#Mississippi Cutback

[plus-low-overthrow]

Southside Movement - Mississippi Cutback (20th Century)

wrt. & prod. James Vanleer, 1974.

[jazzfunkdid]

Southside Movement ‎– Mississippi Cutback

20th Century Records ‎– T-445 – Released in 1974. Southside Movement ‎– Movin'.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from The Conversation/EcoWatch:

Interstate water disputes are as American as apple pie. States often think a neighboring state is using more than its fair share from a river, lake or aquifer that crosses borders.

Currently the U.S. Supreme Court has on its docket a case between Texas, New Mexico and Colorado and another one between Mississippi and Tennessee. The court has already ruled this term on cases pitting Texas against New Mexico and Florida against Georgia.

Climate stresses are raising the stakes. Rising temperatures require farmers to use more water to grow the same amount of crops. Prolonged and severe droughts decrease available supplies. Wildfires are burning hotter and lasting longer. Fires bake the soil, reducing forests' ability to hold water, increasing evaporation from barren land and compromising water supplies.

As a longtime observer of interstate water negotiations, I see a basic problem: In some cases, more water rights exist on paper than as wet water – even before factoring in shortages caused by climate change and other stresses. In my view, states should put at least as much effort into reducing water use as they do into litigation, because there are no guaranteed winners in water lawsuits.

The situation is most urgent in California and the Southwest, which currently face "extreme or exceptional" drought conditions. California's reservoirs are half-empty at the end of the rainy season. The Sierra snowpack sits at 60% of normal. In March 2021, federal and state agencies that oversee California's Central Valley Project and State Water Project – regional water systems that each cover hundreds of miles – issued "remarkably bleak warnings" about cutbacks to farmers' water allocations.

The Colorado River Basin is mired in a drought that began in 2000. Experts disagree as to how long it could last. What's certain is that the "Law of the River" – the body of rules, regulations and laws governing the Colorado River – has allocated more water to the states than the river reliably provides.

[nuadox]

US: Interstate water wars are heating up along with the climate

- By Robert Glennon , University of Arizona , The Conversation -

Interstate water disputes are as American as apple pie. States often think a neighboring state is using more than its fair share from a river, lake or aquifer that crosses borders.

Currently the U.S. Supreme Court has on its docket a case between Texas, New Mexico and Colorado and another one between Mississippi and Tennessee. The court has already ruled this term on cases pitting Texas against New Mexico and Florida against Georgia.

Climate stresses are raising the stakes. Rising temperatures require farmers to use more water to grow the same amount of crops. Prolonged and severe droughts decrease available supplies. Wildfires are burning hotter and lasting longer. Fires bake the soil, reducing forests’ ability to hold water, increasing evaporation from barren land and compromising water supplies.

As a longtime observer of interstate water negotiations, I see a basic problem: In some cases, more water rights exist on paper than as wet water – even before factoring in shortages caused by climate change and other stresses. In my view, states should put at least as much effort into reducing water use as they do into litigation, because there are no guaranteed winners in water lawsuits.

Dry times in the West

The situation is most urgent in California and the Southwest, which currently face “extreme or exceptional” drought conditions. California’s reservoirs are half-empty at the end of the rainy season. The Sierra snowpack sits at 60% of normal. In March 2021, federal and state agencies that oversee California’s Central Valley Project and State Water Project – regional water systems that each cover hundreds of miles – issued “remarkably bleak warnings” about cutbacks to farmers’ water allocations.

The Colorado River Basin is mired in a drought that began in 2000. Experts disagree as to how long it could last. What’s certain is that the ��Law of the River” – the body of rules, regulations and laws governing the Colorado River – has allocated more water to the states than the river reliably provides.

The 1922 Colorado River Compact allocated 7.5 million acre-feet (one acre-foot is roughly 325,000 gallons) to California, Nevada and Arizona, and another 7.5 million acre-feet to Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. A treaty with Mexico secured that country 1.5 million acre-feet, for a total of 16.5 million acre-feet. However, estimates based on tree ring analysis have determined that the actual yearly flow of the river over the last 1,200 years is roughly 14.6 million acre-feet.

The inevitable train wreck has not yet happened, for two reasons. First, Lakes Mead and Powell – the two largest reservoirs on the Colorado – can hold a combined 56 million acre-feet, roughly four times the river’s annual flow.

But diversions and increased evaporation due to drought are reducing water levels in the reservoirs. As of Dec. 16, 2020, both lakes were less than half full.

Second, the Upper Basin states – Utah, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico – have never used their full allotment. Now, however, they want to use more water. Wyoming has several new dams on the drawing board. So does Colorado, which is also planning a new diversion from the headwaters of the Colorado River to Denver and other cities on the Rocky Mountains’ east slope.

Drought conditions in the continental U.S. on April 13, 2021. U.S. Drought Monitor, CC BY-ND

Utah stakes a claim

The most controversial proposal comes from one of the nation’s fastest-growing areas: St. George, Utah, home to approximately 90,000 residents and lots of golf courses. St. George has very high water consumption rates and very low water prices. The city is proposing to augment its water supply with a 140-mile pipeline from Lake Powell, which would carry 86,000 acre-feet per year.

Truth be told, that’s not a lot of water, and it would not exceed Utah’s unused allocation from the Colorado River. But the six other Colorado River Basin states have protested as though St. George were asking for their firstborn child.

In a joint letter dated Sept. 8, 2020, the other states implored the Interior Department to refrain from issuing a final environmental review of the pipeline until all seven states could “reach consensus regarding legal and operational concerns.” The letter explicitly threatened a high “probability of multi-year litigation.”

Utah blinked. Having earlier insisted on an expedited pipeline review, the state asked federal officials on Sept. 24, 2020 to delay a decision. But Utah has not given up: In March 2021, Gov. Spencer Cox signed a bill creating a Colorado River Authority of Utah, armed with a US$9 million legal defense fund, to protect Utah’s share of Colorado River water. One observer predicted “huge, huge litigation.”

How huge could it be? In 1930, Arizona sued California in an epic battle that did not end until 2006. Arizona prevailed by finally securing a fixed allocation from the water apportioned to California, Nevada and Arizona.

Southwest Utah’s claim to Colorado River water is sparking conflict with other western states.

Litigation or conservation

Before Utah takes the precipitous step of appealing to the Supreme Court under the court’s original jurisdiction over disputes between states, it might explore other solutions. Water conservation and reuse make obvious sense in St. George, where per-person water consumption is among the nation’s highest.

St. George could emulate its neighbor, Las Vegas, which has paid residents up to $3 per square foot to rip out lawns and replace them with native desert landscaping. In April 2021 Las Vegas went further, asking the Nevada Legislature to outlaw ornamental grass.

The Southern Nevada Water Authority estimates that the Las Vegas metropolitan area has eight square miles of “nonfunctional turf” – grass that no one ever walks on except the person who cuts it. Removing it would reduce the region’s water consumption by 15%.

Water rights litigation is fraught with uncertainty. Just ask Florida, which thought it had a strong case that Georgia’s water diversions from the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin were harming its oyster fishery downstream.

That case extended over 20 years before the U.S. Supreme Court ended the final chapter in April 2021. The court used a procedural rule that places the burden on plaintiffs to provide “clear and convincing evidence.” Florida failed to convince the court, and walked away with nothing.

Robert Glennon, Regents Professor and Morris K. Udall Professor of Law & Public Policy, University of Arizona

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

--

Read Also

How to combat water scarcity on remote islands

[toffeemate]

I've done it...

The Last Saskatchewan Pirate but it's about the Great Recession

Oh, I used to be a farmer and I made a living fine

I had a little stretch of land along the Missouri line

But times were hard and though I tried, the money wasn't there

And bankers came and took my land and told me fair is fair

Looked for every kind of job, the answer always "no"

Hire you now, they'd always laugh, we just let twenty go!

