Minnesota HF 2285

I have to admit that one of the more interesting aspects of researching all of the ballot measures is that I am learning so much of how other states operate and hold elections.

HF 2285: Dedicated Funding for Natural Resources and Arts

Summary: Dedicates a new 3/8 of one percent sales tax for a 25-year period to the following purposes:
- 33 percent to restore, protect, and enhance wetlands, prairies, forests, and habitat for fish, game, and wildlife;
- 33 percent to protect, enhance, and restore water quality in lakes, rivers, and streams and to protect groundwater from degradation (at least five percent of the this amount must be spent only to protect drinking water sources);
- 14.25 percent to support the state’s parks and trails; and
- 19.75 percent for the arts and cultural heritage purposes.

Four different and specific funds (outdoor heritage fund, parks and trails fund, clean water fund, and arts and cultural heritage fund) and one account (sustainable drinking water account within the clean water fund) would be created for the monies to be deposited in.

States the dedicated monies must supplement traditional sources of funding for the above purposes.

Requires that land acquired by fee with money from the outdoor heritage fund under this section must be open to the public taking of fish and game during the open season unless otherwise provided by law.

States that if the base of the sales and use tax is changed, the sales and use tax rate in this section may be proportionally adjusted by law to within one-thousandth of one percent in order to provide as close to the same amount of revenue as practicable for each fund as existed before the change to the sales and use tax.

My recommendation: YES. Anything that preserves land takes care of what is already there is good by me.

Farmer in Chief

Oh me, oh my… I do like Michael Pollan.

Yesterday, he wrote a great, albeit long, article for the New York Times about our food crisis. I think it is really, REALLY important that everyone read this. You can find it HERE.

It is a letter to the next President about a major upcoming issue that is NOT being addressed.

“Which brings me to the deeper reason you will need not simply to address food prices but to make the reform of the entire food system one of the highest priorities of your administration: unless you do, you will not be able to make significant progress on the health care crisis, energy independence or climate change. Unlike food, these are issues you did campaign on — but as you try to address them you will quickly discover that the way we currently grow, process and eat food in America goes to the heart of all three problems and will have to change if we hope to solve them”

Dear Mr. President:

I have frequently written about Bill McKibben, because gosh darnit, I like him and his writing and what he stands for. He started the website www.350.org, and I want to direct you all to a fantastic campaign. Click HERE.

They are asking all of us to sign a petition to our future employee, asking him to attend the UN Climate Meetings.

In last nights debate, for the first time, both candidates spoke about what they would do about climate change if put in the office. This asks them to walk what they talk.

Please take the 10 seconds to sign it and get our voice heard!

just something to ponder

I just find THIS article very very interesting.

It seems that Alaska has TWICE the national average of birth defects due to its toxic waste.

I will allow you to make your own judgments on this situation, Sarah Palin, her child, the environment, etc. etc…. I just want to make sure people see all of the information that is out there.

more on Prop 2

If you live in California, please vote YES on Propostition 2! Learn more HERE

And watch this video… kind of cute:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqPJsfjjyZU]

Don’t be silent….

Suppose the energy crunch has grown to cripple the economy, we’re moving products, twenty years from now, on old railroads and gas guzzling trucks. The air becomes clogged with pollution again from fossil fuels because they’re all we have. India, China, Russia and Brazil are, by then, grabbing and outbidding us for resources. Our failed education system has cost us our innovative edge. We can’t compete. We might even have fallen back to a second rate power, we Americans. And the young people twenty years from now and the older folks who can remember it, will look back on the fall election of 2008 that set the course for this century and see videotapes of us arguing about lipstick…lipstick.

This game that’s being played is not an insult to a candidate, it’s an insult to the intelligence of our democracy, which is really all we have, each of us, to decide and build a future. Our only escape from all this is to force ourselves, against all the distractions, to think through the hearts and minds of those young people who will have to live in the world we are now deciding who’s to build, who’s to lead us to

Chris Matthews

Don’t be silent….

