us tap another $500 state tax credit by upgrading our furnace to a super-high efficient model. We gained a great new closet too (by moving the furnace into the attic, making the house much quieter). 

In this era of low interest rates on anything but highly risky investments, investing in your own home's energy conservation is a triple winner: you get an ultra-safe investment that adds to the value of your home, lowers your monthly cash outflow month after month, improves your home comfort, and ends up paying for itself and then making money for you after that. Even if you ignore the environmental benefits, it's foolish not to take part.  


Amateur Naturalist: Making Your Home More Energy Efficient
Thursday, June 18th         7pm - 8:30pm
$5/person      

RSVP: nichole@straubenvironmentalcenter.org
Straub Environmental Center, 1320 A St.

Increase your energy IQ through an interactive presentation by Energy Trust staff members with practical and hands-on activities for how to improve home energy efficiency and take advantage of renewable energy generation.

Lizzie Rubado, Energy Trust’s senior solar project manager, will highlight the dramatic changes in the solar market in recent years, and the range of renewable energy resources in Oregon. She will lead the class through an interactive exercise for determining the solar potential of a home. Lizzie is best known for her role helping to launch solarize efforts across Oregon that enabled communities to harness their collective purchasing power to acquire solar at a reduced rate and through a streamlined process.

Marshall Johnson, Energy Trust’s senior residential program manager, will describe the energy mix in Oregon and the opportunities to save energy now and over time in your home. He will share information on emerging technologies such as NEST and LEDs. An interactive exercise to identify energy saving opportunities in the home and determine what steps can be taken to save, will propel attendees to action. Marshall has been leading and designing programs to help homeowners save energy for seven years and draws from his past experience as a local contractor in sustainable remodeling.

This engaging presentation will allow attendees to understand the growing choices that exist related to energy generation and use, and how Oregon and Salem are leaders in this area. If you are interested in learning how you can be part of Oregon’s clean energy future, or inspire others to do the same, please join Lizzie and Marshall on June 18th from 7 pm to 8:30 pm.

For more information on Energy Trust cash incentives and services for customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural and Cascade Natural Gas visit www.energytrust.org.

Copyright © 2015 Straub Environmental Center, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
Straub Environmental Center, PO Box 12363, Salem, OR 97309

Portland man's beautiful video farewell to dog goes viral

Portland man's beautiful video farewell to dog goes viral | OregonLive.com
http://www.oregonlive.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2015/06/portland_mans_beautiful_video.html#incart_most-read_opinion_article
----
Shared via my feedly reader

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Make Rep. Kurt Schrader explain why he supports this Anti-American abomination

Update: TPP's assault on the Constitution

Ben Beachy, Counterpunch - Alan Morrison, a constitutional law professor and associate dean at George Washington University Law School who has practiced law for 45 years, taught at six law schools including Harvard, and argued 20 Supreme Court cases. 

Morrison warns in a letter to Congress that the TPP's proposed expansion of a controversial parallel legal system for foreign corporations, known as "investor-state dispute settlement", "improperly removes a core judicial function from the federal courts and therefore violates Article III of the Constitution." 

TPP's expansion of ISDS would newly empower thousands of foreign corporations to bypass the entire U.S. legal system and challenge U.S. laws before private international tribunals comprised of three attorneys. 

These three individuals would not be constitutionally appointed and salaried U.S. judges, but private lawyers who are paid by the hour. As Morrison points out, "many of those who serve as arbitrators in one ISDS case represent investors challenging governments in another." The three ISDS lawyers, though acting like a court, would not be bound by a system of legal precedent. They would be authorized to rule against U.S. laws and order U.S. taxpayer compensation in decisions that could not be appealed on the merits or reviewed in U.S. courts. 

The U.S. Constitution states in Article III that U.S. courts, presided over by salaried U.S. judges, have judicial authority over challenges to U.S. laws. Instead, the TPP would empower an ad-hoc group of three bill-by-the-hour private lawyers operating outside of the U.S. legal system to issue binding decisions on corporate challenges to U.S. laws. 

Morrison concludes, "The Administration owes it to Congress and the American people to explain how the Constitution allows the United States to agree to submit the validity of its federal, state, and local laws to three private arbitrators, with no possibility of review by any U.S. court." 

The TPP's expansion of this constitutional aberration would threaten the policies that we rely on for a clean environment, stable economy and healthy communities. Since ISDS tribunals, unlike U.S. judges, are not bound by legal precedent or substantive appeal, they are free to concoct broad governmental obligations to foreign investors and then rule against environmental, financial and health policies. 

What kinds of U.S. laws and regulations would be vulnerable to corporate challenge under this unprecedented expansion of U.S. ISDS liability? Morrison spells out some examples: 

* E-cigarette regulations: "If Congress decided to regulate [e-cigarettes] after enactment of the TPP, a non-U.S. investor from a TPP country that makes e-cigarettes here could ask an ISDS panel to rule that its investment-based expectations were improperly violated and thus that it is entitled to damages under the minimum standard of treatment provisions." 

