LA TMES tells the story -- McCain Gambles on Drilling

The LA Times tells the story in detail: "McCain Gambling on Off Shore Drilling ... He thinks the nation's high gas price will trump concerns about protecting the environment, especially in key Midwest States".

The McCain gamble is that voters will care more about high gas prices than they do any environmental risks involved in off shore drilling. To emphasize his point, he gave his speech supporting off-shore drilling in Santa Barbara, CA which was the site of a big oil spill in 1969 that many voters still remember.

In short, the McCain gamble, as described by writers Cathleen Decker and Michael Finnegan, is intended as a campaign tactic to reach out to independent voters. As these voters make their decisions, we expect them to consider a series of facts.

1. How much oil is already open to leasing? ANSWER: 79%
2. How much natural gas is open to leasing? ANSWER: 82%
3. How many total federal acres are leased and in production now? ANSWER: 91.5% leased but only 23.7% of these acres are producing.

According to a study done by the U.S. Committee on Natural Resources, the reality is that drilling does not lower gas prices.

So what's the McCain tactic about? ANSWER -- it's a "fool ya" game. "Fool ya Midwest" is a very specific kind of dirty political game tactics that seeks to blame a "straw man" while ignoring all the facts ... in this case, facts like worldwide demand, the industrialization of China and more factors, all of which have come together to create more demand for oil products. Essentially, McCain is playing the "fool ya Midwest" in the hopes that he can scare voters into believing that this off-shore drilling is the only answer to $5 gas.

In a way, it's the same sort of game he played recently when he went to Iowa to urge the President to veto the Farm Bill, i.e., McCain was hoping to trick some city people into believing the Farm Bill was all bad, when in reality, the Farm Bill had many sections important to urban citizens ... sections like school lunch, WIC, farmers' markets, food safety and food security. That was a "fool ya" game, too .. just like now with off-shore drilling ... "fool ya" by pretending that more off-shore drilling will actually lower oil and gas prices.

Iraq & Afghan Troops Take Daily Dose of Anti-depressants

Bob Herbert reports in the NY Times: "Wounds You Can't See" some of the saddest news:

• Because the pool of volunteer soldiers is so small, our sons and daughters are called back to the war again and again, and the more they go back, the more they risk.
  

Paul Rieckhoff, Ex. Director of Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America, an advocacy group working to make it easier for our veterans to receive mental health services, says,

"This should be a top issue in the presidential race, and it should be a top issue in the news. When you come home from Iraq, you feel like you're lost in the wilderness sometimes. You feel like you don't fit in."

A new RAND study reports that 300,000 US troops from Iraq and Afghanistan have mental problems with 320,000 brain injuries inflicted so far. Many of these injuries are ones that our soldiers will suffer from all the remaining days of their lives.

And TIME Magazine reports in "America's Medicated Army" by Mark Thompson, about how our troops are running on Prozac.

We challenge you to read every word of at least two of these stories.

$5 Gasoline? One Reader's Response

We've chosen the following as a Reader Guest Op-Ed, as sent to us through the blog:

Gasoline prices are rising all over the country – now $4 going on $5 a gallon or more – and the price of diesel fuel is even higher. And who is hurting the most? Yes, rural Americans, who depend on fuel to earn a living!

Senator John McCain and President Bush say they can “solve” the problem and bring down prices by lifting the ban on drilling. Wrong!

Here are the facts: In 2007 the Bush Administration’s Department of Energy analyzed the impact on oil production and what you pay at the pump if we lifted the ban on offshore drilling. The conclusion? “No significant impact” on gas production and prices “before 2030.”

Can you wait 22 years? Is this the best McCain can offer – promising that if you vote for him maybe in 22 years you might see fuel prices stop rising?

One more fact: While you’re paying $50 or more to fill your car or truck’s gas tank, Exxon Mobil reported profits – not gross income, but profits! – reached $40 billion in 2007.

