Obama

Obama highlights links between climate change and public health

~ admin

President Barack Obama, at at Howard University, participated in a roundtable discussion examining the impacts of climate change on human health.  The group explored the role of increased airborne particulates,shifts in insect-borne diseases and heat waves on respiratory distress, illness and heat stroke in Americans.

The administration also released an array of data that details links between climate change and public health. Google and Microsoft are now using that data to help inform communities about imminent climate-related threats.

In addition, the inter-agency U.S. Global Change Research Program is also drafting a Climate and Health Assessment report to describe human health impacts emerging from changes in extreme weather events, air quality and insect-borne diseases.

EPA announces new limits on greenhouse gas emissions

~ admin

Today, the Environmental Protection Agency announced new regulations designed to reduce CO2 emissions from power plants by 30% by the year 2030. The Clean Power Plan, expected to be enacted by 2015 is an effort to curtail power plant emissions, which account for 40% of total US emissions.

The new regulations follow on the heels of the EPA’s report, Climate Change Indicators in the United States that documents increased sea level rise, tropical storms and large wildfires.

Over at FiveThirtyEight, an analysis of approaches is summarized in their article, The Cap Matters Most in Cap-And-Trade Markets.

The federal plan is also hoped to motivate countries such as China and India to enact similar regulations. Whereas US power plant emissions have been in decline, China’s emission have risen 52% since 2005. Today’s announcement may be part of negotiations to occur at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, slated to meet in Paris in 2015.

Affordable Care Act is now real for 7.1 million Americans

~ admin

With the closing of the first open enrollment period of the Affordable Care Act, the President defiantly stated, “The debate over repealing this law is over”. Flanked by Joe Biden in the Rose Garden, Obama announced that 7.1 million Americans have now signed up for private health coverage.

The number is remarkable given the disastrous roll-out of the HealthCare.gov website last fall. With a concerted effort to enroll people in the final week, however, the Administration reached its goal in the most unlikely manner possible. Celebrities such as Lebron James, Zach Galifianakis, and  Ellen DeGeneres all helped the President raise awareness about open enrollment. With a flood of applicants in the final hours, however, the healthcare website once again crashed.

 

As the new system becomes reality, public attitudes have begun to shift.  A new Washington Post poll shows 49 percent of those polled support and 48 percent oppose the health-care law. This is the first time the law has been above water, ever. For months, if not years, the negative aspects of new regulations have sunk the popularity of the the ACA. Increasingly, the positive aspects of the act are becoming a tangible part of people’s lives.

Opinions are not surprisingly split along party lines, with few Republicans supporting the law (20%) and a majority of Democrats embracing it (76%). On Twitter, the split is apparent with some rejoicing,

And others are, well perhaps missing something,

 

 

Obama sinking Romneys Battleship

~ admin

In their final debate in Florida, Mitt Romney and Barack Obama are discussing a range of topics both foreign and domestic. The debate started slowly and then veered quickly off topic into domestic policy. Education, budgets and unemployment dominated. Libya was covered in one short section and it is surprising that Romney didn’t dig deeper on the issue to put the President on his heels. Romney looks much less aggressive than previously, perhaps feeling that he has momentum on his side. He has repeated the line, “attacking me isn’t leadership.”

Obama on the other hand, is clearly pushing the issue. He continues to press on the changes in opinion that Romney has made in his foreign policy stances over time. Romney pressed for funding the military for more ships and planes, which the US has fewer of at any time since 1916. Obama pounced on Romney telling him that he needed to spend some more time “looking at how our military works” because “the nature of our military has changed”.
In the most memorable line of the night, Obama quipped that the US also has fewer horses and bayonets than 1916. He continued to point out that we now have battleships and submarines and that military planning is not a game of Battleship, counting the total number of ships. A searing exchange that painfully underscores that Romney doesn’t fully appreciate the evolution of the modern military.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Some tweets:

“Is that first time Romney hasn’t convinced a moderator to give him more time?” @chucktodd

“Romney sounds more like Obama’s running mate than his opponent tonight” @carr2n

Another effective line from Obama: “You keep trying to airbrush history.”

Now Romney is picking up steam and is passionate about government not investing in companies. Investment in basic research at universities is fine, but not for companies. When Obama tries to rebut, a clearly energized Romney snaps: “I’m still speaking!”

And now we’re back into domestic policy. Romney talking about foodstamps, the economy and the fact that hiring teachers won’t get us out of economic malaise. Wow, what a terrible ending. Now for the closing remarks.

Well, at times Obama painted Romney as out of touch and at others too inexperienced and “all over the map” for the Commander and Chief. From the beginning, Romney was intent on staying out of any squirmishes and did not delineate many differences with the President’s policies. Overall, a very toned-down Romney perhaps trying to show a measured approach. Romney was trying hard to address his stance on the auto bailout, which made for some strange answers.