Solar Power Without Solar Cells

A recent discovery that light can have significant magnetic effects in a proper material points the way to a new way to turn solar energy into electricity.

The Place to Start for New Revenue

Cracking down on tax evasion would be great start.

The U.S. government loses around $300 billion in revenue each year
because of tax cheats, some of whom hide their earnings in offshore
accounts or disguise them using complicated business structures,
according to the Internal Revenue Service. Since 2001, tax evasion has
cost as much as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Bush tax cuts and
the 2009 stimulus combined...

Why Paul Ryan's Market-based Health Care Won't Work

Republicans fail to understand there are areas where a market just doesn't work. Health care is usually not elective or refusable. There is an asymmetric distribution of information. Purchasing power is concentrated in only a handful of consumers.

Rachel Maddow rifs on Hastings

Rachel sets up a potential campaign strategy for next year. Hastings, Abramov's friend and powered by Big Oil.

Herald acknowledges local Democrats

The paper was kind enough to print an article about Jay Clough's challenge to Hastings in the 4th CD.

Sarah Palin Just Isn't Qualified

But you already knew that. This article indicates that Palin's story of Trig's birth is actually more troubling than the hoax stories.

In case you've forgotten

Raising taxes worked for Clinton. The GOP is working hard to keep that memory suppressed.

Solar power without solar cells

A recently discovered magnetic effect of light could become a way to extract solar power without actually absorbing light. It works with optically-induced charge separation.

We Have Charts

Here is a telling collection of charts. Titles include
United States is a Low-Tax Country
Federal Income Taxes on Average Families are Historically Low
Corporate Tax Revenues are Historically Low
Effective Tax Rates on Wealthiest People Have Fallen Dramatically
Bush Tax Cuts Tilted to the Top
Rise in Debt Could Be Halted by Letting Bush Cuts Expire
Income Gains at the Top Dwarfed Low-and-Middle-Income Households
Top 1 Percent's Share of After-Tax Income Has Doubled

Modern Corruption

We can now see the effect of the Citizens United decision. Our elections are awash with untraceable money. Is this how YOU think our politics should be funded?

Deception is his Method

The oil and gas industry stockpile leases they aren't using while Hastings leads the charge to give them more. We are hostages to the oil industry.

Connick v. Thompson

Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia show a truly remarkable lapse in basic humanity.

Tax Cuts For The Rich, Big Tax Hikes for Middle Class

That's just the way it is in Georgia. How can there by any doubt about the true Republican agenda?

Best Year in Safety

According to Transocean, that is. Sickening.

Trains and Diminished Individualism

George Will has become a diminished individual. Paul sees him stepping off a train.

Republicans and poor people

No surprise here, but the stark reality is that you can't expect Republicans to care about poor people because poor people don't vote for them. Rich people do. It should be no surprise that when the Republicans propose a tax cut policy, it's the rich that get the cuts. We could have extended the Bush tax cuts by cutting taxes on the poor and middle class. But no. We increased the deficit by extended tax cuts on high earners and by cutting taxes for rich dead people. Now that spending cuts are on the table, it's time to cut spending on things that benefit the rich like oil subsidies and defense.

Leaving Afghanistan

The proper exit strategy should let the military do what it does well, kill the enemy. We can be successful in providing a good measure of security by focusing on the interdiction of border infiltration. The experience of our forces has shown that they can be effective if they are allowed to be. But misplaced political concerns have tended to get in the way. We need to remove the corrupt Karzai government and give good local administrator the power to do what needs to be done. But this is a job for someone else than the military. We some other organization to handle the nation-building. It isn't an appropriate role for the military.

Fukushima Debriefing

The lessons-learned phase of the Fukushima disaster begins. TEPCO was warned about the tsunami hazard but chose to ignore it.