Archive for February, 2006

State of the Union - Alternative Energy?

Posted in Political on 02/10/2006 09:24 am by admin

C-SPAN maintains a repository of Presidential State of the Union Addresses:

http://www.c-span.org/executive/stateoftheunion.asp

January 31, 2006 - Bush says America is ‘addicted to oil’ and proposes alternative energy plan. Bizarre to hear these words from this person. Is there any way to hold him to these words? Doubt it. Excerpt:

Keeping America competitive requires affordable health care. (Applause.) Our government has a responsibility to provide health care for the poor and the elderly, and we are meeting that responsibility. (Applause.) For all Americans — for all Americans, we must confront the rising cost of care, strengthen the doctor-patient relationship, and help people afford the insurance coverage they need. (Applause.)

We will make wider use of electronic records and other health information technology, to help control costs and reduce dangerous medical errors. We will strengthen health savings accounts — making sure individuals and small business employees can buy insurance with the same advantages that people working for big businesses now get. (Applause.) We will do more to make this coverage portable, so workers can switch jobs without having to worry about losing their health insurance. (Applause.) And because lawsuits are driving many good doctors out of practice — leaving women in nearly 1,500 American counties without a single OB/GYN — I ask the Congress to pass medical liability reform this year. (Applause.)

Keeping America competitive requires affordable energy. And here we have a serious problem: America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world. The best way to break this addiction is through technology. Since 2001, we have spent nearly $10 billion to develop cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable alternative energy sources — and we are on the threshold of incredible advances.

So tonight, I announce the Advanced Energy Initiative — a 22-percent increase in clean-energy research — at the Department of Energy, to push for breakthroughs in two vital areas. To change how we power our homes and offices, we will invest more in zero-emission coal-fired plants, revolutionary solar and wind technologies, and clean, safe nuclear energy. (Applause.) Read the rest of this entry »

 

Socially Responsible Investing

Posted in General Interest, Political on 02/05/2006 12:57 pm by admin

SRI

Socially responsible investing is when you take your beliefs and values and apply them to how you invest your money. This is also known as having a “double bottom line,” because not only are you looking for a profitable investment, but also one that meets certain moral criteria and that lets you sleep well at night. Your second bottom line could be moral, religious, or based on whatever Chicken Soup for the Soul principles help guide you through life.
source: http://www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/socinvest/socinvest.html

My 2 favorites:

Domini Social Investments

As a shareholder in the Domini Funds, you make a difference in the world. Engaging companies on global warming, sweatshop labor, and product safety. Revitalizing distressed communities. Bringing new voices to the table. Redefining corporate America’s bottom line.
source: http://www.domini.com/index.htm

New Alternatives Fund

New Alternatives Fund is a Socially Responsible Mutual Fund Emphasizing Alternative Energy and the Environment. We seek investments in listed companies that have a positive impact on the environment. We are different from funds that make their environmental contribution by only avoiding companies that harm the environment.
source: http://www.newalternativesfund.com/

 

Who Needs College?

Posted in Political on 02/01/2006 01:38 pm by admin
A look at new job creation in America:
August 9, 2005

Good News! Soon You’ll No Longer Need an Expensive College Education to Work in the US

Watching the Economy Crumble

By PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS

The US continues its descent into the Third World, but you would never know it from news reports of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ July payroll jobs release. The media gives a bare bones jobs report that is misleading.

The public heard that 207,000 jobs were created in July. If not a reassuring figure, at least it is not a disturbing one. On the surface things look to be pretty much OK. It is when you look into the composition of these jobs that the concern arises.Of the new jobs, 26,000 (about 13%) are tax-supported government jobs. That leaves 181,000 private sector jobs. Of these private sector jobs, 177,000, or 98%, are in the domestic service sector. Here is the breakdown of the major categories:

• 30,000 food servers and bar tenders;
• 28,000 health care and social assistance:
• 12,000 real estate;
• 6,000 credit intermediation;
• 8,000 transit and ground passenger transportation;
• 50,000 retail trade; and
• 8,000 wholesale trade.

(There were 7,000 construction jobs, most of which were filled by Mexicans immigrants.)

Not a single one of these jobs produces a tradable good or service that can be exported or serve as an import substitute to help reduce the massive and growing US trade deficit. The US economy is employing people to sell things, to move people around, and to serve them fast food and alcoholic beverages. The items may have an American brand name, but they are mainly made off shore. For example, 70% of Wal-Mart’s goods are made in China. Read the rest of this entry »