Volcanoes, Pandemics, Global Warming…Oh My! — GOP Know-Nothings Fought Pandemic Preparedness

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Viruses don’t care whether you are poor, or wealthy.  They could care less if you work hard or hardly work.  They aren’t concerned if you are Jewish, Christian, or Muslim; morally righteous, or full of sin; gay or straight, pro-gun or no-gun.  Viruses are only concerned with whether or not you are a fitting host for it to live and reproduce within.  Here is what they do, according to HowStuffWorks.com:

1. A virus particle attaches to a host cell.
2. The particle releases its genetic instructions into the host cell.
3. The injected genetic material recruits the host cell’s enzymes.
4. The enzymes make parts for more new virus particles.
5. The new particles assemble the parts into new viruses.
6. The new particles break free from the host cell.

As you can see, humans, as possible hosts, have discovered through scientific method, how viruses work – as well as prudently prepare for them as a society.

Unfortunately for humans, some people subscribe to the Beavis and Butthead style of governance, better known as the 21st century incarnation of the GOP. 

First, Governor Perry of Texas (who threatened to secede from the nation) requests Federal funds to help combat the Swine Flu, and now recall the following:

When House Appropriations Committee chairman David Obey, the Wisconsin Democrat who has long championed investment in pandemic preparation, included roughly $900 million for that purpose in this year’s emergency stimulus bill, he was ridiculed by conservative operatives and congressional Republicans.

Obey and other advocates for the spending argued, correctly, that a pandemic hitting in the midst of an economic downturn could turn a recession into something far worse — with workers ordered to remain in their homes, workplaces shuttered to avoid the spread of disease, transportation systems grinding to a halt and demand for emergency services and public health interventions skyrocketing. Indeed, they suggested, pandemic preparation was essential to any responsible plan for renewing the U.S. economy.

GOP Know-Nothings Fought Pandemic Preparedness

Want A Politically Viable Gas Tax? Make It Voluntary - Freakonomics Blog - NYTimes.com

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I am not very confident that this would work because of some logistical issues (see the comments below the story) but it is a very interesting idea that possibly could be implemented in some type of hybrid form.

The idea in a nutshell?…

The government would offer a $500 advance tax rebate each year for every car you choose to sign up for the tax. In return, you would commit to pay an extra $1 for each gallon of gas you buy. The actual tax paid would be based on miles driven and fuel economy. Thus a Chevy Impala rated at 19 m.p.g. would be charged $5.26 each 100 miles, while a Prius rated at 46 m.p.g. would be charged $2.17 per 100 miles.

For cars with average fuel efficiency (22.4 m.p.g.), you’d break even if you drove 11,200 miles a year. People who already drive their cars less or who drive fuel-efficient cars would be particularly likely to opt for the independence bonds. But even these folks would have a strong economic incentive to reduce their driving.

Want A Politically Viable Gas Tax? Make It Voluntary - Freakonomics Blog - NYTimes.com

Global Warming: On Hold?: Discovery News

I am not sure what to make of this.  I am a data wonk, and the data says that overall, warming has flat-lined on Earth since 2001.  The science behind global warming is very good, as far as I have been able to tell, and the scientist of record here is warning that this is only a hiccup.  Unfortunately, “hiccup” is all some people will have to hear to discredit human involvement.  Or at the very least, reports like this will provide a firmer platform for critics of human induced global warming to stand on.

Perhaps the best way to approach this, if the data stands up under scrutiny, is to capitalize on this window of opportunity and treat the rapid warming period as a wakeup call that is in a nine-minute snooze period.

March 2, 2009 — For those who have endured this winter’s frigid temperatures and today’s record snowstorm in the Northeast, the concept of global warming may seem, well, almost wishful.

But climate is known to be variable — a cold winter, or a few strung together doesn’t mean the planet is cooling. Still, according to a new study, global warming may have hit a speed bump and could go into hiding for decades.

Earth’s climate continues to confound scientists. Following a 30-year trend of warming, global temperatures have flatlined since 2001 despite rising greenhouse gas concentrations, and a heat surplus that should have cranked up the planetary thermostat.

Global Warming: On Hold?: Discovery News

James Lovelock says the human race’s only hope is to adapt - fixing global warming will just make it worse

I have always felt that James Lovelock was on to something with his Gaia theory of Earth, which as The Daily Galaxy states, “the Earth is essentially a complex interacting system that can be thought of as a single organism.

But, in this case, I hope that he is wrong.  According to his latest thoughts on global warming, it is really too late to do anything about it, and the “affluenza” that Thomas Friedman emphasizes in his book, ‘Hot, Flat, and Crowded‘ has taken over the developing world is starting to affect the planet.

Here is the kicker, not only is it too late to do anything about it, according to Lovelock, doing too much to fix it might actually make it worse.  Essentially, he says we should be more responsible for the sake of it and just learn how to adapt to what is about to happen to us as a race of people.

It also brings to mind a comedy sketch I saw by George Carlin when he said something like:

“The planet has been through a lot worse than us.
Been through all kinds of things worse than us. Been through
earthquakes, volcanoes, plate tectonics, continental drift, solar
flares, sun spots, magnetic storms, the magnetic reversal of the
poles…hundreds of thousands of years of bombardment by comets and
asteroids and meteors, worlwide floods, tidal waves, worldwide fires,
erosion, cosmic rays, recurring ice ages…And we think some plastic
bags, and some aluminum cans are going to make a difference? The
planet…the planet…the planet isn’t going anywhere. WE ARE!” Here is the whole thing, but in typical Carlin fashion, it includes a lot of profanity.

The Status of “Spaceship Earth”

It’s a horrible catch 22 situation that leaves only a very small gap for any joy at all. If we continue to do nothing (note the use of the word continue), then we will doom ourselves. If we do do something, like a massive cut back in the emission of carbon in to our atmosphere, Lovelock believes that we would further damage Earth.

“Any economic downturn or planned cutback in fossil fuel use, which lessened aerosol density, would intensify the heating,” Lovelock will say, in a lecture to the Royal Society today. “If there were a 100 per cent cut in fossil fuel combustion it might get hotter not cooler. We live in a fool’s climate. We are damned if we continue to burn fuel and damned if we stop too suddenly.”