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GA Dem Jim Martin launches runoff campaign for US Senate against Saxby Chambliss

Written by: publius on Nov 5, 2008 5:43 PM EST

Linked to groups: Macon - Bibb County DFA, Georgians for Clean Renewable Energy DFA, DFA Atlanta Alumni Crew

Dear Publius,

We now know that there will be a runoff on December 2nd between Saxby Chambliss and me. With your continued support, I am confident that we will prevail.

America has elected Barack Obama President, and now is the time for all of us to help him succeed. In the Senate, I'll do what's best for Georgia, what's best for our country, and what's best for the middle class folks who've been ignored the past eight years.

I think that starts with helping Barack Obama succeed, not undercutting him for partisan advantage or to protect special interests. And that's the difference in this runoff election. I will do everything I can to help Barack Obama change Washington and get our economy moving again. Saxby Chambliss will do just the opposite.

This runoff will be over in the blink of an eye. We can return this Senate seat to someone who will follow in the traditions of Russell, Nunn, and Cleland, rather than someone who, for the past six years, has been a rubber stamp for George Bush and Dick Cheney. But we will only be able to do so with the support of friends like you.

Please click here to make a contribution to our runoff campaign today.

Your contribution of $500, $250, $100, $50, or whatever you can give, will make a real difference.

Last night, America spoke. And last night, Georgia spoke as well - a majority voted against sending Saxby Chambliss back to Washington. In 27 days, we can make that a reality. Together, we can make a real difference. Yes we can.

Sincerely,

Jim

P.S. Speed is critical - we are hiring additional organizers and launching our field campaign as we speak. Please click here to make your contribution today!

Discuss

VP Al Gore lays out plan for unified, RE powered, smart grid for all to plug into

Written by: publius on Oct 29, 2008 10:19 PM EDT

Linked to groups: Macon - Bibb County DFA, Georgians for Clean Renewable Energy DFA, DFA Atlanta Alumni Crew

http://www.wecansolveit.org/

In a 20 minute web cast this evening, Al Gore cited the oft quoted solar electric postulate that existing solar electric photo voltaic and concentrating thermal technologies could power the entire US with 100 sq miles of collectors in the desert southwest.

Citing efficiency and waste reduction as the highest priority, Mr. Gore then indicated renewable (RE) energy could meet demand.

He indicated this southwestern solar resource and the wind resources of the mountain regions and Dakotas would be enough -

IF:

Automobile fleet was converted to electric to serve as a giant distributed battery connected (when parked) to -
a nationwide, unified smart grid buried underground to move western RE generation (and any other RE generation) throughout the nation.

Said unified smart grid could be implemented for $ 400 billion. Indicated that business losses from unreliable power on existing grids add up to $120 billion per year. Therefore, reliability improvements from unified smart grid pay off the 400 b in less than 4 years.

State rate payers ought to consider these compelling options before being on the hook for "bailing out" those planned utility company nuclear and coal plants which are headed toward the "ash can of history."

Discuss

Its Going to Pass - Time to Move from Recklessness to Responsibility

Written by: publius on Sep 29, 2008 10:30 AM EDT

Linked to groups: Georgians for Clean Renewable Energy DFA, DFA Atlanta Alumni Crew, Macon - Bibb County DFA

Obviously, Congressional leadership and much of the rank and file have been convinced that there is a real collapse and panic in waiting. One might say that the biggest faith based program of all time has been an investment policy that moved individuals and institutions to hand over their money and financial security for Wall Street to dump into its nebulous global finance creations.

Now that the miracle work promised by the laying on of hands by the full faith and credit of The United States of America is about to commence, let there by light on a new investment policy in America. Keep capital at home for reality based enterprise that puts Americans to work on rebuilding decaying infrastructure and building the foundations of a sustainable economy. Time to plant the seed corn that Wall Street and its global capitalists have been glutinously feasting on with the blessings provided by the disastrous Reagan Bush tax policies.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/29/AR2008092900623.html?hpid=topnews

"If we do this and it works right, it's most likely that people will never appreciate how close we came to the brink. So there's not much political upside to this," said Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), the lead negotiator for Senate Republicans. But lawmakers are ready to support the bill, Gregg said, because they know "we are facing a crisis of proportions that are almost incomprehensible."

Meanwhile, Democrats meeting nearby in the basement of the Capitol also heard a rallying cry from their leaders, who won support from some surprising corners. Rep. Jim Marshall (D-Ga.), who represents a conservative-leaning district and is a frequent GOP target, told his colleagues that passing the legislation is more important than winning reelection.

