Who Makes Policy Campaign 2016 Edition

Once all the tears, finger pointing, and clamoring for the reinvention of the wheel (i.e. Democratic party) have subsided will anyone care about actual policy? While the left self destructs trying to make sense of the senseless, the rest of the world is moving ahead trying influence Trump’s policies. China’s state media is already warning Trump to maintain the status quo or risk potential damage to relations and the American economy should they become isolationist and begin trade wars.

“U.S. isolationist policies had ‘accelerated the country’s economic crisis’ during the Great Depression, warned a commentary by China’s official Xinhua News Agency, though it added that ‘election talk is just election talk'”.

The rest of the world is hoping that through international pressure, Trump will avoid trade wars and broken trade deals. Instead of eating their young, democrats should take the time to start building alliances at home and overseas to shape and temper Trump policies.

Back in August, the next POTUS gave a speech on ISIS, terrorism, and the Middle East. In the speech, it seemed like he clearly had no understanding of American foreign policy or recent Middle East history. He said we should’ve taken the oil in Iraq, called out Islamic terrorists, and blamed Sec. Clinton and the president for their mishandling of the region.

Take a look at the highlights from PBS – it’s pretty sad to know this guy will be our next president. Who really knows what this man will do as president? I don’t but I’m preparing for the worst.

I won’t be taking my capstone until next fall but I’ve already given some thought as to what I want to research. For some time now, I’ve been fascinated with US arms deals and how American weapons sometimes fall into the hands of terrorists. Trying to avoid the news these days, I wanted to learn about American arms deals and how we can actually end up arming terrorists. I came across two articles in the Times – one from today and another from two years ago.

This article discusses the rampant corruption among the Iraqi military and how plans to arm rebels always go poorly. We’re in a dilemma here, we “need” to arm these militaries, but the corrupt officials that actually receive the arms will sell the weapons to the highest bidder. “If each soldier is supposed to get 100 bullets, he will only get 50, and the officer will take and sell the rest,” Colonel Obeidi said. As he showed a reporter the Austrian-made Glock handgun he obtained from United States forces years ago, he added, “If the Iraqi Army had supplied this, the barrel would explode in two rounds.”

So corruption is one reason American weapons end up in the terrorists hands. Another is the fact that we readily arm “allies” that use our weapons to destroy their enemies.

Take the example of the vicious 20 month war in Yemen. Saudi Arabia has been relentlessly bombing Yemen since March 2015 with the goal of removing the rebel Houthi government from power. Using American weapons that they have acquired through arms sales, they have bombed civilians again and again. Factories, bridges, roads, and even a funeral are all subject to Saudi destruction. This article in the Times explains the damage in Yemen’s war and how American weapons have devastated the country.

 

President-elect Donald Trump announced today that RNC Chairman Reince Priebus will be his chief of staff. But more important, he announced that Steve Bannon–former head of Breitbart News and CEO of the Trump campaign–will be his chief strategist.

Bannon’s work at Breitbart has been described as “Alt-Right Lite,” but that shouldn’t make it any more tolerable. The racist, anti-semitic, homophobic messages are all there.  Now we know they will be sullying the White House.

This August profile of Bannon from Vanity Fair quotes a former Breitbart employee describing him as “Donald Trump but more intelligent.” It goes on to say:

 He didn’t mean it as a compliment, and was instead referring to the opportunism, the personal vindictiveness, and the lack of a moral center that have become defining characteristics of Trump.

 

The election of Donald Trump as our next president means a lot of changes are in store for America, and immigration is definitely going to be one of the policy areas he hits the hardest. Trump’s xenophobic comments caused irreparable damage to our society from the moment he started his campaign, but the real danger now stands in the fact that his xenophobia can feasibly be translated into law come next year. This article from Forbes has an easy-to-digest breakdown of what judicial changes we can anticipate during Trump’s presidency pertaining to refugees, immigrants, and let’s not forget: THE WALL (cue eye roll). As it turns out, building a wall would not actually be an effective method of reducing illegal immigration, but that’s not the point. The anti-“other” sentiment behind this major rallying cry for his supporters is more terrifying than any physical barrier he could build. As another article put it, “Equally disconcerting is the metaphorical wall Trump has already built against immigrants using xenophobia and toxic rhetoric.” We can only hope that Americans as a people will rise above this antiquated nationalistic mentality.