The government, they promised me a measly little sum

But I've got too much pride to end up just another bum

Then I thought who gives a damn if all the jobs are gone

I'm gonna be a PIRATE! on the River Mississippi!

Cause it's a heave-ho! hi-ho!

Coming down the plains

Stealing wheat and barley and all the other grains

And it's a ho-hey! hi-hey!

Farmers bar your doors

When you see the Jolly Roger on the Mississippi's shores

Arr!

Well you think the locals farmers would know that I'm at large

But, just the other day I saw an unprotected barge

I snuck up right behind them and they were none the wiser

I rammed their ship, and sank it, and I stole their fertilizer!

A bridge outside of New Orleans spans a mighty river

The farmers pass in so much fear, their stomachs are a-quiver

Because they know that TRACTOR JACK! is waiting in the bay

I'll jump the bridge and knock them cold and sail off with their hay!

Cause it's a heave-ho! hi-ho!

Coming down the plains

Stealing wheat and barley and all the other grains

And it's a ho-hey! hi-hey!

Farmers bar your doors

When you see the Jolly Roger on the Mississippi's shores

Arr!

Well Obamaboi he chased me, he was always at my throat

He'd follow on the shoreline because he didn't own a boat

But cutbacks were a-coming and Obama lost his job

Now he's sailing with me and we call him Salty Brock

A swingin' sword, and skull n' bones, and pleasant company

I never pay my income tax and screw the GDP--SCREW IT!

Saint Paul down to New Orleans, I'm the terror of the sea

If you wanna reach the Wal-Mart, boy, you gotta get by me!

Cause it's a heave-ho! hi-ho!

Coming down the plains

Stealing wheat and barley and all the other grains

And it's a ho-hey! hi-hey!

Farmers bar your doors

When you see the Jolly Roger on the Mississippi's shores

Arr!

Well, pirate life's appealing, but you don't just find it here

I've heard that in Minnesota, there's a band of buccaneers

They roam the Lake Itasca, from Minneapolis to Saint Paul

And you're gonna lose your Stetson if across their path you fall

Well winter is a-coming and a chill is in the breeze

Our pirate days are over once the river starts to freeze

I'll be back in springtime, but now l've to yaw

I hear there's lots of plundering down in Arkansas!

Cause it's a heave-ho! hi-ho!

Coming down the plains

Stealing wheat and barley and all the other grains

And it's a ho-hey! hi-hey!

Farmers bar your doors

When you see the Jolly Roger on the Mississippi's shores

Cause it's a heave-ho! hi-ho!

Coming down the plains

Stealing wheat and barley and all the other grains

And it's a ho-hey! hi-hey!

Farmers bar your doors

When you see the Jolly Roger on the Mississippi's shores

Farmers bar your doors when you see the Jolly Roger on the Mississippi's shores

[sfnewsvine]

Third La Niña Winter Expected NBC Bay Area

Drought and wildfire dangers will stay elevated within the western states whereas hotter than common temperatures will greet the Southwest, Gulf Coast and East Coast this winter, federal climate officers stated Thursday. La Niña, a climate sample characterised by chilly ocean temperatures within the equatorial Pacific Ocean, is returning for a uncommon third winter, officers with the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration stated. Meaning December, January and February are more likely to carry drier than common circumstances throughout the southern states and wetter than common climate for areas together with the Nice Lakes and Pacific Northwest. The forecast means droughts which have punished the Nice Plains and western states are more likely to proceed, the company stated. Wildfires will stay a danger, and a few components of the nation will seemingly be in larger hazard than earlier than, stated Brad Pugh, the operational drought lead with NOAA’s Local weather Prediction Middle. “One of many areas, over the following couple months, that’s more likely to have enhanced wildfire hazard would be the south-central U.S. — Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas,” Pugh stated. “Very dry circumstances there. With that dryness, that shall be an space for prime wildfire hazard within the coming three months.” Drought circumstances are happening throughout about 59% of the nation, NOAA officers stated, and so they have continued within the western states since late 2020. The continued La Niña local weather sample means that’s more likely to increase to the Gulf Coast as nicely, NOAA stated. The Gulf Coast can also be one of many components of the nation more likely to expertise increased than common temperatures, NOAA stated. The upper temperatures are additionally more likely to climb up the East Coast all the way in which to the New England states, the company stated. Some components of the northern U.S., together with the Pacific Northwest and parts of the Nice Lakes states, may see colder temperatures than typical, NOAA stated. Judah Cohen, director of seasonal forecasting for AER, a Massachusetts-based atmospheric analysis agency, stated NOAA’s predictions dovetail along with his expectations for the approaching winter. “I might undoubtedly lean on a milder winter, particularly east of the Rockies,” Cohen stated. “Wetter to the north, drier to the south.” The southern Rockies, southern plains and a lot of the southeastern states are additionally drier than common circumstances, NOAA officers stated. The winter climate can also be anticipated to carry drought to the center and decrease Mississippi Valley, they stated. Drought has had main penalties in states like California lately, together with hurting agriculture operations, spurring water use cutbacks and elevating the danger of wildfires. NOAA’s prediction does name for improved circumstances in some drought areas, together with components of Montana and Idaho, however predictions name for a deepening drought in lots of others. NOAA’s forecast is much like projections from computer-based fashions, stated Ryan Maue, a non-public meteorologist primarily based in Atlanta. Many components of the nation that would use a moist or snowy 12 months are unlikely to get one, he stated. “I feel the underside line is we’re on a continuation of what we have been seeing over the past 12 months, together with final winter, and there is not anticipated to be enchancment within the drought scenario throughout California and the middle of the USA,” Maue stated. Supply hyperlink Originally published at SF Newsvine

[dipulb3]

Winter storm continues to hammer businesses

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/winter-storm-continues-to-hammer-businesses/

Winter storm continues to hammer businesses

Widespread outages, particularly in Texas, have left millions of residents without power in frigid temperatures for a third day. At least 26 people have died.

The storm also forced hundreds of businesses large and small to close their doors. While some businesses have been able to resume operations, many other face days more before they’ll be able to return to normal.

Oil and gas production were particularly hard-hit by the storm, which closed refineries and other operations in the Permian Basin, the fracking capital of the United States. Most homes and businesses in Midland, Texas, in the heart of the basin, were still without power Wednesday afternoon.

The Energy Department reports that about 19% of the nation’s oil refining capacity had been shut by the storm, along with about 7% of its natural gas output. That capacity remained offline on Wednesday, said Tom Kloza, global head of energy analysis with the Oil Price Information Service. That has driven up oil and gas prices nationwide.

“It’s going to take several days for it to come back,” said Kloza. “Most will be restarting by the weekend. It won’t be as challenging as coming back after a hurricane when there is wind and water damage.”

Walmart (WMT), the nation’s largest retailer, reportedly closed 500 stores, most of them in Texas, on Tuesday. By Wednesday evening, it said fewer than 300 remained closed.

The already battered airline industry was dealing with another day of thousands of canceled flights nationwide, especially in the South and Midwest. Manufacturers have been forced to close plants over bad weather, power outages, and a shortage of natural gas.

Economic impact

Despite the severity and scope of the storm, the impact on the economy overall may be muted because of the pandemic, said Mark Zandi, chief economist with Moody’s Analytics.

“Normally with a storm like this, you’d say the lasting damage would be lost economic activity that can’t be recouped — travel, going out to eat or the movies,” he said. “We’re not doing those things as much anyhow. You can’t shutdown businesses that are already shutdown.”

Zandi said the lost economic activity that might show up in data is cutbacks in oil and gas production and housing starts. But he thinks the loss will be in the billions of dollars, not the tens of billions, and thus won’t have an impact on gross domestic product, the broadest measure of the nation’s economic activity. That said, the storm is another warning that climate change and more severe storms could be a growing drag on the economy in years to come.

