Come on America, since you didn’t want Yang, the most likable candidate and the one I feel would have done the best against Trump in November, the choice is now clear; and Yang Gang if you still want to replace Trump with an honest, fact-based, & forward-thinking person who has proven to be ahead of the curve throughout his life and political career then join us in helping Bernie Sanders make it all the way to the White House. After the last 3+ years of lies and injustice let’s make 2020 a turning point that sees America take the lead in combating climate change while leading the way towards a more just, healthy, and prosperous future.
Make America Think Harder – Yang2020!
I support Andrew Yang for President because he’s a pragmatic and independent minded data-driven thinker with the brain power and temperament to lead the U.S. in solving its most serious and pressing problems. His human-centered approach to capitalism will make life better for Americans of all walks of life now and into the future, and his proposal for a universal basic income, aka the Freedom Dividend, is an old idea whose time has come and should be implemented before, rather than after, there is an economic and social crisis due to the millions of Americans who over the next decade will have their jobs automated away. The Freedom Dividend will help support those affected by this inevitable wave of automation as they seek/create new economic opportunities.
The Freedom Dividend will also help ensure that all Americans have a chance to pursue their passions instead of having to shelve their passions to work at soul-crushing jobs just in order to feed themselves and this can/will lead to increased creativity and entrepreneurship. Moreover unlike disability and some other forms of government welfare the Freedom Dividend would not discourage anyone from working for fear of losing their benefits. Furthermore a thousand dollars a month will not provide meaning or sense of purpose and is definitely not enough money to live on comfortably so people will still seek/create economic opportunities. Instead of having so many people stressed out, on the edge, and using opiates to cope we can collectively decide to give everyone a little bit of breathing room to figure out how they can best contribute to society and improve their lot in life.
The Freedom Dividend should not be seen not as socialist policy but as a libertarian one because it will make people more free to choose. It will not and does not seek to achieve equality of outcome, it merely seeks to improve equality of opportunity. As Yang has said it’s still capitalism it’s just capitalism that doesn’t start at zero. Moreover it will not require any new government bureaucracies as government will not decide which Americans get this money or how they use it. Sure some people will make poor choices but these poor choices can at least be discouraged through the value added taxes which will help pay for the Freedom Dividend, i.e., in addition to targeting luxury goods these value added taxes can also target unhealthy consumption, e.g., cigarettes, alcohol, and sweetened beverages. A policy like this could do wonders to improve health, alleviate stress, keep families together, and enable more children to grow up in environments conducive to their healthy development.
I hope you’ll go on to check out the policy information on his website and some of his videos on YouTube. You will find him to have a solid understanding and an enlightened stance on many issues however it’s just that the universal basic income is the one that gets the most attention because he is the only one looking ahead and seeing the near-future clearly enough to propose one. I hope Yang will gain traction over the next few months provided they keep his mic on and let him speak for more than 3 minutes in future debates and enough people seek to learn more about him and his policies. If not and he is unable to gain traction then I will be supporting Sanders like I did in 2016. RCP Poll Average
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Environmental Protection
The Environmental Protection Agency should not be led by an environmental polluters advocate. It’s Time to Fire Scott Pruitt.
You can also tell Congress to fire Scott Pruitt via this link from Friends of the Earth.
E.P.A. Prepares to Roll Back Rules Requiring Cars to Be Cleaner and More Efficient
P.S. The durians in Penang are dropping over a month earlier than usual. Last week I bought some for the kids and before they devoured it I took this photo.
A Terrible Decision
If making America great again means going against the strong, sincere, and wise recommendations of just about every citizen on planet earth including the nation’s and the world’s top business leaders and seriously damaging U.S. credibility and moral standing in the world in order to take a selfish, immoral, and irresponsible unilateral action which is against the wishes of the majority of the citizens you’re supposed to represent and with no concern of the immediate and long-term effects it will have on others in and outside of the U.S. then Mr. Trump you, Bannon, and Pruitt are off to a good start and I assure you that you’ve made history, just not the kind your grandchildren are going to be proud of.
As for where to go from here, are your senators one of the 22 that recently signed a letter urging Trump to pull the U.S. out of the Paris Climate Agreement? Have you contacted them and expressed your extreme disapproval of their position on climate change and role in this disastrous decision?
Don’t just blame Trump for quitting the Paris deal — blame the Republican Party
The Republicans who urged Trump to pull out of Paris deal are big oil darlings
Tell your Governor to uphold the standards of the Paris Agreement.
Add your name to condemn Trump’s reckless abandonment of the Paris Climate Agreement!
P.S I’m still thinking about what to do with this blog and about what I can do to help mitigate the environmental damage caused by profligate individuals living in America and around the world. I hope to have something figured out and started by the end of the year. In the meantime have fun being alive on a planet that isn’t nearly as beautiful as it once was but is still awesome.
