#subsidies?

[ravnlghtft]

[gender-trash]

it was weird living outside california for the first time and learning that in most locations people DON'T have personal beef with their electrical utility??? massachusetts was like "eversource: it's fine? i don't really think about it." meanwhile i'm pretty sure everyone in california loathes pg&e passionately

[acti-veg]

People love to call veganism ‘privileged,’ while conveniently ignoring the fact that the only reason animal products are even close to being accessible for the average consumer is because they’re factory farmed, slaughtered and packed by grossly underpaid labourers working in dangerous conditions, and then massively subsidised by all of our taxes.

[nederlandsespoorwegen]

NOOOO

[popsicle-stick]

YES!!!!!!!!!!! OH YEAH BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (sickos) OH YES!!!!!!!!!!!!

[vetmordrid]

Hearing Maduro’s leaked audio saying he will deploy all armed forces against the people for protesting against him is so repulsive. He is also calling the protests a “colour revolution” imposed of course by the evil Yankees that don’t want any popular progress to come to Venezuela. Maybe three delusional leftist somewhere and his autocratic friends will still hang on his word, but Venezuelans and any democratic leader in the region know without a doubt that he just committed the worst electoral fraud in recent history and now he wants to kill people for it. We won’t stop until he is out.

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Ottawa published its plan for eliminating inefficient fossil fuel subsidies today — making Canada the first country among wealthy, heavy-emitting nations to do so, according to the federal government.

In 2009, the countries that make up the G20 publicly promised to "phase out and rationalize ... inefficient fossil fuel subsidies" over the "medium term."

Such subsidies "encourage wasteful consumption, reduce our energy security, impede investment in clean energy sources and undermine efforts to deal with the threat of climate change," said the G20 communique.

Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault announced the plan in Montreal Monday as Canada continues to grapple with one of the worst wildfire seasons ever recorded and devastating flooding in Nova Scotia.

"We're eliminating subsidies to produce fossil fuels in Canada, unless those subsidies are aimed at de-carbonizing the emissions of the sector," Guilbeault said.

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

[nando161mando]

Why should taxpayers subsidize Walmart’s record breaking profits?

[kp777]

By Jessica Corbett

Common Dreams

July 25, 2024

"This is your chance to energize young people and our communities to vote, mount one of the greatest political comebacks in decades, and deliver a resounding defeat to the far-right agenda of Trump and Vance."

Four youth-led groups on Thursday urged Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, to "fight for our future" by pursuing a policy agenda the coalition unveiled in a March letter to U.S. President Joe Biden.

It's been less than a week since Biden left the race and endorsed Harris, who is expected to face former Republican Donald Trump and his running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), in the November election. Since then, she's racked up endorsements from Democratic members of Congress and progressive groups focused on issues including climate, labor, and reproductive rights.

March for Our Lives, which was launched after the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, honored Harris with the group's first-ever endorsement on Wednesday, calling her "the right person to stand up for us and fight for the country we deserve."

"To defeat Trump, you must rebuild support and enthusiasm among young voters."

The gun violence prevention organization is part of the youth-led coalition behind the new letter, which also includes the climate-focused Sunrise Movement; Gen-Z for Change, which advocates on a range of issues; and the national immigrant network United We Dream Action.

"You have an urgent and important task. To defeat Trump, you must rebuild support and enthusiasm among young voters," the coalition told Harris on Thursday, noting that she sought the Democratic nomination during the last cycle. "You should build on your 2020 campaign platform where you put forward a strong vision to make the economy work for everyday people and ensure a livable future for us all."

The groups urged Harris to support the Green New Deal, Medicare for All, and the Reverse Mass Incarceration Act. They pushed her to expand pathways to citizenship, keep families together, end fossil fuel subsidies, and create good, union jobs. They also called on her to prioritize gun violence prevention and investments in public health solutions and green, affordable housing.

"Democrats are at a critical crossroads with young people," the coalition wrote to Harris on Thursday. "Polls showed Biden and Trump neck-and-neck among young voters."

