Art and Politics

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Greta Thunberg and Climate Change.

i recently came across an article in The Guardian that argued for a relatively cheap solution to climate change. The article was co authored by Ms Thunberg

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/sep/19/greta-thunberg-we-are-ignoring-natural-climate-solutions?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Based largely on a recent article in the journal Science, the solution is reforestation of the earth on a massive scale: 2.2 billion acres and 1 trillion trees.

This solution has been discussed on several other web sites

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2019/07/05/global-effort-plant-trillion-trees-overwhelmingly-among-most-effective-and-cheapest

https://www.vox.com/2019/7/4/20681331/climate-change-solutions-trees-deforestation-reforestation

According to calculations, which, of course, are uncertain, given time to mature, such a reforestation would suck enough CO2 out of the atmosphere to save the world.

Unlike various useless proposals by President Obama, this would truly be a “shovel ready” project.

“Relatively cheap” means hundreds of billions of dollars to solve the problem instead the more than 10+ trillion dollars required in various versions of the Green New Deal.

Implementation problems include getting other countries to buy in. Not only major polluters like China and India, and Germany, but many less developed countries where reforestation might have the most immediate value, like Brazil and the Congo. Unfortunately those poorer countries might not be happy to have the US or even the UN show up and invite/demand they start reforestation, even if someone else pays for it. There would be the need to buy farmland and ranches recently hacked out of forests to be reforested. Of course there would be a fight in the US Congress over which states will get the most advantage.

Carried to an honest to extreme to implement this pan, the lawns in front of 10s of millions of homes in the US should be torn up an replaced by trees.

Unfortunately, this cheap solution is almost certainly dead on arrival, because the powerful advocates of a Green New Deal are not looking for a inexpensive solution, they are looking for a solution that will allow them to radically remake the US economy, and “damn the costs”. Destroying the fossil fuels industries in the process.

Anyway, I am happy to see a cheaper, practical solution put forward.

I do note one obvious problem not addressed by Thunberg or in any of the discussions of this plan: buying farms and ranches for conversation to forests means higher food prices everywhere in the world. Those living in poor countries already on the edge malnutrition at current food prices, would be hurt. They might even face starvation.

Any major government intervention into to the economy, always had external costs, sometimes “collateral damage “. Preventing the rise in food prices from leading to starvation must be part a viable reforestation plan.

I would support a reforestation plan to fight climate change if I thought true costs were accounted for, It could save the planet, and done carefully, it would do no harm.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Kavanaugh and the latest “scandall”

Once again the New York Times other liberal media have published an unverifiable sexual harassment accusation against Kavanaugh. An harassment that supposedly happened 35 years ago.

The “story “ is already unraveling,

But why did it get thrown out now?

I believe the left is preparing for the retirement of Justice Ruth Ginsberg and this a fresh warning to anyone conservatives who is willing to accept a nomination to the Supreme Court that Democrats the Senate will again do anything to to destroy his reputation . Any hint of scandal will be used to slander that candidate.. Any quote or past joke that can twisted to sound racist or sexist, no matter how far back and independent of whether it can be verified.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Joe Biden and the “Word Gap’

The one highlight of last night of the Democratic Party’s Presidential Debate was the moment when Joe Biden addressed the “Word Gap” problem.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/9/12/20863709/democratic-debate-abc-biden-record-player

The “Word Gap” problem is that as the result of the way kids are raised by parents in different social and economic environments. Well off and well educated parents are likely to read books to their children frequently and talk to them and to other adults in the house using a large vocabulary. The children of less well off parents are read to less and hear a less rich vocabulary. The result is that when children enter school those with well off parents have a much larger vocabulary, possibly millions of words larger. The “Word Gap.”

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/10/american-kids-are-starving-for-words/381552/

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/tyc/feb2014/the-word-gap

Not only did Vox, and some other sources deny the existence of the “Word Gap”, but they made fun of a solution Biden presented. That solution was to have the radio and possibly the record player on in the evening to expose kids to a wider vocabulary. This is probably the only way children of less well off parents will hear new words. Not as good as being read to, but at least inexpensive and practical.

So for once in the debate, instead of throwing out the usual sound bites, A candidate addresses a problem and suggested a practical solution not costing the American people trillions of dollars!

Last night Biden sounded like an intelligent man who has given serious though to a known problem that few seem to know about and fewer have thought how to help solve it.

I’m impressed.

Saturday, September 7, 2019

BREXIT. and Parliament...

Oliver Cromwell - Dissolutions of the Long Parliament 1653

“It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonored by your contempt for all virtue , and defiled by your practice of every vice, yet are a factious crew, and enemies of all good government; ye are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would like Esau sell your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas, betray your God for a few pieces of money.

“Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you? Is there one vice you do not possess? Ye have no more religion than my horse; gold is your God: which of you has not bartered your conscience for bribes? Is there a man amongst you that has the least care for the commonwealth?

“Ye sordid prostitutes have you not defiled this sacred place, and turn’d the Lord’s temple into a den of the thieves, by your immoral principles and wicked practices? Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation; you were deputed here by the people to get grievances redress’d, are yourselves gone! So! Take away that shinning bauble there, and lock up the doors.

“In the name of God, go!”