Climate Change
Don’t just blame Trump for quitting the Paris deal — blame the Republican Party
The Republicans who urged Trump to pull out of Paris deal are big oil darlings
Tell your Governor to uphold the standards of the Paris Agreement.
Add your name to condemn Trump’s reckless abandonment of the Paris Climate Agreement!
Individual action: what you can do about climate change
Seven Things to Know About Climate Change
A List of Climate Change Solutions From Drawdown.org
Contact: White House U.S. Senate U.S. House of Representatives
Support: Natural Resources Defense Council EarthJustice 350.org The Climate Reality Project Greenpeace
P.S I’m still thinking about what to do with this blog and about what I can do to help mitigate the environmental damage caused by profligate individuals living in America and around the world. I hope to have something figured out and started by the end of the year. In the meantime have fun being alive on a planet that isn’t nearly as beautiful as it once was but is still awesome.
DJT at NYT
In an interview at the New York Times yesterday President-elect Trump said he was open minded and carefully looking at the issue of climate change. Now more than ever is the time to voice your support for the Paris Climate Agreement and the Clean Power Plan. Please contact the President-elect and urge him to stay in the Paris Climate Agreement, ensure the U.S. keeps it’s Paris commitments, and continues to lead the world in its effort to curb climate change!
The evidence is overwhelming and we have far too much to risk.
Send him a message on Instagram.
Trump’s Presidential Transition Update
In a video updating the world on his presidential transition and explaining some of his policy plans for his first 100 days in office Trump said he will “Cancel job-killing restrictions on the production of American energy”, i.e., he will cancel health and environmental protecting restrictions on the production of dirty, unsustainable, and climate change exacerbating energy.
If Trump continues down this road pushed along by the likes of climate change denier Myron Ebell he will not only hurt America’s chance to lead the world in renewable energy he will also hurt humanity’s chance to avoid the most devastating effects of climate change; and all in exchange for some coal industry profits and a few unhealthy and unsafe jobs for people to blow up mountain tops, crawl into coal mines, burn coal, and dispose of coal ash.
If you like this a video sign this petition from the organization that made it.
Keep fossil fuel industry funded climate change deniers like Myron Ebell away from the EPA
The petition can be found here and if you agree please sign, comment, and help it get noticed. Also please support this petition as well along with any similar ones you may find because it’s important that those of us who care about maintaining and furthering the progress made in addressing climate change over the past 8 years are as vocal as possible because the best shot we have at positively influencing the path the Trump administration takes on climate change, and other issues, over the next four years is NOW.
I stole the following article from the Steve Bannon run Breitbart News, which I just read is now the most widely-read conservative site in America, because I didn’t want to link to it and give them the benefit of a few extra clicks on their advertisement loaded website that keeps automatically reloading and is severely affecting my internet speed. I re-post this article not to make you cringe but to give you some background on the guy we’re trying to get fired and in hopes it will motivate you to support this petition.
U.S. Electoral Reform
Besides the need to reduce the influence of money in politics the way people vote and the way candidates are elected also needs to change if we’re going to allow people to vote for their first choice without having to worry about “wasting” their vote or “spoiling” an election. If you’re interested in ranked choice voting and electing presidents based upon which presidential candidate receives the most votes then learn more and sign up for email updates via the links below.
“New York City, Mr. Trump!”
I went to the beach today in hopes some sun, sand, and salt water would cleanse me of the last 24 hours. I did some snorkeling and saw some beautiful fish as I picked a few pieces of old plastic out of the ocean. Seeing an old and disintegrating plastic bag that has become attached to the sea floor wave back and forth with the currents like an underwater plant makes you realize how easy it is for a hungry fish to nibble away at it thinking it was food and not something that was going to get stuck in its stomach and eventually kill it. The largest fish I saw was only about half the size of my hand probably because like in many other parts of the world people have eaten just about anything worth eating however there were still small fish which came in a variety of shapes and colors.
I wonder if the decedents of these fish will be there when children today are my age or if they will vanish along with most of the world’s coral reefs due to a slight increase in water temperature and acidity as a result of all the carbon released into the atmosphere from all the fossil fuels we’re burning and forests we’re cutting down in order to satisfy our hunger for cheap meat and palm oil? While I was waiting for the boat back I was passed by a morbidly obese man probably in his late twenties. One of the Thai boatmen said “Hey, where you from?” and he replied “New York City.”, then the Thai boatman says “New York City, Mr. Trump!” and the fat guy says “Mr. Trump” as he does a big thumbs up at which time the same nausea and leg weakness I experienced on election night slightly returned as I once again thought about all the environmental consequences of this election. Should have been Bernie however it is what it is, now it’s time to fuel up and fight on!
