The EPA Changed the Way it Makes Scientific Decisions to "Sustainable" In January 2012, the EPA announced it was "realigning its entire research enterprise around the concept of sustainability." The new initiative is titled, "The Path Forward." Agency scientists and managers agreed to base their process on "the widely used definition of sustainability as outlined by the Brundtland Commission in 1987..." The 1987 Brundtland Commission report, also known as "Our Common Future," stated that the earth was in danger, there was too much poverty and industrialized nations like the US were the cause. According to Brundtland, the only way to protect earth was for powerful central authorites to control all of society, the economy and the environment in an initiative it coined as "sustainable development."
Union Founder's Words on Socialism "Socialism has no place in the hearts of those who would secure the fight for freedom and secure democracy." Samuel Gompers 1918 Samuel Gompers was the founder and longest serving president of the American Federation of Labor. (AFL) "Deja vu All Over Again?"
FDR won his first two terms by attacking the wealthy and pitting them against poor Americans. In 1932 he promised to "cut government operations by 25% and lower taxes", but did neither. In 1936, he overwhelmingly won by raising taxes on the rich then redistributing the money to larger voting blocks in swing states using the WPA, Silver Purchase Act and the Agricultural Act. By 1940, needing businesspeople to win the war, he called for unity among the same people he divided and won another decisive victory. In 1944, FDR sidestepped laws prohibiting union money in elections by forming the nation's first Political Action Committee. This provided urban labor support. Fearing a backlash by Japanese prisoners if released from internment camps, he created an executive order to keep them imprisoned until 3 days after the elections. To gain the Polish American vote, FDR promised special treatment for Poland after the war. He won nearly 90% of their vote, and then betrayed the group by failing to offer the promised "self-determination" for Poland at the Yalta conference. Still, he won a fourth slim victory. Upon his death, the NYT wrote, "Men will thank God on their knees 100 years from now FDR was in the White House."!
Between budget battles and elections, politicians and media supporters spin wildly to advance their own positions, leaving the public misinformed. In this column we will attempt to unravel some of the worst spins. Worst Economy, I think! In 2008, now Pres. Obama said "we are in the worst economy since the Great Depression." Presidential Whoppers! During the Healthcare Summit and his 2010 State of the Union message, Pres. Obama declared the healthcare bill would cut the federal deficit. |
HUD eCon: Government Planning is Coming to Your Community![]() By John Anthony HUD is coming to a community near you with an upgraded toolbox of planning programs to support needs-driven, place-based decision-making and deepen informed public participation. Why is HUD involved in your local community planning? Look no further than those irresistible HUD Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grants. They are just one of the keys that opens the door for the Federal Government to "leverage" their financial investment in your hometown. Think that grant check is free? Think again. Integration of expanded community needs, increased mapping capabilites and planning templates all spell one thing, an unequal partnership between your community and the Federal government in which you and your public officials become minority shareholders. On March 15, 2012, President Obama signed Executive Order 13602 authorizing HUD to "engage with and support local communities..." to provide assistance with "planning resources to develop and implement their economic vision and strategies." May 7, 2012 HUD rolled out the eCon Planning Suite and a week later the agency announced it would spend $70 million to teach grant recipients how to spend the money they have received. In other words, your "vision and strategy" will get a little help from the government. If this sounds like top down control, well, it is not supposed to. It's just that it is. This video may appear supportive, hi-tech and progressive, but consider this: HUD is a regulatory agency with the power to write rules that govern your locality leaving your public officials with little to do but settle wrangles over property boundaries. The agency has the ability to "guide" regionalization planning that bypasses local governments, define what type of planning is needed in your community and identify what is an effective or ineffective plan. Nor does HUD work alone. In June of 2009, EPA, HUD and DOT formed the Partnership for Sustainable Communities. This linking effectively integrated "Liveability Principles" governing the outcomes of community planning across the platforms of the three agencies. The next time your community considers accepting grant money from the government, think twice. You may be engaged with one agency, but you are married to them all. Now eCon places HUD in the position to set the "matrimonial" rules for your community's future. Back | ||
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