Can we prevent a global disaster?

TIME IS RUNNING OUT

What a great reason to either work to better everything that is important to you or to do nothing at all. We (at aprogs.com) would rather have you get involved in saving the world instead of just accepting it the way it is.

The Opportunity Cost of War

This fiasco in Iraq that has cost anywhere from $1-$2 trillon. Trillion. What could this country have accomplished with that almost unfathomable sum?

- A doubling of cancer research funding
- Treatment for every American whose diabetes or heart disease is now going unmanaged
- A global immunization campaign to save millions of children’s lives
- Universal preschool for every 3- and 4-year-old child across the country
- The city of New Orleans could also receive a huge increase in reconstruction funds
- The remaining recommendations of the 9/11 Commission could be enacted
- Financing for the war in Afghanistan could be increased
- A peacekeeping force could put a stop to the genocide in Darfur

But hey, at least we're safer.

Anti-Buildup Measure Has Bipartisan Support, But is Really for the Terrorists

A second Republican senator, Olympia Snowe from Maine, has signed on to an already bipartisan resolution opposing Bush's war plan. Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel, a longtime Republican critic of the war, has joined Senators Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware and Carl Levin of Michigan to develop the wording of the resolution.

Note that Bush's cartoonish spokesman Tony Snow "seemed to hint that the effort — led chiefly by Democrats — might somehow be of assistance to terrorists."

Snow - "What message does Congress intend to give? And who does it think the audience is? Is the audience merely the president? Is it the voting American public or, in an age of instant communication, is it also al-Qaida?"

Yeah Tony, the Senators and Congresspeople who vote for this resolution want to send a message to al-Qaida that we want to lose. That's exactly what they're doing. Really, does anyone even take this "aid and comfort to the enemy" crap seriously anymore?

Wednesday News and Notes

• New York's new Democratic Governor Eliot Spitzer is attempting to push the state into the stem cell research race with a $2 billion 10-year bond initiative for research and development, at least half of which would be set aside to pay for stem cell research. He is smartly touting the plan as an economic development effort in the hopes of attracting support from upstate Republican lawmakers.

• According to this Washington Post article, there exists in this country an actual consensus that universal healthcare is both a necessity and doable at the same time. All it needs is Congress and Bush to get on board, neither of which will be easy.

• Indiana looking seriously at a state minimum wage hike. Chances of passage look decent.

• In yet another example of Republican hatred and bigotry (especially, for some reason, in VA) state legislator Frank D. Hargrove said black people "should get over" slavery and questioned whether Jews should apologize "for killing Christ." I mean come on.

News and Notes

• United for Peace & Justice, along with MoveOn.org, is mobilizing a large ant-war rally in Washington, DC the weekend of January 27th-29th. Click here for details.

• On MLK Day in Norfolk, VA, several dozen service members joined peace activists to call for an end to the war in Iraq.

• UnevenKiel.com has his weekly post up, focusing on the words of Dr. King. We encourage our readers to check the site weekly for insightful commentary on a variety of issues.

• The Bush Administration has been firing federal prosecutors, and is preparing to use a little known provision in the Patriot Act to appoint interim appointments who are not subject to Senate confirmation and who could remain in place for the remainder Bush's time in office.

2008 Election News

In the big news of the day, Barack Obama announced that he will indeed run for president in 2008. We at the Angry Progressives are very excited and intrigued by Obama, though we admit that much of that excitement lies in the promise he holds moreso than any actual accomplishments to date. It will be awhile before we bestow our coveted endorsement on a candidate, but Obama can rest assured that he will be on our short list.

In other elections news, Colorado Republican Sen. Wayne Allard said he will not run for re-election in 2008. Allard would have been one of the Democrats top targets had he decided to run, and given Colorado's continued leanings to the Democratic Party, he would have been in serious danger. Democratic Rep. Mark Udall is the odds-on favorite to win both his party's nomination and most likely the seat itself. In 2005 and 2006, Democrats won the Governor's seat, a U.S. Senate seat, two House seats, as well as both houses of the state Legislature. Also, Denver will be host to the Democratic National Convention in 2008.

Alternative Energy News - January 16, 2006

• Ted Turner is forming a venture with a solar energy company targeting California markets.

• A new report from CIBC World Markets forecasts that all jurisdictions in Canada and the U.S. will have carbon dioxide regulations in place by the end of the decade to address global warming concerns.

• The Low Carbon Fuel Standard proposed by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to triple the size of the California renewable fuels market and place more than 7 million alternative fuel or hybrid vehicles on the state's roads by 2020.