A Lesson to Learn for Nevada

I just wrote this for OC Progressive, but I think this should resonate here as well. We lucked out here in Nevada, to a certain extent. No one wanted Gibbons' Folly, so the main fight was over how much of a tax adjustment we'd get and how much the cuts would be.

But still, the accounting tricks and budget gimmicks can only last for so long. Ultimately, Nevada will have a "California Moment" where we'll either need to implement serious reform or face a full-on fiscal disaster. Whether Barbara Buckley or Rory Reid will be the final Democrat in the 2010 Governor's Election, he/she will need to serious talk about what the state must do in 2011 to avert a California-esque financial nightmare.

So with that being said, read this and take it as a warning:

It looks like a budget deal may finally be made. Yes, yes, I know I've been saying that for a while. But now, it really looks like Arnold is caving on eliminating CalWORKS as Democrats cave on stopping cuts-only madness. While it could have been even worse, this will nonetheless take the cake as a horrendous "deal" that will cause massive pain in many people's lives.

Arnold looks to be getting his desired enrollment cap on Healthy Families, California's S-CHIP program. While other states are actually expanding health care coverage for children of working families, kids will be turned away from the doctors' offices and health clinics here. Oh, and it gets worse. Home health care services for disabled people will be gutted. State parks may be closed. More state workers will be fired.

And you know what makes this even worse? We'll be paying for these cuts long into the future. Remember that it costs more to care for sick people in the emergency room than at the health clinic. It costs more to turn away tourists and day-trippers from state parks than to keep the parks open. It costs more to throw troubled kids in jail than to prevent future crime with good education and after-school programs.

So all in all, "Arnold's Folly" will deeply hurt all of us. And really, this isn't just his folly. Karen Bass [California's Democratic Assembly Speaker] and Darrell Steinberg [California's Democratic Senate Leader] must also share the blame for not doing more to present a progressive alternative. The corporate establishment also shares the blame for refusing to pay their fair share of taxes while still expecting giveaway after giveaway after giveaway. And ultimately, we the people also share the blame for living in la-la land for far too long in expecting all the amenities in the world and refusing to think about paying for any of them.

Thanks to the many silly gimmicks, false accounting, and empty rhetoric in "The Age of Arnold", "The California Dream" now looks to be nothing more than an illusion. Will we ever see it again?

Yay, Nevada's #1 Again...

This time, in distress! No really, Nevada is the most distressed state in the nation!

[...] Nevada has the most “distressed economy” in the nation. The measure, done by the Kaiser Family Foundation, combines the number of foreclosures per housing unit (one in 64), the increase in unemployment and the growth in numbers of people on food stamps. In the last measure, Nevada was the second fastest-growing.

David Rousseau, director of statehealthfacts.org, said Nevada has topped the list since January, when it bumped Florida from the No. 1 position.

Service providers, meanwhile, are being stretched between falling tax revenues and budget cuts on one side and the increase in demand on the other. They worry how governments will pay for these services if the numbers needing them continue to grow.

Those seeking services are increasing faster than the recent grim projections made during the legislative session, according to Mike Willden, director of the state Health and Human Services Department.

About 209,000 Nevadans were on Medicaid in May, almost 5,000 more than the Legislature had approved funding for.

“If our assumptions all remain the same, and the caseloads are running higher, we’re obviously in extreme trouble,” Willden said.

This is just sad. And if there were any sense of justice here, social justice, we wouldn't have allowed those deep budget cuts that passed earlier this year and are already starting to cause extra pain to the "newly working poor" who now need that social safety net more than ever before. I know, I know, Gibbons wanted more and this was "the best we could get" with Raggio still pulling strings in the State Senate. But still, it sucks that we couldn't get real, progressive budget reform, and instead all we got was a little less distress than we otherwise would have had under Gibbons' plan.

Well, this still looks like a whole lot of distress to me.

Next Time "Ensign-Gate" Comes Up in Your Dinner Table Conversation...

Please, please bring up this article in today's Sun! Jeff Sharlet has been following John Ensign's bizarre "C Street" Christianist power cult for a number of years, so he has gained some real insight into the real Ensign behind the public facade he lets us "non chosen ones" see.

Take a look at this quote from Sharlet.

When you vote for someone, you want to know that they are their own man, you want to know they make decisions for themselves. More important, we want to see to what end this group applies its beliefs.