* Water rationing for drought-stricken California: "A similar challenge could be made by a TPP investor who owned farm land in California and objected to an intensification of mandatory water rationing for farms enacted after the TPP goes into effect, even if such rules also applied to U.S. owners of land that would be adversely affected by them." 

* A $15 minimum wage: "Or the non-U.S. TPP-owner of restaurants in Los Angeles could demand arbitration over a post TPP-enactment of an increase in the minimum wage to $15 an hour, which, he claims, violates his investment-based expectations when he decided to purchase the restaurants." 

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

T.R. Reid coming to Salem

Author, lecturer, documentary film maker T. R. Reid visits Oregon to discuss health care reform
T. R. Reid has become one of the nation's best-known reporters through his books and articles, documentary films, reporting for the Washington Post, and commentaries on NPR's Morning Edition. 

His 2009 book "The Healing of America" became a national best-seller. PBS Frontline made two documentaries, "Sick Around the World" and "India--A Second Opinion" following Reid as he did the reporting for that book. His latest PBS film is "U.S. Health Care: The Good News," broadcast by PBS affiliates around the country.

Reid is Chair of the Colorado Foundation for Universal Health Care, the state-wide citizens' campaign working to provide health care for every Coloradan. For more information, please visit his website: www.trreid.net. This Oregon visit is sponsored by the Oregon chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program.

Here are events open to the public:

·         July 25th, Saturday 12:00 pm in Salem: "Obamacare: Is it the answer?" Presentation by Mr. Reid to the Salem City Club followed by discussion. Creekside Room, Building D, Salem Hospital Campus, 890 Oak Street SE, Salem. Details will be available at http://salemcityclub.com/page-953771 


"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

The Conservative Case Against Capital Punishment

http://www.governing.com/gov-institute/voices/col-conservative-case-against-capital-punishment.html


"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Dept. of No Duh -- Carbon emissions from aircraft endanger human health, says US

Carbon emissions from aircraft endanger human health, says US EPA | Environment | The Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jun/10/carbon-emissions-aircraft-endanger-human-health-us-epa
----
Shared via my feedly reader

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Another reason Oregon should update our voting systems

http://daily.sightline.org/2015/06/09/hate-negative-campaigns/


"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Help make it happen for 'The Northwest Hub - Bicycle Nonprofit Co-operative' on Indiegogo

DEPT OF GREAT STUFF IN SALEM:

I'm writing to let you know about 'The Northwest Hub - Bicycle Nonprofit Co-operative'.

Take a moment to check it out on Indiegogo and also share it with your friends. All the tools are there. Get perks, make a contribution, or simply follow updates. If enough of us get behind it, we can make 'The Northwest Hub - Bicycle Nonprofit Co-operative' happen!

http://igg.me/p/the-northwest-hub-bicycle-nonprofit-co-operative/emal/2666225

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Why I Defaulted on My Student Loans - NYTimes.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/07/opinion/sunday/why-i-defaulted-on-my-student-loans.html?emc=edit_tnt_20150606&nlid=5930843&tntemail0=y&_r=1


"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Elon Musk Builds Alternative “Un-School” Without Grades For His Children | True Activist

http://www.trueactivist.com/elon-musk-builds-alternative-un-school-without-grades-for-his-children/

The test crazed public schools are becoming child abuse factories and it all starts with the idea that children are goods to be graded on the ability to turn tricks desired by the trainer rather than people to be educated into their full birthright potentials.

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

'The Sky Remains Aloft': Dire $15 Minimum Wage Predictions Proved Wrong

http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/06/04/sky-remains-aloft-dire-minimum-wage-predictions-proved-wrong


"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Act now to SUPPORT National Popular Vote for our only National Election

A key bill to fix the Electoral College in Oregon could be on the legislative docket any day now. Will you click here to urge your lawmakers to support it?

---------------

The Electoral College needs fixing because presidential candidates regularly ignore Oregon under the current system of electing the President. 

Please take a moment to e-mail your Oregon state legislators to tell them to support the National Popular Vote bill (SB 680 and HB 3475).  Your action NOW can make a difference because the bill is expected to come up shortly in the Oregon legislature.

Presidential campaigns routinely ignore Oregon because electoral votes are awarded to the candidate who gets the most popular votes within each separate state.

The result of this so-called "winner-take-all rule" is that candidates virtually ignore states, like Oregon, where the statewide outcome is a foregone conclusion. 

Because of the current "winner-take-all" rule, a mere 12 states received all 253 general-election campaign events in the 2012 campaign.  The closely divided "battleground" state of Iowa (which is smaller than Oregon) received 27 events, while Oregon received none. Nevada (smaller than Oregon) received 13 events, while Oregon received none.
 
The winner-take-all rule adversely affects governance as well as campaigning. Sitting Presidents (whether planning their own re-election or the election of their preferred successor) pay inordinate attention to closely divided "battleground" states. "Battleground" states receive over 7% more grants (and over 5% more grant dollars) than other states.

A closely divided "battleground" state can expect to receive twice as many presidential disaster declarations as an uncompetitive state. Even worse, many major policy decisions are made with the special interests of so-called "battleground" states in mind.

