What Caught My Eye Today

Ukraine - Want a better understanding of the world's worst nuclear disaster? Come tour the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Really? Isn't that akin to walking into an active volcano to get a better understanding of volcanic eruptions? Beginning next year, Ukraine plans to open up the sealed zone around the Chernobyl reactor to visitors who wish to learn more about the tragedy that occurred nearly a quarter of a century ago. Chernobyl's reactor No. 4 exploded on April 26, 1986, spewing radiation over a large swath of northern Europe. Hundreds of thousands of people were resettled from areas contaminated with radiation fallout in Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. The so-called exclusion zone, a highly contaminated area within a 30-mile radius of the exploded reactor, was evacuated and sealed off in the aftermath of the explosion. All visits were prohibited. 2,500 employees maintain the remains of the now-closed nuclear plant, working in shifts to minimize their exposure to radiation. Several hundred evacuees have returned to their villages in the area despite a government ban. A few firms now offer tours to the restricted area, but the government says those tours are illegal and their safety is not guaranteed. Call me old-fashioned, but my idea of a getaway vacation does not include hanging out in places that glow in the dark due to radiation contamination. Send me a postcard.

Healthcare - As is so often the case in politics, you win some and you lose some. Let's start with the bad news for the Obama Administration (if you are a Republican, I'd say this counts as good news). A U.S. District Judge declared a key part of President Barack Obama's landmark healthcare law unconstitutional, backing arguments by the state of Virginia that Congress exceeded its authority by requiring Americans to start buying health insurance in 2014 or face a fine. The individual coverage mandate was considered a key guarantee in the plan for keeping health insurance premiums low, because it ensures that healthy as well as sick people will buy insurance. I'm sure more knowledgeable people than me know the answer to this, but how is paying into healthcare fundamentally different than paying into Social Security? I hate to sound draconian about this, but I say if you choose not to pay into healthcare, that is your right. However, if and when the day comes that you find yourself in need of healthcare, don't expect any financial assistance.

Taxes - Obama did get some good news (interestingly, if you are a Republican, this probably also qualifies as good news). President Barack Obama's bipartisan tax plan was on its way to passing its first test in Congress. The $858 billion package, which would keep lowered income-tax rates from expiring at the end of the year, picked up 62 votes in the 100-seat Senate. Both chambers of Congress could approve the bill by the end of the week, despite complaints from many Democrats that Obama has given away too much to the Republicans who will soon enjoy greater clout in Washington. Economists estimate the tax package could lift economic growth next year by up to a full percentage point, perhaps pushing it above 4 percent. Moody's Investors Service warned it could move a step closer to cutting the United States' top-notch triple-A bond rating in the next two years if the package becomes law. The rat bastards! Who do they think they are? So the national debt hits $20 trillion. One wonder if those punk-ass jerks at Moody's are even American. I'm thinking the INS might need to investigate.

Palestinian State - Europe reaffirmed its readiness to recognise a Palestinian state at an "appropriate" time, stopping short of outright recognition despite mounting pressure to break the Middle East impasse. Let me translate that diplomatic babble for you -- We know it is the right thing to do, but we're cowards. Pressure has built on the European Union to flex muscle after Israel refused to extend a moratorium on settlements, with 26 former European leaders last week demanding sanctions, and Argentina and Uruguay joining Brazil in recognizing an independent Palestinian state. You sort of have to admire Israel's ability to stand its ground in the face of mounting opposition to its tactics. I think Israel is wrong, but that doesn't change the fact that it has been remarkably effective in preserving its position regard formal recognition of a Palestinian state.

Climate Change - In case you had not heard, there was two week climate change conference that just concluded in Cancun, Mexico. Not to worry...nothing happened...again. The climate change conference in Cancún appears to have sealed the fate of the Kyoto Protocol, the only legally binding treaty to combat climate change, and left countries squabbling over the substance and form of a new treaty for the future. Japan said it would not commit to reducing greenhouse-gas emissions under the protocol after the first term of obligations for industrialized countries expires at the end of 2012. In effect, that means any emissions reductions by major industrial nations will be voluntary and at their own discretion – a far cry from the enduring, global commitment to reduce global warming agreed to in Kyoto 13 years ago. The first commitment period of the 1997 Kyoto Protocol requires industrialized countries to bring carbon emissions 5% below 1990 levels by 2020. By contrast, the US promised to reduce its carbon emissions by 17 percent by 2020 from 2005 levels, which works out to 4% from 1990 levels. I have a theory on climate change. Clearly, the political will of important players, like China, India and the United States, just doesn't exist and that does not appear likely to change in the foreseeable future. What seems much more likely is for progress to be made on a smaller scale, by state and local governments seizing upon opportunities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in ways that make sense for them. Once the grass roots support is established, there won't be nearly as much opposition by national governments to sign off on protocols that, in effect, have already been enacted at local levels. Of course, this theory is predicated on the assumption that the Earth remains inhabitable long enough for these local initiatives to take effect, but let's not get hung up on details, shall we?