MyDD :: A congresswoman walks away.. and other stories

A congresswoman walks away.. and other stories

by SevenStrings, Thu May 22, 2008 at 12:24:44 PM EST

First the other story:

Gas prices are rising rapidly : Oil just topped $135/barrel. We all understand that there are many reasons for this which all boil down to: too much demand, not enough supply.

But, there has been one extra push recently: shortage of coal in China's coal fired power plants. This coal shortage has pushed up demand for diesel in China's diesel fired power plants (electricity is fungible, it seems), which has increased demand for crude, and pushed up crude oil prices.

So, the question becomes: why is there a shortage of coal in the coal-fired power plants ? The answer is: mine safety.. in response to the recent spate of mine accidents they have had, the Chinese authorities have shut down some of the unsafe coal mines.

So, now the question for you, O_Progressive_Reader_of_MyDD_Who_Insists that_Chinese_competition_is_Unfair_becau se_of_their_Lax_Safety_
Environmental_Rules

is this: Would you prefer that the Chinese shut down even more unsafe mines, and drive up crude oil prices even further ? Or would you suspend your "workers safety" agenda in favor of lower crude oil prices

Truly a moral conundrum, isnt it... and it is the subject of the poll question

And now for the Congresswoman who walked away:

As the real estate market softened in 2007, the new owner of a three-bedroom, 1,600-square-foot house in Sacramento's Curtis Park neighborhood ran into trouble. The house that was purchased for $535,000 in January had lost equity. The owner fell behind in her payments, and eventually, the bank seized the home.

What makes this story different from the thousands like it is that the owner of this house was a member of Congress.

The story of the foreclosure of Long Beach Democrat Laura Richardson's Sacramento home is a tale of a real estate market gone sour. It is also an illustration of how far many candidates will go to seek elected office, even if it means quite literally mortgaging their own financial future.

So, this poses the 2nd moral question: should a member of Congress who cannot manage her own finances be allowed to manage ours ?

And if you say yes to the question above, the counter question is: Isnt that elitism ? What level of mastery of your own finances is required before you are allowed to manage someone else's ?

So many moral conundrums...so little time =)

Poll

Votes: 7
Results : Vote Link : Polls

Tags: Congresswoman, China, Coal, Gas (all tags)

Permalink :: 3 Comments :: Post a Comment

Hypocrisy (2.00 / 4)

Mine safety everywhere is a good thing. But I didn't answer your poll because obviously, you are trying to blame our problems on China. Why don't you examine the average carbon footprint of an American vs. the people in developing nations. The US, with less than 5% of the world's population, uses something like 35% of the world's energy.

Now, our appetite for bigger and bigger cars and more and more meat and plastics, has made food so expensive that millions of people are starving to DEATH.

I am not a fan of China's government in any way, but I can't help but speak up when I see people in the US trying to blame our own problems (which is lack of energy independence) on others. Not long ago, Bush (and Condi Rice, a few days earlier) Tried to blame rising food prices on the growing middle class in countries like India. This causes a howl of criticism from the entire rest of the world. Did I read about it in the US media? No, except for one article in the NYT.

Get a clue.

Universal healthcare IS a core Democratic value
Comprehensively cover 100%, not only the healthiest 80%

by architek on Thu May 22, 2008 at 12:36:20 PM EST

Common ground (2.00 / 1)

I'm replying because we usually disagree on just about everything where we've shared a thread; but on this, I'm with you.

Nos causidicus Obama , ergo nos non suadeo

by rb608 on Thu May 22, 2008 at 12:41:00 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Dont judge a book by the cover (2.00 / 1)

A song by the title
or
A diarist by the words he chooses to omit.

Just so you know, I was born and raised in India... and I do not possess a single bone that blames poor people in India and China (a category to which I belonged to for half of my life) for a problem created by the west.

If you re-read the diary carefully... I am mocking the hypocrisy in our society.

If you follow history with a long enough arc, things always get better, and the truth always prevails...Gandhi

by SevenStrings on Thu May 22, 2008 at 12:41:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]

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