IPCC - Sea Levels Rise 8 to 20 inches by 2100

The 2007 IPCC report concluded that average ocean levels will rise between 8 and 20 inches by year 2100. That seems to make sense considering it has risen about 8 inches since 1900.

Every now and then I see something that makes me scratch my head and wonder what all the fuss is about? Yes, if this prediction is correct it's going to be a problem for millions who live in areas that... I'm sorry to say they shouldn't. There is a reason why the Dutch have dikes and New Orleans requires an extensive levy system. Living in coastal areas is awesome but I'm sorry building on sand and on river deltas is just stupid. That said, I think humanity is more than capable of dealing with the projected sea level rise over the next 85+ years.

It's important to note that 10,000 years ago enough water was locked up in land glaciers to lower the world oceans by over a 150 meters. Have you ever wondered why the Chesapeake Bay and much of our East Coast look the way it does? The Chesapeake is essentially the drowned Susquehanna River valley.

Again I urge my fellow tree hugging friends to focus on air, water and land pollution that continues to adversely impact millions of lives on a daily bases and in my opinion poses a much greater risk to our planet than plant loving CO2.

Should the Federal Government Support the Local Press?

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press... I would argue that our founders knew that a free press was essential to monitoring local government.

It's a TOTALLY off the wall suggestion but clearly the local press is dead and maybe it's time we as a nation determine it's in our best interest to support it?

In depth local reporting is basically gone and the internet isn't stepping up to fill this void. I could list a dozen things that have happened that twenty years ago wouldn't have happened if the local press still existed. For example the water problem in Flint Michigan.

One thing we could do to make America great is find a funding mechanism to help support local papers. Seems nuts but it might actually be cost effective. Could local papers be independent if they received federal funds? In the long run would it be cost effective? We spend millions and millions of dollars helping spread democracy in the third and second world, wouldn't it make sense to redirect some of those funds to make America Great?

The Dark Side of Politics - NRST

I've been involved with the GOP since walking my neighborhood as a kid putting flyers in doors for the League of Woman voters. My activism (for my mom) helped me get appointed to the Naval Academy and fueled my lifelong interest in politics.

My passion for politics was reignited in 1992 when I first heard about "CATS". No, not the fuzzy little creatures who occupy so many homes and for the most part are the most aloof animals in existence. CATS or Citizens for the Alternative Tax System, was the acronym for a nation wide tax reform movement that called for the repeal of the 16th amendment. The 16th amendment which was part of the progressive movement like the 17th (direct election of Senators) and the 18th (prohibition) was ratified February 1913 allowing direct taxation of the individual by the federal government.

Think about it... Up until 1913 the income tax was unconstitutional. It's hard to imagine a time where the federal government couldn't tax the individual. One could say that the inability to tax the individual was one of the founding principles that the drafters specifically prohibited it in our Constitution.

The federal sales tax is so simple to understand. It calls for the elimination of the income tax. Federal revenue is raised by piggy backing a federal sales tax on the existing state sales tax. To ensure it's wasn't regressive (meaning detrimental to lower income earners) anyone could apply for a rebate to compensate them on incomes below the poverty line. 

The federal government acknowledges the sales tax is the simplest tax to collect as documented by the existence of more than one government white paper on how to collect taxes post massive natural disaster or limited nuclear war. The reasoning is simple... A national sales tax doesn't require a massive bureaucracy of 100,000 people spending $11,000,000,000 dollars to process 238,000,000 tax returns that took 3,800,000,000 hours to prepare. 

The IRS's 2000 different forms are overly complicated. In 2015 the federal internal revenue code (2,412,000 words long) and federal tax regulations (7,655,000 words long) was the equivalent of roughly 160 full length, exceedingly boring, novels.  Furthermore, this total doesn't include the massive body of tax-related case law that is often vital to understanding how the code and regulations are actually applied.

When I first got excited about replacing the income tax with a sales tax I was worried that the $3,700,000,000,000 national debt at roughly than half of GDP was out of control. With the national debt closing in on $20 trillion it's fundamentally clear this growth is unsustainable and there will come a time, soon rather than later, in which the entire system will collapse upon itself.

What keeps fueling this entire process?

For starters I think both parties are to blame but it's clear to me that the Democrats continue to use the power of the ballot to "make" the rich pay their "fair share" and there will come a tipping point where the rich just say screw it.