Doug Coe, David Coe’s father and leader of The Family fellowship going back to the mid ’60s, likes to call The Family “The Christian Mafia.” I knew Coe when I was part of The Family. He explained what it means to be a chosen politician.

Talking to another man, he said, “Let me explain to you the concept of ‘chosen.’ Suppose I hear you raped three little girls. What would I think of you?”

The man says, “You would think I was awful, a monster.”

And Doug Coe said, “No, I would not, because you’re chosen, and when you’re chosen, the normal rules don’t apply.”

I think that’s important for the voters of Nevada to know.

... And pay really close attention to this snippet from Sharlet.

I’m saying this not just to the voters of Nevada, but to all the Christian conservatives in Nevada who voted for Ensign because he presented himself as a Christian. Perhaps they would like to know what he means by Christian.

Does he read the New Testament and think it is only about power, and then does he apply that in the world?

One of the things that has come out is that when we look at Ensign’s travel records and Coburn’s travel records, we find them traveling around the world, doing official government business on The Family dime.

In other words, they’re representing U.S. interests, but they are going overseas, paid for by The Family and talking about this Family theology with foreign leaders. That becomes almost a national security issue.

Doug Coe in one presentation talked about Nazi Germany and the allegiance many Germans had to the Nazis. He said it was something of a role model for the approach that Family members need to have to their organization.

David Coe, a former assistant to George W. Bush at the Office of Faith-Based Initiatives, told NBC Nightly News last year that Doug Coe’s references to Nazis in his sermons were really a metaphor, a metaphor for commitment.

I don’t think Jesus used a metaphor of genocidal maniacs for commitment. I know David Coe and like him, but I think this is where you really get to the heart of the problem with The Family, this confusion over what their faith is about. Doug Coe will go so far as to say that he is not a Christian, that Christianity has got it all wrong.

The group began during the Great Depression because the founder thought that God came to him and revealed a vision that the New Deal was satanically inspired and that Christianity was getting it wrong for 2000 years by focusing on the poor, the weak, the suffering.

He said God came one night in April 1935 and said, “I want you to be a minister to not the down and out, but the up and out,” he called them, the powerful. And God’s going to choose a few powerful people, he’ll work through those people, and those people will distribute the blessings to the rest of us.

It sort of becomes this trickle-down fundamentalism that’s all about the fetishization of strength.

Hitler is not an appropriate metaphor for the teachings of Jesus; neither is Stalin or Mao.

When I was at the C Street house with Coe in a counseling session with Congressman Todd Tiahrt (Kansas Republican), he offered as examples Osama bin Laden and Pol Pot.

These were men, Coe said, who knew how to wield power, and we should wield power that way, too, except we should do it for Christ.

They say it’s the means, not the ends.

But when I look at Hitler I have trouble with both the means and the ends. I think any sane human being does.

If this doesn't scare you, I don't know what will. Oh hell, I think I actually do!



So please bring this up next time you hear someone talk about Poor Lil' Johnny Casino.

My Rant on "The Ensign Defenders"

OK, I can't help it. I sometimes find it frustrating how anyone can keep making excuses for Johnny "Casino" Ensign. Why is it that we working-class folks need "personal responsibility" but he doesn't? Should the super-rich really be held to a different standard?

Here's what I wrote at The Sun:

It's the hypocrisy of these fundie wingnuts that infuriate us. How dare they tell you that you should have no control over your personal health decisions or tell me that I can't marry the man I love when they don't even live up to their own moral standards! And furthermore, how dare they forsake their duty to their constituents (and in Ensign's case, violate the very laws he swore to protect and defend!).

Oh yes, and whatever happened to the "conservative mantra" of personal responsibility? I find it funny that none of the Ensign defenders here bring that up. Doesn't Johnny Casino have some responsibility to honor his marriage vows and keep his libido in check? Doesn't he have some responsibility to ensure he complies with campaign finance laws? How is it that all of us working-class folks need to be held "responsible" sometimes for things that aren't our fault while poor lil' Johnny Casino can get away with blaming his own moral and legal failings on the Hampton family?

Think about it. The religious right always tells us we don't need to be open about who we are or ever use any type of "controversial" health care options if we follow their advice on our sex lives. The corporate right always tells us we don't need no stinkin' "welfare state" if we just "pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps".