Under the National Popular Vote bill, the Electoral College would be reformed so that the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and DC will become President. 

If you believe that a vote cast in Oregon should count as much as a vote cast anywhere else, please take a moment to e-mail your Oregon state legislators to tell them to support the National Popular Vote bill (SB 680 and HB 3475). 

Under a national popular vote, every voter in every state would matter in every presidential election. A vote in Oregon (Republican, Democrat, or independent) would be just as valuable as a vote in a closely divided state such as Iowa, Nevada, Ohio, Florida, or Colorado. 

The U.S. Constitution (Article II, Section 1) gives the states exclusive control over awarding their electoral votes: "Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors…."  Using the constitutional power that the states already have, the states can reform the method of awarding their electoral votes so as to establish a national popular vote for President (while retaining the Electoral College and state control of elections).  

The National Popular Vote bill has already been enacted into law by 11 states, including four small states (Hawaii, Vermont, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia), three medium-sized states (Washington state, Maryland, and Massachusetts), and three big states (Illinois, California, and New Jersey).  The bill has passed a total of 33 state legislative chambers in 22 states.

The Oregon House has twice passed the bill by 38-21 and 39-19 margins. This year, the bill is already sponsored by 16 Oregon Senators (out of 30). 

The National Popular Vote bill would not take effect until enacted by states possessing a majority of the electoral votes—that is, enough to elect a President (270 of 538). After the bill takes effect, the President would be the candidate who received the most popular votes from all 50 states (and DC) on Election Day. Then, when the Electoral College meets in mid-December, the national popular vote winner would receive all of the electoral votes from the enacting states.

The current system has elected a second-place candidate in 4 of the nation's 57 presidential elections. The National Popular Vote bill would eliminate this possibility by guaranteeing that the candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states (and DC) would become President.  

If you believe that a vote cast in Oregon should count as much as a vote cast anywhere else, please take a moment to e-mail your Oregon state legislators to tell them to support the National Popular Vote bill (SB 680 and HB 3475). 

Learn more at www.NationalPopularVote.com. 

Click here to like National Popular Vote.

Thank you. 

—Demand Progress and Oregon National Popular Vote

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Fixed that for you

One of the many pseudo-green groups being funded to push agrofuels asked me to write to Salem's legislators about the so-called "Clean Fuels" bill, which is actually nothing but a scam, so I modified their letter and submitted it:

> I'm appalled at Oregon for falling for the idea that it is taking a stand to clean up air pollution with the Clean Fuels Program. Our children's health and our community well-being demands we transition off of polluting fuels.
>
> That is why it's imperative that we take meaningful action to slash fossil fuels, and not waste time on nonsense like biofuels, which is nothing but subsidy grubbing by people like SeQuential Biodiesel, who are trying to play the game by trying to grab even more subsidy dollars by claiming they will expand operations now that the Clean Fuels Program will be implemented.
>
> Don't pull the rug out from Oregon by settling for phony programs that keep us tied to the liquid fuels, private auto model, which only helps Big Oil get the last drops of profit from dirty fuels.
>
> The Clean Fuels Program must be abolished in favor of real action on climate, a carbon tax and rebate program
>
> Keeping Oregon addicted to oil by pouring more dollars down the agrofuels rathole only hurts our state. Please help our state. Stop playing politics and kill the Clean Fuels program, and get serious about climate policies that actually work, like B.C.'s carbon taxes.
>
> Yours sincerely,



"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Jon Stewart Slams The Chickenhawks On Foreign Policy: 'Learning Curves Are For P*ssies' | Crooks and Liars [feedly]

Astounding that there is more real insight in what is nominally a humor show than in all of DC.

----
Jon Stewart Slams The Chickenhawks On Foreign Policy: 'Learning Curves Are For P*ssies' | Crooks and Liars
http://crooksandliars.com/2015/06/jon-stewart-slams-chickenhawks-foreign
----
Shared via my feedly reader

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

Why doesn't Salem have a goal to house all homeless vets like Portland?

Senator Courtney,

Rep. Clem:

Portland is aiming to house all their homeless vets by Veterans Day. 

Why not Salem?

Salem should and easily could do the same. We could work with the state, community housing, and ODVA to take over the North State Hospital campus and provide immediate housing for scores and scores of vets and families, and build it into a full service center to help homeless veterans get reconnected and reoriented.

When I moved to Salem I contacted Veterans for Peace and asked them to give me a list of all the local members so I could see about forming a chapter. When I got the list, the vast majority all had the same address, which I thought strange . . . . until Google showed me that it was the state prison. A disproportionate number of vets cycle between homelessness and incarceration.  We have a great facility available to us for helping break that cycle.

http://www.opb.org/news/article/portland-seeks-more-landlords-who-will-rent-to-veterans-with-vouchers/ 

"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."

WELCOME TO ARROWHEADBORNBETTERCOM*: Not affiliated with Arrowhead or Nestle -it's a parody!

http://www.arrowheadbornbetter.com/


"Let's live on the planet as if we intend to stay."