EPA

The EPA is finally doing what it should have been doing for the last 8 years. Under the Bush II admin the EPA, in December of 2007, made a recommendation to the WH to "state officially that global warming is a threat to human welfare"; the WH "refused to open the document". In July of 2008 the EPA chief-Stephen Johnson-overruled his own "scientific and technical staff's recommendation" that global warming should be addressed under the Clean Air Act. Now with the Obama admin the EPA has sent to the WH a finding that "global warming is endangering the public's health and welfare". Finally the EPA is being allowed to do the job it was created to do. (Info above from the Virginian Pilot on newspaper 3/24/09. The EPA is now holding back Bush admin 150 to 200 applications for mountain-top coal mining to "evaluate the projects' impact on streams and wetlands". (Virginian Pilot on 3/25/09).

The Griffin Doctrine

This post and others under this label will try to develop my thoughts on what this country should consider as an overall policy as we go forward.

I would withdraw all our combat and training military units from countries they are now stationed. The only US military in any country should be those who guard our embassies and ambassadors. We should turn over to the host countries the bases at present occupied. I see no reason to have occupation troops on Japanese or Germany soil 60 years after wars there. We should evacuate the Guantanmo Bay base and Okinawa island. These troops can be returned to the US and stationed around the US. The money those troops spend will be spent in US stories and other establishments. Those troops then will be available to help with border security, dealing with national disasters (like Hurricane Katrina) and provide back-up for local police forces.

Update: 3/25/09 The flooding of the Red River in the Dakotas is a perfect example of why we need the National Guard and army units in this country and not in Okinawa. Another example is the growing drug war along the Mexico border. We need more military presence there and not in Germany or South Korea.

Pakistan and terrorism

A Virginia paper on 3/22/09 reported that the new CIA head-Leon Panetta-was in Pakistan to discuss war strategy against terrorists. The paper said "the US is concerned that political turmoil in Pakistan is distracting its government and army from combating Islamist insurgents..." Don't they see that the opposite is in fact the case. The US and Pakistan effort to combat "Islamist insurgents" is threatening the "political turmoil" in a "nuclear-armed country". What good will our policy be if in the end it results in the creation of another "failed state"?

Contracts

Why is it that the executives at AIG must be paid their bonuses because it is in a contract, but when the government wants the auto companies to save money the first thing they say is the workers contracts should be voided. It seems a contract is only binding if it benefits the wealthy.

Income taxes and bailout companies

It was reported recently that 13 of the companies that are getting stimulus package money owe back income taxes in the amount of $ 230 million. Two of those companies owe $ 100 million each. The issue of payment of taxes was handled by the stimulus plan by an official at the receiving company affirming that all taxes were paid. The government took their work for it; they did not check it out. Now the internet page for the NY Times noted this fact and the point that the person doing the affirming was guilty of a crime if he lied. The NY Times the next day omitted this fact in their article. The first issue then is why did this "liberal" newspaper omit that part of the story? The second issue is when will the "official" who so affirmed be charged with a crime.