"I am willing to give up my seat over this," Marshall said, according to one attendee.

Congressman Marshall, with your voting record, I was not aware that any such issue could exist.

Given the nation's reckless tax, budgetary, energy, trade, and imperial military policies that have made the daily functioning of government and business dependent on foreign creditors, it isn't really a stretch to concede that Paulson and Bernanke were not crying wolf even as they were asking for the blank check.

It should be acknowledged that this bill isn't a blank check. There are several layers of oversight in the legislation. Paulson has been reported as planning to spend about $ 50 billion per month in this rescue. That could add up to $ 200 billion by January 20. This bill and the financial malpractice that birthed it have made a change of the party in power at White House even more imperative. November 4, 2008 looms.

Discuss

Congress, Hold on to that $ 700 Billion for a while!

Written by: publius on Sep 21, 2008 10:17 PM EDT

Linked to groups: Georgians for Clean Renewable Energy DFA, DFA Atlanta Alumni Crew, Macon - Bibb County DFA

1. Capital can be put to much better use than whatever it is Wall Street does with it:

"Finance set the terms of corporate behavior over the past quarter-century,
and not in ways that bolstered the economy.
By its actions-- elevating shareholder value over the interests of other
corporate stakeholders, focusing on short-term investments rather than patient capital,
pressuring corporations to offshore jobs and cut wages and benefits -- Wall Street plainly preferred to fund production abroad and consumption at home." *

2. This is a rerun of the Reagan tax cut/national debt binge in the 80's:
Postmortem of October 1987

"What might have been is lost forever. The jobs that never opened up, the goods that were never made and enjoyed, the services that were never performed - these were forestalled or aborted by the speculating.
Their ultimate loss or nullity is what Wall Street cost the nation, and the world. . . .
. . .the "supply side" tax cuts of 1981-82 were mistakenly supposed to stimulate savings and investment. . .These confused policies gave a trillion dollars of American money to people who couldn't use it; these people entrusted it to Wall Street; and Wall Street flushed it down the drain." **

(Note: Point No. 8 worth a look at)

Discuss

Lunch with Howard Dean in Georgia Today

Written by: publius on Jul 26, 2008 5:55 PM EDT

Linked to groups: Macon - Bibb County DFA, Georgians for Clean Renewable Energy DFA, DFA Atlanta Alumni Crew

It was my good fortune to have lunch today with DFA founder Howard Dean. Chairman Dean was in town during Democratic Party Georgia (DPG) Committee meeting. The DPG was meeting to elect its members of the Democratic National Committee.

Barack Obama's successful foreign affairs trip was discussed around the lunch table. Chmn Dean expressed how significant it was that this candidate for the American Presidency could move thousands of Europeans to wave American flags. Obviously, neither G W Bush nor John McCain could inspire such a display.

Howard Dean appeared very fit and is very energetic in his mission. He admitted that he copied some well worn Republican National Committee tactics, such as purchasing and mining consumer data for targeting likely supporters. He said that he had not expected the DNC to have a decisive impact on federal elections before 2012 but credited the mostly twenty-something DNC staffers for sleeping at their desks and swinging some seats (House and Senate) to the Democrats in 2006.

It is significant that DPG and the DNC are together in Central Georgia for an official event. Chmn Dean recognized that the south and the Democratic party have changed a lot in the past 40 years. He recognized that the national party had "not been showing up here for 30 years."

As a native Georgian, I know that estrangement suited past state and local party officials just fine. But the DPG is at the bottom now, I hope that Dean's visit is a sign that current state leadership recognizes that America's national challenges are also our southern region's challenges as well. And, that unity with the DNC and productive influence upon DC Democrats represent the best route for rebuilding the state party and serving Georgia's citizenry.

Chmn Dean recognized there are some areas of disagreement between traditional Democratic platform positions and some traditional southern voters but that -

Treating People Fairly, Respecting Hard Work, and Believing Americans Can Best Make Decisions About Their Own Personal Lives Without Government Interference -

are values that the Democratic Party and the southern populace share.

Discuss

Georgia Primary Senate and House Endorsements

Written by: publius on Jul 13, 2008 7:15 PM EDT

Linked to groups: Macon - Bibb County DFA, Georgians for Clean Renewable Energy DFA, DFA Atlanta Alumni Crew

Hometown newspaper declined this offering so I share it with DFA.

Anyone so inclined can sample the local editors' preferences at:

http://www.macon.com/letters/

July 9, 2008

Letters
The Telegraph

The Editors,

The Telegraph came close on its Senate race endorsement but missed the opportunity support Rand Knight as the best choice. The editorial briefly mentioned Knight's
"idea that we can develop fuel for our vehicles from algae."