A New York Times/Siena College poll conducted July 22-24 shows Trump leading Harris 48% to 47% among likely voters and 48% to 46% among registered voters—differences that fall within the margin of error.

Forbes noted Thursday that "Democrats are far more enthusiastic about Harris than they were Biden, the Times/Siena survey found, with nearly 80% of voters who lean Democrat saying they would like Harris to be the nominee, compared to 48% of Democrats who said the same about Biden three weeks ago."

The outlet also pointed to two other polls conducted by Morning Consult and Reuters/Ipsos since Biden dropped out, which both show Harris with a narrow lead over Trump.

"You have an opportunity to win the youth vote by turning the page and differentiating yourself from Biden policies that are deeply unpopular with us, such as approving new oil and gas projects, denying people their right to seek refuge and asylum, and funding the Israeli government's killing of civilians in Gaza," the youth coalition highlighted Thursday. "You must speak to the economic pain young people are facing from crushing student debt and skyrocketing housing and food prices."

Looking beyond November, the groups told Harris—who could be the first Black woman and person of Asian descent elected to the country's highest office—that "you could be a historic president. Not just because of who you are, but what you can accomplish."

"Young people are energized and ready to organize against fascism and for the future we deserve," they concluded. "This is your chance to energize young people and our communities to vote, mount one of the greatest political comebacks in decades, and deliver a resounding defeat to the far-right agenda of Trump and Vance."

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this story from Nation of Change:

As the climate crisis accelerates, U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) has reintroduced legislation targeting one of the most egregious aspects of fossil fuel policy: billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies funneled to fossil fuel companies. These subsidies, Khanna argues, are being used to extract even more climate-damaging oil from the earth, fueling environmental destruction and contributing to a worsening global crisis.

Khanna’s bill, the End Polluter Welfare for Enhanced Oil Recovery Act, is aimed squarely at halting these subsidies, specifically targeting the billions in public funds given to companies that use captured carbon dioxide for enhanced oil recovery (EOR)—a process in which CO2 is injected into oil wells to extract more fossil fuels.

“The fossil fuel industry receives over $20.5 billion in taxpayer dollars every year while fleecing American consumers and driving a global climate crisis,” Khanna told Common Dreams in an exclusive interview. “The End Polluter Welfare for Enhanced Oil Recovery Act will eliminate the subsidy for captured carbon used for enhanced oil recovery, which only leads to more fossil fuel extraction and does nothing to mitigate climate change.”

This push comes during an intensifying climate emergency, marked by record heat waves, wildfires, and other catastrophic climate events. For Khanna and many environmental advocates, continuing to subsidize the extraction of fossil fuels through captured carbon only prolongs dependency on oil and gas, exacerbating the climate crisis rather than mitigating it.

Carbon capture technology has long been touted as a necessary tool in the fight against climate change. But critics of the technology argue that its current application in the U.S. is deeply flawed. Instead of being used to meaningfully reduce emissions, most of the CO2 captured is reinjected into oil wells, enhancing fossil fuel extraction and profits.

[ardri-na-bpiteog]

It's wild how Kamala Harris's "crazy left-wing" down-payment support for first time buyers policy is literally existing government policy here in Ireland, brought in by our centre-right neoliberal political party. I've said it many times, but a lot of mainstream Democrats would be well at home in Fine Gael and that's not a compliment.

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

President Joe Biden will call for expanding a new cap on insulin prices to all Americans as part of his State of the Union address, the White House said Monday.

During the Tuesday speech, Biden plans to tout his administration’s efforts to make health care more affordable, which included imposing a $35-per-month limit on insulin that took effect in January.

But that price cap, which was passed as part of last year’s Inflation Reduction Act, only applied to those beneficiaries covered by Medicare. Biden is now expected to renew his push for the policy to be applied to anyone with an insulin prescription, the White House said in a fact sheet.

“The President will call on Congress to extend this commonsense, life-saving protection to all Americans,” the fact sheet said.

Democrats had originally planned to pass a universal insulin price cap last year as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, which was passed along party lines last August. But the policy was scaled back after Republicans successfully challenged its inclusion. Democrats since then have vowed to continue to push for its passage, arguing that it’s broadly popular and crucial to ensuring that people can afford essential medicines.