But really, why is it that Ensign needed a $96,000 bailout from his parents? Why should we automatically "forgive and forget" after he did exactly what he always tells us not to do? Sorry, but I can't forget and I don't think I can forgive. As The Dixie Chicks would say, I'm not ready to make nice.

Ensign clearly hasn't learned anything from this experience. He still doesn't think he needs to be held accountable for his actions. He still won't even support hate crimes protections for LGBT people, let alone full civil rights.

I see no reason to show any mercy on this sleazebag. He needs to go. Either he resigns now or we defeat him in 2012.

Nevada Unemployment at 12%??!!

Yes, believe it or not, we're at 12% unemployment (link will be provided as soon as everyone else catches up with me- KLAS TV just reported it on air). This is depression level. I'm not kidding.

And again, this is what I was talking about yesterday about the need for more stimulus. With this much pain and suffering, the last thing we need is a pullout of public investment akin to what Republicans are calling for.

Support the Utah "Kiss-in"

How sad that people are still arrested in this country for something that so many people take for granted.

Protesters are planning a second "kiss-in" near the Salt Lake City Temple to support two gay men who said they were stopped by LDS Church security after one man kissed the other on the cheek.

The event will take place at noon Sunday, according to a listing on Facebook. At 12:15 p.m., organizers will sound a whistle or bell as a signal to step onto a former public easement and kiss.

Supporters of Derek Jones and Matthew Aune staged a similar show of support July 12, when about 100 people gathered at Main Street plaza for "gentle" displays of public affection. Church security watched the protesters, and called police when they crossed onto the property, but there were no altercations.

Jones and Aune argued with guards July 8 after they were stopped at about 10 p.m. on Main Street Plaza, and later were cited for trespassing by police. The LDS Church has said the two men were stopped for "inappropriate behavior" and treated like any other couple.

So if you know anyone in the Salt Lake area, let them know about this action. When did a kiss on the cheek become so "inappropriate"?

Dina Titus Concerned About Deficit... And Hopefully Economic Recovery?

(Also at OC Progressive)

Honestly, I can understand why she'd say this.

Freshman Democrats, worried that the ballooning budget deficit is stoking voter anxiety, are urging House leaders to put forward a “credible” plan this year to cut it.

They say the need is urgent and a serious deficit-reduction measure must be added by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other leaders to an already jam-packed legislative agenda.

“My constituents are very concerned about the deficit,” said freshman Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.), elected with 47 percent of the vote in a swing district last year. “This is really starting to resonate.”

The corporate media are relentlessly pushing this story about "big government spending". And of course, the Republicans are trying to make "The Obama Recession Debt Deficit Enslavement" into some political boon in 2010 and 2012.

If we were to believe them, then all this "big government spending" is really scary business. But in reality, it's not. In fact, we need this government investment in our economy to offset all the money that the private sector's been pulling out and stimulate economic activity. While I've had my own critiques of President Obama's stimulus package (mainly that it wasn't big enough and overloaded with too many corporate tax cuts), I just can't overlook that we will have been far worse off by the end of this year without it.

So maybe, just maybe, this may be the one time I'll criticize Dina Titus. I know she needs to "talk tough on deficit spending" to sound "moderate" enough to keep winning over voters next year. And yes, I do think reducing deficit spending should be an important priority once our economic house was back in order. If President Clinton could do it 15 years ago, we can do it again! However, the last thing our economy needs right now is any further loss of investment.

If anything, we need more investment to stimulate our economy, not less!

Policymakers in Washington should thus not be fooled by the slowed increase in unemployment numbers; they have to keep doing things that will get people back to work. The most important trigger for economic recovery over the last century has been the growth of aggregate demand for consumer goods--which comes primarily from employed workers. If the number of employed workers declines, then there is a corresponding decline in income and demand. In a recession, that kind of decline can degenerate into a vicious spiral, as those who are still employed, seeing the threat of unemployment looming, choose to save rather than spend. As a result, demand is further reduced, more people are laid off, and the downward spiral continues.

So employment numbers aren't just a good sign of whether we are headed upwards or downwards; increasing employment through government spending is the most important way that the White House and Congress can get us out of this slump. That's worth remembering as Republicans and renegade Democrats call for budget cuts. This is not a time for cuts--it's time to begin thinking about whether a second stimulus program will be necessary.

