In Defense of Mitt — Part 1
Sign a note to Gabby
A layman’s rebuttal of Al Melvin’s “Nuclear waste recycling is wonderful” argument
by David Safier
I'm not an expert on nuclear waste reprocessing, nor to I play one on BfA. But I've spoken with some experts and done a reasonable amount of research on the web. I know enough to read Atomic Al Melvin's recent op ed, Arizona could benefit from nuclear recycling, with a healthy dose of skepticism and concern.
Before I go into the op ed, a bit of background. Melvin has said in the past he wants 6 new nuclear power plants in Arizona. That's right, he wants to put 6 nuclear plants, which demand plentiful supplies of water for cooling and safety (remember what happened when the cooling system cracked at Fukushima?), in water-starved Arizona. Melvin never met a Nuke he didn't like.
Now, to the op ed. Melvin cites the wonders of the Waste Isolation Pilot Project (WIPP) near Carlsbad, N.M. The nuclear waste is stored in a salt basin, and it brings in nothing but money and jobs, he says. That, for Melvin, is the model for the nuclear waste dump and reprocessing facility he wants here.
It didn't take long to dig up information on the WIPP site. The studies of the Carlsbad site began in 1973, and the actual site of the storage had to be moved a number of times because the conditions weren't absolutely perfect. But they are using it now — not, by the way, to reprocess nuclear waste, but just to store "transuranic waste." Here's what that means.
Transuranic waste consists primarily of protective clothing, tools, glassware, equipment, soils, and sludges that have been contaminated with trace amounts of manmade radioactive elements, such as plutonium.
They're storing the lowest of the low level radioactive waste at Carlsbad — not the kind of waste which would be generated by Melvin's proposed nuke reprocessing plant — and even that is causing considerable worry about the present and the future. The future, by the way, is the 10,000 years it takes for the materials to cool down. To put 10,000 years in context, the first pyramids were built in Egypt less than 5,000 years ago. Scientists are trying to figure out how to mark this site in a way that humans will stay away from it for twice the pyramids-to-present time span.
Oh, and all those jobs Melvin talks about? First, many of them are the result of Obama's stimulus which, Melvin loves to remind us, has never created a single job. And articles from 2011 say anywhere from dozens to hundreds of jobs will be lost if more money can't be found.
Melvin also refers to the French-government-run Areva nuclear reprocessing operation. When you read about it, though, you realize, it produces a phenomenal amount of waste: four to seven times the amount of the original nuclear material– in some cases, considerably more than that. Some quotes after the jump.
Foreclosuregate Update: A settlement that favors the banksters of Wall Street
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
I warned you about this back in November. Foreclosuregate Update: 50 State AG settlement to let the banksters of Wall Street off with a slap on the wrist.
Now that warning is coming to fruition. The Washington Post reports $25B deal with banks over deceptive foreclosure practices sent to AGs as settlement nears:
The nation’s five largest mortgage lenders have agreed to overhaul their industry after deceptive foreclosure practices drove homeowners out of their homes, government officials said Monday.
A draft settlement between the banks and U.S. states has been sent to state officials for review.
Those who lost their homes to foreclosure are unlikely to get their homes back or benefit much financially from the settlement, which could be as high [little] as $25 billion. About 750,000 Americans — about half of the households who might be eligible for assistance under the deal — will likely receive checks for about $1,800.
* * *
[The settlement would only apply to privately held mortgages issued between 2008 and 2011, not those held by government-controlled Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Fannie and Freddie own about half of all U.S. mortgages, roughly about 31 million U.S. home loans.
As part of the deal, about 1 million homeowners could also get the principal amount of their mortgages written down by an average of $20,000. One in four homeowners with a mortgage — or roughly 11 million people — owe more than their home is worth. These so-called “underwater” borrowers have little chance at refinancing.]
* * *
[Under the deal:
— $17 billion would go toward reducing the principal that struggling homeowners owe on their mortgages.
— $5 billion would be placed in a reserve account for various state and federal programs; a portion of that money would cover the $1,800 checks sent to those homeowners affected by the deceptive practices.
— $3 billion would to help homeowners refinance at 5.25 percent.]
* * *
Five major banks — Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citibank and Ally Financial — and U.S. state attorneys general could adopt the agreement within weeks, according to two officials briefed on the discussions. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the agreement publicly.
* * *
Nearly 8 million Americans have faced foreclosure since the housing bubble burst. In some cases, companies that process mortgages failed to verify the information on foreclosure documents. The worst practices, known collectively as “robo-signing,” included employees signing documents they hadn’t read or using fake signatures to sign off on foreclosures. [Criminal fraud]
President Barack Obama is expected to tout the settlement in his State of the Union address Tuesday.
Willard ‘Mittens’ Romney goes all Russell Pearce on immigration
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
It would be funny if it were not so sad. Just how out of touch with reality are the D.C. media villagers and Beltway bloviators?