Considering the disappointment of this election, I had mild hope restored from some of the state energy initiatives. Hopefully, they can give you all some hope too. Here are the results…

1. Washington Carbon Tax: Rejected, but likely for the right reasons. Washington was 1st state attempting to impose a direct carbon tax; however, several progressive environmental groups such as the Sierra Club were opponents because the tax revenue would not go toward investing in clean energy. Many were happy because the rejection of it will allow for a better alternative in the future. Additionally, this initiative is significant as it will serve as a model for other bills and states moving forward.
2. Florida Solar Energy Amendment: Rejected, but definitely for the right reasons! This strategically crafted bill was extremely misleading and actually included many sneaky, hidden fees and costs for solar energy consumers. The state of Florida has spoken – they want more friendly solar power policies, the freedom to harness it, and the prevention of monopolies. This deceptive bill was one of the most expensive ballots in American history with large oil and energy companies investing over 26 million, 100 times the amount of opponents. So much for the argument, Money Always Wins
3. Nevada Clean Energy Initiative: Approved This bill was approved overwhelmingly so with 72%. Environmental activists can rejoice over this bill, which will allow for an open and competitive clean energy market that will reduce regulations and prohibit energy monopolies.
4. Colorado Fracking: Approved So this bill is a bit of a setback. It was approved by 57%. The bill will make it more difficult for Colorado residents to make changes to the state’s constitution. Any constitutional amendments will need a 55% approval (as opposed to 50% plus one vote) and require signatures from all 35 districts. Fracking companies were strongly hoping for this to pass. Supporters of the bill feel amendments are passing to quickly in the state and want more careful, gradual change.

Overall, there is considerable good news with the energy initiatives we saw across various States. It appears that people do not necessarily not want more environmental polices – they just want better ones. The right ones. Some progress is being made. Especially because this issue is entering the public conversation more.

During this election, four states have put up significant initiatives regarding energy policy to be voted on by their citizens. The results of these initiatives can help see what direction our country will be moving toward with respect to climate change.

1. Washington State Carbon Tax – supporters believe it will reduce emissions, however this tax is revenue neutral. Revenue from it will go toward taxes, not toward clean energy which has raised some criticism.
2. Floria Solar Power – will protect the right to lease or own solar equipment without subsidizing those who are not using solar power. Opponents believe it will prevent the sale of unused energy, while supporters believe it will provide more rights to solar users.
3. Colorado Fracking – a bill sponsored by oil and gas industry groups to make it difficult for local communities to block fracking efforts. The amendment would do so by raising the number of signatories for petitions.
4. Nevada Energy Choice Initiative – aimed to let consumers choose an energy provider and sell the solar electricity they generate themselves. Big companies that leave the energy grid will pay hefty fines.

It’s good to see these types of initiatives entering the public conversation. I’ll try to post a follow up on the results!

Residents in Delhi, India are being asked by their government to stay home to avoid the city’s dangerous polluted air and water. Those who leave their homes are asked to wear face masks as the silt in the air is coughing lung and throat damage. Schools were even asked to shut down keeping millions of children at home. The cloud of smog over Delhi is so bad that “A combination of smoke from burning farm residue in surrounding states, fireworks for the Hindu festival of Diwali, dust from construction work and vehicle emissions have pushed pollution levels to their highest in 17 years.” (Reuters, 2016 ). The acidic smog cloud is expected to expand its damage to nearby Indian cities such as Lucknow and several suburbs. The public is making a plea to the Indian Supreme court for authorities to monitor air quality better. As of now, many citizens live in fear.

Similar issues with toxic smog are being reported in several cities and suburbs in Pakistan. The air has been causing increases in respiratory health problems and a spike in car accidents with limited road visibility. Several areas of highways have been shut down because the visibility has become so bad. Construction dust, burning of garbage, factory emissions and motor vehicle exhausts appear to be the biggest contributors to Pakistan’s problem (Associated Press).

The environmental damage of one country will inevitably have rippling effects on others. Now India and Pakistan, where next?

Some of the most depressing developments throughout the refugee crisis have been stories of migrants drowning at sea. We all remember the depressing photo of Ayland Kurdi, the toddler who washed ashore on Kos last September. Well today, over 200 refugees are feared dead in a horrific accident off the Libyan coast. More than 4,200 migrants have died this year making the dangerous journey through the Mediterranean to Europe.

A lot of people point to the post-WWI drawing of Middle Eastern borders as one of the primary causes for the conflict we see today. The Sykes-Picot Agreement negotiated by France and England dealt with how to dissolve the Ottoman Empire and led to “the division of Turkish-held Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, and Palestine into various French- and British-administered areas.”

These lines were drawn arbitrarily with little regard for culture or religion. Here for a quick primer on this agreement is Jon Stewart and his friend, Sir Archibald Mapsalot III:

http://www.cc.com/video-clips/kovgs5/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-sir-archibald-mapsalot-iii