“Next time we talk might not be billions,” Zandi said. “We might be tens of billions or even hundreds of billions.”

Some auto plants reopening

Automakers including General Motors (GM), Toyota (TM), and Stellantis, the company formerly known as Fiat Chrysler, reported that they were able to resume some of their operations that had been shut early Tuesday.

Plants in Texas operated by GM and Toyota remained closed Wednesday, as did a GM plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Toyota’s plant in San Antonio, Texas, will stay shut through at least Thursday.

Nissan (NSANF) kept its US plants in Tennessee and Mississippi closed Wednesday. Ford’s plant in Kansas City that makes its best-selling F-150 pickup and its Transit commercial van also will remain shut for the rest of the week. That plant was closed due a shortage of natural gas, not the immediate weather in the area.

Ford (F) was able to reopen some plants in Michigan, Ohio, and Mexico. Other Ford plants that lost their first shift to bad weather Tuesday were able to reopen for their second shift.

But the struggles aren’t over for the auto industry, even if the worst of the weather has passed. Some plants that had stayed open earlier in the week were forced to cancel or curtail production Wednesday due to the lack of available parts from suppliers. That was the case at the Sterling Heights, Michigan, plant of Stellantis, as well as at Volkswagen’s only US plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Flights canceled

Airlines continued to cancel flights in the region. The nation’s four largest airlines — American, United, Delta and Southwest — canceled 2,220 flights on Wednesday, after canceling 2,450 flights Tuesday.

Those airlines account for more than 80% of the nation’s air traffic, and three of them — American, Southwest and United — have major hubs in Texas that were hit by the storm. Another 1,230 of Thursday’s flights were already canceled, according to Helane Becker, airline analyst for Cowen, who cited data from tracking service FlightAware.

Becker said there is likely to be only a “small financial impact” from the cancellations. Airlines are still operating only a fraction of the flights they scheduled before the pandemic caused a plunge in air travel, and fares for the tickets they are selling are well off of year-ago levels.

— Appradab’s Pete Muntean contributed to this report.

[khalilhumam]

How much is COVID-19 hurting state and local revenues?

New Post has been published on http://khalilhumam.com/how-much-is-covid-19-hurting-state-and-local-revenues/

How much is COVID-19 hurting state and local revenues?

By Louise Sheiner, Sophia Campbell State and local governments are significant players in the U.S. economy. Employment by state and local governments represents about 13 percent of total employment in the U.S.—more than the federal government. State and local tax revenues represent about 9 percent of GDP. And unlike the federal government, state and local governments generally have to balance their operating budgets; they can’t borrow to finance large deficits. This Q&A examines the fiscal impact that COVID-19 has had on state and local governments and is drawn from “Fiscal Effects of COVID-19,” presented at the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity on September 24, 2020.

How has COVID-19 affected state and local government finances?

As in other economic downturns, the pandemic has reduced state and local revenues, but this time is different. Declines in income tax revenues are likely to be smaller than projections based on historical experience because employment losses have been unusually concentrated on low-wage workers (who pay less income taxes than higher-wage workers), the stock market has held up so far (sustaining taxes on capital gains), and the federal government has increased and expanded unemployment insurance benefits and grants to business, which will shore up taxable income. On the other hand, declines in sales and other taxes and fees are larger than historical experience would suggest, because consumption has fallen so sharply and people are staying home—meaning that revenues from taxes and fees on hotels, tolls, airports, and motor fuel have plummeted. We project that state and local government revenues will decline $155 billion in 2020, $167 billion in 2021, and $145 billion in 2022—about 5.5 percent, 5.7 percent, and 4.7 percent, respectively—excluding the declines in fees to hospitals and higher education. Including those fees to hospitals and higher education would bring these totals to $188 billion, $189 billion, and $167 billion. While federal aid to state and local governments this year has exceeded projected revenue losses, that aid is only one-time, and state and local governments are expected to face shortfalls for many years. Without promises of further aid, these governments are likely to cut spending now to prepare for future imbalances. Furthermore, state and local governments are at the forefront of the response to the pandemic in their communities and will likely need to increase their typical spending to provide crucial public health services and help communities adapt to social distancing guidelines. One lesson from the years following the Great Recession is that cutbacks by state and local government can be a substantial restraint on the vigor of the economic recovery, and so ensuring that state and local governments have enough funding is important both for ensuring that needed services are provided and that the economic recovery is as robust as possible.

How has COVID affected state and local income tax revenues?

We project that state and local income tax revenues will decline 4.7 percent in 2020, 7.5 percent in 2021, and 7.7 percent in 2022— $22 billion, $37 billion, and $40 billion, respectively. These moderate declines— especially relative to the declines that would have been estimated based on past recessions—reflect the low incomes of most of the unemployed and the large, taxable fiscal stimulus mentioned above. In fact, without the CARES Act, income tax revenues would have declined an additional $13 billion in 2020, $8 billion from unemployment insurance and $5 billion from PPP (Paycheck Protection Program). There is a lot of variation across the states in the income tax revenue losses associated with COVID, due to variation in unemployment rates, the generosity of unemployment insurance benefits, and the importance of non-wage income to the tax base. New Hampshire, California, New Jersey, and New York are projected to record the largest 2020 percentage declines, with income taxes falling 9 percent, 8.5 percent, 8 percent, and 6.7 percent, respectively. In contrast, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina, and West Virginia are projected to suffer declines of less than 1.5 percent.

How has COVID affected revenues from sales taxes?

Forty-six states impose general sales taxes and, on average, these taxes account for about one quarter of state and local tax revenue. Some localities impose their own sales tax on top of or in lieu of the state sales tax. Because the sales tax is based on the dollar value of sales, sales tax revenues move proportionally with consumption of taxed items. But consumer spending during the pandemic was unusual. Much of the decline affected services, such as hairdressing, which are less likely to be taxed than goods. There were large increases in purchases of food at the grocery store, which is typically not subject to the sales tax, and large declines in spending at restaurants and hotels, which are often taxed more heavily than other things. In aggregate, sales taxes look to decline $49 billion this year, $45 billion next year, and $46 billion in 2022, in part reflecting lower price levels and in part because of changes in demand.  Looking across the states, the largest percentage declines are projected in the District of Columbia (18 percent) and Rhode Island (16 percent), while the smallest declines are in Alabama, Idaho, and Arkansas (4 percent, 5 percent, and 6 percent, respectively). These projections may be too pessimistic. As the effects of social distancing lessen, some lost spending could be made up, particularly after savings have increased from people staying home—cars not purchased and trips not taken may have been delayed, rather than canceled altogether.

What about taxes on corporations, property taxes, and fees?

State corporate tax collections make up only a small part of state and local revenues but are particularly vulnerable to economic downturns. We project that they will decline $2 billion in 2020, $29 billion in 2021, and $14 billion in 2022. Property taxes make up 22 percent of own-source revenues (that is, excluding grants from the federal government), but house prices have held up well so far and future declines in property taxes do not appear to be significant. As people stay home, revenues collected from sources like highway tolls and charges for public parks may fall. Pandemic-related declines in charges and fees will likely account for a loss of $82 billion this year, $55 billion next year, and $45 billion in 2022. These declines disproportionately come from declines in transportation-related revenues, a big difference from prior recessions. The pandemic could also lower fees to public hospitals and institutions of higher education by $33 billion this year, $22 billion in 2021, and $22 billion in 2022, although these fees are typically rendered in exchange for services paid for by state and local governments. For example, the sharp decline in health expenditures in the spring meant that health care facility revenues plunged. To the extent that public hospitals laid off workers, reduced hiring and hours, or cut back on supplies, these revenue losses may have been offset at least in part by a decline in spending.

What has the federal government done in response, so far?

