Where there's a Will, there's a way

A buddy of mine snapped some iphone pics around the Capitol Building after yesterday's downpour. Has anyone else noticed that there's always extreme weather like a tornado or flood near the end of a legislative session? hmmm...

Click to see bigger versions.

And yes, I'm going to be that guy who reminds everyone that scientists tell us more severe, unpredictable storms are a symptom of global climate change. The Midwest in particular will experience heavier Spring flooding, like the downpours that delayed last year's planting season. We can expect floods like this to happen more often in the future.

On the plus side, legislators must have taken the hint because both houses finally passed solar energy incentives that environmental groups have been pushing for. It seemed like the General Assembly had a hostile attitude toward the environment this year, so I'm very excited about this big victory!

Posted by Will at 3:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I'll let everyone know if I get a reply.

Dear Meet the Press,
I haven't had the opportunity to watch Meet the Press since the Big Phuck-up (BP) on the gulf coast, but I remember that, like many news programs, you often ran advertisements by BP portraying it as an environmentally friendly company. I can't help but wonder how the advertising dollars of BP and other fossil fuel companies influence news coverage of energy issues.

I appreciate that news organizations often call for more open government and campaign finance disclosure from politicians. I'd like to see the same ethic extended to news companies. If examining campaign contributions provides an insight into a how a politician votes on certain issues, then isn't it also fair to speculate that the investments and advertising revenue of a news company may influence its coverage of certain issues?

Meet the Press often sets the tone for other news outlets. Will you set the example for other news programs by voluntarily disclosing during your broadcast how much advertising revenue you received in the last several years from BP and other fossil fuel interests?

Thank you for considering this request.

Posted by Will at 6:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I usually stick to alternative media rather than the national corporate-owned press, but I notice an odd double standard in what little coverage I've seen. I'll use the New York Times as an example since they set the tone for everyone else.

Here are few of their headlines and observations about the May 18 primary election results.

Specter Defeat Signals a Wave Against Incumbents
Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, who left the Republican Party a year ago in hopes of salvaging a 30-year career, was rejected on Tuesday by Democratic primary voters, with Representative Joe Sestak winning the party’s nomination on an anti-incumbent wave that is defining the midterm elections.

In Kentucky, Rand Paul, the most visible symbol of the Tea Party movement, easily won the Republican Senate primary and delivered a significant blow to the Republican establishment.

Another: "Rand Paul’s win in the Republican Senate primary here is the first authentic Tea Party victory — a candidate from the movement, powered by it."

One more:

But Senator Blanche Lincoln is discovering that, with the overheated political passions battering incumbents this year, being in the middle only gets you hit from both sides.
...“I think there’s just a general distrust of Washington,” Mr. Morrison explained with a touch of down-home understatement.

Notice the difference? When a more traditional Democrat beats a center-right Democrat in the primary it's described as being part of a generic anti-incumbent mood. Yet, Republican primaries are described as ideological victories for the conservative Tea Party movement.

Virtually ignored is the Kentucky Democratic Senate primary between two non-incumbents. The winner was the more progressive candidate, who expressed more support for Obama and had help from liberal online activists.

A traditional Democrat forced the center-right Blanche Lincoln into a runoff in Arkansas. An actual Democrat defeated a former Republican in Pennsylvania. All three big races Tuesday were victories for more left-leaning candidates who had support from liberals and netroots activists.

Why on earth is that being described as a movement against incumbents? Where are the headlines about the rising progressive surge? This election just proved that progressive activists are still a more relevant political force than the tea party.

The progressive incumbents who support Obama's agenda aren't in trouble. Democratic voters are tired of the U.S. Senate stalling, watering down, and blocking the mandate they gave Obama in the last election. Only the incumbents who are seen as right-leaning roadblocks are facing voter displeasure.

The pundits should be covering that obvious conclusion rather than obscuring it with blanket statements about an anti-incumbent mood.

Posted by Will at 3:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Anyone who lives in central or southern Illinois is used to hearing the coal industry and their subservient politicians boast about the jobs and economic development coal mining brings to the region. One of the dirty little secrets they rarely talk about is that most coal burned in Illinois is imported from out of state.

A new report by the Union of Concerned Scientists shows that 94% of the coal Illinois burned in 2008 wasn't from Illinois mines. Illinois spent $1.49 billion on imported coal in a single year, mostly from Wyoming.

It's no coincidence that the top coal importer, Midwest Generation, also operates several of the state's dirtiest power plants. Why is that?

Wyoming coal is lower in some pollutants than Illinois coal. That leaves plant operators with two options. Option one is to install new pollution control equipment that would allow them to use Illinois coal and reduce the amount of toxins they release into the air. It's one of those times when doing what's best for the environment is also better for our local economy.

