04/24 Morning Report

New York City Mayor Bloomberg wants to charge an $8 fee to drive into the city. I have to admit, it is a creative idea. Not new. But definitely creative. I will also admit that NYC needs to something abouthe pollution.

Saying that he would not spend his final term in office “pretending that all is fine,” Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg made a series of Earth Day proposals this afternoon to improve the environment of New York City, including charging a new congestion fee to drivers who come into parts of Manhattan during peak hours during weekdays.

That was one of 127 initiatives he proposed. He is apparently trying to get the city in compliance with the Kyoto Accords. This should do wonders for the local economy. The cab drivers will love it, since as I understand it (..correct me if I’m wrong…please…) I doubt the subway system will be able to carry the load. Which could mean less business would be conducted in the city, possibly causing some companies to move elsewhere. No matter what, it will be interesting to see how much of this turns into just so much political confetti.
(…say…you don’t suppose he’s just positioning himself for higher office do you?...no…couldn’t be…he wouldn’t do that…would he?...(

Meanwhile, China announced “internal goals” to cut global warming emissions. One of the principle arguments against the Kyoto Accords has been the exclusion of the new industrial countries from compliance—like India and China.

Beijing has for the first time disclosed internal targets to fight global warming but these, even if officially adopted, are as unambitious as a similar U.S. goal, analysts say.

(…so, the Chinese plan is as bad as the US plan…I wonder who will get worse press?...)

Back to the subject of so much political confettit (…althought his is a much more serious issue…), the Democrats are still trying to set final dates for getting out of Iraq. And, they are still trying to manipulate it via funding allowances. Now, I admit that decisions must have review and end points. It’s true of business, the military and of government. But knee jerk reactions and arbitrary dates are not the solution. Trying to force the issue just because you don’t get your way is no good either.
(…I guess the Democrats think they own the bat and ball and get to make their own rules…based on popular opinion polls, of course…)

Speaking of Iraq, it seems that Prime Minister Maliki may be on the way out. A stronger central figure might be a good thing right now. There is just one problem—all right, there’s two.

A political adviser to al-Maliki, whose term ends in 2010, said that the prime minister has no power to pass laws by himself. "We can only ask, push, the (parliament) to approve," Sadiq al-Rikabi said.

Al-Rikabi said there is no viable alternative to al-Maliki as prime minister. "Suppose he resigns," al-Rikabi said. "Then what is the solution?"

It’s a great question. Without power to make decisions, what can a government leader do? And, with al-Sadr trying to get the US out, and gain control for himself (…and possibly Iran…or maybe “Greater Iran”…), Maliki’s departure could create bigger problems.
(…on the other hand…it would leave the Democrats in a pretty strong position to finalize and complete a total cut and run…and I hate to admit, but it might be necessary to do it at that point…)