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Transcript of Environmental Issue - 2011-2012
Green: Our MONEY, AND MOTHER NATURE Congressman Jim McGovern on WASHINGTON D.C.
State Senator Dan Wolf On GREEN JOBS
‘BORO City councilors on ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
THOUGHTS ON THE OCCUPY MOVEMENT, And More… _____________________________________________________________________
Winter2011-2012 Environmental Edition
Attleboro Democracy, Winter 2011-2012 2 | P a g e
Attleboro Democracy, Winter 2011-2012 3 | P a g e
Contents of the Attleboro Democracy
Featured Articles………………………..
A Victory by the People: Vs. Ze-gen.…4
Jonathan Weydt
Silos for Energy Independence……….5
Jeremy Denlea & Henry G. Theodore
Solyndra: A Bad Apple from a Very
Good Tree…..………………………6 Andrew Meehan
Neighbor Column: Economic Incentives
for a Green Massachusetts……………7 Maxwell Morrongiello
Guest Column…………………..............
The Big Three: The Environment,
Employment, and Education………….8 State Senator Dan Wolf from the Cape and Islands
Political Persuasion……………………...
Why I’m Proud to be a Democrat…….9 Charles Adler
The View From Washington…………….
Corporations Aren’t People. Period…..10 Congressman Jim McGovern
Humor & Satire………………………....
Kryptonite: It Can Replace Oil!…....11 “John Finley”
Letter to the Editor……………….........12
Fact Check…………………………….13
Democracy Bulletin...............................14
Addendum: The Occupy Movement
The Importance of Occupy…………15 Timothy O’Neill
From the Editor
Pledge to Our Readers –
Although this magazine is in most cases Democratic in
viewpoint, we aspire that anyone of any political
affiliation can read and enjoy what we have written.
Welcome –
Welcome to the second and latest edition of the
Attleboro Democracy Magazine. Inside you will again
find regular features and selected guest columns about
politics and government that impact the citizens of
Attleboro.
Every season we will focus on a political topic that
impacts the citizens of Attleboro. Our latest edition
focuses on “Environmental Issues.” In this edition of the
Democracy, we tackle the effects of certain environmental
issues have had economically and politically. A host of
issues are herein described and included.
In this issue, our contributors discuss environmentally
friendly ways of creating “green jobs” that will help get
our economy back on track. We discuss the topic of
energy, and weigh the merits of energy sources that will
have the best effects on the common good. A healthy
environment is important to our collective well-being as a
nation, and is desirable not only to maintain our posterity
but also to take advantage of the prosperous opportunities
mother nature creates.
In an addendum to our “Environmental Issues” edition,
we devote some time to a new but relevant movement that
has spread across the nation: the Occupy Movement.
As always, we hope you enjoy this edition of the
Democracy and that you find the content thought-
provoking and informative. Here at the Attleboro
Democracy, we hope to strive for a better public debate,
and hope that our thoughts and words will be useful as
well as pleasing to read.
Andrew Meehan, Editor
December 2011
Attleboro Democracy, Winter 2011-2012 4 | P a g e
ATTLEBORO DEMOCRACY
Striving for a Better Public Debate
An example of a Ze-gen gasification plant above.
A Victory by the People: The Case of Ze-gen
Jonathan Weydt
As we close out 2011 and ready ourselves for the
holidays and the ringing in of a new year, I would like to
take a moment to reflect on the issues that our city has
encountered over the past year. This missive is specifically
regarding Ze-Gen, a waste-to-energy gasification company
that wanted to move into our city.
When we first heard of Ze-Gen wanting to set up in
Attleboro it was met with mixed reviews from our citizens. It
posed many questions. Is this a business that would generate
great revenue for the city? Will this company add jobs for
the residents of Attleboro? Is the gasification process
environmentally safe? Attleboro’s Residents With Important
Safety Concerns (RISC) rightfully wanted answers to the
aforementioned questions and to gain as much knowledge as
possible about this business and its technology.
We found that the revenue the city would benefit from
was very minimal due to incentives Ze-gen would receive
from locating here. It would only create about 20 low-level
jobs and there was no guarantee that these proposed jobs
would be filled with Attleboro residents. More importantly,
the technology, its potential and its downside included too
many environmentally related unknowns.
The original specific proposal by Ze-Gen Inc. of Boston
fell in the category of alternative energy. Ze-Gen would
incinerate waste products to produce an alternative fuel
which would then be burned to produce electricity and
steam heat for several operations at the Attleboro
Corporate Campus.