Springfield's publicly-owned CWLP is one of the few operators to take this option. They installed equipment on their existing plants, and the new Dallman 4 unit, that allows them to burn Illinois coal while still producing less air pollution than other coal plants in the state. They're supplied by a central Illinois mine.

Apart from that rare exception, most Illinois coal plant operators choose the second option: importing coal from other states. A coalition of organizations are pushing Midwest Generation to reduce pollutants from their aging plants in Chicago. The Illinois Attorney General, EPA and others have taken legal action in repeated efforts to make them clean up their plants.

But, Midwest Generation would rather not spend too much money on new pollution control equipment. They want to invest as little as possible in aging plants until they're shut down. That means importing coal instead of reducing air pollution and creating jobs in Illinois mines.

A different revelation in UCS's report bothered me most. "Dynegy’s Baldwin Energy Complex, in Randolph County, is the most import-dependent power facility in Illinois, having spent $209 million in 2008."

The people of Southern Illinois are told endless fairy tells by politicians promising that one day coal will revive the regional economy. They pretend that the good old days of a coal dependent economy is their only hope for new jobs. And yet, a plant in the middle of a region desperate for jobs is importing massive amounts of coal from Wyoming and companies engaged in mountaintop removal mining.

The EPA and others were forced to sue Dynegy to enforce clean air laws at its Baldwin plant. Nearly half of their recent modifications to reduce emissions were subsidized by taxpayers through a Department of Energy clean coal program, but they're still burning imported coal. More recently, the plant was named on EPA's list of the country's 40 worst producers of coal ash waste. Two other Illinois plants operated by the company were rated as "high hazard" coal ash sites that present a risk to human safety.

So what does this all mean? Coal companies don't care about creating jobs in Southern Illinois. They care about cutting costs and maximizing profits, no matter how much it harms the economy and health of the communities they operate in.

If Illinois is going to develop a new energy economy then we need state leaders to stop peddling false hope on behalf of the coal industry and start creating real clean energy jobs. That's option three outlined in the report.

Investments in energy efficiency and homegrown renewable energy can help stimulate the economy by redirecting funds into local economic development—funds that would otherwise leave the state.

Posted by Will at 1:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBacks (0)

I keep getting these annoying emails about the Illinois River Coordinating Council. But, their next public meeting looks interesting. Here's the official info.

The Illinois River Coordinating Council, the Mississippi River Coordinating Council and the Wabash and Ohio Rivers Coordinating Council will hold their second quarter meetings on Wednesday, May 19, 2010 at 1:30 p.m.
Location: Dept of Natural Resources, Headquarters Building, Lakeview Rooms
One Natural Resources Way
Springfield, IL 62702

Governor Pat Quinn chairs the River Coordinating Councils. Each Council is a diverse group of citizens, grassroots and not-for-profit organizations, state and federal agencies, and river enthusiasts, and coordinates private and public funding for river restoration in the sprawling Illinois River Watershed. The Councils include six citizen members, five state agency representatives, a representative from the Soil and Water Conservation Districts, and ex-officio representatives of federal agencies.

Some of the agenda items may catch your interest.

Comprehensive Plan for the Upper Mississippi River Valley – Gary Meden, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District

Green Infrastructure – Eric Heineman, Office of the Governor

Long Term Recovery Council Flood Recovery Strategy – Dr. Richard Warner, University of Illinois, Office of Sustainability

Implementing the Clean Water Act on Border Rivers, Regional River Organizations – Marcia Willhite, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency

River Edge Development Project – Elmo Dowd, Associate Director, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program – Debbie Bruce, Illinois Dept of Natural Resources

Mud to Parks – John Marlin, Illinois Sustainable Technology Center

On Farm Network – Dr. Tracy Blackmer, Iowa Soybean Association

Posted by Will at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I read that the Oklahoma legislature passed a bill to collect personal information about women who receive an abortion and then post the data on a website. Among other details, the questionnaire would ask any "woman seeking an abortion to provide marital status, reasons for ending the pregnancy, whether she currently is receiving public assistance and whether the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest."

Since the Oklahoma legislature has such low regard for medical privacy, I suggest that they be required to fill out a similar questionnaire when they're treated for "ED." It will help them empathize with what they're requiring from women.

It should include detailed questions about why they're seeking treatment, what sort of problems they're having, and whether or not it exclusively involves their spouse. The data should be posted on a public website, just like the data for abortions.

I suspect it would help us better understand why Oklahoma politicians do some of the things they do.

Posted by Will at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Thankfully, the Illinois State Senate rejected a proposal two days ago that would define burning tires as a form of renewable energy. The bill was rejected by a vote of 17 for, 26 against, and 6 not voting. It's one of the few pro-environment actions the Senate has taken this year.

Unfortunately, they're trying to bring the bill back again for another vote. If you haven't called your State Senator already then now would be a good time.

