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1Urquhart
2016
The annual thank you to you all for your enlightened commentary and debates for the past year. I post questions because I honestly don’t know answers and am always the better from hearing your, for the most part, highly informed responses.
Many thanks and have a wonder full 2016.
Urquhart
The annual thank you to you all for your enlightened commentary and debates for the past year. I post questions because I honestly don’t know answers and am always the better from hearing your, for the most part, highly informed responses.
Many thanks and have a wonder full 2016.
Urquhart
2Urquhart
In the coming year I am going to attempt a radical shift in focus. Up to now there has been an emphasis on history and all the things that happen with a historical focus on -as most people do-man's inhumanity to man. For the next year I am going to see if it is possible to also include the positive things that happen as well.
Looking back at 2015, I see:
-people like Edward Snowden who have really made a positive difference
-Sen. Elizabeth Warren
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/elizabeth-warren-student-loan-giant_568412fb...
- and this from the Guardian of this day's date:
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/01/congress-bills-2015-usa-freedom-a...
USA Freedom Act
In June, Congress passed the first significant rollback of government surveillance in decades. The USA Freedom Act, which was passed with bipartisan support, ended bulk collection of phone records by the United States government after Edward Snowden revealed the National Security Agency program. Instead, phone companies would hold those records. The bill also ended a brief lapse in many government surveillance powers after key provisions of the Patriot Act had expired just two days before it was signed into law. But it’s considered a modest reform by many privacy advocates. While the NSA will have to go through court to get phone records, it won’t face the same obstacle to obtain bulk communications on the internet and social media records.
Every Student Succeeds Act
In December, Congress passed the first major update to No Child Left Behind, the landmark Bush-era education reform bill. The Every Student Succeeds Act loosened many of the testing requirements around No Child Left Behind while giving states more autonomy in setting goals for academic achievement. The resulting bipartisan compromise appealed to many in both parties, reducing the federal role in education while also loosening standards that were objected to by teachers’ unions. However, it still left many questions about whether it would be successful in its goal to close the achievement gap that disproportionately left minority students in poor areas at an educational disadvantage.
Energy Efficiency Improvement Act of 2015
The stories you need to read, in one handy email
Read more
A bipartisan bill co-sponsored by swing-state senators Rob Portman of Ohio and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, this legislation took some modest steps toward improving energy efficiency in buildings. In particular, the legislation created a voluntary program called Tenant Star, which provides incentives for landlords to make spaces they lease in commercial buildings energy efficient. The proposal is modeled after the Energy Star program, which does the same in newly built buildings. The bill, which passed both the House and Senate by voice vote, also contains a provision that exempted some water heaters from federal energy efficiency standards.
Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act
The stage was set for the controversial nuclear deal with Iran this year by a bipartisan proposal from senators Bob Corker of Tennessee and Ben Cardin of Maryland to ensure that Congress had the opportunity to vote on any agreement. The Iran deal was originally designed to be an executive agreement in order to thwart the need for Congress to approve the deal as a treaty. This compromise bill, which easily passed both the Senate and the House, gave Congress the opportunity to block a deal. However, it made it difficult for this to happen and required a congressional resolution disapproving of the agreement to receive consent of two-thirds of each chamber. Eventually, although majorities in both the House and the Senate opposed the deal, it was not enough to block implementation.
Steve Gleason Act
Louisiana senator David Vitter suffered a shocking and humiliating loss in his attempt to be his state’s governor this year. However, he did notch one success in 2015: the Steve Gleason Act, named after a former New Orleans Saints player who suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The legislation allows Medicare and Medicaid to cover speech-generating devices for those suffering from ALS. Gleason currently uses such a device that allows him to use eye movements to communicate.
Drinking Water Protection Act
Congress actually passed one piece of environmental legislation in 2015, the Drinking Water Protection Act. However, the bill is not terribly ambitious; it guards against the rise of algal toxins in the Great Lakes and requires the Environmental Protection Agency to monitor the threat posed by algae blooms to drinking water. The legislation came in the aftermath of a 2014 water crisis in Toledo, Ohio, when an algal bloom in Lake Erie left more than 500,000 people without drinking water. The bloom is the result of intensive farm runoff from fertilized fields high in phosphorus. Toxic algae then feasts on the phosphorus, creating massive floating dead zones.
Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015
Starting in 2017, Americans will no longer be allowed to buy beauty products with microbeads, tiny plastic spheres used to aid in exfoliation. The microbeads are so small that they pass through water filtration systems and end up in the ocean. Along the way, they absorb chemicals and toxins. Fish and sea life end up eating the toxic microbeads and then, of course, humans end up eating the fish. Several states had already banned microbeads and many companies were starting to phase them out of their products because of health and environmental concerns. This bill makes the process uniform across the country.
-and for me there is something really positive about Bernie Sanders having gotten as far as he has in the electoral process so far.
There is much more out there that should be added to the list but I would be interested to hear what others see as some of the positives of 2015.
Looking back at 2015, I see:
-people like Edward Snowden who have really made a positive difference
-Sen. Elizabeth Warren
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/elizabeth-warren-student-loan-giant_568412fb...
- and this from the Guardian of this day's date:
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/01/congress-bills-2015-usa-freedom-a...
USA Freedom Act
In June, Congress passed the first significant rollback of government surveillance in decades. The USA Freedom Act, which was passed with bipartisan support, ended bulk collection of phone records by the United States government after Edward Snowden revealed the National Security Agency program. Instead, phone companies would hold those records. The bill also ended a brief lapse in many government surveillance powers after key provisions of the Patriot Act had expired just two days before it was signed into law. But it’s considered a modest reform by many privacy advocates. While the NSA will have to go through court to get phone records, it won’t face the same obstacle to obtain bulk communications on the internet and social media records.
Every Student Succeeds Act
In December, Congress passed the first major update to No Child Left Behind, the landmark Bush-era education reform bill. The Every Student Succeeds Act loosened many of the testing requirements around No Child Left Behind while giving states more autonomy in setting goals for academic achievement. The resulting bipartisan compromise appealed to many in both parties, reducing the federal role in education while also loosening standards that were objected to by teachers’ unions. However, it still left many questions about whether it would be successful in its goal to close the achievement gap that disproportionately left minority students in poor areas at an educational disadvantage.
Energy Efficiency Improvement Act of 2015
The stories you need to read, in one handy email
Read more
A bipartisan bill co-sponsored by swing-state senators Rob Portman of Ohio and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, this legislation took some modest steps toward improving energy efficiency in buildings. In particular, the legislation created a voluntary program called Tenant Star, which provides incentives for landlords to make spaces they lease in commercial buildings energy efficient. The proposal is modeled after the Energy Star program, which does the same in newly built buildings. The bill, which passed both the House and Senate by voice vote, also contains a provision that exempted some water heaters from federal energy efficiency standards.
Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act
The stage was set for the controversial nuclear deal with Iran this year by a bipartisan proposal from senators Bob Corker of Tennessee and Ben Cardin of Maryland to ensure that Congress had the opportunity to vote on any agreement. The Iran deal was originally designed to be an executive agreement in order to thwart the need for Congress to approve the deal as a treaty. This compromise bill, which easily passed both the Senate and the House, gave Congress the opportunity to block a deal. However, it made it difficult for this to happen and required a congressional resolution disapproving of the agreement to receive consent of two-thirds of each chamber. Eventually, although majorities in both the House and the Senate opposed the deal, it was not enough to block implementation.
Steve Gleason Act
Louisiana senator David Vitter suffered a shocking and humiliating loss in his attempt to be his state’s governor this year. However, he did notch one success in 2015: the Steve Gleason Act, named after a former New Orleans Saints player who suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The legislation allows Medicare and Medicaid to cover speech-generating devices for those suffering from ALS. Gleason currently uses such a device that allows him to use eye movements to communicate.
Drinking Water Protection Act
Congress actually passed one piece of environmental legislation in 2015, the Drinking Water Protection Act. However, the bill is not terribly ambitious; it guards against the rise of algal toxins in the Great Lakes and requires the Environmental Protection Agency to monitor the threat posed by algae blooms to drinking water. The legislation came in the aftermath of a 2014 water crisis in Toledo, Ohio, when an algal bloom in Lake Erie left more than 500,000 people without drinking water. The bloom is the result of intensive farm runoff from fertilized fields high in phosphorus. Toxic algae then feasts on the phosphorus, creating massive floating dead zones.
Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015
Starting in 2017, Americans will no longer be allowed to buy beauty products with microbeads, tiny plastic spheres used to aid in exfoliation. The microbeads are so small that they pass through water filtration systems and end up in the ocean. Along the way, they absorb chemicals and toxins. Fish and sea life end up eating the toxic microbeads and then, of course, humans end up eating the fish. Several states had already banned microbeads and many companies were starting to phase them out of their products because of health and environmental concerns. This bill makes the process uniform across the country.
-and for me there is something really positive about Bernie Sanders having gotten as far as he has in the electoral process so far.
There is much more out there that should be added to the list but I would be interested to hear what others see as some of the positives of 2015.
3DinadansFriend
The replacement of the Conservative Government in Canada with a more progressive Liberal Party government. This will, in the long run lead to more ecological initiatives and programs up here. The American Right will find less reinforcement from their fellow-travellers up here. While our government will spend more money, Canadians will spend money on taxes that will benefit themselves and not mindlessly follow military adventures abroad merely because "The Americans are doing it, so should we."
4BINDINGSTHATLAST
>3 DinadansFriend: please, even as someone who agrees with the new government, I have to say your comments are jingoistic at best.
5DinadansFriend
To bindings:
I find it hard to believe that you found anything in my last post that could be described as "Jingoistic" For your information I'm including a definition of the word for your further study. dictionary.reference.com/browse/jingoistic
jingoism definition. " Extreme and emotional nationalism, or chauvinism, often characterized by an aggressive foreign policy, accompanied by an eagerness to wage war. "
I'm not the Capt. Jingo here, as I very seldom advocate military action as the answer to foreign policy problems.
I find it hard to believe that you found anything in my last post that could be described as "Jingoistic" For your information I'm including a definition of the word for your further study. dictionary.reference.com/browse/jingoistic
jingoism definition. " Extreme and emotional nationalism, or chauvinism, often characterized by an aggressive foreign policy, accompanied by an eagerness to wage war. "
I'm not the Capt. Jingo here, as I very seldom advocate military action as the answer to foreign policy problems.
6chagonz
As a centrist I find the Bernie phenomenon fascinating and an indictment against the wishy washy center of the Democratic Party which is bankrupt of ideas. Senator Sanders' lone wolf fight, against a leaf to the wind candidate like Hillary is a testament to American democracy and the ability and willingness of people (young people alot) to engage their leaders. Its going nowhere, and he has almost nothing of any value to say to me, but I'm glad he's in it and making Hillary squirm even a little. She's just so entitled it makes me sick.
7DinadansFriend
Well, as an outsider, but an inhabitant of your northern glacis, I'd rather see Bernie as your president than the Dunald, but I'd certainly settle for Hillary over any Republican...there's just not anyone on that side who appeals to the world at large. Trump is just as entitled, and Hilary was a scholarship child who began life with many fewer prospects than Trump...
8chagonz
You're right...as per usual our primary process is an ugly yet revealing process as it uncovers what candidates are willing to say and do to be noticed and gain attention. I have more or less turned the whole thing off for the time being and await what I hope will be a meaningful debate on the key issues and real solutions that are not sugar coated so as not to upset us all. I am not all that confident. Where is Bulworth when we need him?
9TLCrawford
>7 DinadansFriend: What? Secretary Clinton is not a Republican? Wow, her actions had me fooled. You are right that she would be better than Trump but almost anyone would be. She is still the 2ed best choice in the race.
I have been a Sanders supporter but the best I expected was that he would push Sec. Clinton back to the left, maybe where Reagan or Nixon were. The support he is getting from the 20 somethings is a shock to me and the Democratic Party. As hard as they work to prevent it he could be the nominee if the younger voters finally turn out.
I have been a Sanders supporter but the best I expected was that he would push Sec. Clinton back to the left, maybe where Reagan or Nixon were. The support he is getting from the 20 somethings is a shock to me and the Democratic Party. As hard as they work to prevent it he could be the nominee if the younger voters finally turn out.
10DinadansFriend
I'm also most fond of Saunders, and hope very strongly he's the eventual president...but they'll throw every speck of mud they can find at him, hoping to bring on a heart attack or stroke, perhaps...and if you think the Tea Party hated Obama because of his colour, they'll go all (Hunter Thompson's favourite scatological adverb) on Saunders.
