The Gramm connection

McCain's connection to Phil Gramm is not just incidental. It is critical. From Paul:

"Seriously, the Gramm connection tells you all you need to know about where a McCain administration would stand on financial issues: squarely against any significant reform."

As if there weren't enough reasons already to reject John McCain this is a really big one. John is a mouthpiece for those folks who precipitated the current financial crisis. The mortgage bubble is their fault more than anybody else's. The deregulation that Phil Gramm championed was the key element that made our current meltdown not only possible but probable.

Nanomaterial turns radiation directly into electricity

Ponder the possibilities. Being able to turn radiation directly into electricity would be more efficient and less complicated nuclear power plants. But take it a little farther and one could begin thinking about having small and much more efficient nuclear "batteries" that could provide consistent power in hard-to-grid places.

McCain and the Mortgage Mess

Peter Dreier writes that McCain should have learned something from the Keating Scandal. But did he? Sadly, no. Instead he is promising to do more of the same and aid and abet those who have brought us to our current economic meltdown. McCain is the poster-villain of our current economic woes.

A Winning Investment

This one pays off at 9-to-1.

Rustic Cabin

McCain's "rustic cabin" has a guest house and pool. It's been featured in Architectural Digest and is owned by his heiress wife. But I doubt the press is going to make the comparison to John Kerry.

Flip-flopping over the edge

Some may criticize McCain for his changing positions. I criticize him for changing from sane to insane.

Immigration Lies

To go with the 9/11 lies here are the lies about immigration that the media seems to love to repeat.

It's a Lie

When they talk about warrantless domestic wiretaps after 9/11, it's a lie! Domestic spying began months before that. So don't prosecute them for post-9/11 eavesdropping if you want. Do it for pre-9/11 eavesdropping. I don't think that would cause anyone heartburn...except for the guilty parties of course.

This is News?

Ferraro is criticized for saying Obama got where he is because he was black. So does anyone think that Hilary wouldn't be where she is now if she wasn't a woman?

HPV vaccine benefits

It's been shown that the HPV vaccine reduces abnormal pap test results. Perhaps this will help girls whose parents are squicky about sexual activity get this live-saving preventative.

Good Government in Washington State

As Dino the Dummo Rossi makes his appearance today at the Benton County GOP Convention let us remind ourselves how full of shit he really is. One of his key talking points has always been that Washingtonians are taxed too much for a poor-performing state government.

But the truth is Washington ranks in the middle of the pack for per capita taxation. Furthermore it ranks 6th in total efficiency with those dollars. Someone ought to beat Washington Republicans over the head with these hard facts.

Windmill With A Twist

I always like to highlight nice things in appropriate technology. This is a windmill that desalinates water. Large-scale desalination is noted as an energy hog. But on a small scale....

Memo To The Travis County (TX) Democratic Party

This article clearly points out why kudos to Dwight Pelz and the Washington State Democratic team on caucus organization are well-deserved. In contrast to the absolute chaos that erupted in Texas and other states Washington was able to deal with record-breaking participation in a well-prepared manner. The staffs at each site were well-trained and well-planned actions were gracefully executed.

Actually the Texas Dems seem to have much in common with the clueless Washington State Republican Party.

Go where the money is

It's time tax the rich. They got it and they don't really need it.

McCain’s curious record

For a "straight-talker" McCain's walk has taken some interesting course changes. The general campaign isn't far away. Lock-and-load.

Ditch DST?

Now that the current administration has made such a mess of it, the time may have come to ditch DST. It seems that the touted energy savings just aren't there.

"Having the entire state switch to daylight-saving time each year, rather than stay on standard time, costs Indiana households an additional $8.6 million in electricity bills. They conclude that the reduced cost of lighting in afternoons during daylight-saving time is more than offset by the higher air-conditioning costs on hot afternoons and increased heating costs on cool mornings.

'I've never had a paper with such a clear and unambiguous finding as this,' says Mr. Kotchen, who presented the paper at a National Bureau of Economic Research conference this month."

It should be a no-brainer.