Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Alternate Realities Roundup 8/20
Posted By Eric S. Peterson on August 20, 2013, 10:09 AM
Mother Jones lists the top five “holy crap” conclusions from a recently leaked report on climate change.---
Top of the Alty World
“Five Terrifying Statements in the Leaked Climate Report”--Mother Jones
The partner of journalist Glen Greenwald, who helped expose the NSA's recent domestic-surveillance programs, was detained by authorities and told he would be jailed if he didn't cooperate.--The Guardian
The shadowy American Legislative Exchange Council that supports conservative laws in state legislatures has only benefited from recent protests from progressives.--The Economist
A federal judge has decided that inmates on hunger strike in California's overcrowded prisons can now be force-fed.--Huffington Post
Top of Alty Utah
A local environmental group says Rocky Mountain Power is purposefully misleading Utahns about its clean-air efforts.--Utah Political Capitol
A plan to host the 2016 GOP convention in Utah could cost up to $60 million.--Utah Policy
A memo reveals that employees of a telemarketing company were told they would be fired if they talked over the phone about John Swallow, or the company's “affiliation” with him.--Salt Lake City Weekly
Petitions are calling for the end of horse-drawn carriages in Salt Lake City after a horse collapsed over the weekend.--Salt Lake City Weekly
Rantosphere
Bryan Schott explains how a Democratic challenge to Jim Matheson is going to give him trouble in his re-match with Republican challenger Mia Love.
“Challenging Matheson is likely a quixotic effort. Opponents know that any challenge against Matheson will likely fail. The best they can hope for is to win enough support at the convention to force Matheson into a primary. The thought is that he will have to move to the left instead of taking his normal centrist stance. That could be extremely bad news for Utah’s lone Democrat in Congress, since Love will almost assuredly have trackers with video cameras following his every step, stockpiling ammunition for the general-election matchup.”--Salt Lake City Weekly
The Long View
Rolling Stone looks at how student-loan debt will be the economy's next big, disastrous bubble.
“While it's not commonly discussed on the Hill, the government actually stands to make an enormous profit on the president's new federal student-loan system, an estimated $184 billion over 10 years, a boondoggle paid for by hyperinflated tuition costs and fueled by a government-sponsored predatory-lending program that makes even the most ruthless private credit-card company seem like a "Save the Panda" charity. Why is this happening? The answer lies in a sociopathic marriage of private-sector greed and government force that will make you shake your head in wonder at the way modern America sucks blood out of its young.”--Rolling Stone
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