Fausta's Blog

American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture

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Mexico: PRD lobbying Washington

Well, isn’t this precious?

Mexican Leftists Warn Investors About Energy Sector
Delegation in Washington Says Energy Reform Isn’t Complete

Leaders of Mexico’s main leftist party trekked to Washington this week with a warning for U.S. power brokers—investors could lose their shirts if they put their money in the country’s energy industry.

Jesus Zambrano, leader of the Party of the Democratic Revolution, or PRD, the main party of Mexico’s splintered left, and other leftist politicians are in the middle of an unprecedented pilgrimage to Washington. They are meeting with U.S. officials, legislators and businessman to explain that a referendum being pushed by the PRD could undo a historic constitutional change passed late last year that opens the country’s oil and gas industries to private companies and foreign investors for the first time in 75 years.

Their message: Mexico’s energy reform is not a done deal. Until the fine print is dry, the country’s oil and gas fields are no place to bet a bundle.

Zambrano, a former communist guerrilla who has referred to D.C. as an enemy, didn’t get the turnout he expected last year when protesting the energy reforms.

Since it’s unlikely that the PRD would gather at least 1.6 million signatures, and get the Mexican Supreme Court to approve a referendum, they tried the next best thing: a junket to Washington, D.C.


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The DC taxi medallion scam: Kill the medallion bill!

A proposed taxi medallion law would limit supply, increase prices for riders, and put hundreds of cab drivers out of work in Washington, DC:

The total number of medallions would be capped at 4,000, which would reduce the current number of cabs by more than one-third and put thousands of drivers out of business.
…
If that weren’t bad enough, most drivers wouldn’t have the option of buying a medallion. The first set of medallions would be offered for sale to the minority of cabbies who have been driving for at least five years and who live in Washington D.C. (Again the city government has no idea how many current drivers meet this criteria, but rising real estate prices and weak city services have led many drivers to leave the district.)

Who will be offered the next set of medallions, according to the bill? That would be cab companies, who could then rent medallions to drivers. This system would destroy the relatively open-access taxi industry in D.C., in which the majority of drivers are owner-operators free to make their own schedules and keep whatever money they earn on the job. In cities such as New York and Boston, drivers pay upwards of $800 a week to rent their medallion

Let’s go to the videotape,

Kill the medallion bill!

26777
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Are we in a monarchy? UPDATED with VIDEO of the swearing-in

While checking to see if Scott Brown has been sworn in yet, was reading Memeorandum just now and came across this headline,
Brown to take Kennedy’s office

What they hey? “Kennedy’s office”?

Did Kennedy have a right to that office forever? Was it his to leave to his descendants?

No, Kennedy had it because he had been in the Senate since shortly after allowing Mary Jo to drown,

Because of his seniority, Kennedy had one of the most coveted office suites in the Senate complex. It is located in the Russell building, down the hall from the Rotunda, and has balconies that overlook the Capitol.

Makes me glad that Brown will occupy that bit of real estate.

UPDATE
Sworn in:

Via Sister Toldjah.

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Why the government should not be in charge of healthcare

Add one more reason to the list:
D.C.’s AIDS Dollars Squandered
Part 1 – Wasting Away: Staggering Need, Striking Neglect

The first part of the WaPo’s report talks about how one in three of D.C.’s AIDS dollars earmarked for small groups went to organizations marked by financial problems and questionable services: The nation’s worst-hit city awards millions for care and shelter without ensuring it gets to those it’s meant to help

That’s what happens when government is in charge of the healthcare dollars.

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I took part in a bloggers’ call with Sen. Orrin Hatch last Friday. Brian Faughnan posts,

Senator Hatch effectively explains how Democrats are trying to pass health care by playing a ‘shell game.’ Rather than introduce one comprehensive health care overhaul, with honest budgeting and a transparent financing mechanism, their reform bill is a constantly moving target. They’re using budget gimmicks to mask the cost, and pushing some parts of the overall package into separately-passed bills, because to include them would render the bill impossible to pass.

You can listen to the audio at Brian’s post.

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Harry Likes the $621M Capitol Visitors Center So He Won’t Have to ‘Smell the Tourists’

Harry’s all heart, but that’s not what’s bothering me. What bothers me is the tripled budget.

UPDATE, Wednesday 3 December:
“I think the smelly oiks voters in Nevada need to remind Harry he works for them, not the other way around.

After they take a shower and sprinkle themselves with rose water, of course.”

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