Voting to take more and more money from one group (mostly self starters and successful entrepreneurs) to give stuff to others has always been questionable because there will come a time where the "fair share" will be deemed unfair and those paying it will stop and may even leave. For the most part the "rich" employ lawyers, accountants and tax experts who sole purpose is to understand the law better than the IRSs and figured out how not to pay taxes.  The enforcement of these rules upon the rest of us not so rich schmucks is via the Dark Side of Politics.

New England Income and Sales Taxes

I was trying to figure out what's going on with my recently adopted state and it's high taxes. I have a modest home and pay nearly $6,000 in property taxes.  I have an old car and I pay another $177 a year for my tags. Our sales tax runs 5.5% and my income is taxed at 9%. Do the math... 20% of what I make goes to state and local taxes. Add that to the 15% self employment tax and the 21% federal income tax and the government gets more of my income than I do.

Tax competition between states isn’t theory and can be readily observed among states. New England is a awesome example of how tax policy hurts economies, New Hampshire is unique example. It's total revenue per person is on par with it's surrounding states yet is the only state with no personal income tax or sales tax.

At the same time, New Hampshire is also an outlier in economic performance. It ranks the lowest in the percent of population that is considered to be low income, the highest private sector share of personal income and highest household median income. The other states, especially Maine and Vermont, have had dismal economic performance in recent years compared to New Hampshire.

New Hampshire’s neighbors know this and have passed a few laws to model themselves after New Hampshire. In one area that New England states are acting on is the income tax. In past decade, All New England states, except Connecticut which actually implemented an income tax for the first time, have either kept their income tax the same or lowered it likely to get more in line with New Hampshire.

The sales tax can create or destroy economic activity too.  At the statewide level, businesses sometimes locate just outside the borders of high sales tax areas to avoid being subjected to their rates. A stark example of this occurs in New England, where even though I-91 runs up the Vermont side of the Connecticut River, many more retail establishments choose to locate on the New Hampshire side to avoid sales taxes. One study shows that per capita sales in border counties in sales tax-free New Hampshire have tripled since the late 1950s, while per capita sales in border counties in Vermont have remained stagnant or gone down.

So here is the rub. Property taxes in Maine are more than double that of Virginia Beach and nearly double that of Boston.  Income taxes are significantly more here as well. My question is are the schools in Maine that much better than say Virginia Beach?  Are the roads better?  Are the public services better? Does it really cost that much more to live up North than down South?  There are 39 states with lower over all taxes than Maine. New Hampshire seems like it would be the lowest, having no income or sales tax, but there are 29 states with lower overall taxes than them.

That's my point. New Hampshire has figured out how to raise needed revenue without hurting their economy.  New Hampshire has found a way for everyone to pay their fair share not just the rich and the results are starting to compound. I would suggest that they eliminate the state corporate income tax and create a sales tax but that's my opinion based on years of studying tax structures and what works and what doesn't.

I will most likely die before I see meaning full tax reform. But when I first heard the idea of a National Retail Sales tax (piggy backed on the 46 states who currently have one) replacing the income tax I knew it was an idea that just made fundamental common sense. An idea who's time has come!

*Please visit taxfoundation.org

Hillary Clinton's Health Coverup

Disclaimer - I want to vote for a Republican but I'm finding it nearly impossible to vote for Mr. Trump.

After watching the second debate I noted that Hillary again looked great and I wondered where the health rumors were coming from so I started to do my own research and I've discovered Hillary Clinton absolutely has a serious health problem and although it's clear that the public is just guessing those closest to her know what it is.

My belief that Hillary Clinton has a serious medical issue is primary based on video clips that are readily available on the internet and number of medical problems actually reported to the press over the last twenty years.  The most recent 911 memorial collapse, her odd response during the balloon drop at the conclusion of the DNC convention and the crazy head bob while answering a reporters question June 10th, 2016 have convinced me something isn't right.

My belief is also based on her repeated episodes of collapsing due to dehydration, exhaustion, walking pneumonia, etc... and then seemingly being fine shortly afterwards is more indicative of an underlying neurological disorder rather than illness. Based on her lengthy congressional testimony and her looking absolutely great during the debates I doubt that her condition would preclude her from being able to serve as president but I think the voters have a right to know the truth.

On January 31st, 2005 in Buffalo, NY then Senator Hillary Clinton was scheduled to give a speech on Social Security positioning herself to make a run for president. Just as she started, she collapsed.

Hillary Clinton did not go to the hospital and no ambulance was called. "She received immediate medical attention at the site and is now proceeding with her schedule as planned," said Philippe Reines, Clinton's press secretary at the time and current Donald Trump debate prep impersonator.