The October 2007 edition of National Geographic presented a great survey of biofuels development -

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/10/biofuels/biofuels-text

Discuss

Oil Crisis: Oil Industry's method of raising prices and cutting their own taxes

Written by: James Dunn on Jul 8, 2008 11:15 AM EDT

Regarding opening environmentally protected areas for mining and pumping oil:

There is over 200 years of oil in the 48 contiguous States that are capped up by oil companies to monopolize world energy. There is no need to violate our environmentally protected areas, just to allow oil companies to further monopolize their strangle hold over our lives.

They are creating a media frenzy just to increase the price of oil; very successfully I might add. However, there is no immediate threat for an oil shortage !!! The oil companies have ONLY created the perception that there is a shortage !!!!

I personally believe that ALL mineral rights belong to the American People, NOT souless corporations!!!

I applaud Venezuela for nationalizing the oil assets in their country!!!!

We should be doing the same thing here in the United States !!!!

Ethically Eliminate ALL Political Corruption

http://blog.360.yahoo.com/jamesbdunn?p=57

Discuss

If its Pay as You Go for the small assets then it ought to be Pay as You Go for the big liabilities

Written by: publius on Jun 25, 2008 11:35 PM EDT

Linked to groups: Georgians for Clean Renewable Energy DFA, DFA Atlanta Alumni Crew, Macon - Bibb County DFA

The credits ought to be paid for with taxes on fossil fuels.

But then, so should the military expenditures dedicated to keeping troops in the vicinity of the Persian Gulf be charged directly to us at the motor fuel pumps.

If the Blue Dog Dems in the House of Reps insist on pay as you go for $ 6 billion in RE tax credits, but continue to acquiesce to the Republicans in funding Iraq at $ 200 billion every few months on credit, then they are are not wisely and responsibly exercising their legislative power. There are small deficits and there are HUMONGOUS DEFICITS.

Ronald

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/25/AR2008062502886.html?hpid=topnews

A Republican senator from Nevada, home to the highest foreclosure rate in the nation, yesterday blocked an ambitious plan to help troubled borrowers save their homes, saying he will not permit the measure to go forward unless the Senate adds tax breaks to encourage the production of renewable energy.

. . .
Ensign said he would not back down from his demand to tack on more than $6 billion in tax breaks for producers of renewable energy, such as solar and wind power. The measure is popular with both parties -- Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) is a co-sponsor. But Senate Democrats oppose adding it to the housing bill because it is not accompanied by tax increases to make up for the lost revenue. Such an addition would ruin efforts to forge a compromise on the housing bill with the House, where 218 Democrats, a majority of the chamber, have signed a pledge to reject measures that increase the deficit.

. . .

But Ensign said the nation also has an energy crisis, and he questioned whether Democrats would kill the housing bill because it contains renewable-energy provisions -- "something they say they believe in.

Discuss

Notes on Green Power Electricity - SE BIOENERGY Conf 7/31/07

Written by: publius on Aug 28, 2007 11:15 AM EDT

Linked to groups: Georgians for Clean Renewable Energy DFA

NOTES from Southeast BIOENERGY Conference 2007
July 31, 2007 - University of GA - Tifton Campus Conference Center -
Tifton, GA - Shortcut to: http://www.sebioenergy.com/

Session: Green Power Renewable Electricity
--------------------------------------------------------
Highlight Preview:
Georgia Power Company green power portfolio targets:
(per GA PSC joint stipulation of 2004)

2 % of green power must be from solar by 2009
or
10 % of green power from solar/wind by 2009
15 % of green power from solar/wind by 2010

[Side post note - may have a note taking typo here with
two different 2009 targets, but regardless, this is a big deal
here if the stipulation has teeth. Subsequent GSEA conference call
checking out the green power program stats via PSC web site
(docket 16573) indicated that GPC would have to increase its
solar purchases by a factor of 4 to meet 2 % solar portfolio target
and therefore would have increase solar / wind generation by a factor of
20 to meet 10 % solar wind portfolio target.]
------------------------------------------------------------

Discuss

Peak Oil production - Has it happened already?

Written by: Don McDaniel on Oct 12, 2006 9:15 AM EDT

Linked to groups: Georgians for Clean Renewable Energy DFA

Peak Oil production - Has it happened already?