Suppose the energy crunch has grown to cripple the economy, we’re moving products, twenty years from now, on old railroads and gas guzzling trucks. The air becomes clogged with pollution again from fossil fuels because they’re all we have. India, China, Russia and Brazil are, by then, grabbing and outbidding us for resources. Our failed education system has cost us our innovative edge. We can’t compete. We might even have fallen back to a second rate power, we Americans. And the young people twenty years from now and the older folks who can remember it, will look back on the fall election of 2008 that set the course for this century and see videotapes of us arguing about lipstick…lipstick.

This game that’s being played is not an insult to a candidate, it’s an insult to the intelligence of our democracy, which is really all we have, each of us, to decide and build a future. Our only escape from all this is to force ourselves, against all the distractions, to think through the hearts and minds of those young people who will have to live in the world we are now deciding who’s to build, who’s to lead us to

Chris Matthews

palin-drone

I am sure many of you can tell my political leanings based on many of my posts. I do not care how you vote. I do care that you vote. I am very extreme in this, to the extent that I think if you don’t vote you have absolutely NO right to complain about, debate, argue or encourage your political views. In fact, when a political conversation starts, that is the first question I ask… Did you vote? If the answer is no, I walk away. Why? Because, by not voting, you gave up your voice. YOU silenced YOURSELF.

I think it will be rare that I use this blog as a forum to discuss specific political races; who I feel you should vote for. That being said, I have learned some things recently about Sarah Palin, that I felt I needed to discuss. I am concerned about the election and its impact on my right to choose, my support of gay marriage, and the economy. However, what I am the most concerned about is the impact this election could have on our environmental policy.

I cannot support the Republican ticket, and especially Palin, for her stance on the environment. She has shown time and time again, that she supports oil and big business over the environment. She believes that the scientists have yet to prove that global warming exists, even when 90% of the scientists agree it exists. Here are a list of some of her decisions as her time in office… the whole two years….

1.) believes that we should drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

2.) a proponent of a natural gas pipeline from Alaska’s North Slope.

3.) has sued the Department of the Interior about putting the polar bear on the endangered species list. She “believes that the decision to list the polar bear was not based on the best scientific and commercial data available. Palin and other state officials expressed concern that listing polar bears as threatened would impair oil and gas development in the state.”

4.) supports mining in Bristol Bay, which may disrupt salmon, bears, and caribou.

5.) Most people in the Alaskan environmental community see her as an ally of Big Oil, willing to set aside both science and the public good to benefit the industry

However, I find the most disturbing issue of her belief system is her support of shooting wolves from the air. There are no words that honor my disgust and hatred and rage over the idea that someone in a plane can fly over a wolf, minding its own business, living and surviving the way nature (or God) intended, and shoot and kill, or worse leave it maimed to die a slow death. In my opinion that is a cowardly attack on an animal that is doing absolutely nothing to harm or hurt humans. Here is a video about aerial hunting. It is hard to watch, but you need to see what your potential future leader supports.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Mu_rqmFpL8]

The last thing that I want to say is this. The women (and men) who lead the charge for us to get the vote did it because they accurately believe that there is no difference in gender in making a decision on who best leads this country. Our ancestors fought for this right because they believe that women are equally capable based on the fact that we are equally intelligent, equally able to make decisions for the best of our families, and equal members of this society.

It is my belief that the Republican party is laughing at everything we fought for; they believe that we women will think that just because Palin has a vagina we will vote for her. This is a decision not based on believing we are equal, it is a decision based on thinking we are stupid.

My case and point, this picture:

If you truly believe that our ancestors fought for our equality so this image could represent America, then I think you are sadly mistaken.

VOTE!!

pray, and then move your feet

Incredible speech made by Al Gore on Thursday evening at the convention.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYdV1wszqhM&eurl=http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/8/28/18121/5877]