Floods ... Tragedy, Challenges and How You Can Help

The "500 year" flooding in Wisconsin and Iowa seems to be unparalleled. For Iowa, it's the second "500 year" flood in 15 years. And now, as the water moves down-river to more southern states, we can expect more tragedy.

It's a conundrum: On the one hand we read about high farm prices and how farmers have never had it so good ... on the other hand, many family farmers are already suffering from huge losses in crops damaged by floods and the disaster is also making feeding livestock more difficult for livestock producers. Overall, the disaster is likely to drive up prices for consumers at the grocery store, too. The challenge of recovery is likely to be particularly difficult since many people do not have flood insurance because their neighborhoods, individual rural homes and farmsteads are not on flood plains and have not flooded before.

Thus, we bring you opportunities to contribute to charities while we share stories and pictures about the ongoing tragedy:

"RURAL" CHARITIES YOU CAN TRUST (we will add more to this list in a later edition):

1. For Iowa or , individual tax-deductible contributions should be written to the "NCSS Charity Fund" with "Iowa Flood Relief" in the memo section. Mail checks to: State Society of Iowa, P.O. Box 40831, Arlington, VA 22204-9998.
2. For Iowa but also for other flood damaged states, donations can also be made through Willy Nelson's "Family Farm Disaster Fund -- Farm Aid." For more info, click here.
   

PICTURES AND STORIES:

• Wisconsin Flood Photos by the LaCrosse Tribune
• "In Midwest, a Threat to Crops" by Susan Salny, New York Times
  
• "Flooding Forces Evacuation ... Governor Jim Doyle orders evacuation ... 7 dams watched for potential failure" by Channel 3000, WiscTV.com
• "Floods Leave Iowa Swimming in Toxic Brew" by CBS News
• "Iowa -- Best of Flood Photos" by the Des Moines Register
• "More on Flooding -- Cedar Rapids Residents Again Turned Away" by USATODAY
• Hog Farmers Face A Perfect Storm by Ilan Brat and Joe Barrett, USATODAY
• Farms Under Water as Levee Breaks by Metro.co.uk
• Flood Waters Wash Away Homes as Freak Weather Hits U.S. by The Sydney Morning Herald.
  

Guest Editorial: Corn Growers Say Ethanol Saves Average Family $1,000 Annually

Katie Allen Writes on June 17:

"New information released by Iowa’s Renewable Fuels Association and Corn Promotion Board shows that ethanol saves a typical family of four an average of $1,000 per year.

"The figure comes from price data by the USDA, U.S. Energy Information Administration, Council of Economic Advisors and Iowa State University, and shows if ethanol were not in the picture, consumers would save a mere $24 at the grocery store in a year but would pay $560 to $1,600 more for fuel.

"Iowa farmer Roger Zylstra, who raises corn, soybeans and hogs, agrees with most other producers that transportation costs, more than corn demand, are driving up food prices.

" 'So very little amount of corn actually goes into the food that we consume,' Zylstra says. 'Most of the corn that we grow is used for animal feed and things like that.'

"As a producer of both grain and livestock, Zylstra knows this is a challenging time of high prices for everyone.

" 'Corn is a major part of hog feed. If we get corn really high, it's going to have an impact, but history shows us that the prices always adjust. It's just that we have to have enough cushion to survive that adjustment period.'

"Zylstra also says he’s confident farmers and ag leaders will continue to find enough corn supply for food and fuel despite flooded fields and an expected lower crop this year."

Senator Bernie Sanders Calls People who Don't Worry about our Economy "Pollyanna's"

Senator Bernie Sanders has called the people who don't worry about our economy "pollyanna's." Others might say out of touch, but one thing for certain, the letters that Sanders (one of two Independents in the U.S. Senate), has shared from his rural Vermont constituents make real the financial difficulties that high gasoline prices, escalating heating costs and the economy in general are causing. They also make the case that things very much need to change. The constituent letters also underline Sanders' point that the ...

