Save $100 From The 'Gas Tax Holiday'--drive 979 miles/week?

According to the American Road and Transportation Builders Association..." the "gas tax holiday" would cost the Federal highway system nearly $9 billion in lost revenues...Over three hundred thousand jobs would be lost over the course of the next 3-4 years if the "gas tax holiday" were enacted. Also, though this article does not discuss this issue, if gas prices were lowered, demand would increase, and prices would increase, and if the oil companies were taxed more, we would be paying higher prices at the pump anyway.

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Facebook's Influence on the 2008 Election: Polling Millennia

Millennials, the generation of individuals from 18-29, are becoming more influential on politics and more excited about politics, smashing the apathetic and disaffected stereotype that still plagues Generation X. In general this article says that the Millenial Generation supports gay marriage but opposes universal health care, advocating instead for underlying problem of the increasing cost of medical care to be addressed. Religion and spirituality are more important to them than older “liberals.” For the first time in history, “nearly as many raw votes were cast by those 30 and under as by those over 65.” This generation has a great deal of power, but my question is: what happens if Obama, the overwhelming favorite of this generation, loses the primary and/or election? Will we become yet another apathetic group of young people with no appreciation for the rights we have, and disengage from the political process?

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The Countertraffickers: Rescuing the victims of the global sex trade, by William Finnegan, The New Yorker

A well-written and researched article about human trafficking from Moldova. While it discusses the situation directly as it pertains to that nation, there are a variety of themes that run through the different forms of human trafficking that are presented. It is a long, but comprehensive article about human trafficking that would be helpful for someone new to the issue and looking to learn more.

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Myanmar cyclone toll climbs to nearly 22,500

The recent cyclone in Myanmar (Burma) has left a confirmed 22,500 dead, 41,000 missing, and hundreds of thousands homeless. Up to this point, only World Vision Australia has been allowed in to help with the disaster relief. The cost of food and water has risen astronomically, leaving many in a desperate and dangerous situation.

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Inmate Count in U.S. Dwarfs Other Nations’

The U.S. has less than 5 percent of the world’s population but almost a quarter of its prisoners.

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The Word-Pick Sicks

Stephen Colbert weighs in on the Oregon lottery system for health care access

Report Bolsters Lack Of Health Care, Premature Death Link

A new report by Families USA indicates that from 2000-2006 more than 1,100 people die in the US because they lacked health insurance. In Connecticut in 2006, more people died because of a lack of insurance (est. 150) than were murdered (108)!

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Zimbabweans Cast Votes in Crucial Election

Zimbabweans began voting on Saturday in the most crucial election since independence from Britain in 1980, with veteran President Robert Mugabe facing the biggest challenge of his 28-year-rule.

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HIV cases could jump in Asia by 2020: UN report

The number of people in Asia infected with HIV could jump by more than 150 percent, or 8 million, by 2020 unless more is done to combat the spread of the virus that causes AIDS, a report presented to the U.N. secretary-general said on Wednesday.

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Iraq, $5,000 per second?

"The Iraq war is now going better than expected. Here's what it amounts to: We've cut our casualty rates to the unacceptable levels that plagued us back in 2005, and we still don't have any exit plan for years to come -- all for a bill that is accumulating at the rate of almost $5,000 every second!...But if you believe that staying in Iraq does more good than harm, you must answer the next question: Is that presence so valuable that it is worth undermining our economy?...If the war backers believe that the Iraq war is so essential, then they should be willing to pay for it partly with taxes rather than charging it."

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Public Tuning Out

Rep. Chris Murphy was a bit surprised to have people less concerned about Iraq and more rconcerned about other matters, such as the economy (and rightly so!), in a town forum this week. Maybe not surprised, but people are not making the link to the cost of the war. Cost estimates range from $1tril by the government to $3tril by a recent study. The cost estimate in lost revenues alone for Hartford, CT, is $200 million.

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At What Cost, This War?

What has the war cost your city? The Hartford, CT, city council has estimated the war to cost their city alone $200 million in lost revenues. In a city whose public high schools have a 35% drop-out rate, and neighborhoods with almost 50% unemployment, the war has cost the residents this city a better life and a better future. Who knows the cost for future generations to this and many cities across the country.

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