Links Worth Sharing Before Tuesday
I hope you’ll consider viewing and sharing articles and video clips like those below with friends and family before Tuesday. Rather than seeing it as preaching politics to people that probably don’t want to hear it see it as sharing some information which people can use as food for thought or choose to ignore. I’m confident the more people who step back and think ahead of Tuesday’s election the better chance the U.S. and the rest of the world will have at a better future.
This election summed up by President Obama in under three minutes.
How Donald Trump thinks about foreign policy
The presidential election: America’s best hope
If you’re considering voting 3rd Party please check out this video and if you’re considering voting for Trump please hear out this columnist.
Stark Contrast on Climate Change
The Paris Climate Agreement takes effect today and although the national commitments pledged thus far fall far short of what needs to be done if global warming is to be kept below 2C above pre-industrial levels and if the most environmentally devastating and socially destabilizing effects of climate change are to be avoided it at least provides a framework which gives humanity a chance at reaching this extremely important goal.
I ask any U.S. voters that visit this site and I hope you’ll ask any you know to take this critically important issue into account on Tuesday and note that one candidate has a plan to address it while creating new jobs and the only plan her competitor has is to deny there’s a problem and write it all off as a “hoax”. Trump doesn’t even list the environment as an issue on his campaign site however it does say he will “scrap the EPA’s so-called Clean Power Plan” and has said he will get rid of the EPA in almost every form. Of all the things that make Trump unfit to be president I think his ignorance and lack of concern as it pertains to climate change and other environmental issues is the most disqualifying.
Taking on the threat of climate change and making America the world’s clean energy superpower.
Two Weeks to Election Day
The biosphere and human civilization can not afford 4 years of inaction and reversals of the modest climate change policies that have been enacted over the last 8 years. We need a U.S. president, as well as a U.S. Senate and Congress, that will not only support policies like the Clean Power Plan and treaties like the Paris Climate Agreement we need one who will build upon them because the international community’s current commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions fall far short of what is needed to ensure, or even make it likely, that the earth of the late 21st century will be as biodiverse and inhabitable as the earth of the early 21st century. Obviously climate change isn’t the only important issue in this election but I think it’s the most important as well as the most neglected. If you take a few steps back and take a broader more long-term worldview I’m confident you will agree.
If you’re eligible please don’t leave this election and the health of this planet to chance. Be sure to vote and encourage others to join you in making sure climate change deniers do not get elected president, senator, or congressperson.
Climate Change Ignored
It’s disgraceful that in four debates the candidates for president and vice president were not asked a single question about planet earth’s and human civilization’s most pressing problem, climate change. Shame on all the moderators for missing a great chance to help educate the severely uniformed and misinformed U.S. electorate on this extremely important issue. Moreover shame on much of the U.S. electorate who choose to ignore the warnings and continue to burn fossil fuels in larger than necessary vehicles and eat meat like climate change, deforestation, and environmental degradation in general isn’t an issue while supporting climate change denying politicians or not bothering to vote at all.
Yemen
I had to leave my place a day after getting back due to some painting. It’s only a little on some trim on the balconies however even a slight smell of paint or any other harmful concoction of chemicals, e.g., perfume and laundry detergent, is too much for me so I decided to leave for a couple days. I’m now at my mountain retreat which is a two and a half hour bus ride away where I don’t have internet access thanks to the screen on my phone dying after being dropped about 3 weeks ago. Anyway here’s a good article regarding recent U.S. actions in Yemen and the way the mainstream media has covered it.
Hiding US Role in Yemen Slaughter So Bombing Can Be Sold as ‘Self-Defense’
A Dirty Debate
In case you didn’t see it much of the first half was spent arguing about the sexual assault rhetoric and record of one candidate and that of the spouse of the other along with the history of that candidate during her time as a young lawyer and as a wife defending sexual predators and discrediting their victims. Way to go America! That’s the way you promote democracy to the rest of the world. We could’ve had Bernie Sanders debating important issues with John Kasich or some other decent, sane, and somewhat informed human being but instead we’ve got an uninformed guy with a severely inflated view of himself and another phony politician who tries to be all things to all people.
So why bother voting for either of them? Because regardless of whether or not you participate in this election you and your loved ones will be stuck with its consequences so civic duty aside it’s in your personal self-interest not to mention the interest of human civilization and entire biosphere that you not only vote but also encourage others to vote for the best possible candidate that has a shot at winning the election. That candidate is Hillary Clinton hands down. She is intelligent, articulate, and well informed; moreover I think/hope that at this point in her life she really wants to do the right thing for the country and the world and if elected will be focused on doing just that rather than on accumulating more wealth and more power so I’m with her!
