The squabble over which of the upper classes gets the better tax break is no more than a squabble between winger left and winger right.
Either way the workers, the aged, the children, the sick and disabled are left out if they are not put hungry, homeless and penniless on the streets. And they are hardly the only ones threatened.
Could be a very hard winter despite global warming. That too will get worse.
There are many answers. Best is doing green energy but we'd rather not.
See below the fold.
Italy faces EU fines over uncollected rubbish
Thousands of tonnes of rubbish uncollected in streets of Naples despite Berlusconi's claims to have fixed problem
Italy has failed to comply with a European court ruling on the chronic Naples waste crisis and could face fines if it does not solve the problem, a top EU official said today. Thousands of tonnes of rubbish still lie uncollected in the streets of Italy's third-largest city despite weeks of protests by local residents...
Naples is hardly the only city on the planet with uncollected garbage but those that do waste a valuable resource even with maximum recycling.
There is fuel, resources, jobs in that trash. Trash can be a gold mine or a pestilence fouling land, air and waters. Our choice.
Combating trash: "Pulverizer" helping to recycle on Kadena
Trying to reduce the amount of waste going to our landfills is also a big concern with the United States Military here on Okinawa. Their efforts are part of a global initiative by the military to try and reduce the amount of negative impact their operations have on the environment. Household trash from the military is sorted and picked up on base, but it is then transported to incinerators and landfills off base. Glass, paper, aluminum, and steel are bought by private Okinawan recycle companies, and then sent to the mainland to be recycled. Because the amount of recycling off base is still very minimal, being able to recycle on base can have positive results for the whole island, while also leading the way in becoming more recycle conscious.
That was nice of the military. But please note the last sentence that I bolded. That was then and this is now.
Unique development problems arise in small island economies which are further intensified if they are also isolated, i.e. if they are located far from their major markets. In combination these factors have significant socio-economic consequences as seen in the South Pacific Islands and Ryukyu Islands on which this study focuses. Their impact
has led the United Nations (1975) to identify "geographically disadvantaged developing island countries" along with the "least developed" and "land-locked" developing countries as being in need of special attention.
Smallness can be defined in terms of the physical size (land area), population and GNP (or GDP), or a combination of these variables...
This .pdf file discusses the development difficulties of isolated small islands. Okinawa fits the category though Japan, while an island nation, is a major economic power. Okinawa must import basic needs from the mother nation but is determined to maximize its own resources with zero waste.
Naha, Okinawa, 3 September, 2007 -- Greenpeace in Naha, Okinawa, today demanded that the proposed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the construction of two runways for the U.S. Marine Corps on the North Eastern side of the island, Henoko, be scrapped as it would destroy the home and feeding grounds of the endangered dugong.
©Greenpeace
The EIA procedure, written by Japan's Defense Ministry, does not contain adequate information to properly assess the impacts to the dugongs, of which there are only 12 remaining.
Good fight, Greenpeace. You aren't always on the side of light even though no reasonable person doubts your heart is in the right left place.
The dugongs have a fighting shot at survival even with the military messing around but only if zero waste really is taken seriously.
It seems to be.
Long life and happiness, dugongs and Okinawans.
Curses to the nitwits in Massachusetts that fight green energy because it is dirtier than coal they say.
Best, Terry