"Conservatives' assertion that the economy was strong and getting stronger, repeated with the frequency of a mantra, hid the reality that working Americans have taken a real beating."

Bob Herbert in the New York Times brings more perspective, including criticism of the media for failing to report how really, really squeezed middle class citizens have become.

Sanders' constituents' stories include how a couple age 65 only eats two meals a day; how a family keeps it heat just above 30 degrees so that the pipes don't freeze; how one mother reports her family doesn't go to church any more because of the cost of gasoline; how someone else burned their mother's dining room furniture just to keep warm. There is more. Read it here.

"Bad Cow Disease" -- Why Regulation Matters

Aren't you tired of it? Tomatoes you can't eat, tainted spinach, bad peanut butter, mad cow disease. And all too many questions we "eaters" shouldn't have to decide, e.g., should the cattle shipped to the packing plant have to walk into the plant all by themselves, or were they "downers" that were already down and dying?

And then there's the perennial argument ... should we let business be business? After all, some would say that when business makes a mistake, the market will teach them a lesson.

But meanwhile, our stomachs seem to be paying the price; we get sick on the bad food, and eventually the big corporate food supply business does a recall. In my book, that doesn't seem too cool. It makes me like "government regulation" a lot, because I want to trust the U.S. food supply system, so that all I have to do is go to the grocery store, buy, cook, eat ... definitely not worry.

The New York Time's Paul Krugman's very thoughtful "Bad Cow Disease" walks us through how we got here, with food we can't trust. One lesson to be learned: For six years, the Congress failed to conduct oversight regulation. Now this new Congress is rushing to catch up.

For those of us who want to trust our food supply system, that can't happen too soon.

In Memoriam: Tim Russert

Age 58? Somehow it doesn't seem that old, and many of us who are "baby-boomers" wonder, how could this happen?

The Russert smile ... his love of politics ... his belief that if we all just would pay attention, look carefully at our candidates, and make sure that we evaluate so very carefully that we understand how some elected officials' rhetoric doesn't always match their votes.

My personal favorite is Sally Quinn's memory, "He was a junkie. He would say, 'People find stories about the budget boring -- that's crazy.' And then he would talk about the behind-the-scene fights, the cast of characters, and it was interesting."

Read more about Russert here. Or watch Meet the Press' podcast and more at the MSNBC news website which honors him.

The most important thing to remember? ... That Tim Russert thought our most important election was coming up on November 4. He would have wanted to be here with us ... watching, questioning, learning, participating in our very own history in the making. Let's do it -- for Tim, for ourselves and for the world, too.

"That's Not Too Important", says McCain

It started on Wednesday, June 10th' on NBC's "Today" show and continues to be the talk of Washington.

John McCain was asked about the timetable for bringing our troops home from Iraq. As reported by Jonathan Weisman in the Washington Post, McCain's response was:

"The issue erupted after Sen. McCain (R-AZ) said in an interview with NBC's 'Today" show that the timetable for U.S. forces to come home from Iraq is not of great concern as long as U. S. casualties in the Middle East fall to levels comparable to those in allied countries where U.S. forces have been stationed for decades without incident.

"That's not too important," McCain said, when asked byhost Matt Lauer if he could better estimate when U.S. Forces would come home. "What's important is the casualties in Iraq," he said. "Americans are in South Korea, Americans are in Japan. American troops are in Germany. That's all fine."

We don't agree. We also urge you to read the whole story here.

"Obama Probes National Health Care"

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch covered presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's visit to St. Louis this week. The trip gave Obama a chance to talk in detail about his health care plan, but he also had made progress on his effort to reach out to rural America. The Post-Dispatch reports:

Asked why Democrats have lost the state in presidential elections since Bill Clinton carried Missouri in 1996, Obama said, "A mistake is probably made in neglecting those parts of the state that are not traditionally Democratic."

"Obama promised more stops in predominately Republican territory like the town hall gathering he held last month in Cape Girardeau, Mo.