States and localities are due to receive over $200 billion in federal aid this year. The largest portion of that aid is $150 billion through the Coronavirus Relief Fund. The CARES Act also provided $25 billion in aid to public transit agencies, $13 billion to K-12 education, and roughly $6.5 billion to public colleges and universities. The CARES Act includes $175 billion in aid to health care providers, $35 billion of which we estimate will go to public hospitals and community health centers. In addition, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act raised the federal share of Medicaid spending by 6.2 percentage points for the duration of the public health emergency. This increase appears to be more than enough to fund states’ higher Medicaid expenditures expected as a result of the pandemic, leaving about $24 billion of flexible funding in 2020, $19 billion in 2021, and $9 billion in 2022. At least for 2020, federal aid seems large enough to offset the revenue losses state and local governments are likely to experience. Should the economy remain depressed in the coming years, however, these governments will need additional aid in order to avoid cutting services or raising taxes and impeding the recovery. Furthermore, even if state and local governments don’t cut back on spending in the aggregate, changes in spending needs brought on by the pandemic could force these governments to confront tough budget choices and perhaps cut essential services. For example, if providing decent virtual education requires hiring more staff and providing equipment to students, or if demand for mental health services or services for the elderly rise as a result of the pandemic, then pre-COVID levels of spending may not be enough. Different states are also experiencing varying degrees of fiscal stress. States like Nevada, Washington, California, Florida, and New York show the largest revenue declines in 2020, while states like Kansas, New Hampshire, Mississippi, and Wyoming show the smallest. Since the $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund gave each state a minimum of $1.25 billion, some states have received more than enough funding to cover their losses while others are likely to face budget shortfalls even without significant increases in COVID-related spending.  For example, Vermont received aid (other than for hospitals and higher education) equal to 23 percent of its general own-source revenues; New York, which was much harder hit by the pandemic, received only 6 percent. In addition, the Federal Reserve established the Municipal Liquidity Facility. The facility aims to ease the cash flow pressures on state and local governments by purchasing short term municipal debt. Although the facility made many loans, it has contributed to the smooth functioning of the municipal bond market in which states and localities can now borrow at interest rates which are at, or near, historic lows.

What effect do low interest rates have on state and local governments?

State governments are both borrowers and savers. The saving is mostly in the form of contributions to state and local employee pension funds; the borrowing is through the issuance of municipal debt, mostly to finance long-term capital projects. On net, state and local governments are savers. According to the Census of Governments for 2017, total state and local government debt equaled $3 trillion in 2017, while total financial assets were $6.9 trillion. Low interest rates, then, mean smaller returns to state and local government savings.

[mullercells]

ORANGE, Va. — Alice Jacobs, 90, once owned a factory and horses. She has raised four children and buried two husbands.

But years in an assisted living center drained her savings, and now she relies on Medicaid to pay for her care at Dogwood Village, a nonprofit, county-owned nursing home here.

“You think you’ve got enough money to last all your life, and here I am,” Ms. Jacobs said.

Medicaid pays for most of the 1.4 million people in nursing homes, like Ms. Jacobs. It covers 20 percent of all Americans and 40 percent of poor adults.

On Thursday, Senate Republicans joined their House colleagues in proposing steep cuts to Medicaid, part of the effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Conservatives hope to roll back what they see as an expanding and costly entitlement. But little has been said about what would happen to older Americans in nursing homes if the cuts took effect.

Under federal law, state Medicaid programs are required to cover nursing home care. But state officials decide how much to pay facilities, and states under budgetary pressure could decrease the amount they are willing to pay or restrict eligibility for coverage.

“The states are going to make it harder to qualify medically for needing nursing home care,” predicted Toby S. Edelman, a senior policy attorney at the Center for Medicare Advocacy. “They’d have to be more disabled before they qualify for Medicaid assistance.”

States might allow nursing homes to require residents’ families to pay for a portion of their care, she added. Officials could also limit the types of services and days of nursing home care they pay for, as Medicare already does.

The 150 residents of Dogwood Village include former teachers, farmers, doctors, lawyers, stay-at-home parents and health aides — a cross section of this rural county a half-hour northeast of Charlottesville. Many entered old age solidly middle class but turned to Medicaid, which was once thought of as a government program exclusively for the poor, after exhausting their insurance and assets.

A combination of longer life spans and spiraling health care costs has left an estimated 64 percent of the Americans in nursing homes dependent on Medicaid. In Alaska, Mississippi and West Virginia, Medicaid was the primary payer for three-quarters or more of nursing home residents in 2015, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

“People are simply outliving their relatives and their resources, and fortunately, Medicaid has been there,” said Mark Parkinson, the president of the American Health Care Association, a national nursing home industry group.

Continue Reading

[samwinchestersleftshoe]

things other than covid-19

Jan-Dec in chronological order

Jan: Australian wildfires. Qassem Suleimani, leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force is killed in a US airstrike. Prince Harry & Meghan Markle step back from royal duties. The US house of representatives vote to sent articles of impeachment(abuse of power and obstruction of Congress) against Trump to the US Senate. Kobe Bryant and his 13 yr old daughter Gianna as well as 7 others perish in a helicopter crash. the UK withdraws from the European Union, making Brexit official(actual separation will occur Dec 31st). 

citations

Feb: Impeachment shadows Trump’s State of the Union address; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tears up a copy of his speech. The Senate acquits Trump of abuse the power of his office+obstructing Congress’ investigation into his conduct. Actor Kirk Douglass dies at age 103. Trump Fires EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland and National Security Council advisor LT. Col. Alexander Vindman, both whom testified against trump during the impeachment trial. Boy Scouts of America seeks bankruptcy protection under wave of child abuse claims. Ahmaud Arbery was shot and killed by a white father and son while jogging in Georgia; the two men are arrested 2 1/2 months later and charged with felony murder+assault. Bob Iger steps down at Walt Disney Co. after 15 yrs on the job; Bob Capek is named new CEO. Former VP Joe Biden wins the South Carolina Democratic primary, reigniting his presidential campaign. 

citations

March: Pete Buttigieg drops out of the US presidential race. Joe Biden leads the primary with victories in 10 states on Super Tuesday. Former NY mayor Michael Bloomberg drops out of US pres race. MA Sen. Elizabeth Warren drops out of US pres race. Harvey Weinstein is sentenced to 23 yrs in prison for r*pe and sexual assault. Breonna Taylor is shot and killed in her home in Louisville, KY by police serving a narcotics warrant in search of suspected drug dealer. The Dow Jones industrial average falls by 2,997.10, the largest single-day drop ever. PG&E pleads guilty to 84 counts counts of involuntary manslaughter over the 2018 Camp Fire. 

citations

April: Bernie Sanders drops out of US pres race, paving the way for Joe Biden to win Democratic nomination. 

citation

May: The US faces invasion of murder hornets which threaten domestic bees. The US Justice Department drops charges against former national security advisor Michael Flynn. Gregory and Travis McMichael are charged with murder in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery in GA. William Bryan, the man who filmed Ahmaud Arbery’s death is charged with murder as well. Minneapolis police officer is filmed while pressing his knee on the neck of George Floyd for 8 minutes, killing him, as three other officers stand by. Video of Floyd’s death go viral; 4 officers are fired the next day. Minneapolis-St. Paul protests over death of George Floyd and racial injustice spread nationwide. Fired Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin is charged with third degree murder and manslaughter in the killing of George Floyd; the Minnesota attorney general increases the charge to second degree murder on June 3. Charges against the 3 other officers are filed. A state of emergency is declared in Los Angeles County and city of Los Angeles because of protests over the death of George Floyd and racial injustice. Curfews are declared in Philadelphia and Atlanta. 