Ze-Gen argued that the gasification process would
have to meet all environmental regulations standards and
that its operation would actually be a net gain because
burning waste like telephone poles and railroad ties would
be better for the environment than burying it in landfills.
Charlie Adler and his group, Attleboro’s RISC,
countered with questions regarding emissions in the air
and water, the safety of waste products produced by the
plant and their disposal, as well as the traffic impact of
trucks hauling old telephone poles, railroad ties and
plastics termed as “feedstock” that would be vaporized in
a 2,200-degree bath of molten copper to create the
synthetic gas called syngas. He said the plant "represents
a lot of potential toxins that could threaten people in the
area."
As we know, Ze-Gen finally caved into the pressure
that was applied by the great citizens of Attleboro who
realized that enough is enough when it comes to possible
pollutant companies trying to set up shop in our city.
After all, and without naming names, we have had our
share of these types of businesses in which we are still
cleaning up.
Had Ze-Gen provided a proven safe model somewhere
else with the same scale, things may have turned out
differently. However, it was never tested on the scale that
they proposed and Attleboro will be better off than
becoming a proving ground for such projects in the future.
In closing, and as we move into the new year, I would
like to point out and remind everyone that this type of
lobbying proves that we the people do have a voice.
Getting involved is what a democracy is all about. This
was a victory by the people, for the people and possibly
for the environmental future of Attleboro.
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Attleboro Democracy, Winter 2011-2012 5 | P a g e
Energy Independence by Silo?
Why we can use grain silos for alternative energy.
Jeremy Micah Denlea
& with the assistance
Of Harry G. Theodore
Agricultural silos are a rather inexpensive structure
used for storing different types of grains. Silos allow
countries, such as the United States, to waste less food
by allowing different grains to be safely stored for long
periods of time. The question presented here is whether
the United States should invest in the production of
agriculture silos as a means towards energy
independence.
There are many benefits presented by the creation of
additional agricultural silos. Most fundamentally are
the many different ways to utilize excess grain
production to supplement the energy supply. The
United States use long existing technology to help
reduce the need for energy imports. One example of
this is the production of the fuel supplement Ethanol,
which is made with corn and used at most gas stations
to supplement gasoline. If the United States were to
utilize all excess corn production for this purpose, we
could decrease our dependence on crude oil and other
sources of energy imported from foreign nations. An
additional benefit is the low carbon footprint of silos,
which use less energy than other methods of food
storage.
Not to be overlooked is the creation of jobs and
profit and the ability to help increase access to the
food supply. The United States could help feed
individuals in need and do so with the opportunity
for profit by selling excess stored grains.
An example of a grain silo.
In the final analysis, is additional creation of
agricultural silos the absolute solution to the world
energy crisis or the key to energy independence?
Probably not. But is it a start? Most definitely.
How important do you
believe energy independence is?
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Attleboro Democracy, Winter 2011-2012 6 | P a g e
Solyndra: A Bad Apple from a Very Good Tree
Why we should reach for the sun – in the form of solar energy.
Andrew Meehan
Thomas Edison once allegedly said after many failures at
trying to make the light bulb, “I have not failed 1,000 times.
I have successfully discovered 1,000 ways to NOT make a
light bulb." In America today, we’ve moved beyond making
light bulbs to attempting to tap the power of something
literally beyond our reach: the sun.
Solar power, in theory, would be an incredibly amazing
asset to mankind. Energy of the sun absorbed by solar panels
(or a similar technology) and turned into useable power for
ordinary people. The sun, unlike oil, is limitless. Or at least,
if the sun ever goes out, it’s not like we’d spend much time
worrying about what we use to fill our cars with.
However, there are some glitches when it comes to
building solar panels and other similar technologies. Firstly
is the issue of energy storage in solar panels. They can only
hold so much energy. Otherwise they could continuously
gather energy from the ever-shining sun. Furthermore – the
sun does not always shine brightly. If it’s cloudy or if it’s
nighttime, the solar panels will be hard-pressed to capture
the sun’s rays. An even bigger difficulty is that it’s
expensive to produce solar panels. That’s why there’s no
huge profitable company that’s selling solar panels like
Home Depot sells light bulbs.
Unprofitability has recently caused a company, backed by
the federal government (and all the politics that went with
it), to file for bankruptcy: Solyndra.