Peak Oil, or Hubbert's Peak as it is sometimes referred to, is the point in time when global production of crude oil reaches in pinnacle and then enters into a permanent decline. While experts cannot say with exact certainty when Peak Oil will arrive, many believe that it may have already been surpassed. However, their are other petroleum experts who subscribe to the belief that Peak Oil hasn't been witnessed yet but will within the near future.

Colin Campbell of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil & Gas (ASPO) has suggested that the global production of conventional oil peaked in the spring of 2004 albeit at a rate of 23-GB/yr, not Hubbert's 13-GB/yr. Another peak oil proponent Kenneth S. Deffeyes predicted in his book Beyond Oil - The View From Hubbert's Peak that global oil production would hit a peak on Thanksgiving Day 2005 (Deffeyes has since revised his claim, and now argues that world oil production peaked on December 16 2005). Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens has stated that worldwide conventional oil production will top out at 84MB/day.

Of the three largest oil fields in the world, two have peaked. Mexico announced that its giant Cantarell Field entered depletion in March, 2006, as did the huge Burgan field in Kuwait in November, 2005. Due to past overproduction, Cantarell is now declining rapidly, at a rate of -13% year over year. In April, 2006, a Saudi Aramco spokesman admitted that its mature fields are now declining at a rate of 8% per year, and its composite decline rate of producing fields is about 2%, thus implying that Ghawar, the largest oil field in the world, may have peaked.

According to the Hirsch report prepared for the U.S. Dept. of Energy, a global decline in oil production will have serious social and economic implications without due preparation. Peak Oil theorists argue that global economic growth relies on cheap energy, and oil contributes significantly to the worldwide energy pool, particularly for transportation. A decline in energy supply might slow or even reverse growth; it must be noted that the world economy has continued to grow despite multi-year drops in total energy consumption. Brief oil interruptions in 1973 and 1979 caused sharp declines in world GDP growth rate. These sharp declines show that world growth does much better with steady oil supply than without. GPI has been proposed as an indicator that better tracks depletion of resources.

Initially a peak in oil production would manifest itself as rapidly escalating prices and a worldwide oil shortage. This shortage would differ from shortages of the past because the fundamental cause would be geological, not political. While past shortages stemmed from a temporary insufficiency of supply, crossing Hubbert's Peak means that the production of oil continues to decline, so demand must be reduced to meet supply. If alternatives are not forthcoming, then the many products and services produced with oil become scarcer, leading to lower living standards.

Air travel, using roughly 7% of world oil consumption, would be one of the impacted services.

A US Army Corps report on the military's energy options states.

The Army and the nation's heavy use of oil and natural gas is not well coordinated with either the nation's or the earth's resources and upcoming availability.

Shipping costs
On average, a one percent increase in fuel prices leads to a 0.4% increase in total freight rates. Using this rule of thumb, the recent doubling in oil prices has raised averaged freight rates by almost 40%.

Significant indications of economic volatility have manifested themselves in the largest increase in inflation rates in 15 years (Sept. 2005), due mostly to higher energy costs.

These possible impacts of peaking oil, exacerbated by global competition over scarce remaining oil supplies, have led some analysts to predict dire consequences for conventional oil-dependent economies. According to oil industry analyst Jan Lundberg, "Based on today's intensifying trends, warning signs and an understanding of history, one must be ready to see the fossil-fueled phase come to an end most abruptly. When common practices cannot be maintained and too many people suddenly begin hoarding scant supplies, the desired resource dries up. This causes ramifications that quickly compound whatever triggered the crisis." This scenario is referred to by Lundberg as Petrocollapse. Contrasting views note that most uses of oil, from plastics to transportation fuels, have substitutes, blunting the impact of declining petroleum supplies.

For more information on Peak Oil please visit:
http://www.peakoil.net/
www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/...
www.hubbertpeak.com/...
www.peakoilportal.com/...

Sincerely:
Don McDaniel

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Democracy for America group blog for Georgians for Clean Renewable Energy DFA

GA Dem Jim Martin launches runoff campaign for US Senate against Saxby Chambliss

VP Al Gore lays out plan for unified, RE powered, smart grid for all to plug into

Its Going to Pass - Time to Move from Recklessness to Responsibility

Congress, Hold on to that $ 700 Billion for a while!

Read more

Lunch with Howard Dean in Georgia Today

Read more

Georgia Primary Senate and House Endorsements

Read more

Oil Crisis: Oil Industry's method of raising prices and cutting their own taxes

If its Pay as You Go for the small assets then it ought to be Pay as You Go for the big liabilities

Notes on Green Power Electricity - SE BIOENERGY Conf 7/31/07

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Peak Oil production - Has it happened already?

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