As long as people keep losing their homes and their jobs, we shouldn't be talking about counteracting the good benefits we're just starting to see from increased government investment by pulling back some of that very needed investment. Again, we can talk about deficit reduction when unemployment's back below 5%, the foreclosure crisis has become a thing of the past, and most working families are no longer worrying over whether they have enough money to pay the bills. But until then, we need more stimulus, not less, (along with many more needed reforms, like universal health care and re-regulation of the financial industry) to get this nation out of this horrid Great Recession.

No Surprise: Rory Reid Likely to Run for Governor

I'm listening to KNPR's "State of Nevada" right now. Today's special guest is Clark County Commissioner Rory Reid (D).

For the first few minutes, he and "State of Nevada" host Dave Berns were talking about various Clark County issues. And thankfully, Reid, Jr., declined to endorse a bailout of the boondoggle "Las Vegas Monorail" when asked about transit issues and instead endorsed a possible light rail line along the old Union Pacific right-of-way from Henderson to Downtown Las Vegas. He also explained his proposal for a citizen task force to determine what needs to be done to "fix Clark County government".

Oh yeah, and did I forget to mention that Rory Reid will most likely run for Governor? He didn't just say it, but he dropped enough hints that this is what he wants to do. He disputed the rumor that "two Reids on the same ballot won't help either one". He also said that change in Washington isn't enough, and how we now need to change Carson City.

So far, Reid's still mostly talking about Las Vegas/Clark County issues. I'll provide another update here if he provides some answers to questions on statewide issues. Oh yes, and I'll post an audio link as soon as it's up on the KNPR web site.

Harry Reid Doing the Right Thing (Again)??!!

Wow! Who gave our Senate Majority Leader some serious spine? I'm impressed!

With a possible fight brewing in Congress over repeal of the Pentagon’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays in the military, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the majority leader, came down on Tuesday solidly in favor of eliminating the ban.

“We’re having trouble getting people into the military,” Mr. Reid told reporters when questioned about whether he could support an 18-month moratorium on enforcing a prohibition on gays in the armed forces. “And I think that we shouldn’t turn down anybody that’s willing to fight for our country, certainly based on sexual orientation.”

Mr. Reid said he would go the proposal, being considered by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Democrat of New York, one better and support a permanent repeal of the ban. [...]

To make his case for that proposal, Mr. Reid was accompanied Tuesday by Judy Shepard, the mother of Matthew Shepard, a gay University of Wyoming student who was tied to a fence, beaten and left to die in 1998. The bill will be named for him.

“For the last decade, Matthew Shepard’s name has been associated with hate crimes,” Mr. Reid said. “When this bill passes, his name will thereafter be associated with justice.”

So not only is Harry Reid finally ready to do something about hate crimes, and not only would he support a moratorium on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" enforcement, but he may even be ready to end the military service ban once and for all. I just hope he follows through and makes it happen. It seems that he, Nancy Pelosi, and President Obama have been playing this sick game of "chicken" on LGBT civil rights for far too long. Hopefully now, the game will end and we'll see some real action.

Keep It Klassy, LuvGuv!

Apparently amidst all the continuing drama of the Ensign Affair, we forgot to notice some big news. Our dear LuvGuv, Jim Gibbons, not only announced his reelection campaign, but also launched a Facebook page! And because this is Gibbons' Facebook page, it wasn't short on hilarious gaffes.

Among the more interesting things to note on the page is Gibbons' relationship status: "It's complicated." Gibbons is in the middle of a divorce from First Lady Dawn Gibbons.

Gibbons also became a member of the "Recall Raggio?" Facebook group, which was launched by state Senate candidate Todd "Taxpayer" Bailey. The group seeks to recruit members of Senate Minority Leader Bill Raggio's Senate district to launch a recall because of his support of tax increases.

But don't worry, Gibbons apparently doesn't really want Bill Raggio recalled... Or at least, that's what his campaign manager said. Still, I can't help but ROTFLMAO over his inability to even control his own Facebook page. I'm sure if Dawn Gibbons had her own Facebook page, she'd also be laughing right now. ;-)

For Once, We're Only #2

Yes, America, Nevada for once doesn't win a "worst government" award! Nope, we're only the second most dysfunctional state with New York taking top (dis)honors in the National Journal survey of state governments.