A Fremont, California solar company started in 2005,
Solyndra applied for a loan guaranteed by the Energy
Department. As Andrew Restruccia of The Hill’s Energy
and Environment Blog noted, “The Energy Department’s
loan guarantee program was established under a 2005
energy law. The law authorized the department to issue
federally backed loans for innovative projects that helped
limit air pollution. The 2009 stimulus law established a
separate DOE loan guarantee program, known as Section
1705, for renewable, electric transmission and advanced
biofuels projects.”
The review for Solyndra’s loan began during the Bush
administration, and was subsequently finished during the
Obama administration. Before its collapse, it was
highlighted as an example of a company that could be
both green and profitable.
Except it didn’t make profit. Solyndra, despite the
efforts of the Obama administration, declared bankruptcy.
Some argue that the President’s administration pursued a
loan for Solyndra due to having rich and influential
donors having invested in Solyndra. Congress will go
about finding if those sketchy allegations are true, but I
think the reason for the loan had merit: a working solar
panel company is a good idea.
I’d like everyone to consider this: Solyndra may be a
bad apple, but it comes from a very good tree.
Solar energy technology is already paying dividends to
many homes that use solar energy. Once methods are
discovered for making the production of solar panels more
efficient (and hence more profitable), we will find
ourselves more able to use solar energy to power our
homes and lives. The benefits of such a power source are
undeniable.
So let’s not allow one negative example to prevent us
from tapping into the power of the sun. Think of Solyndra
the same way Edison thought of his light bulbs. We didn’t
fail. We just successfully discovered one way to not make
a solar company.
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Attleboro Democracy, Winter 2011-2012 7 | P a g e
NEIGHBOR COLUMN:
The “Neighbor Column” features voices from citizens
of towns and cities that neighbor Attleboro.
Economic Incentives for a Green Massachusetts
What can make Massachusetts go green?
Maxwell Morrongiellio
Across the world, the climate has been changing. There
has been extreme weather across the globe causing famine in
Somalia, droughts in Texas, and massive floods across the
Midwest. Several years ago above-average rainfall caused
crops to rot across Massachusetts. According to the
Washington Post, “Bats have been nearly wiped out in states
including Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York
and Vermont by white-nose syndrome,” a fungus aided by
climate change. Tornado's and tropical storms have even
taken a swipe at the region. Acidification of the Ocean due to
CO2 emissions have weakened marine life endangering
Massachusetts vibrant fishing industry. The effects of
climate change will be felt not just for our generation, but for
thousands of years to come. Clearly climate change is not
just an environmental problem, but an economical one as
well.
Carbon Pollution is fundamentally an economic problem
called a negative externality. When you drive your car you
buy fossil fuel in an exchange between yourself and a gas
dealer. However the economic cost of releasing burned CO2
and releasing it into the atmosphere does not directly
burden you or the gas companies, but comes back to bite
us as a society in the form of climate change. If the cost of
gas were to reflect the economic cost passed on to society,
people would be less likely to pollute. By creating
economic incentives to not pollute, we can avert future
economic costs from climate change. In addition, we can
also generate revenue for the state.
One example of this is the gas tax. Raising taxes on
gasoline will encourage people to buy more fuel
efficient cars, car pool, and take public transportation.
This has the added effect of relieving our roads of
congestion. Increasing funding for public transportation
also has the same effect because buses and trains use less
energy per person than cars. Furthermore, the revenue
gained from a gas tax can be used to rebuild our
crumbling roads and bridges.
Another option is taxing energy intensive appliances
such as refrigerators, air conditioners, and computers that
don’t meet Energy Star certification. This will incentivize
industries to make their products more energy efficient.
Otherwise, their products will be more expensive and less
attractive to consumers. The money from such a tax
could be used to weatherize homes or subsidize other
energy saving appliances to make them more attractive to
consumers. The same can be done for cars and trucks.
Cars that are less fuel efficient will be made slightly more
expensive than their fuel efficient brethren.
By promoting use of energy efficient technology
through tax incentives we can reduce the economic
consequences of climate change tomorrow, today. Climate
Change isn’t going away, but we can lessen the economic
and environmental impact by making important policy
decisions today to reduce the amount of CO2 spewing in
the atmosphere. Our economic decisions need to reflect
the significant cost of climate change. In doing so we can
ensure that this planet we call Earth will remain a vibrant,
prosperous planet for centuries to come.
What do you think of Mr. Morrongiello’s
views on green incentives for our state?
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Attleboro Democracy, Winter 2011-2012 8 | P a g e
GUEST COLUMN:
The Big Three: Environment, Employment, and
Education
Cape and Islands State Senator Dan Wolf
Here are my three favorite “e” words -- and you’ll notice
that “email” is not one of them!