June: Trump threatens to deploy US troops to quell protests across the country and subsequently stages a photo-op at St John’s Episcopal Church after federal officers and other lay enforcement personnel forcefully clear peaceful protesters from Lafayette Square in front of the White House. Washington D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser designated a section of 16th street NW as a Black Lives Matter Plaza. Protesters in Seattle declare an “autonomous zone” in the city’s Capitol Hill area. Protests in Atlanta start after the killing of Rayshard Brooks by a police officer in the parking lot of a fast-food restaurant. The US Supreme Court rules that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which makes it illegal for employers to discriminate because of a person’s sex, also covers sexual orientation. The Trump administration asks a federal judge to block publication of former national security adviser John Bolton’s memoir, “The Room Where It Happened.” The effort fails. Trump holds his first 2020 campaign rally in months in Tulsa, OK. A lower than expected attendance makes headlines. Following a vote by the state legislature, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signs a bill that retires the official state, flag - the last state flag incorporating the Confederate battle flag in its design.  

July: The FBI arrests Ghislaine Maxwell on charges she helped lure at least three girls to be sexually abused by the late financier Jeffrey Epstien. The Supreme Court rejects claims of presidential immunity and rules Trump must release his financial records to prosecutors in NY. CA officials announce that as many as 8k prisoners could be released ahead of schedule in an unprecedented attempt to stop the spread of Covid-19 inside state prisons. Trump commutes the 40-month sentence of his political advisor Roger Stone. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper issues a memorandum to the military on the appropriate display of flags - excluding the Confederate battle flag and essentially banning it. Oregon Atty. Gen. Ellen Rosenblum files suit against the federal government, accusing it of unlawfully detaining protesters in Portland. Trump announces a “surge” of federal officers into Democratic-run cities, following a crackdown on protests in Portland OR. TV personality Regis Philbin dies at 88. Trump suggests the 2020 presidential election be delayed, saying increased voting by mail could lead to fraud. 

Aug: Firefighters continue to battle the Apple fire that burned 20,000 acres in Cherry Valley and surrounding areas of Riverside and San Bernardino counties, destroying one home and prompting evacuations of thousands of others. Los Angeles City Councilman Jose Huizar pleads not guilty to bribery, money laundering and an array f other charges, his first public response to the allegations in the corruption inquiry since prosecutors began, securing guilty pleas from others in the case. As California grapples with a barrage of requests for unemployment benefits amid the pandemic, some state workers processing claims say they are hampered by outdated technology, bureaucratic red tape and a shortage of trained, experienced staff. More than 400,000 people, most without face masks and who don’t follow social distancing guidelines, participate in activities related to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota. Joe Biden announces Sen. Kamala Harries of California as his VP running mate, the first WOC to appear on a major party’s presidential ticket. Plans are announced by the US Postal Service(USPS) to remove hundreds of high-volume mail-processing machines from postal facilities across the country. Thunderstorms trigger hundreds of wildfires in California, prompting evacs as a record-breaking heat wave taxes the state’s powergrid. The SCU Lighting Complex fires start, affecting several Bay Area counties. Almost 400, 000 acres are burned, making it the third largest wildfire in Cali history. The August Complex fire starts in Northern Cali; by Sept 9 it becomes the largest fire in Cali history, burning more than 1 million acres. Death Valley hits 130 degrees, thought to be the highest temperature on Earth in nearly a century.  Spurred by concerns that Trump is trying to get rid of the USPS to help him win the re-election, Speaker Nancy Pelosi summons House members back to Washington to pass a bill aimed at rolling back admin cutbacks that could cripple widespread mail-in-voting. The LNU Lightning Complex fires start and last for several weeks, scorching more than 350,000 acres in several wince country counties, including Napa, Sonoma, Solano, Lake and Yolo. NBCUniversal ousts longtime Universal studio executive Ron Meyer after learning he made hush-money payments to a woman to cover up an old affair - a secret that Meyer said snowballed into an extortion plot. Apple becomes first US company to be valued at more than $2 trillion. Former trump advisor Stephen K Bannon is arrested and charged with fraud over a private fundraising campaign to build a border wall. Wildfires ringing the Bay Area and other parts of the state kill at least five people, destroy more than 500 structures and scorch hundreds of square miles as evacs expand. A Sacramento County judge sentences the Golden State Killer, 74-yr-old Joseph James DeAngelo Jr to life without parole for killing 13 people and r*ping 50 in a series of break-ins that terrorized the state for decades. Protests break out in Kenosha, WI after the shooting of 29-yr-old Jacob Blake by a police officer. The RNC is held in Charlotte NC, and Wash. Trump and VP Mike Pence are formally nominated as the GOP’s 2020 pres ticket. Two people are shot and killed during unrest in Kenosha, I; a suspect is arrested. Soon after, prof. athletes start to boycott their sports to protest the shooting of Jacob Blake. Actor Chadwick Boseman dies at age 43 at previously undisclosed battle with colon cancer. 

Sept: Famiy members+activists demand that the LA County Sheriff’s Department release the names of the deputies who shot and killed Dijon Kizzee, a black man, in the South LA neighborhood of Westmont on Aug 31. The El Dorado fire erupts in San Bernardino Country, sparked by pyrotechnics that were part of a gender reveal party. CA sets new record for destruction by wildfires, with 2.1 million acres burning. The temp in Woodland Hills soars to 121 degrees, an all-time high in LA County. Ore. wildfires start amid severe drought and severe winds; by the end of Oct, more than 1 million acres will burn, more than 4,000 homes will be destroyed, and at least 10 people will be killed. More than .5 million people in Ore., more than 10% of the state’s population, are reported to be fleeing wildfires. 2 LA County sheriff’s deputies are shot and critically injured while sitting in their patrol car near the Compton Metro station; the agency’s response to the attack raises alarm among some activists, lawmakers and Sheriff’s Department watchdogs. The confirmed death toll from Cali’s unprecedented wildfires rises to 25 as crews work to stop two dozen major blazes still burning statewide. Long-serving Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies at 87. Trump refuses to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the Nov. election. A Kentucky grand jury brings no charges against Louisville police in the killing of Breonna Taylor during a drug raid gone wrong. Trump chooses Judge Amy Coney Barrett of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to fill Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat. Several attendees at the nomination ceremony at the White House Rose Garden will later test positive for COVID-19. The New York Times reports on more than 20 yrs worth of Trump’s personal and tax returns; among the revelations: He paid $750 in federal taxes in 2016 and again in 2017. The Glass fire in Northern CA ignites just before 4 a.m. and quickly balloons to 40,000 acres in two days. It burns in Napa and Sonoma counties and is the fourth major fire to hit the region since the Tubbs fire in Santa Rosa in 2017. Deadly clashes break out in Nagorno-Karabakh between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces. Shouting, insults and misinformation, mostly by Trump, dominate the first presidential debate.

Oct: The Cali Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reports that state wildfires burned nearly 4 million acres, killed 31 people and destroyed more than 8,200 structures. For the first time in Cali history, a ballot will make its way in the mail this week to every registered Cali voter. Eddie Van Halen dies at age 65 after a long battle with cancer. FBI announces that 13 men have been charged in a plot to kidnap Mich Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Armenia and Azerbaijan agree on a cease-fire in the ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Rick Jacobs, a top political advisor to LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, says he will “take a leave” from his work with Garcetti amid allegations of sexual misconduct. Less than seven months after Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman launched Quibi to remake the business of short-form video, the nascent streaming service announces it is shutting down.The Senate confirms Amy Coney Barrett as a Supreme Court associate justice on a party-line vote, 52 to 48.