Still, Biden’s fresh support for expanding the price cap is unlikely to result in much concrete progress. Republicans remain opposed to the measure, and are unlikely to even allow a vote on it in the House now that they control the chamber.

Biden during his State of the Union speech is also expected to highlight a handful of other health care accomplishments, including landmark legislation granting Medicare the right to negotiate drug prices and cap certain out-of-pocket pharmacy costs. He will celebrate the three latest states to expand their Medicaid programs, while urging Congress to pass legislation that would close coverage gaps in the 11 holdout states that have yet to expand Medicaid.

The President also plans to call for continuing to lower health insurance costs, pointing to expanded Obamacare subsidies that the administration estimates lowered customers’ premiums by an average of $800 per year and pushed the nation’s uninsured rate to an all-time low.

[acti-veg]

As much as I support making polluters pay for the harm they cause, nothing even resembling a ‘carbon tax’ will make sense while animal agriculture corporations are still subsidised through our taxes despite being one of the most destructive industries on the planet.

[nederlandsespoorwegen]

wat is er gaande in de politiek? (oprechte vraag ik vermijd het nieuws lol)

Het geluid is niet nieuw maar de tweede kamer heeft vandaag een motie aangenomen waar in staat dat de NS zich moet "beperken tot haar kerntaken"

Specifiek is genoemd dat het het "onacceptabel" is dat NS zich bezighoud met bijvoorbeeld de biodiversiteit rondom stations.

[tomorrowusa]

While Utah and Iowa are busy banning books, Ukraine passed a law to support bookstores. 🇺🇦 📚 👍🏼

In Russia, authors get sent to the Gulag or flee the country. Ukraine has a thriving book scene.

Ukraine has passed a new law that directly supports bookstores.

So what a wonderful thing to see news out of Ukraine today that President Zelenskyy has signed a bill that provides subsidies for renting space to open bookstores and the introduction of book certificates (worth 908 hryvnia, or about $22) for 18-year-olds starting this year. The bill also allows for, after the end of martial law due to the ongoing war with Russia, one parent to receive a similar voucher after the birth of a child. Other countries around the world do support various book-voucher schemes (see: National Book Tokens in the UK) but most are private organizations as opposed to direct subsidies from the government. Ukrainian MP Yevhenia Kravchuk, one of the sponsors of the bill, noted that “the share of people who read every day increased from 8% to 17% between 2020 and 2023.” Considering that that period includes the Russian invasion, I’m hard-pressed not to see this as a small light of hope in the face of dark times. Reading matters, bookstores matter, and it’s marvelous to see a government—any government, really—wholeheartedly embrace those opinions.

Meanwhile just across the border...

Ukraine controls around 1,000 square km in Russia's Kursk Oblast, Syrskyi says

Ukraine should establish a bookstore on the Russian territory it has liberated and sell books outlawed or censored by Putin. 😝

Anne Applebaum at Mastodon pointed out that...

The first invasion of Russia since WW2 enters its second week. So far, the Ukrainians have taken more territory than the Russians have taken in all of 2024.

This may be the first time Russia has been invaded since WWII, but Russia and the USSR themselves have invaded various neighbors since then.

Ukraine 2022 - full scale

Ukraine 2014 - partial

Georgia 2008

Afghanistan 1979

Czechoslovakia 1968

Hungary 1956

Ukraine now has control of over 1,000 square km inside Russia. To Russians, it makes Putin look like a LOSER. Putin's 3-day "special operation" in Ukraine is already into day 901.

[parttimepunner]

Today I learned that Project 2025 includes a plan to cut farm subsidies.

“The project proposes ending “safety nets” such as the Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC) programs, which pay farmers of selected commodities when the prices of those commodities fall below a predetermined level.

It also pushes to cut government subsidies for crop insurance — for which taxpayers currently pick up about two-thirds of the cost — and to end the sugar program, which manages U.S. sugar production to keep prices high.”

Source:

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/4791069-project-2025-farming-food-aid/