Environment
Employment
Education
The more I learn and legislate, the more I realize that
these three words define the future we want to build for
Massachusetts. Our challenge now is to understand how they
can work together, create win-win opportunities, and get
everyone past the old notion that environmental protection
and strong job creation are in conflict.
Here’s just one example of what I’m aiming for:
Perhaps you, or a friend or neighbor, is in the building
trades. It’s been tough times, we all know that, but we also
know that many of our homes and businesses need
renovation, and our environment could benefit from reducing
our use of oil and gas with better insulation, tighter windows,
maybe even some solar panels on a southern-facing roof.
Many times, the money invested in this kind of work gets
repaid in full (and then some!) from lower utility bills as
the years roll out. But the problem, of course, is that
the money to pay for the work often isn’t available
upfront. A smart program would allow people to borrow that
money as a low-interest, long-term loan placed beside a
mortgage.
Right off, that would put lots of tradespeople back to
work, help our environment, and maybe even save many
of us money over the long haul. Meanwhile, contractors
who need training to be certified for new technology like
solar installations and green building practices would
have a market to justify courses at our community
colleges and vocational schools.
Environmentalists, economists, and educators all come
together to support this. And Massachusetts, along with
many other states, has a program along these lines ready
to roll out, sometimes referred to as Energy Financing
Districts.
Here’s the hold-up: The big federal mortgage backers,
known as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, have told local
lenders not to allow these kinds of loans to be added to
existing mortgages, even if there’s plenty of value in the
property and most if not all of the loan will be paid back
in saved utility costs. They aren’t allowing each case to be
taken on its merits; they’re saying, knee-jerk, that any
new borrowing might jeopardize the loans they already
hold.
I’m hoping we can break through this federal impasse,
and so I’m asking for your help. Talk up this idea among
lenders and legislators, and let’s see if we can get this
done.
By the way, my experience in the private sector proves
to me that environmental initiatives and job growth can go
hand in hand: Cape Air, the airline I started almost 25
years ago, now has one of the largest solar panel
installations in Southeastern Massachusetts, mounted atop
the company’s hangar and headquarters in Hyannis. Those
panels produce as much electricity as the building uses
every year – the equivalent of more than 45 homes worth
of electricity! – and there was good work created in their
installation and maintenance. What’s more, the building
has been rehabbed and improved to use less energy, once
again providing local contractors solid work.
There are many more ways we can rebuild our econ-
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Attleboro Democracy, Winter 2011-2012 9 | P a g e
-omy and protect our environment. We can trade smart
redevelopment and growth in our town centers for open
space beyond, we can preserve fragile and beautiful areas
that encourage tourism, we can encourage farmers and
shellfishermen to grow local and remain stewards of our land
and waters.
But most important is making the crucial link, to
understand that with environmental health comes economic
health -- and that always, the third “e,” education, is key to
our future.
Political Persuasion:
Why I’m Proud to be a Democrat
Charles Adler
The gulf between our nation's two political parties grows
ever wider, as liberals try to hold their ground, a radical,
well-funded fringe pulls the Republican Party to the right,
and there is a gaping hole where the political center ought to
be. What are the values that seem to be dividing us?
My image of traditional conservative values is a
farmhouse in an earlier age, at the frontier's edge--the farmer
and his wife eking out a living from the land--with a rifle
close at hand to defend against roving bandits.
Some of the positive values that this image holds for me are
independence, courage, self-reliance, and tolerance for risk.
My image of liberal values is a town meeting in an
early New England village, with its members deliberating
on whether to raise taxes to hire a school teacher to
educate their children and what to do about a recently-
widowed old woman with dementia and no living
relatives to care for her. The values this image calls forth
are social responsibility, cooperation, and the importance
of investing for the future in things like education.
In my ideal society, the two sets of values I have
described would co-exist and complement each other. I
think we need both. I believe President Obama has been
trying to balance these two sets of values over the past
three years.
With the healthcare bill, he started out by meeting the
other side halfway, putting forward a plan similar to the
one we created here in Massachusetts under a Republican
governor. But Obama got no cooperation in return for this
bipartisan gesture.
If President Obama made a political mistake, it was
promising that he would keep the unemployment rate
under 8%. With all the uncertainties surrounding the
economy, I don't think anyone believes that it is possible
to make that kind of a prediction. The general displeasure
of Americans with the economy is certainly
understandable, because the real income of most
American wage earners has been declining for the past 30
years. Household incomes have risen only because there
are now typically two wage earners per household rather
than one.