Nov: California largely breezes through election day; nationwide, it’s a different story. After midnight, Trump announces he has won the election and demands that all vote counting stop, alleging voter fraud, but with millions of votes still to be counted, no news organizations declare a presidential winner. Trump continues his attack on the voting system as he joins several lawsuits aiming at stopping vote counts in Pa, Ga and Mich. Cali ballot measure campaign season ends with voters granting companies such as Uber and Lyft the right to keep their drivers as independent contractors but rejecting a plan to expand rent control to more homes and communities.  LA voters upend the political status quo by backing a slate of progressive candidates and measures in the Nov. 3 election. Among the victors is George Gascón, former San Fran district attorney, who defeated L.A. County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey. After days of waiting, major news organizations declare that Joe Biden has secured enough electoral college votes to win the presidency. “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek, 80, dies following a battle with pancreatic cancer. President Trump uses Twitter to announce that Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has been fired. Hurricane Lota makes landfall in Nicaragua as a Category 4 storm, just two weeks after Hurricane Eta hit, devastating the same areas. Trump escalates his attempts to overturn Biden’s election victory, pushing for judges and Republican state lawmakers and local officials in several battleground states to ignore voters’ verdicts and award him the electoral votes he needs for a second term. Ga Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger certifies President-elect Biden’s win and the results of all the other races in the state. After 2-week standoff, Emily Murphy, General Services Admin head, reverses course and allows President-elect Biden’s team access to required federal resources to start the formal transition process. Trump pardons Michael Flynn, his first national security advisor. Trump says he will leave the White House once Biden is officially declared the winner of the electoral college. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh-Mahabadi, Iran’s top nuclear scientist assassinated near Tehran. Raymond Chan, a former senior aide to LA Mayor Eric Garcetti, has been charged with conspiracy, bribery, fraud and lying to FBI agents in the ongoing federal probe into corruption at City Hall, according to court records made public. The pro bono law firm Public Counsel files a lawsuit against the state of Cali, saying it has failed during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide a free and equal education to all students, violating the state Constitution and discriminating against Black, Latino and low-income families.

Dec: Atty. Gen. William Barr says the U.S. Justice Department has uncovered no evidence of widespread voter fraud that could change the outcome of the 2020 election. The captain of the Conception, the dive boat that caught fire last year off the coast of Santa Barbara, is indicted by a federal grand jury on 34 counts of seaman’s manslaughter. Olympic gold medalist Rafer Johnson, who helped bring the Summer Games to Los Angeles, dies at 86. Universal Music Publishing Group announces it is acquiring Bob Dylan’s entire catalog of songs, which spans 60 years. The Supreme Court rejects a highly unusual lawsuit filed by Tex. that urged the justices to overturn the election result by nullifying President-elect Biden’s victory in four key states: Penn, Mich, Wis and Ga. John le Carre, the author of many bestselling Cold War thrillers, dies at 89. The electoral college confirms Biden’s victory over Trump. The availability of intensive care unit beds throughout Southern Cali hits 0%.

[kansascityhappenings]

Navy considers shipbuilding cuts for upcoming budget

PORTLAND, Maine — The Navy is proposing construction cutbacks and accelerated ship retirements that would delay, or sink, the Navy’s goal of a larger fleet — and potentially hurt shipyards, according to an initial proposal.

The proposal would shrink the size of the fleet from today’s level of 293 ships to 287 ships, a far cry from the official goal of 355 ships established in the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act.

According to a defense official familiar with the memo, budget negotiations are ongoing and no final decisions have been made. But the Navy is looking at a number of ways to cut costs to fund other priorities, the official said.

One of the proposed cuts would reduce the number of Arleigh Burke-class destroyers planned for construction from 12 to seven over the next five years, trimming $9.4 billion, or about 8%, from the shipbuilding budget, the official said.

Another potential cut would decommission Ticonderoga-class cruisers more quickly over the next five years, leaving nine in the fleet, rather than 13.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss preliminary budget planning discussions that have not been made public.

“Either option runs counter to the Navy’s stated requirement for a 355-ship fleet, and would not be well received on Capitol Hill given there’s still consensus that the military and strategic threat from Russia and China is only increasing,” said naval analyst Jay Korman of Avascent Group.

Defense analyst Norman Friedman said the proposal would represent a major reduction in anti-aircraft capability that is provided by destroyers and cruisers at a time when the Navy is facing more sophisticated threats from aircraft and missiles.

“If you were serious about facing down the Chinese, you’d probably want more of that than less,” said Friedman.

Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are produced at two shipyards, Maine’s Bath Iron Works, a General Dynamics subsidiary, and Ingalls Shipbuilding in Mississippi. A Bath spokesman declined to comment.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins and independent Sen. Angus King, of Maine, called the proposal “an abrupt reversal of the Navy’s plan to increase the size of the fleet.”

The senators noted that Congress will have the final say, and they suggested that much of the funding is already in the works. Just this past week, Congress appropriated $5.1 billion for three destroyers, and a $390 million increase in advanced procurement for a down payment on an additional ship next fiscal year, they said.

The proposed cost cutting comes as the Navy works to modernize its ballistic missile submarine fleet, replacing aging current Ohio-class subs with new Columbia-class nuclear subs. That program is putting pressure on the shipbuilding budget.

The Navy reportedly has some wiggle room in reaching the 355-ship fleet size with the suggestion that the battle force could include unmanned, as well as manned, warships.

The Navy said the discussions are “pre-decisional” and subject to change. “We will not comment on future shipbuilding decisions until the budget request is submitted to Congress next year,” said Cmdr. Clay Doss, a Navy spokesman.

from FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports https://fox4kc.com/2019/12/29/navy-considers-shipbuilding-cuts-for-upcoming-budget/

from Kansas City Happenings https://kansascityhappenings.wordpress.com/2019/12/29/navy-considers-shipbuilding-cuts-for-upcoming-budget/

[auburnfamilynews]

Auburn will play four straight games at home. (Photo by Acid Reign.)

     War Eagle, everybody! This week, the Auburn Tigers will host the Ole Miss Rebels at Jordan Hare Stadium. This game represents a opportunities for both teams. Ole Miss currently stands at 3 wins and 5 losses, and needs a win to keep their post-season hopes alive. The Rebels are at Auburn, then have New Mexico State and LSU at home, before finishing at Mississippi State. Ole Miss needs to win 3 of their remaining 4 games to go bowling. Auburn currently has a 6-2 record, and needs this win to avoid going to a lower echelon bowl game.

     Auburn’s remaining schedule is Ole Miss, Georgia, Samford and Alabama. Wins over Ole Miss and Samford would get Auburn into consideration for a Outback or Citrus sort of bowl game. Losing to Ole Miss would likely end any hope of a New Years Day bowl game.

     When Auburn has the ball, it will go against an Ole Miss defense that has seen its moments this year, but that has also struggled at times. Thanks to several years of NCAA probation, Ole Miss no longer has a roster full of future NFL defenders. I suppose what is most notable is that this defense is sound from a schematic point of view. Ole Miss is able to line up and know their assignments, and play fundamental football. The past couple of years have seen a defense that could be put back on its heels and exploited. Auburn has the talent to move the ball on this unit, but the Tigers will have to earn it.

     Like Auburn, Ole Miss wants to run the football. Ole Miss has had trouble throwing the ball down the field, but is one of the best running teams in the SEC. In addition to the usual zone read concepts most SEC teams use now, Ole Miss has a tricky array of draw and trap plays that they like to run. A defense like Auburn’s that gets into the backfield quickly will have to take care not to overrun plays, and watch for cutbacks.

     The biggest question in this game will be the level of excitement and fire on each side. Auburn cannot afford a post-LSU letdown. Will the team come out with the fire and grit that they have shown the rest of this season, or will we see a wounded team looking to get this one over with? Meanwhile Ole Miss is rested after a bye week, and will be looking to start strong on the road.

     This will easily be the coolest game thus far this season for Auburn. A taste of winter has blown through the state here in recent days, and it should be clear and cold Saturday night in Auburn, with temps falling into the 40s during the game. There is no chance of rain, and those attending this game will be treated to a waxing crescent moon over the stadium. We will have our usual Trackemtigers.com Open Thread up and running for this one, and I will be at the keyboard, for the play-by-play. This game will kick off at 6:00 PM, Central Daylight Time, and will be televised on ESPN.

