Author Archive

Speaking of $100/bbl oil, can we stop the biofuel subsidies now?

by George Seldes
October 26th, 2007 at 19:36:28

Just asking.
Because nothing that competes with $90+ per barrel for oil needs a production subsidy, assuming for a moment that it ever did.
If biofuels are worth making at all, then the makers must be making money hand over fist right now, eh? So why are we pouring state subsidies and production equipment tax credits [...]

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Sam Smith: Why Edwards Hasn’t Done Better

by George Seldes
October 18th, 2007 at 16:25:43

Why Hasn’t John Edwards Done Better?
Sam Smith
When Democrats talk about things they don’t like about John Edwards, they typically express skepticism about a wealthy trial lawyer advocating populist positions or his $400 haircut or the size of his 10,000 square foot home and 15,000 square foot barn. These same Democrats - and the media [...]

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And no thank you, Hil

by George Seldes
October 15th, 2007 at 16:15:50

Jack Bog’s Blog has a great post highlighting the GOP love for Hilary — good reason for progressives to know which candidate to avoid.  Today’s sign was a valentine to Hilary by the execrable Charles Krauthammer.  That the GOP and the right wing are falling in line for her says one of two things:
1) They [...]

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Why to vote YES on M. 50

by George Seldes
October 3rd, 2007 at 18:04:56

Because Big Tobacco is replacing smokers just as fast as it kills them.

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A breakthrough in DC? Dingell’s plan.

by George Seldes
September 27th, 2007 at 04:29:07

An intelligent plan. Here.

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Why biofuels matter so much

by George Seldes
September 24th, 2007 at 05:16:38

Short answer: because biofuels are about taking money from people who are going to be extremely hard-pressed and giving it to corporations in the guise of a futile attempt to preserve the fantasy that we can maintain an auto-based life. There’s the direct problem with the policy, but even more that that [...]

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Driving Up Hunger

by George Seldes
September 23rd, 2007 at 12:41:00

From today’s David Sarasohn column:
Food banks — and the people who depend on them — are being hit by a combination of table-clearing typhoons. As food companies and processors get ever more efficient, contributions of excess and irregular food packages decline. Donations from farmers are lower than usual this time of year, said Food Bank [...]

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What is an online community? What is the public interest?

by George Seldes
September 22nd, 2007 at 10:56:51

The tempest in a teapot over my criticisms of biofuels (and especially of the post blasting Oregon League of Conservation Voters’ decision to grade legislators up or down based on whether they support using tax dollars and subsidizing them) and the criticism of Onward Oregon for allowing me to post under a nom de plume [...]

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Nobel Prize Winner Warns: most biofuels worse than realized

by George Seldes
September 21st, 2007 at 20:12:09

Punchline:  the supposed greenhouse gas benefit to North American biofuels is lost to N20 created from fertilizers.

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An energy policy Oregon _really_ needs: the right to dry

by George Seldes
September 18th, 2007 at 16:57:56

The right to dry.  On a clothesline.

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