This was one of Hillary's first documented total collapse and subsequent quick full recoveries without being hospitalized which leads me to believe those closest to her know what her condition is and know how to treat it.

Sometimes the truth hides in full sight. If you're sick enough that you faint it usually takes more than an hour for you to be looking great again and yet this is exactly what has happened repeatedly to Mrs. Clinton.

My belief is Secretary (soon to be President) Hillary has an underlying medical condition which she has been lying about for years, going back to her potentially fatal blood clot in 1998 which she even hide from her staff.

1st HRC and Trump Debate Down

It's done... and I nearly didn't survive.

Ninety minutes of unfiltered BS drove me to drink and drink I did. So how many people watched? According to the Nielsen company 81.4 million suffered through that sad excuse for political discourse.

My view is both of them sucked.  Hillary looked good but just kept talking and talking. Trump was uptight and drinking water. The moderator seemed to be working for Hillary asking Trump hard questions while giving Hillary a pass.

Before the debate many American's were thinking she was seriously ill. Unless something significant happens to indicated this is true her health is no longer and issue.

Once again Hillary made it clear that she doesn't think the rich are paying their fair share.  Right now the top 1% of income earners pay nearly 50% of all federal income taxes. How much more should they pay? What constitutes a fair share. It's class warfare, it's pandering and something the democrats have mastered.

I would have loved to hear Trump make the case that corporations shouldn't pay a dime of income tax. Why? Because they don't pay income tax now they just charge more for their products and services passing the cost of "their" taxation onto the consumer... Typically the middle class.

That's my take and I'm seriously sick to my stomach.

Alternative to the ACA

CBO Misses Its Obamacare Projection by 24 Million People

March 2016

I was excited to buy "group" health insurance for the first time in my life. It took almost a month for me to get the website to work and I ended up getting three policy packages but still I was excited.

Then I determined I couldn't keep my doctor with any the offered ACA plans and although I signed up for dental it never worked.

A few years back a wonderful women who is a senior manager for a hospital chain let me in on an idea that is well known in her industry. Most of the things people like about Obamacare are just regulations that don't cost the tax payer a dime. Like preexisting conditions don't matter, cover kids till they turn 27, basic list of fully covered procedures, etc...

Would it make sense to eliminate the special tax treatment given all things medical and prohibited employer and group plans? Reinforce the health care safety net for those under 18 and over 65 and require everyone in the middle to have there own individual health insurance or pay a penalty come April 15th.

Right now 49% of American's are covered by their employers and yes it seems radical to change this but clearly employee offered health insurance has distorted the market to such a degree that it's nearly impossible to determine what a health care procedure is going to cost prior to billing.

This has to change!  

Buying health insurance should be like buying car or home owners insurance with a few basic rules. Rules that are now included in Obama Care.  For starters the idea that you can't find out what something is going to cost by asking your doctor "hey what's this ankle boot going to cost..." has to stop. Seriously, this isn't a new idea for a capitalistic society. Right?

Bernie Sanders Wrong - Emails Matter II

I didn't write the bulk of this but edited it so it's less wordy.

On September 11, 2012, four Americans in Libya were killed in a terrorist attack at the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi.

Republicans accused Clinton of putting politics over the protection of American personnel which led them to pry into her emails.

The House Select Committee on Benghazi asked for all of the State Department’s Benghazi-related emails, but State only turned over eight from Clinton. That seemed weird, so people began asking questions.

Throughout 2014, House Republicans complained that the State Department was stonewalling them for the emails.  In March 2015, the New York Times revealed why: The State Department didn’t have Clinton’s emails. It turned out Clinton had used a private email server and private account exclusively throughout the duration of her tenure as secretary of state.

Since then, there’s been something of a mad scramble for Clinton’s emails involving basically everyone and their mother. Each of the email hunters has had different incentives for trying to uncover Clinton’s emails.

- The FBI opened its investigation to learn if Clinton broke classification laws.

- Republicans in Congress, at least theoretically, want to learn more about her handling of Benghazi.

- The conservative advocacy group Judicial Watch has filed more than 20 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits over Clinton’s emails, in a move that’s hard to interpret as anything but baldly partisan.

- News outlets like Gawker, Vice News, and the Associated Press also all filed their own legal cases for Clinton’s emails in search of a better understanding of her time in the State Department.

I thought Hillary's violation of the Federal Records Act of 1950 was a big deal. Turns out it is, but it's not.  For starters the head of each agency is responsible for setting up, maintaining and ensuring records are retained and stored. She was the head of the agency which is pretty funny since she was likely the worst violator.  The Federal Records Act of only applies to government employees while employed by the government with the maximum punishment being termination of employment.