A look at other SEC games this weekend, after the jump!

     The early action this week at 11:00 AM begins with Texas San Antonio visiting Texas A&M. This should be a win for the Aggies, and they will become bowl-eligible with the win at 6-3.

     The SEC game of the week on CBS is Florida and Georgia at 2:30 PM. The loser of this game is out of the playoff picture, and likely out of the division race. For all practical purposes, the winner of this battle in Jacksonville will win the SEC East.

     Mississippi State travels to Arkansas at 3:00 PM. A few weeks ago, this would have been an easy game to pencil in a win for the Bulldogs. Now, it is a battle for last place in the SEC West. Neither team is stopping opponents lately, and this could be a very high scoring game.

     Ole Miss at Auburn begins the evening action at 6:00 PM.

     Also at 6, UAB visits Tennessee. Lots of folks locally are hoping UAB can pull the upset, but I think the Volunteers have been playing improving football as the season has worn on. I think Tennessee wins at home.

     Vanderbilt plays at South Carolina at 6:30 PM, in the last SEC game of the day. Vanderbilt needs 4 wins in their last 5 games to go bowling this season. South Carolina has it almost as difficult, needing 3 wins in their last 4 games, with Texas A&M and Clemson still on the schedule. Both of these teams might be sitting home for the holidays this year.

     Teams taking the weekend off are Missouri, Kentucky, LSU and Alabama.

The post Weary Tigers Return Home! appeared first on Track 'Em Tigers, Auburn's oldest and most read independent blog.

from Track 'Em Tigers, Auburn's oldest and most read independent blog http://trackemtigers.com/weary-tigers-return-home/

[jakehglover]

How Most of Our Water Gets Polluted

By Dr. Mercola

In the U.S., agriculture poses the greatest threat to water quality and is single-handedly impairing drinking water supplies across the country. The key culprits are nitrogen, phosphates and other toxins that run off from industrial cropland (i.e., genetically engineered corn and soy) and concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).

In the Midwest, Iowa is at the heart of the storm, as the leader in U.S. corn and soy production and a major producer of CAFO hogs, eggs, cattle and chickens. In fact, more than 85 percent of Iowa’s land is used for agriculture,1 much of it bordering key waterways.

More than half (58 percent) of the rivers and streams in the state fall short of federal water quality standards, making them unsuitable for swimming and fishing, while another 23 percent are “potentially impaired.”2

In the greater Des Moines area alone, a region that’s home to more than 500,000 people, a water filtration facility that cost more than $4 million was installed in 1991, and it costs $7,000 a day to run. Water prices have risen up to 10 percent a year to cover rising filtration costs, and it still can’t keep up with all the nitrogen flowing into the water, according to environmental journalist Mark Schapiro.3

Now the city is facing a need for another $15 million filtration system or it will be forced to find new groundwater sources. In the meantime, people in the state have been plagued with increased risks of cancer4 and birth defects,5 likely linked to the nitrogen-contaminated drinking water.

Industrial Farms and CAFOs Are the Primary Sources of Water Pollution

In Iowa, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) states that 92 percent of the nitrogen and 80 percent of the phosphates in waterways are the result of industrial farms and CAFOs.6 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) also states that manure from industrial agriculture is the primary source of nitrogen and phosphorus in U.S. waterways.7

The resulting damage includes an excess of nutrients that leads to algae overgrowth, depleting the water of oxygen and killing fish and other marine life in expansive dead zones.

This, combined with the excess fertilizers applied to monocrops like corn and soy, sends a steady stream of nitrogen and phosphorus to both surface and groundwater, spreading potentially disease-causing organisms and unsustainable amounts of nutrients along the way.

The dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico is the largest recorded dead zone in the world, beginning at the Mississippi River delta and spanning more than 8,700 square miles — and industrial agricultural pollution is primarily to blame.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) estimates that removing nitrate from U.S. drinking water costs nearly $5 billion a year,8 which the industrial agriculture industry has been largely shielded from. The water utility in Des Moines, Iowa — Des Moines Water Works (DMWW) — sued three counties in 2015, alleging they polluted the river with nitrates from agricultural runoff.

Had the lawsuit succeeded, the agriculture industry would have had to make changes to limit runoff and would have been held accountable for cleanup costs.9 Unfortunately, the suit was dismissed.

According to Schapiro, “The judge ruled that a city water district has no legal standing to sue a county, and threw the matter to the state Legislature. The legislature, according to [Bill] Stowe [CEO and general manager of DMWW], has done little to address the problem.” Stowe continued:10

“Iowa has become the sacrifice state for industrial agriculture. As a native Iowan and somebody whose family has been around here for generations, we are the sacrifice, just like West Virginia has become the sacrifice state for coal.”

The state has also faced a plague of cutbacks in funding for water monitoring, environmental health positions within the state and initiatives to plant cover crops to help absorb excess nutrients and serve as a buffer between fields and streams. Even the Aldo Leopold Nature Center, which was working to promote regenerative agriculture and reduce fertilizer runoff, lost its funding in 2017.11

Iowa Ag Is Ruining the Mississippi River

Agricultural runoff doesn’t only affect those living near industrial farms, as much of the waterways in Iowa ultimately flow into the Mississippi River. A study published in PLOS One set out to quantify Iowa’s contribution of nitrogen pollution to the Mississippi river,12 which was named the second-most polluted waterway in the U.S. in 2012.13

There are well over 14,000 CAFOs in Iowa, primarily medium and large in size and housing pigs.14 In the 2016 State of the River Report by the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, the greatest source of chemical contamination to the river was found to be agricultural runoff.

For the featured study, stream nitrate and discharge data were collected from 1999 until 2016 at 23 Iowa stream sites near watershed outlets. The results confirm that much of the nitrates devastating the Mississippi river are coming from the state.

Iowa contributes an average of 29 percent of the nitrate load to the Mississippi-Atchafalaya Basin, 45 percent to the Upper Mississippi River Basin and 55 percent to the Missouri River Basin. Back in Des Moines, Schapiro reported, Stowe, the Water Works CEO, must choose one of two rivers from which to source the city’s water each day.

He’s often faced with an impossible choice of elevated nitrogen levels or phosphorous, the latter of which promotes the growth of toxic algae. Filtering out excess nitrogen requires use of the $7,000-a-day nitrogen filtration system, but allowing algae-contaminated water to flow could be even more damaging, leading to clogged filters and water shutdowns.

In 2014, citizens in Toledo, Ohio, were warned not to drink their tap water as it was found to contain significantly elevated levels of microcystins, caused by algae blooms in Lake Erie.15 Microsystins are nerve toxins produced by some blue-green algae that can cause fever, headaches, vomiting and seizures.

The city and surrounding areas became the first to report drinking water-associated outbreaks caused by harmful algal blooms.16 And, despite government agencies spending billions of dollars to help farmers prevent fertilizer runoff and circumvent the problem, algae blooms are getting worse instead of better.17

Overall, the EPA states that about 15,000 water bodies have been identified that have “nutrient-related problems,”18 and this is likely conservative. The EPA continued:19

“Nutrient pollution remains the single greatest challenge to our Nation’s water quality, and presents a growing threat to public health and local economies — contributing to toxic harmful algal blooms, contamination of drinking water sources, and costly impacts on recreation, tourism and fisheries.”

What Are the Health Risks From Nitrates in Drinking Water?

A report released by the Iowa Environmental Council (IEC) summarized the health risks of nitrates in drinking water.20 Researchers reviewed over 100 studies on the health effects of nitrates in drinking water and found multiple studies linked them to birth defects, bladder cancer and thyroid cancer.