The magazine said the rankings are based on interviews with state political experts who looked at four criteria: quality of leadership (legislature and governor), any criminality in the state's political leadership, the severity of any policy challenges the state is facing and the intensity of the media circus surrounding state government.

Each category was graded on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the worst. Those scores were averaged to produce the ranking, the magazine said.

As for Nevada, the magazine gave its leadership problems a "10" and its criminality, statewide challenges and media circus each a "7," leaving it with a dysfunction rating of 7.75.

But hey, at least we beat out California (#6) and Illinois (#3)! Our dear "Luv Guv Gibbons" can out-embarrass Arnie and Blago any time!

Johnny Casino, Still Delusional as Ever

Republican Sen. John Ensign said Monday that not only does he have no intention of resigning in light of his affair and his parents’ payout to the woman’s family, he plans to seek reelection when his term is up in 2012.[...]

“I fully plan on running for reelection,” Ensign said late Monday evening. “I’m going to work to earn their respect back.”

Yes, believe it or not, Johnny Casino still thinks he can be reelected in 2012. It's OK. If he really wants Democrats to beat him into the ground that much, then we should oblige him that wish. ;-)

The Root of the Ensign Problem

Nevada Senator John Ensign "admitted" to an affair with his aide Cynthia Hampton after he was caught red handed. Can one admit to something after one is caught in the act? In any case, remember that Ensign was vocal in demanding that President Clinton step down from office for his sexual indiscretions. This moral stance did not prevent Ensign from pursuing some side nookie himself, however. He now feels remorse that he "violated the vows" of marriage in diddling someone other than his wife. Do ya think? Even creepier, if that is possible, his lover's husband was a top aide in Ensign's office in the Senate. Ignoring his own advice to Clinton, Ensign does not plan to resign.

In addressing the real ugliness behind "Ensign-gate" at HuffPo today, Jeff Schweitzer hit the nail on the head.

Only when we remove the false certainly that comes with claiming god is on our side can we truly confront the moral issues and ethical dilemmas that we face in our society. This epidemic of moral failure in the Republican Party is a clear symptom of the disease of intolerance; and such intolerance is an inevitable consequence of an appeal to divine insight. Why compromise when god says you're right?

We cure this disease by adopting a moral code completely divorced from religion. That task is easier than it would first appear. Religious morality has a poor track record; we can do better. The bar has been set fairly low.

Traits that we view as moral are deeply embedded in the human psyche. Honesty, fidelity, trustworthiness, kindness to others, and reciprocity are primeval characteristics that helped our ancestors survive. In a world of dangerous predators, we can speculate that early man could thrive only in cooperative groups. Good behavior likely strengthened the tribal bonds that were essential to survival. What we now call morality is really a suite of behaviors favored by natural selection in an animal weak alone but strong in numbers. We need to re-discover and appeal to this inner good derived from our biology and evolutionary history rather than to the myth of an invisible man in the sky with magical powers as a sound basis for our moral guidance.

This is how I've explained to friends and family how I, and many others who are atheist, address moral issues. It's not necessarily about which god(s) we want to believe in, but about what kind of people we want to be. We don't need Bible-bashing (or any other type of religious fantacism) to make ourselves better people.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not anti-religion. If a religion helps someone in his/her life journey, then how can I deny that to someone? It's just that religious beliefs alone don't automatically make someone a better person.

And obviously in John Ensign's case, it didn't help that the bizarre and secretive "C Street" radical right Christianist gang that he was a part of encouraged him to disregard whatever concerns he might have had over his moral hypocrisy. Instead, they just reassured him that "he was chosen by God to be great". Now talk about delusions of grandeur!

So I guess this is the frightening drama I see behind the pure comedy of Republican/religious right hypocrisy that John Ensign has taken to new levels. Once again we see how the religious right thinks they can have as many moral failings as they want, but just so long as they force us all to accept their version of "Jeezis" as our angry, belligerent "savior". Obviously, their view of "salvation" shouldn't equate to our society standard of morals.

The Reality of Bush-Arnold Era Shock Doctrine in California

(Originally at OC Progressive)

We need not look further than The Sacramento Bee's interactive map of California job losses to see how bad policies in Washington and Sacramento have really made an impact... In a negative way. Fortunately, there may be signs of life in other parts of the country as President Obama's stimulus spending finally starts to kick in here in Nevada and elsewhere. However, the federal stimulus will likely be offset next door in California by even more massive cuts to the very social safety net that's badly needed to survive a recession.

