Monthly Archives: August 2014

What Really Drove the Children North

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“To make the ‘Obama did it’ hypothesis work, it is necessary to defeat the claim that the migrants are fleeing intolerable violence. This has given rise to the oft-repeated line that ‘those countries’ have always been very violent.   That is patently untrue.  Back in the early 1990s, drugs from South America flowed through the Caribbean to the U.S. But when a U.S. interdiction strategy in the Caribbean raised costs, trafficking shifted to land routes up the Central American isthmus and through Mexico. With Mexican President Felipe Calderón’s war on the cartels, launched in 2007, the underworld gradually slithered toward the poorer, weaker neighboring countries.”

http://online.wsj.com/articles/mary-ogrady-what-really-drove-the-children-north-1405892801

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Man Who Saved 669 Kids From Nazis Turns 105

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“Starting during his three weeks in Prague, Winton made one of the most impactful, single-handed efforts to save children from mass genocide.  He created advertisements for foster homes. He manipulated paperwork to sidestep government red tape that would have gotten in his way. He even persuaded Germans to go along with his plan. Continuing his efforts from his home in London for the next nine months, Winton coordinated eight train evacuations of 669 children from Czechoslovakia to Britain, saving them from almost certain death.  For decades, Winton’s heroic efforts largely went unnoticed — until 1988, when a BBC program surprised him.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/21/sir-nicholas-winton_n_5365539.html

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He built his own toll road: solving problems the State’s too useless to fix

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“Faced with months of roadworks and upheaval, and the loss of business at the party supplies shop he runs with his wife Wendy in Bath, the pioneering 52-year-old rented a nearby field and built an alternative road to allow traffic to bypass the closure, charging drivers £2 each way.  He spent £150,000 on the gravel track next to the A431 in Kelston and says he will probably spend that again to maintain it.   Of course, the council has been quick to question his efforts, citing that mealy-mouthed old staple — health and safety.  Rather than thanking him, they’ve subjected Mr Watts to all sorts of snooty checks and inspections. Well, they must be furious. They have been utterly humiliated by him.”

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2716156/A-hero-time-Inspired-man-built-toll-road-Hes-one-countless-Britons-rising-solve-problems-States-useless-fix.html

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California Mileage Tax Would Charge Drivers Based on Distance Driven

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“A new bill going through Sacramento would tax drivers for every mile they are on the road.  State transit officials note that there’s not nearly enough money available to fix the many bridges and roads in California that are in desperate need of repair.  A federal highway fund, based on taxes on fuel, is expected to run dry this summer.  Under SB 1077, introduced by DeSaulnier, a still-to-be-determined California city would begin taxing motorists in January 2016. The longer your commute, the more you would pay.  That may yet be a tough sell, but a $0.05 per mile fee could raise over $100 billion for roads in some parts of the state.”

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/California-Mileage-Tax-Would-Charge-Drivers-Based-on-Distance-Driven-258170311.html

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States Siphon Gas Tax for Other Uses

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“States are allotting a growing share of the funds they raise from gas taxes to debt service and spending unrelated to roads and bridges, making them more reliant on federal assistance to pay for new infrastructure.  The shrinking pot of state cash is one reason why governors increasingly are in a panic over a congressional impasse about replenishing the federal Highway Trust Fund. The federal fund, too, is running out of money and will cut disbursements to states if Congress doesn’t intervene.  Compounding the problem, gas-tax revenue has come in below targets in many states, in part because of a rising use of fuel-efficient cars and weaker-than-expected economic growth.”

http://online.wsj.com/articles/states-siphon-gas-tax-for-other-uses-1405558382

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California’s Cap-and-Trade Revolt: Poor Face ‘Hidden’ Gas Tax

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“Large manufacturers and power plants must now either purchase permits or cut their emissions to comply with a state-mandated cap, which over time will be ratcheted down. Transportation fuel suppliers will also have to pony up for permits.   Assembly Democrats fear that applying cap and trade to fuels ‘will cause an immediate jump in prices at the pump.’ While estimates vary, ‘an increase of about fifteen cents per gallon is likely and a much larger jump is possible.’  Green regulations are intended to raise the cost of gas to encourage people to drive less or buy electric cars.  As the Assembly Democrats point out, cap and trade is ‘hurting the most vulnerable members of our communities.'”

http://online.wsj.com/articles/californias-cap-and-trade-revolt-1403908359

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The Failing War on Drugs, the Benefits of Natural Cannabis Cultivation

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“Cannabis is being grown with labor-intensive and resource-intensive methods now. More fertilizer is being used than necessary. The wholesale price of cannabis has dropped from a high of US$6,000 to about $2,500 per pound (454 gms). This trend will continue as prohibition is lifted. Many growers are complaining about the plummeting price. Sooner or later the price will be so low that the only way to make a good living will be to grow outdoors on flat land. I believe the industry will follow a similar model to the wine industry. But, unlike wine grapes, cannabis is more adaptable and can be grown successfully in more climates.”

http://www.thedailybell.com/exclusive-interviews/35509/Anthony-Wile-Jorge-Cervantes-on-the-Failing-War-on-Drugs-the-Progress-of-Cannabis-and-the-Benefits-of-Natural-Cultivation/

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New York Times: End Prohibition, Again

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“[The] Sunday New York Times’ editorial calling for an end to cannabis prohibition in America, affirms in my mind, after nearly twenty four years publicly advocating for cannabis law reforms at NORML, the end of cannabis prohibition in our nation is nearly upon the rest of the country (beyond Colorado and Washington State). This is the same editorial board and opinions page that would with great frequency in the 1980s/90s publish some of the most stridently pro-cannabis prohibition editorials and columns found anywhere in the world, let alone from the urbane and ‘liberal’ New York Times, led by ardent cannabis foe, former editor and columnist A.M. Rosenthal.”

http://blog.norml.org/2014/07/26/new-york-times-end-prohibition-again/

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Sentencing Commission Cuts 46,000 Drug War Prisoners’ Sentences

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“In a much anticipated move, the US Sentencing Commission last Friday voted unanimously to retroactively apply previously approved reductions in federal sentencing guidelines to federal drug war prisoners already serving their sentences. The move means more than 46,000 federal prisoners will be able to apply for sentence reductions.  The move is the latest in an effort by the Sentencing Commission to reduce the excesses of drug sentencing resulting from harsh laws passed mostly in the 1980s. It comes as the federal prison population continues to expand, even as state prison populations have begun to shrink following the enactment of sentencing reforms at the state level.”

http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2014/jul/23/sentencing_commission_cuts_46000

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House Votes to Let Banks Take Deposits from Marijuana Businesses

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“In an historic vote Wednesday, the US House has approved an amendment to the Treasury Department appropriations bill barring the agency from spending any money to punish financial institutions that provide services to marijuana businesses in states where it is legal.  This is the second time in less than two months that the House has voted to roll back marijuana law enforcement. In May, the House passed an amendment prohibiting the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from undermining state medical marijuana laws and passed two amendments prohibiting the DEA from interfering with state hemp laws.”

http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/2014/jul/16/house_votes_let_banks_take_depos

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