President Obama made a visionary attempt to improve
our economy over the long term by reforming our health
care system and by pressing for renewable energy
legislation, reforms that take years to return dividends. He
was also among the first to raise concerns about the
deficit--setting up a bipartisan commission to address this
issue. Unfortunately, Republican leaders in Congress are
content to let the country drift toward default, rather than
make any serious attempt to arrive at a bipartisan solution
to our economic woes.
Although the economy seems like the most important
issue right now, there are other equally momentous
concerns: terrorism, climate change, nuclear proliferation,
and illegal immigration, to name a few. The world is
changing rapidly, driven by scientific and technological
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Attleboro Democracy, Winter 2011-2012 10 | P a g e
advances, instantaneous communication, and the yearning of
all people to better their lot in life, no matter what situation
they might be born into.
Although the economy seems like the most important
issue right now, there are other equally momentous
concerns: terrorism, climate change, nuclear proliferation,
and illegal immigration, to name a few. The world is
changing rapidly, driven by scientific and technological
advances, instantaneous communication, and the yearning of
all people to better their lot in life, no matter what situation
they might be born into.
If today's Republican Party was truly dedicated to
conservative values, it would act as a worthy adversary to
the Democratic Party in an honest debate over how to best
solve the problems that beset our nation and our planet.
However, Republican leaders seem more interested in
protecting the economic interests of the super-rich, the devil
take the other 99%.
The Democratic Party may not be perfect, but it is still
firmly rooted in the liberal values of cooperation, social
responsibility, and investing today for a better future. And
those values translate into support for small businesses and a
living wage for all workers. The Democratic Party embodies
my values and looks out for my interests. That's why I am
proud to be a Democrat.
The View From
WASHINGTON:
Corporations Aren’t People. Period.
Congressman Jim McGovern
As we all know, money plays far too great a role in our
politics today. Grassroots organizing and debate about
the issues has been replaced with multi-million dollar
advertising campaigns financed by big corporate interests.
Instead of simply lamenting the problem, I've decided
to try to do something about it.
I have introduced a Constitutional amendment to
overturn the Supreme Court's disastrous Citizens United
ruling that gave corporations the right to free speech - and
thus nearly unlimited power to influence our elections.
As any high school civics student knows, the first
three words of the preamble to the Constitution are 'We
the People."
Not "We the Corporations."
Not "We the Special Interests."
"We the People."
Corporations are not people. They do not breathe.
They do not have children. They do not die in war. They
are artificial entities which we the people create and, as
such, we govern them, not the other way around.
The Citizens United ruling effectively reversed
decades of precedent recognizing the authority of the
people to regulate corporate spending in our elections.
But Citizens United is not a fluke. It's just the most
extreme example of the so-called "corporate rights
movement," which is aimed at giving corporations the
same rights as people -- in any situation.
Recently, a federal judge blocked the Food and Drug
Administration from requiring tobacco companies to place
graphic warning labels on cigarette packages, arguing that
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Attleboro Democracy, Winter 2011-2012 11 | P a g e
cigarette makers had the right to free speech.
We must put a stop to this "corporate right movement"
that's quickly gaining traction. It threatens the Founding
Fathers' basic principle of "We the People."
Now is the time for a "People's Rights Amendment" that
lifts up the promise of American self-government --
government of, by, and for the people.
We need to have a serious, thoughtful debate in this
country about this important issue. I hope that my
amendment will begin to spur that debate.
And I hope you take a look at my bill, HJ Res 88, and let
me know what you think. You can find more information
and sign a petition in support of this effort at
www.jimmcgovern.com.
On another note, I approach this holiday season with a bit
of sadness. As you know, the state legislature has passed -
and the governor has signed - a new map that redraws the
congressional boundary lines. This means that after next
year's elections I will no longer be representing Attleboro
and the many wonderful friends I have there.
But those friendships will last a lifetime, and I want to
thank you for your support and hard work over the last 15
years. I will never forget Election Night in 1996 - when the
results came in and I realized I had won Attleboro, I knew
that our campaign was a success.
Barney Frank's recent announcement that he will not be
running for re-election means that the Attleboro area will
have an 'open seat' for the first time in memory. This is an
exciting time for Attleboro, and I hope you will continue to
work hard and be involved in the effort to elect good people
to elected office.