Because these different investigations and lawsuits are all slowly unfolding over the same time period, they’ve led to the slow drip of emails being released. Colin Powell was spot on.  As soon as folks started asking about her server she should have turned it over to the FBI and said... You guys got it all and I want someone put in charge to make sure personal information is not released to the public. But instead she cherry picked what she wanted released and deleted and scrubbed the server... Three months after the courts ordered the emails be preserved.

So now I understand why the emails became an issue and why this crap has just gone on and on. Part of it is Hillary the other part is there are so many people, so many cases, etc...  It's going to take years before this is over. Meaning even if she wins she is going to be weighed down by this.  Toss in likely medical issues and I got one word for you:

BERNIE

Global Warming Petition Project

“There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon dioxide, methane or other greenhouse gases is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth’s atmosphere and disruption of the Earth’s climate.” (“Global Warming Petition Project,” www.petitionproject.org, 2015)

That statement has been signed by 31,487 American scientists, including 9,029 with PhD’s.

I love that quote.

Last night my better half made a really good point:  "David why does this settled science bug you so much?"

Three reasons.

#1 Believing something just because someone else believes it just blows me away. Science is when someone has a theory, comes up with ways to test this, publishes their results and other scientists conduct tests and get the same results.  The scientific community has been wrong in the past and even forced out ideas for years the eventually proved to be right. Why can't we learn from this?

#2 Global warming now climate change looks like a power grab and it's going to cost trillions which will once again screw over the poorer nations.

#3 Lastly and more importantly it takes our eye off what we should be focused on. Massive pollution created by developing and poor counties continues at a levels that are literal killing people and the planet. I'm not talking about hidden pollution such as heavy metals... which is also a huge problem... I'm talking air you shouldn't breath, soil that is so polluted nothing will grow and rivers that you can't swim.

Cats and Litter Boxes

This morning what's left of Hurricane Hermine maxed our humidity and the house is sticky resulting in something new. My eyes started to itch like sand had blown into them. It was so bad my right eye swelled shut, I felt disorientated and my stomach was upset.

Turns out I'm more allergic to cats and specifically cat pee than I thought. The humidity activated old dried pee and spray resulting in the kitchen and downstairs bathroom reeking of cat pee.

After some research I came across this list of five mistakes people make when it comes to litter boxes. This advice is spot on and lines up with my life long experience with other peoples cats (remember I'm allergic and wouldn't own a cat) be it a girl friends or both of my daughters cats living with me from time to time.

#1 You're not cleaning the litter box enough.

Many cats won’t use the litterbox if it’s not in pristine condition. We know it’s probably not your favorite chore, but you should scoop it out at least twice daily and add more litter as needed. Clean the actual box with baking soda or unscented soap once a week. To make your life a little easier, make a litterbox kit with all the essentials (litter, bags and scoop), so you have everything handy.

#2 The litter box in a less than ideal location.

Place your cat’s litterbox in an area that’s quiet and away from resting areas, as well as food and water bowls. If there’s too much foot traffic or if it’s too close to where they eat your might opt to go to the bathroom somewhere else. Also consider how much privacy the location offers and how easy it for your cat to access it.

#3 You don't have enough litter boxes.

For many cats, having just one litterbox to use is not going to cut it. Instead follow this general rule: one litterbox per cat plus one. So if you have one cat, you’ll need two litter boxes; two cats need three litter boxes. More boxes might be necessary if your house is large or has multiple floors.

#4 The litter box is not big enough.

When it comes to litter boxes, size matters. A 2014 study conducted by veterinarian and behaviorist Norma Guy found that cats tend to prefer big litter boxes to small ones. Ideally, the litterbox should be at least one and half times the length of the cat’s body (not including the tail). Additionally, cats are not always fans of covered litter boxes, so you should try leaving it uncovered.

#5 You're not addressing your cat's stressors.

If your cat is missing the litterbox, it could be a sign that they have anxiety. Common stressors are when there is a move, new person, new baby or new pet in the household. If you have multiple cats, one of them could be bullying your favorite kitty and preventing them from using the litterbox. The stressor could even be more subtle than that. For instance, they might be stressed that you changed to a new type of litter, moved the litter box to a new location or that the depth of litter has changed. If you’re not sure what’s causing your kitty to miss the litter box, talk to your veterinarian, who may refer you to a veterinary behaviorist.