For a little background, Illinois has a renewable energy standard that requires the state to use an increasing amount of clean energy each year, like wind, solar and geothermal. This bill would add tire burning to the standard, which means the state wouldn't have to produce as much real clean energy. It's designed to help a single facility in Ford Heights (Chicago area) that burns tires for electricity.

The renewable energy standard has been under attack ever since it was created. Last time, the company building the Taylorville coal plant tried to get their project defined as renewable energy under the standard. That attempt was defeated.

Springfield area Senator Larry Bomke voted in favor of the tire burning bill. Maybe he wants Springfield to have its own tire fire just like the Simpsons.

I keep getting facebook requests to become a fan of electing State Senate Democrats. It's very difficult to become a blanket fan of the entire Democratic caucus when they put environmental policy in the hands of lackeys for special interest polluters like Mike Jacobs and James Clayborne. This has been a horrible year for the environment in the Illinois Senate.

On a more positive note, central Illinois band Backyard Tire Fire is getting some national attention. I've seen them in the area a few times and always enjoy their show. Maybe they'll call their Senator and ask him to vote no this time. Here's a video.

Posted by Will at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Since today is Cinco de Mayo I'd like to express how much I appreciate America's long immigrant tradition! I celebrate today's immigrants with brown skin just as much as my Irish, English and German ancestors who didn't have to spend years jumping through bureaucratic hoops to become citizens.

They just waited for Andrew Jackson to clear native tribes off the land before moving in. OK, so considering the ugly side of American history, I'd say that today's immigrants are far less dangerous than some past generations.

And I love this Steve Earle song.

Posted by Will at 2:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I notice that people who complain the most about taxes are usually upset about waste and not liking where the money is spent. If the state is going to raise taxes, which it badly needs to do, then why not give voters a direct voice in how the money is spent?

There could be a one-time increase in the state income tax that would allow people to vote on where the additional money is spent. The state tax form would include a list of budget priorities to choose from like K-12, Higher Education, Economic Development, Natural Resources and so on. The new revenue would be divided up proportionally among state agencies according to which priorities received the most votes.

Sure, it would cause complications when writing the state budget and some areas will get much more or less money than anyone could guess. But the new priorities would reflect the democratic choice of voters. As Pat Quinn says, "Let the will of the people be the law of the land." There's no better way to make that slogan a reality.

The state couldn't do this every year because agencies and interest groups would end up spending too much money on public campaigns to increase their share of the budget. But, it could work as a one-time deficit reduction measure in combination with other revenue increases while the economy is recovering. And voters aught to be given the option of amending the state constitution this year to make the income tax progressive.

I'm putting all of this in the "idle thoughts" file but I suspect people would be less resentful about a tax increase if they got a direct vote in where new money is spent. It would definitely beat the General Assembly going home after doing nothing.

Posted by Will at 1:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Springfield Area American Civil Liberties Union is hosting a free Liberty Brew & View showing of the documentary "Secrecy" followed by a panel discussion with Bruce Rushton. It's Tuesday, May 18, 7:00 at City Nights Theater in Capital City Bar & Grill.

In a single recent year the U.S. classified about five times the number of pages added to the Library of Congress. We live in a world where the production of secret knowledge dwarfs the production of open knowledge. Depending on whom you ask, government secrecy is either the key to victory in our struggle against terrorism, or our Achilles heel. But is so much secrecy a bad thing?

Secrecy saves: counter-terrorist intelligence officers recall with fury how a newspaper article describing National Security Agency abilities directly led to the loss of information that could have avoided the terrorist killing of 241 soldiers in Beirut late in October 1983. Secrecy guards against wanton nuclear proliferation, against the spread of biological and chemical weapons. Secrecy is central to our ability to wage an effective war against terrorism.

Secrecy corrupts. From extraordinary rendition to warrant-less wiretaps and Abu Ghraib, we have learned that, under the veil of classification, even our leaders can give in to dangerous impulses. Secrecy increasingly hides national policy, impedes coordination among agencies, bloats budgets and obscures foreign accords; secrecy throws into the dark our system of justice and derails the balance of power between the executive branch and the rest of government.

This film is about the vast, invisible world of government secrecy. By focusing on classified secrets, the government's ability to put information out of sight if it would harm national security, Secrecy explores the tensions between our safety as a nation, and our ability to function as a democracy.

Posted by Will at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Pete Seeger turns 91 today. How lucky he is to have a birthday so close to both Earth Day and May Day.

There were some great tributes for his 90th last year. But it reminds me more of one of the best things I've ever seen on television. Here's the video of the blacklisted folk singer at Obama's inauguration leading a sing-a-long of This Land is Your Land with the controversial missing verses included.

I hope that fascist J. Edgar Hoover was turning in his grave.

Posted by Will at 8:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)