Absentee and Early Voting
I mailed in my absentee ballot today! If you know anyone overseas or eligible for early voting in the States please encourage them to vote now rather than later. Getting an absentee ballot is easy! So is printing it, marking your choices, signing your name, and sending it in the mail. Here’s a link to an online tool that makes it even easier for U.S. citizens abroad to vote.
A Vote For Trump is a Vote Against Life on Earth
Tonight’s the first presidential debate of 2016 and will be the first time a women is one of the two people making their case for your vote and public support leading up to election day. Unfortunately rather than pondering the well-thought and detailed plans of the one candidate that has them I’m afraid many of those who are still undecided, yes such people exist, will just be looking for the worst gaffes and best one-liners. To these people who still haven’t outright rejected the possibility of voting for Trump, those who plan on voting for a third party or not voting at all, and those who actually support Trump, know that a vote for Trump is a vote against life on Earth.
Trump claims climate change is a “hoax” and has promised to undo the modest and long-overdue commitments the U.S. has made to do anything about it, e.g. Clean Power Plan. He doesn’t even mention climate change or environmental issues in general on his campaign website nor does he talk about them on the campaign trail except to say things like he’s “going to get rid of the department of environmental protection in almost every form” and “cancel the Paris climate agreement”. How could a man with such a blatant disregard for the health of the planet that has given us all life get a single vote from anyone even remotely concerned about the stability of the climate and diversity of the biosphere.
Trump’s positions, and lack of positions, on climate change and other environmental issues should be a deal-breaker for anyone who isn’t intent on leaving behind a planet to future generations that’s much less biologically diverse and in much worse shape than the one we’re fortunate enough to inhabit. Please publicly support Hillary for president and remind any Trump supporters what a vote for The Donald could mean, and if he’s elected will mean, for future generations of life on this planet. Climate change is real, humans are largely responsible, and we can’t put off taking decisive action any longer. We need a president who will build upon the environmental and economic achievements made over the past 8 years not one who is running on destroying them.
Taking on the threat of climate change and making America the world’s clean energy superpower.
A Full List of Donald Trump’s Rapidly Changing Policy Positions
Trump’s endorsement of Hillary Clinton
P.S. In the debate Trump denied saying virtually the exact same thing he tweeted and has yet to delete. Unfortunately his supporters don’t seem to see it as lying or untruthful when he denies his past statements. The fact is Trump bends the truth or straight out lies more so than Hillary according to the Truth-O-Meter.
NBC News just called it the great freeze – coldest weather in years. Is our country still spending money on the GLOBAL WARMING HOAX?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 25, 2014
The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 6, 2012
Police Shootings
Dear Police, we all know you have a dangerous job and need to be ready for anything but if you’re so nervous and fearful, particularly around black people, that it affects your decision making ability then you shouldn’t be armed and on the beat. Not all people that fail to follow your commands are out to kill you. Some may be intoxicated, mentally ill, or in a state of panic so please give them the benefit of the doubt and don’t take potentially lethal action until you or others are in danger.
Dear Public, you will greatly reduce your chances of getting shot if you keep your hands visible, avoid sudden movements, and do as instructed. I’ve seen a few tragic videos over the past few years of people getting shot and killed by anxious police and most of them have something in common and that is the victim is resisting arrest or not following commands. While this doesn’t justify a police shooting it does greatly increase the chances of one happening so please remember to follow commands.
Dear Protestors, bringing public attention to what might have otherwise been another overlooked injustice is the right thing to do and will lead towards better policing and safer streets. However any rioting and/or looting is the worst possible thing you can do in the wake of a police shooting so if you really want to prevent future tragedies please keep your protests peaceful, engage in constructive dialogue, and work with law enforcement agencies to help bring violent police and protestors to justice.
3.8 Billion Dollars Annually
How can the U.S., a country so deeply in debt that we’ve been told it can’t afford to provide health care and higher education to all its citizens, afford to give Israel, a country with a per capita GDP of around $35,000 and the most technologically advanced military in the Middle East, 3.8 billion dollars a year in military aid? I understand it costs Israel a lot to defend its illegal settlements but I don’t think U.S. taxpayers should be the ones to pay for it. Moreover as the sole nuclear power in the Middle East Israel is perfectly capable of deterring and defending itself from its neighbors without U.S. taxpayer dollars.
U.S. and Israel reach agreement on unprecedented amount of military aid
Feel free to let your government representatives know if you think this is a good way to spend 3.8 billion in taxpayer dollars over the next 10 years. I think the U.S. and the rest of the world would be much better off if this annual $3,800,000,000 was spent on health and education or perhaps on alternative energy infrastructure.