"In the rural parts of the state, showing up makes a big difference," Obama said. "My general view is, even if I don't win those areas, we can narrow the gap and that may make a significant difference in how we do statewide."

Read more here. Once you get to the story, you can also click into an audio to hear more and also see more picture of his hospital visit.

What to do? $4 ... or $5 ... Gas to Fill the Tank.

Today -- June 12th, Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) discussed the difficulties families are facing as they confront skyrocketing gas prices. He also thoughtfully reminds us why our country can't just drill its way out of this problem. Rather, it will take investment in renewable energy and serious new regulation to prevent the oil companies and their pals from driving up the price of oil by buying back their own stock and allowing speculators to further push the prices up. Right now, 36% -- yes, more than 1/3 of the price at the gasoline pump -- is due to speculators.

Equally important, Salazar brings real insight to the "why?" ... all about speculators as well as what Congress is working to do to solve the problem. This one is a podcast. Find it here or if you'd rather listen to it on the phone, dial 1-800-511-0763 actuality No. 2698.

VA Says NO to Veterans Needing Help to Vote

The St. Petersburg Times has reported that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said in late May that it would stop giving assistance to vets who need help in registering to vote. Read more at "VA Rejects Directive to Help Vets Register to Vote".

For 14 years, there has been a presidential directive that has required the VA to help our vets, but this year VA Secretary Peake has said, "No."

More information is available at the website of "Veterans for Common Sense": VA FlipFlops, Bans Registration Drives for Veterans at VA Hospitals and Nursing Homes.

Reflections -- the Bobby Kennedy We Revered

If you're like us at My Rural America, you likely remember how Bobby Kennedy reached out to farmers in his 1968 presidential campaign. He personally walked into the farm organization offices and made promises on the Farm Bill and we all believed. I still do. I lived on the farm then (600 acres -- corn, beans, hogs, cattle & 1300 laying hens), and I worked for Bobby/voted for him in the Iowa Caucuses. I also cried when we lost him that sad California day -- June 5, 1968.

Forty years later, the New York Times op-ed section has shared with us remembrances from three of his children. Years later, when Senator Ted Kennedy -- now fighting for his life was running for president, one of the memories I have from that campaign is about Kerry Kennedy, and for those of you who know me personally, I make this confession ... I remember when we "stole" her purple cowboy boots and mailed them back to her house. She was in Iowa campaigning for her dad and she wore those boots every single day. The PURPLE boots were so distracting that people talked about the boots, rather than her message, so the boots went back home. Years later, some of us still wonder if she every figured out who did it. Her memory -- without the purple boots -- is worth reading: Lessons of the Magnolia Tree.

Taking "No" For an Answer is her brother Joseph P. Kennedy II 's memory. His is a wonderful remembrance about how his father, "Bobby", could make you understand ... and feel ... the pain of people of who had nothing at all. In this way, it reminds me of Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee for President, who has such a great skill of reminding us ... without hope, we have nothing at all.

Kathleen Kennedy Townsend also remembers: The Delta in Our Home ... learning to take personally the poverty in Mississippi. It's a lesson we still need to remember today ... for those of us who have been given much, we need to both share ourselves and help our children to be generous, too.

Thank You GOOGLE ... for helping us save nickles and dimes on our cell phones

The New York Times reports how "Cell Services Keep It Easy and Free."

The tips in this article are all free and better yet, all easy. What you do is put in the number 800-GOOG-411 and push the "dial" key. Google will dial it for you for free, ask you politely the city/state/who? questions and actually dial the number for you. Better yet, you'll be saved from that long "garbage" time-killer speech that most cell providers use to gobble up your precious minutes. Likely, you'll save both cell minutes and also the extra charge.

So THANK YOU ... Google! ... for this wonderful, money-saving (and simple!) new phone directory.

We also recommend the whole article because it contains a whole lot more simple and free ways to use your cell.