US Politics Mega-thread - Page 1316

On September 27 2014 01:39 Simberto wrote:
I don't get it. Company owes taxes, government grabs stuff, stuff gets auctioned to pay taxes. How is that news?

On September 27 2014 01:47 {CC}StealthBlue wrote:


Doubt it will get much attention given the nature of the US media to start focusing on entertainment scandals etc. when such news ins revealed.

On September 27 2014 02:21 bookwyrm wrote:

edit: oh, by the way I should mention that I take back my promise in that other thread to read paul krugman, I've been reading his op eds and he's either totally corrupt or an incredibly stupid person. probably both.

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) — California farmers who spray a widely used insecticide on some of the state's most abundant crops may soon have to overcome the nation's steepest restrictions or find another pest killer, officials said Thursday.

Regulators are proposing heavy restrictions — but not an all-out ban — on chlorpyrifos, used to treat crops like grapes and almonds. The pesticide, in use since 1965, has sickened dozens of farmworkers in recent years. Traces have been found in waterways, threatening fish, and regulators say overuse could make targeted insects immune to the pesticide.

"We've come up with a clear idea of when it's really needed and what are the alternatives," said Brian Leahy, director of the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. "We want to preserve this tool for when you really need it."

But he expects pushback from across California's agricultural industry, which leads the nation in production.

Joel Nelson, president of the California Citrus Mutual, said that because somebody misused the pesticide, everybody shouldn't be punished with restrictions. Nelson said regulators in Sacramento want to apply a "broad-brush approach," which isn't right. Alternatives pesticides exist, but he said they're not as effective and are more expensive.

"What's a producer to do, let his cotton production be destroyed by a pest, or should they spray it?" Nelson said.

The pesticide is sprayed on 60 different crops, which also include alfalfa, walnuts, oranges and cotton. Up to 2 million pounds each year are sprayed in California.

On September 27 2014 01:07 Nyxisto wrote:

We can also all gouge our eyes out, then no one will see race any more, hurray! As with all ideologies religious or not, they often come with good things and bad things. Religion plays an important positive part in many people's lives, just because some people make a caricature of it and twist it doesn't mean you should ditch the whole thing.

On September 27 2014 04:26 oneofthem wrote:

what?

On September 27 2014 04:34 Nyxisto wrote:
Oh I thought you were talking about ditching religion as a whole. Regarding the gay hate, it has already been ditched by a majority of Christians. I don't know why all the crazy people have moved to the Southern parts of the United States.

On September 27 2014 01:39 Simberto wrote:
I don't get it. Company owes taxes, government grabs stuff, stuff gets auctioned to pay taxes. How is that news?

On September 27 2014 04:57 JonnyBNoHo wrote:

It's not. It's politics disguised as news. You're supposed to get a good laugh out of it and vote for the other guy.

On September 27 2014 06:56 XenOmega wrote:
I was just curious : Do the US medias speak at all of Canada or only rarely?

It seems to me, in Canada, our newspapers always talk about the US ^^ Just wondering if it was mutual

If a pair of new government forecasts prove true, Washington and Colorado would see more than $800 million in extra revenue over the next few years thanks to marijuana sales. At the least.

The estimates, both released in recent days, differ greatly in what they predict and over what time period. But together they show that the plant, now legal to purchase in both states, could generate at least $811.2 million for the trailblazing states before 2020. Washington can expect $637 million by 2019, while Colorado can expect $174.5 million through the fiscal year that ends in 2017, according to state estimates.

Such estimates are, of course, difficult to make as there is no precedence for what is being forecast: Marijuana for recreational use has never before been sold legally.
The Washington’s forecast, released last Thursday by the state’s Economic and Revenue Forecast Council, was the state’s first prediction to be based on actual sales, which began in July. In Colorado, sales began in January, so the state’s Legislative Council had slightly more data to work with for its latest estimate, released Tuesday.

The new Washington forecast through 2019 is a slight upward revision from the February and June forecasts, thanks in part to sales beginning sooner than forecasters predicted, raising near-term estimates. Just under 30 percent of the total expected revenues will go to the state’s general fund, while the remaining portion has been been flagged for specific uses by law. As a result, lawmakers will have an extra $186 million to manage as they please.