Lisa, Patrick and I wish you a happy and healthy holiday
season and a wonderful 2012.
Humor and Satire:
SAY WHAT?!!
Presidential Candidate Herman Cain, in his speech
announcing the suspension of his Presidential campaign,
quoted the song played during the closing credits of the
Pokémon Movie of 2000. We ask
ourselves, “Say what?”
_______________________________________
Kryptonite – The Answer to Our Energy Problems!
“John Finley”
Hi everyone. It’s John Finley again here. Since my last
story was published in this magazine via the Editor, Mr.
Meehan, I’ve seen and done a lot of things that have
affected our great country.
For instance, for a short stretch of time, I was an
advisor to the Rick Perry for President campaign. Perry, a
Texan, needed a Northerner on his campaign to advise
him in our ways, so he picked me out while I ate breakfast
at a Denny’s to work for him.
After that adventure, I joined the Occupy Movement.
This is a movement where the common people protest the
actions of corporations by standing in the middle of city
squares. I decided to do this here by standing in the
middle of the Friendly’s on Pleasant Street and holding a
sign yelling. I just hope this didn’t contribute to that
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Attleboro Democracy, Winter 2011-2012 12 | P a g e
particular Friendly’s being closed down when Friendly’s
declared Bankruptcy.
So I’ve seen and done a great deal. I’m no hero, of
course, I’m just an ordinary American.
Anyway, in this issue of the Pastry Monthly [Editor’s
Note: John Finley has a great deal of trouble remembering
the name of the magazine], I understand that we are
discussing environmental issues. I’ve got an environmental
issue that’s greatly pressing: our country is dependent on
fossil fuels that are dangerous for a plethora of reasons.
1) They cause pollution and potentially climate change
2) They are used in cars, which due to accidents, kill or
injure many innocent people
3) Oil money often goes to terrorist-sponsoring states, and
terrorism is dangerous
4) If we ever run out of oil without enough time to change to
alternative sources, that’d be bad
It just so happens, that I, John Finley, have figured out
the solution to our alternative energy needs.
There are many potential solutions (but not enacted by
our elected leaders). We could build more solar panels and
windmills. We could develop clean coal technology. We
could (with great precautions) further expand nuclear power
in our great country. Heck, I’m sure there’s something that’s
of use that we haven’t even thought of. After all, using oil to
power cars wasn’t an expected occurrence; oil was originally
used to power kerosene lamps. Then there was a way
discovered to make it work in automobiles. Someone
someday might make a similar discovery.
But my dear friends and fellow citizens, I’ve discovered
an even easier solution. Here’s how it happened.
I’m a bit of a comic book reader. Last weekend I read the
original Superman comic. And then it hit me. Kryptonite!
That’s what we could use as an alternative energy source!
Something with enough power to be Superman’s weakness
could surely power a car!
To double-check my theory, I called my uncle Carlton
Finley, a Nobel Prize winning physicist. (Don’t worry, I’ll
get my Nobel Prize someday).
I asked my uncle, “Could kryptonite be used as an
alternative energy source?”
My uncle responded by saying this, “Kryptonite? For
Pete’s sake Johnny! That’s a fictitious substance used by
the most unrealistic superhero in American cultural
history! It doesn’t exist!”
My friends, when faced with a challenge, I don’t give
in to naysayers. I only persevere. “Uncle, that can’t be
true,” I said. “Where do think they got the basis for using
it in the series then?”
“Well…” began my uncle, “The element krypton
exists. But really-”
I hung up the phone and raised my arms in triumph.
I’m sure that you can all gauge the obvious. If we can turn
krypton in kryptonite, we can then use kryptonite to
power our cars, and use it to light and fuel our homes.
That may seem like a hard process, but we’re America.
We’ve done it before. We’ve put men on the moon.
We’ve kept a fiscal house in complete disorder for years
without completely collapsing. We’ve developed reality
television (although yes, American Idol was produced by
a Brit, Simon Cowell). We can save ourselves from the
dangers of oil, and worse, the dangers of running out of
oil!
So yes, listen and nod politely when a friend argues
that we could make more windmills and solar panels.
Smile when someone suggests we create clean coal and
make safe nuclear plants.
We can wean ourselves off of oil. We can accomplish
this great task. That’s what we’ve done so many times in
our history. It’s the American Way.
___________________________________________
John Finley (along with his uncle) is a fictitious
character created by Andrew Meehan. This was a
work of satire. In the eyes of the actual author,
alternatives noted in the piece, like windmills and
solar panels, are the real alternatives we as a
country should pursue.