During last nights "Survivor – GOP Presidential Primary" debate, Willard "Mittens" Romney was asked about his immigration policy, and he said that illegal immigrants would "self-deport." The media villagers all seemed to think that this was a new term that Romney had invented. As we here in Arizona all know, they are wrong.
Recalled former Sen. Russell Pearce has long promoted the anti-immigrant agenda of the Federation of Americans for immigration Reform (FAIR). Pearce has frequently said his goal with immigration laws is "attrition through enforcement," enforcing laws against illegal immigrants to encourage them to self-deport. This is hardly new to Romney. It is the established GOP position on immigration.
What it does reveal is that Willard "Mittens" Romney has gone all Russell Pearce extremist on immigration. Steve Benen reports at the Political Animal – ‘Self-deportation’:
Last night, Adam Smith, the political editor at the Tampa Bay Times, asked the former governor a good question: “You say you don’t want to go and round up people and deport them, but you also say that they would have to go back to their home countries and then apply for citizenship. So, if you don’t deport them, how do you send them home?”
Romney replied, “Well, the answer is self-deportation.”
And what, exactly, does that mean? Adam Serwer explained that the point is to make life so miserable for these immigrants that they simply leave on their own.
This is the right-wing’s answer to the question of how you deport eleven million unauthorized immigrants: You don’t. You force them to “deport themselves.” Although immigration reform advocates would prefer a solution that involves a path to citizenship for unauthorized immigrants already here, Romney and his top immigration advisers believe they can remove millions of people through heavy-handed enforcement that makes life for unauthorized immigrants intolerable. This approach is notable for its complete lack of discretion and flexibility. Unauthorized immigrant parents with citizen children who need to go to school? Americans who are married to an undocumented immigrant who needs medical treatment? “Self-deportation” hits them all with the same mailed fist. […]
[M]ake no mistake, when Romney is discussing “self-deportation,” he’s talking about creating a United States where parents are afraid to register their kids for school or get them immunized because they might be asked for proof of citizenship. He’s talking about the type of country where local police can demand your immigration status based on mere suspicion that you don’t belong around here. “Self-deportation” is just a cleaner, less cruel-sounding way of endorsing harsh, coercive government policies in order to make life for unauthorized immigrants so unbearable that they have no choice but to find some way to leave.
On immigration, it’s fair to say Romney is the most right-wing candidate of the modern political era.
Ahem, Steve, come visit us in Arizona. I'll introduce you around.
Where are Arizona’s pro-labor ‘Lunch Pail Republicans’?
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Arizona has often been the test lab for right-wing legislation (see ALEC and the Goldwater Institute). Arizona was among the first states to adopt a "Right to Work" provision in its Constitution (1946) (a Right to Work law guarantees that no person can be compelled, as a condition of employment, to join or not to join, or to pay dues to a labor union).
In reality it should be called a "free-rider" provision — employees working under a union collective bargaining agreement with the employer receive all the benefits of the collective bargaining agreement without having to be a union member or to contribute one dime to the union for administration of the collective bargaining ageement.
- Federal law has banned forced unionism since 1963 (National Labor Relations Board v. General Motors, 1963)
- Federal law prevents non-members from paying union dues, requiring them only to pay the cost of administering their contract (Communication Workers of America v. Beck et al, 1988)
The only difference between federal law (Taft-Hartley Act, as amended) and what "right to work" laws provide is that non-members pay nothing. It is not about benefiting workers, but about taking revenue away from the unions.
The state of Indiana is currently embroiled in a fight over a "right to work" bill advanced by former Bush Budget Director (the genius (sic) who helped destroy our economy), Gov. Mitch Daniels. On Monday, the bill passed out of the Senate and led to a walk out by House Democrats. Indiana Senate approves ‘right to work,’ House Democrats leave floor | The Indianapolis Star:
House Democrats remained behind closed doors late Monday, angry that they were blocked from offering more amendments to the controversial “right to work” bill.
This latest breakdown in the House came shortly after the Senate voted 28-22 for its version of the bill, Senate Bill 269.
* * *
Moments after the vote rejecting the referendum was cast, House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, asked if there were “further motions to amend.”
He repeated those words and just as a Democrat was speaking up, Bosma gaveled the bill closed, meaning that no further amendments could be offered it was now eligible for a final vote, likely tomorrow.
Democrats quickly said they needed to caucus — and left the floor.
The question now is when — or whether — Democrats will return.
More importantly – there is still such a thing as pro-labor Republicans in Indiana:
Nine Republicans joined all 13 Democrats in the Senate to vote against the bill.
They are Sens. Vaneta Becker, R-Evansville; Richard Bray, R-Martinsville; Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso; Johnny Nugent, R-Lawrenceburg; Brent Steele, R-Bedford; Jim Tomes, R-Wadesville; Brent Waltz, R-Greenwood; and John Waterman, R-Shelburn.
The coming week…part two…