And with "Arnold Antoinette" pushing for even more brutal slashing of social safety net, California may very well face even worse economic conditions... And threatens to drag Nevada and the entire rest of the nation further down with it.

Climate Bill By Copenhagen? I Hope So... I Think?

(Also at OC Progressive)

Late last week, we found out that Senate Environment & Public Works (EPW) Committee Chair Barbara Boxer (D-CA) wants to delay her committee's vote on the Senate climate & energy bill and move it to September. And furthermore, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) supports this move as he'll have more time to round up votes. However, we don't really know if this is good news or bad news.

The delay bodes ill for passing a climate bill this year. It shows leaders are not confident they would have enough votes to pass the bill and want as much time as possible to rally support. Boxer also noted that many key senators with a role in crafting climate policy are also leading the debate over health care, another major congressional priority for this year.

[...] Several environmental groups have written in to say that they think today’s announcement is good news for climate legislation.

“We don’t think that this is a problem at all,” said Josh Dorner, spokesman for Sierra Club. “In fact, we think it’s a good thing. It’s a huge organizing opportunity, both here in D.C. and in the field. It also shows they are taking the time to make some meaningful, positive changes to the bill.”

Environmental Defense Fund was equally optimistic. “From our perspective, this is the right decision,” said Tony Kreindler, media director for climate at EDF. “It gives senators more time to review and understand the historic bill just passed by the House. It signals a serious intent to seek agreements on key issues going forward. And it gives Boxer and her colleagues on both sides of the aisle more time to reach those agreements. After all, the chairman has the ability to move forward today if the goal were simply to push any bill through.”

Honestly, I don't mind the delay that much... So long as this delay results in a stronger bill with more votes in time for the international climate change summit in Copenhagen this December. Let me explain my thoughts some more down below.

Last month, I explained why I feel we need to take serious action on the climate crisis.

New Orleans may sink into the sea by 2100. Much of Florida may also be underwater by then. Drought will likely become the norm out West, meaning California could no longer provide the food we depend upon. Las Vegas may become downright inhabitable.

No, I'm not fabricating any of this. These will be the consequences of inaction if we continue to delay implementing the solutions we need to solve the coming climate crisis. But for some reason, may of our supposedly wise lawmakers in Capitol Hill are either willfully ignorant of the facts or downright lying about our future.

Seriously, we can't allow any more of this.

However, the bill we ended up with in the House was badly weakened. And if the Senate passes an even weaker and more meaningless climate bill, then we might as well scrap "ACESA" and restart from scratch. After all if we were make a truly honest effort to prevent any more worsening of the climate crisis, we'd just implement a carbon tax.

Unfortunately, it seems that Democratic leadership is afraid of pushing for something as bold and effective as a simple carbon tax. But fortunately, there may still be a chance of at least strengthening the carbon caps and getting a better bill out of Senate EPW. Barbara Boxer has always been solid on environmental issues, and several more pro-environment Senators sit on EPW.

Still, we have challenges. Even though evidence has proven that renewable energy and energy conservation are our best and only hopes for a brighter energy future, Senate Republicans are already hinting that they will completely oppose ACESA if it isn't porked up with funding for dirty nuclear power. And of course, we'll again face the "clean coal" myth, the ridiculous opposition to efficiency measures that would actually save consumers money, and the typical "big government, big tax, big spending" crap that Republicans can't help but throw around.

This is why we must fight like hell to refute the "climate skeptics", point out the fallacies in the fossil fuel industry's disinformation campaign, convince the Blue Dog "ConservaDems" to stop stonewalling and start doing something good for a change, and encourage environmentalist leaders and Democratic leaders to fight for a better bill. Our future is at stake... Literally! We can not afford any more inaction, and we can not afford a bunch of half-measures that add up to a whole bunch of nothing.

So if this delay in the Senate's consideration of ACESA can result in a stronger bill that will be passed by the end of this year, then I welcome the extra time for us to organize and mobilize. I'm not sure if this is exactly what President Obama and Senators Boxer & Reid have in mind, but this is what we need them to do. Let's remind Obama & Reid that we expect more than just bragging rights for Copenhagen.