Media

To hear the media tell it, all eyes are on the fiscal cliff. Which side is compromising and which side isn't? Which side's numbers add up? How can votes in the House and the Senate be structured for maximum political gain? What will the deal ultimately be? And, most important, which side will win and which side will lose? Is this great drama gripping the entire nation? Actually, only Washington and the media are transfixed.

We all know that smokers and drinkers cost our healthcare system a fortune thanks to their self-destructive behavior. So it makes sense to heavily tax cigarettes and booze as a way to bring down the deficit or fund government healthcare programs. Right?

Well, no.

In fact, the economic case for so-called "sin taxes" is highly questionable -- quite apart from whether such taxes tend to be regressive, hitting lower-income Americans the most.

Eric Scheiderman is leading a seven state coalition to bring suit against the EPA for failing to address methane emissions from the oil and gas industry -- a violation of the Clean Air Act. 

Attorney General Eric Holder was in Boston yesterday, speaking at the Kennedy Library about voting issues. His speech covered a number of topics, but one part that jumped out to us was Holder's embrace of shifting the responsibility to register voters away from individuals and to government through a system of automatic voter registration.

Here's what Holder said:

The airwaves are once again crackling with the saga of crime and punishment in the international banking sector. HSBC has been penalized $1.92 billion for money laundering in the service of rogue states, but has engaged in even more money laundering for Mexican and Colombian drug cartels. It is reported that a Mexican drug lord was taped saying that, if you are interested in laundering your money, HSBC is the place to go. Can’t this get onto Saturday Night Live as a spoof ad for HSBC?

Washington is in a fiscal panic, yet surprisingly few people are asking an obvious question: Why in the world is the Obama Administration proposing to spend $8 trillion on security over the next decade? Included in that giant sum is not just Pentagon spending, but also outlays for intelligence, homeland security, foreign aid, and diplomacy abroad. 

Despite what critics say, renewable energy is not only a viable alternative energy source, production is booming. The U.S. has installed a record amount of solar so far this year with even more installation in the fourth quarter expected. All this growth comes in the wake of the furious attacks on the solar industry after Solyndra and Congress’ inaction on extending important production tax credits.

The Coalition for Sensible Safeguards has produced a report detailing five areas in which protections significantly help make the December and New Year festivities a safer and more joyful experience.

The latest UN climate talks came to an end this past weekend with little to show for it. As Kate Sheppard writes at Mother Jones, Doha “failed to meet even the low expectations that had been set for the negotiations.” One of the main pieces to come out was an agreement to extend the Kyoto Protocol, the only binding treaty on greenhouse gases, for eight years.