Infants and children may be particularly at risk from nitrates in drinking water, as it can lead to “blue baby syndrome,” or lack of oxygen that can be life-threatening. In 2015 and 2016, for instance, residents of Erie, Illinois, a farming community, were warned not to give their infants tap water because it contained elevated nitrate levels of 11 ppm.21

While many of the health problems were found with nitrate levels higher than the drinking water standard of 10 mg/L, some studies suggested nitrate levels lower than the drinking water standard may still pose health risks, even at levels of just 5 ppm.

About 15 percent of private wells in Iowa, which are exempt from the Safe Drinking Water Act, may have nitrate levels that exceed federal standards.22 Even areas that source their water from underground or groundwater aquifers may be at risk, as they may leach chemicals, including nitrates, from the soil.

About 90 million Americans get their water from groundwater sources, and the Environmental Working Group (EWG) revealed that more than 3 million of them may be getting water with nitrate levels of 5 ppm or higher. According to EWG:23

“Water utilities are doing their best to deliver water with nitrate within the legal limits, but it’s an ever-increasing challenge. Erie is working with the USDA to install filters to reduce levels of nitrate in the village’s water systems. But it would be wiser for the USDA to prioritize practices designed to reduce nitrate loads at the source.

To keep drinking water free of contamination, it’s time for states to adopt basic standards of care for cropland. Requiring common-sense conservation practices ensures a baseline to protect source water, which can then be increased by voluntary measures.

The 2018 federal Farm Bill must include a stronger conservation compact that requires farmers to adopt conservation practices to reduce polluted runoff.”

North Carolina CAFOs Spew Feces Into the Environment Following Hurricane Florence

Natural disasters like hurricanes only add to the environmental damage inflicted by industrial agriculture. North Carolina is home to thousands of CAFO waste lagoons, and data from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality revealed that more than 100 of them had released pig waste into the environment or were at risk of doing so following Hurricane Florence.24

The Waterkeeper Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to clean water, has been sending out members in planes to document the devastation, taking photos of flooded CAFOs that would otherwise remain invisible. Waste lagoons and buildings housing thousands of animals were photographed submerged in floodwaters. Others had structural damage to the waste lagoon walls.

What’s in the billions of gallons of hog waste produced in North Carolina every year (which has now entered waterways in disturbing quantities)? In addition to the usual nitrogen and phosphorus that may lead to fish kills, E. coli and other pathogens, viruses and bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant strains are all but guaranteed.

After a hurricane, these toxins can flow freely into waterways, but even under ideal circumstances, CAFO waste lagoons may contaminate shallow groundwater with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, nitrates and ammonia.25 After the storm, the breached CAFOs will likely rebuild, only to cause more environmental damage come the next hurricane.

Writes Rick Dove, founding member of the Waterkeeper Alliance, “We need to give farming back to people who have traditionally raised animals with a sense of stewardship. At the very least, we need to move these industrial operations out of flood-prone areas.”26

Cleaner Water for Everyone

The solution to cleaner water for everyone lies in changing agricultural practices from industrial to regenerative. Choosing grass fed products like grass fed beef and bison over those raised in CAFOs is a solution that we can all take part in.

In addition, some farmers are slowly adopting the use of regenerative agriculture techniques like cover crops and no-till farming, which improves soil health and reduces the need for chemical fertilizers and herbicides, benefiting insects. While changes are urgently needed on a national scale, on an individual level I encourage you to support the small family farms in your area.

In addition, it's best to assume your water is less than pure and take steps to remedy it, such as using a high-quality water filtration system (unless you can verify the purity of your water). If you have well water, it would be prudent to have your water tested for nitrates and other contaminants. If you have public water, you can get local drinking water quality reports from the EPA.

You can also use EWG’s Tap Water Database, which allows you to enter your ZIP code to reveal what’s really in your tap water. To be certain you're getting the purest water you can, filter the water both at the point of entry and at the point of use. This means filtering all the water that comes into the house, and then filtering again at the kitchen sink and shower.

Everyone deserves clean water, but for most people that’s not what they get. Don’t assume that because your water looks and tastes pure that it is; take proactive steps to identify toxins in your tap water and subsequently remove them.

from HealthyLife via Jake Glover on Inoreader http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2018/10/09/sources-of-water-pollution.aspx

[investmart007]

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  | AP Explains: Poor People's Campaign 1968 vs. 2018

New Post has been published on https://is.gd/1WN97n

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  | AP Explains: Poor People's Campaign 1968 vs. 2018

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Thousands of anti-poverty activists have launched a campaign in recent weeks modeled after Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Poor People’s Campaign of 1968. Like the push 50 years ago, advocates are hoping to draw attention to those struggling with deep poverty from Appalachia to the Mississippi Delta, from the American Southwest to California’s farm country.

The latest effort is led by Rev. William Barber of Goldsboro, North Carolina, and Rev. Liz Theoharis of New York City, who are encouraging activists in 40 states to take part in acts of civil disobedience, teach-ins and demonstrations to force communities to address poverty. They say poverty continues to be ignored and only a “moral revival” can bring it to the nation’s consciousness.

The new campaign has also brought new attention to the tumultuous summer of 1968 when the two leading backers of the campaign — King and Robert F. Kennedy — were assassinated two months apart.

Here’s a look at the two campaigns:

THE ORIGINAL CAMPAIGN

Before his assassination, King sought to organize a campaign to direct the country’s attention toward poverty. He felt attacking poverty was the next phase of the civil rights movement and the 1968 campaign would push for a guaranteed income, the end to housing discrimination and reducing the nation’s growing trend toward militarism.

At the time, around 13 percent of U.S. residents lived in poverty.

King reached out to Mexican-American, Native American and Appalachia white leaders to build a multi-ethnic, multiracial coalition that would come from their hometowns on “mule carts” and “old trucks” to Washington, D.C., to dramatize the plight of the poor. Following King’s assassination in Memphis, members of the coalition began to fight with each other.

Thousands of poor people set up a shantytown they called “Resurrection City” on the Washington National Mall but became demoralized by racial tensions, a lack of leadership, and eventually, the assassination of Kennedy.

THE REBOOT

Organizers of the 2018 campaign said they wanted to use the 50th anniversary of the 1968 effort to restart conversations around the struggles that poor people continue to face, especially since the U.S. poverty rate is roughly back to around 13 percent. This time, Barber and Theoharis said the campaign won’t be centered solely in Washington and would include events around the country.

For 40 days, demonstrators planned to hold acts of civil disobedience like blocking traffic and refusing to leave public buildings every Monday nationwide. Hundreds of activists, including Rev. Jesse Jackson, have been arrested so far.

Theoharis said the purpose is to build “a season of organizing” to create a long-term movement aimed at restoring the Voting Rights Act, ending gerrymandering, and helping bolster the minimum wage. She said organizers also hope to influence the 2018 midterm elections and the 2020 presidential election.

Because the nation is more diverse than in 1968, Barber said the new campaign also calls for protection of immigrant, LGBT residents and refugees from the Middle East.

THE CHALLENGES

Barber said media coverage of poverty has been ignored and overshadowed by what he calls “Trump porn” — excessive coverage of President Donald Trump’s tweets, the investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. election and the legal fight involving adult film actress Stormy Daniels.

Small newspapers that used to cover poor rural areas like Linden, Tennessee and the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota also have faced cutbacks. Not since Kennedy’s 1968 presidential campaign have national politicians regularly visited rural, poor areas and focused on poverty in their platforms.

In addition, Barber said many American Christians have ignored the plight of the poor since megachurches regularly focus on the “prosperity Gospel.” Others have been focused solely on abortion and fighting gay rights, he said.

Barber said the multi-faith campaign seeks to reaffirm messages that religious figures like Jesus were primarily concerned about helping the poor and that the country had a moral obligation to tackle poverty. He also promised that organizers plan to pressure for media coverage of U.S.-Mexico border areas like El Paso, Texas, and Native American communities like San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona.

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By Associated Press

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