___________________________________________
Letter to the EDITOR:
Our previous edition of the Attleboro Democracy
focused on “Jobs and the Economy.” In response to
discussions in regards to tax policy, a civic-minded
Attleboroian writes his views regarding taxation:
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Attleboro Democracy, Winter 2011-2012 13 | P a g e
The taxing of a citizen’s income, both on the federal and
state level, is an immoral practice that needs to be abolished
immediately. Congressman and Presidential candidate Ron
Paul states correctly, “An income tax is the most degrading
and totalitarian of all possible taxes. Its implementation
wrongly suggests that the government owns the lives and
labor of the citizens it is supposed to represent.” What right
does the government have to the fruits my labor? Claiming a
quarter of my income against my will is equivalent to my
working 3 months every year for free so that the government
can use the spoils of my hard work in whatever manner it
sees fit, all while I have no say in the matter whatsoever.
This is tantamount to slavery and very much un-American.
The country needs money to run, and the income
required to do so can be raised by tariffs, excise tax, and
property tax. The federal government does not require tax
on income to operate; it ran fine without one until 1913
with an exception during the civil war.
Ending the income tax would have a multi-faceted
benefit to the hard working citizen of the United States; it
would unshackle him/her from the unjust theft of the
fruits of his industry, it would restrain governmental
spending and expansion, and it would usher in a period of
real and sustained economic growth not seen in
generations.
-Aaron Chauncey, Attleboro MA
Using such helpful guides as the Pulitzer prize-winning “Politifact”, we at the Attleboro Democracy hope to
distinguish between and fiction. Here are a few things of note for our environmental issue:
In a campaign stop in New Hampshire, Republican Presidential candidate Rick Perry, said
that more and more scientists are questioning global warming. According to Politifact, this is
FALSE. As they note in one of many examples, “A 2010 study published in the Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences -- the official publication of the United States Nation-
al Academy of Sciences -- found that out of 1,372 climate researchers under review, approximate-
ly 97 to 98 percent of those actively publishing in the field said they believe human beings
are causing climate change, which they term anthropogenic (i.e., man-made) climate change.”
See: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2011/aug/22/rick-perry/rick-perry-says-more-and-
more-scientists-are-quest/
In an attempt to persuade contsituents that a new nuclear power plant
was safe, Senator John Isakson of Georgia stated, “There has never been a
death caused by a reactor in the United States, even when Three Mile Island
failed in the 1970’s.” According to Polifact, this is TRUE. Polifact followed
the testimony of Greg Jaczko, the chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission, at a Senate committee hearing: “When a senator asked Jaczko
whether a fatality had ever occurred ‘as a result of an accident at a
commercial nuclear reactor in the United States,’ Jaczko replied with this:
‘There has not as a result of plant operation, not at a commercial power plant.
There have been other nuclear facilities where there have been fatalities, but not in a nuclear power plant."
See: http://www.politifact.com/georgia/statements/2011/apr/01/johnny-isakson/isakson-claims-no-deaths-us-nuke-plant-operations/
Fact Check
"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his
own facts. – Daniel Patrick Moynihan
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Attleboro Democracy, Winter 2011-2012 14 | P a g e
Democracy Bulletin:
To LET YOU KNOW A FEW THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON IN
THE COMMUNITY, WE BRING FOR YOU, THE DEMOCRACY
BULLETIN.
WANT SOMETHING ON THE BULLENTIN? SEND US AN EMAIL!
FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK!
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Attleboro Democracy, Winter 2011-2012 15 | P a g e
ADDENDUM ON the Occupy MOVEMENT
This issue of the Attleboro Democracy focuses on environmental issues.
However, we did want to devote some time to a movement that has had
the attention of many civic-minded people for months: The Occupy Movement.
The Importance of Occupy
Why Occupy is important to everyday America.
Three children at Lakeland Occupy.
Timothy O’Neill
The man in the yellow sweat suit was standing on a park
bench. One foot he had planted on the seat and the other
rested lightly on the backrest. His hands were clasped
behind his back in the manner in which one might be taking
a stroll. He wore a baseball cap with some military insignia
on it and his glasses were thick and of a time past. As he
surveyed his city-park-dominion he proclaimed in a loud,
clear voice “We will create Starfleet and the first planet we
save will be THIS ONE!”
This was not my first experience at the park among the
Occupy Protesters but it was typical of my previous visits.
