NATO

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Belarus? How long has that been there? (Yeah, show them your ignorance, Murph.)

[robert.]

The answer to changing world politics might not be all that hard. Find an energy source other then oil and use it. If we spent our war funding on solar development. what would happen?
Military Spending in the United States. In fiscal year 2015, military spending is projected to account for 54 percent of all federal discretionary spending, a total of $598.5 billion.
Over the past five years alone, the federal government spent $150 billion on solar energy and other renewable energy projects. Preferable tax treatment given to solar and other alternative electricity initiatives cost Americans nearly $9 billion annually, according to the IRS.Feb 25, 2015
I just cut and pasted these. are the true or not i have no clue.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

The answer to changing world politics might not be all that hard. Find an energy source other then oil and use it.

I predict that as the oceans continue to rise, that with so many political and cultural centers on shorelines and at the mouths of rivers that empty into the oceans , we will witness mega changes and shifts in influence.

Also, if temperatures are rising, how will that affect crops = food ?

[rex desilets]

Are you certain Earth temperatures are rising? If the Sun doesn't get its act together we'll be praying for Global Warming.

[rogruth]

Think what would happen to the U.S. economy if the money being spent on the military was being spent elsewhere. It would not all go to one place.
Most of those in military positions would be out of jobs, etc. Just think a little harder about some of these proposals.
I do think Nato, the UN and other groups of international nature should pay more of their share and not rely so much on the U.S.
There is my stumble into politics which I try not to do but sometimes can't resist.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Are you certain Earth temperatures are rising? If the Sun doesn't get its act together we'll be praying for Global Warming.

I don't know what that means, Rex.

[Mitch]

Think what would happen to the U.S. economy if the money being spent on the military was being spent elsewhere. It would not all go to one place.
Most of those in military positions would be out of jobs, etc.

Not counting the personel in the 5 branches who are on active or reserve duty, think about what happens when a branch of the service closes a base due to needing fewer people in a time of peace. Imagine what would happen if the Army were to shut down Fort Campbell in Kentucky, or Fort Bragg. What if the Navy shut down Pensacola, Fla., or Newport News, Va., or if the Air Force shut down Lackland, Texas. Where some bases have been shut down, the entire economy of the surrounding cities and towns goes down, because even excluding the military people, you have hundreds of thousands of civilian support people. That's why politicians fight so hard to keep them open, even when we don't need them. It devastates their districts, and costs them votes. And the cities and towns lose major tax bases.

OTOH, if that amount of money was poured into infrastructure, we'd get some roads and bridges built or fixed, but you must remember, (just like natural gas drilling), infrastructure jobs are mostly 2 to 3 year jobs. Granted, some could get stretched out longer, but when the project is done, you're still lookin' for another job.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Think what would happen to the U.S. economy if the money being spent on the military was being spent elsewhere. It would not all go to one place.
Most of those in military positions would be out of jobs, etc.

Not counting the personnel in the 5 branches who are on active or reserve duty, think about what happens when a branch of the service closes a base due to needing fewer people in a time of peace. Imagine what would happen if the Army were to shut down Fort Campbell in Kentucky, or Fort Bragg. What if the Navy shut down Pensacola, Fla., or Newport News, Va., or if the Air Force shut down Lackland, Texas. Where some bases have been shut down, the entire economy of the surrounding cities and towns goes down, because even excluding the military people, you have hundreds of thousands of civilian support people. That's why politicians fight so hard to keep them open, even when we don't need them. It devastates their districts, and costs them votes. And the cities and towns lose major tax bases.....

What you have explained, Mitch, sounds parallel to what happened to the communities surrounding the steel mills in the Pittsburgh area, especially along the Monongahela, Allegheny, and Youghiogheny rivers. Take the main "industry" away and what does a community have left to make a living?

Also, I would add that we - the USA - do not need less military (protection.) We need more. The violent mental-cases who want to destroy/kill America are certainly NOT diminishing in number.

[rex desilets]

Are you certain Earth temperatures are rising? If the Sun doesn't get its act together we'll be praying for Global Warming.

I don't know what that means, Rex.

The Sun is in one of its minimum activity periods. Less energy reaches the Earth, therefore temperatures drop. If the phase is sufficiently prolonged we could get another Little Ice Age.

[HONDO74]

[Mitch]

The Sun is in one of its minimum activity periods. Less energy reaches the Earth, therefore temperatures drop. If the phase is sufficiently prolonged we could get another Little Ice Age.

This is true, and sun spot activity has a huge effect on our weather. I seem to remember the tree huggers screamin' about global cooling back in the early '70s.

I for one do not believe 1 iota of what the "climate change" people are preachin'! We know that NASA skewed all the data they were researchin' toward "the sky is falling" group, and they have about 2000 "scientists" who believe it faithfully, while there are about 7000 scientists who refute all of the crap. Climate change has another name that suits it much more readily. It's called WEATHER!!

[MurphOnMillerAve]

polar-bear-ice_thp73_istock.jpg (95 KiB) Viewed 5861 times

My viewpoint differs from yours, then.
Scientists have reported:
+Greenland's ice covering has been diminishing, and is continuing to decrease.
+Antarctica has been losing its ice and snow covering in dramatic, observable amounts.
+Arctic ice continues to melt away, observed via videos and photos that have been recorded, and the Polar Bear has found itself on ever-shrinking mini-icebergs that they frequent, to the point of finding themselves adrift in open-ocean, and too far from land or ice to keep from drowning.
+ valleys that were once glacier-filled, end-to-end, side to side, are now free of ice and verdant, in many cases. (I don't recall the countries/mountain ranges.)

I don't think some devious mind photo-shopped all that.


Thus, we have a difference of opinion on this broad subject.

P.S. "Weather" is day-to-day.
Climate is far reaching.
P.P.S. Rising oceans due to (a) Sun/temps rising?....or....(b) Pollution? There's a question to ponder. Perhaps.
However, are the oceans rising? Not even a question any more. Go ask folks with land and homes at the Jersey shore who cannot sell their properties any further. Have you seen the houses being rebuilt up on stilts there? Overly active imaginations?

Lastly, I would ask: Are the conditions in Venice part of this story?

[rogruth]

One thng that seems to be ignored is that we do not know what the temperature of the Earth should be. The Earth has been recovering from a little "Ice Age" for at least 500 years, We, todays inhabitants of the Earth, have no idea what the "normal" temperature of Earth should be. These same we do
not have any real idea of how to change or even if change should be done. Even this has become a political issue IMHO because we don't know.

[MurphOnMillerAve]

Important contrasts in considering the question of whether the world's oceans are rising, and the part melting glaciers may be playing in or evidencing that change...

[Roy]

One thng that seems to be ignored is that we do not know what the temperature of the Earth should be. The Earth has been recovering from a little "Ice Age" for at least 500 years, We, todays inhabitants of the Earth, have no idea what the "normal" temperature of Earth should be. These same we do
not have any real idea of how to change or even if change should be done. Even this has become a political issue IMHO because we don't know.

Oh, yes - we do. This planet is our home, and it damn well better support us. I don't care whether it supports any visiting aliens.