Radical Avenue

Last year Republican politicians lambasted 2008 Democratic presidential contender John Edwards for spending $400 on a haircut. Some of those who joined in on the insult fest must now wish they had remained silent. If the Democrats had nominated John Edwards for president, he would have spent the fall attempting to explain his marital infidelities.

Now Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her husband are in the news for dressing extravagantly while trying to portray themselves as everyday Americans. Predictably, Governor Palin’s representatives have castigated the media for focusing on her $150,000 wardrobe when the country faces so many difficulties. But no one is suggesting that John Edwards deserves an apology as well.

Of course politicians spend ridiculous amounts of money on clothes and accessories. They appear in public regularly, give interviews on TV and meet with foreign dignitaries. We expect our public representatives to look like professionals. Dressing well is part of the job. And since there’s no apparent relationship between how much leaders spend on clothes and how well they govern, the cost of Governor Palin’s wardrobe is indeed a bogus issue.

After this election Republicans will probably be looking for ways to broaden their base. They could take a giant step in that direction by dropping their derisive attitude towards Democrats. Having a liberal point of view is not un-American. Attempting to suppress open debate through intimidation is un-American.

In the United States politicians present their plans for the country to the voters, and the voters decide which plan wins the contract. George W. Bush’s policies have dominated the political agenda over the past eight years. Republicans need a new plan for 2010.

The nuclear energy industry still has a few well placed lobbyists whispering in the ears of American politicians. That would explain why both US presidential candidates continue to champion nuclear energy despite its many drawbacks.

Too Toxic
Nuclear facilities produce radioactive waste which must be stored in leak proof containers for a hundred years or so. Radioactive material that falls into the wrong hands can be used to create horribly destructive weapons. The reactor meltdown at Chernobyl clearly illustrated the dangers of nuclear power production.

Wind turbines generate no toxic waste. If a wind turbine were to have a catastrophic failure, at the most it might topple over and injure someone standing on the ground nearby. Wind energy production doesn’t have the potential to make the surrounding environment uninhabitable for decades.

Too Costly
Poor countries are in no position to fund the construction and operation of nuclear power plants. It requires an enormous financial commitment to not only build the reactors, but also to provide enough security to safely store the radioactive output. The power must then be distributed across electrical grids to outlying communities. Nuclear power is really only an option for very wealthy countries ready to invest substantial sums of money in an extraordinarily dangerous process.

Solar panels are assembled and brought on line for a small fraction of the cost of a nuclear power plant. Remote villages can aim an array of solar panels skyward and collect enough energy directly from the sun to live comfortably.

Too Centralized
Wind turbines and solar panels make communities more self sufficient by reducing their dependence on incoming electrical lines and shipments of oil. Nuclear power presents an inferior solution by comparison.

Families used to spend years saving up enough money to purchase a home in the United States. Only buyers with a 10% down payment and an excellent credit rating qualified. But in the last decade or so, aggressive financial institutions masquerading as banks began peddling home loans like ice cream cones. And former lobbyists now serving as public regulators encouraged the risky lending practices.

0% Down, Low Introductory Rates
Apparently modern day lenders figured that with property values on the rise, they could always recoup their losses from foreclosures by reselling homes at a profit. Besides, by bundling packages of overvalued loans together and selling them to investors, these lenders were able to shift the risk to others. Borrowers played an increasingly minor role in this high stakes game.

It seems that bankers and regulators are only now coming to realize what prudent lenders have known for centuries. The borrower’s creditworthiness is a critical component of determining whether a loan will ever be repaid. Receiving a $5000 line of credit and a piece of plastic is much different than taking ownership of improved real property and a 30 year loan.

It’s Not My Default
In the days of easy credit home loans, borrowers moved in without putting any of their own capital at risk. Once the low monthly payments on their adjustable rate mortgages expired, these nominal homeowners simply allowed the bank to foreclose before moving on to the next house. New homes have turned into costly rentals. Home ownership should be a privilege, not a right.

The pedestrians of Gardena, California have a little more spring in their step these days, and it has nothing to do with lighter wallets. Gardena’s new rubber sidewalks are making the town more foot friendly.

City trees prefer rubber sidewalks over the more traditional concrete paths because of rubber’s permeability and flexibility. Rainwater passes right through the rubber to the roots below. When those roots grow, the sidewalk won’t buckle and crack the way concrete does. Fewer cracks mean less maintenance.

Tripping and falling over a broken chunk of concrete is embarrassing, painful and can lead to serious injuries. Rubber doesn’t split as easily and is more forgiving when fallen on. Failure to properly maintain concrete walkways can expose municipalities to expensive negligence lawsuits

Giant car tire graveyards present a particularly worrisome environmental hazard in that they can catch fire and literally burn for months. Now private companies are purchasing the old tires, chopping them up and reselling the shredded output as landscaping material.

In Saskatchewan, Canada, the government is collecting over 100,000 used tires for use in resurfacing the highways. Crumb rubber asphalt pavement provides the public with many of the same benefits as rubber sidewalks.

It isn’t difficult to imagine the possibilities for recycled tires. Shredded rubber products make great ground cover for recreational areas. Hard surfaced products covered by rubber will absorb a bump without causing a bruise. Rubber in flooring products helps to alleviate foot pain. Rubber in building materials makes structures more flexible and less vulnerable to collapse under stress.

The Titans of Wall Street? More like the Titanics of Wall Street. It takes a few nautical miles to redirect an enormous passenger vessel traveling at full speed through treacherous seas. That’s unfortunate when an iceberg suddenly appears directly off your forward bow.

Historians speculate that the Titanic would have sustained less damage by ramming that iceberg head on rather than attempting to turn away from it, which resulted in a long fatal gash down one side of the big ship’s hull. Right now the US government is attempting to steer clear of a looming catastrophe which is still mostly hidden from view. We should allow the free market to run its course.

Bloated, hulking institutions don’t respond well to the needs of individuals. Investors will now think twice about handing their money over to distant corporations that reward leadership failures with multi-million dollar retirement packages.

Community Banks Invest Locally
Depositors used to change banks. Now banks exchange depositors. It’s exasperating. You open a checking account at American Savings & Loan. Then First Federal purchases American Savings & Loan. Then WAMU, formerly known as Washington Mutual, comes along and swallows up what’s left of both banks.

Now apparently JP Morgan Chase owns WAMU. So your money goes from a little hometown Savings & Loan, through Seattle, and on to a massive banking conglomerate in New York City. And which one of these players needs a bailout?

Expect more local TV advertisements that sound something like this: “When you open a savings account at State Bank of Springdale, it stays right here in the community.”