The bearded and dreaded students were there. The aging
hippies were there. And the disenfranchised homeless were
there. Boy, were the homeless there, as they are in Occupy
sites across the country. The Occupy Movement sets up
camp in the most logical of places; the places the homeless
already ‘occupy’. Of course there were the people “like
me”, a few of us, at the park bringing donations of supplies,
donations of support. We came and went. These other
people stayed. These people were not like me and I was
uncomfortable.
I was uncomfortable because people “like me” are happy
to have what we have, tenuous as it may be. We are fortune-
ate we have full-time work, or part time work, most likely
making the same thing we made ten or twenty years ago. Our
savings are gone but we have that job! Somehow we manage
to pay that health insurance bill and that gasoline bill,
vaguely aware that we are providing capital for other smaller,
richer economies we will probably never glimpse. Most of
the folks “like me” fear we will upset the apple cart by
making a peep of dissent. With the deterioration of social
safety nets in favor of bottom line thinking most people in
America, people “like me” don’t realize that we are a lengthy
illness or a lost job away from losing everything.
Upon reflection I came to realize that it made sense that
these students and marginalized homeless were Occupying.
While the status quo has kept the people “like me” in an
uncomfortable stasis these protestors are the people that
society has really left behind. These are the young people
who see no future for themselves in the laissez-faire Wild
West America has become. These are the unemployed and
foreclosed on. They are the war-damaged, addicted and
mentally unwell humans-without-homes that America has
utterly abandoned. They are also the people who now stand
on the front lines, sometimes passively toe to toe with an
increasingly militant and apparently federally sanctioned
opposition. But they are not the people who had the most to
lose. The people with the most to lose would be the people
“like me.”
I ran into the gentleman in the yellow sweat suit during
another visit to the park, now dressed in more conservative
clothes. He was conversing quietly with a small group of
people. He was factual and obviously well informed.
Attending an off-site ‘teach-in’ at Providence College I
found the students who were the core of the local Occupy
organization to be passionate and knowledgeable as to the
challenges that we all face today. The question is; when will
we recognize that we all do, in fact, face these challenges?
With a national approval rating of 47% among citizens
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Attleboro Democracy, Winter 2011-2012 16 | P a g e
who are familiar with the Occupy Movement and an
astounding 67% among Manhattanites the more pressing
question is how long will these people stand alone?
It is easy for a corporate owned media, agenized toward
maintaining the status quo, to marginalize The Occupy
Movement; Young people are naïve to the world, homeless
people just need to “pull themselves up by their bootstraps”,
the protesters are not “like me”. It is also becoming obvious
that a corporate owned national legislature, agenized toward
reelection and personal gain, is shirking its responsibility to
assume a leadership role in addressing the legitimate and
popular concerns of its citizens; those citizens don’t have a
“government issued ID card” or clear residency in their
adopted college towns to vote. And it is clearly much too
easy for police forces under the guise of enforcing
municipal ordinances to beat and drag away citizens who
are non-violently exercising their constitutional freedoms!
It would not, however, be so easy to explain “peace”
officers jack-booting their way down a line of seated 40 and
50 year old carpenters and nurses, truck drivers and
accountants indiscriminately spraying them with pepper
spray. After all, those are the people “like me” who buy
televisions and antacids, all-inclusive trips to Tampa and
new cars. They are the over-worked (or under-worked),
stressed out, broke and frightened 99% of the 99% and we,
the people “like me”, need to understand that our republic is
in danger of sinking, awash in a storm of corporate money
that is succeeding in changing for the worse the American
Way of Life. By usurping our voting and legislative
processes, government “of the people” may be no longer.
WE need to find a way out of our exhaustion induced
stupor and help the Occupy Movement point that out.
Photo Credits
All photos not listed were the product of Microsoft Clip Art
or designed by the Editor.
-Cover Photo of President Obama courtesy of Boston Globe
-Gasification Plant Photo courtesy of spectrum.ieee.org
-Grain Silo pictures courtesy of Wikipedia
-Senator Wolf Photo courtesy of his office
-Congressman McGovern Photo courtesy of Twitter
-Herman Cain photo courtesy of Reason.com
-Pokémon logo courtesy of CherryLeaf.com
-Photo of Rick Perry courtesy of the Governor of State of
Texas website
-Homer Simpson photo courtesy of Heatingoil.com
-Lakeland Occupy Photo courtesy of Sodahead.com
Look out for our Spring issue on: Education.
Have a good winter!
ATTLEBORO DEMOCRACY
Striving for a Better Public Debate
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