Prepare for Change

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/america-housing-crisis-living-in-vehicles_us_5b680be3e4b0fd5c73db49bf The absence of federal support has largely left state and local governments to play catch-up, particularly in areas on the West Coast where the housing markets show few signs of cooling. Californians  will vote on two bond measures in November totaling $6 billion for housing relief, along with a proposal that would give local governments more power to expand rent controls. In Berkeley specifically, voters are set to consider the city’s $135 million affordable housing bond , paid for by new taxes on property owners. But none of these proposals offer any immediate relief for people like Whitson and Prado. “You’re really looking at 15 to 20 years for increasing that housing supply,” said Sara Kershnar, chief of staff for Berkeley Vice Mayor Charyl Davila. “In the meantime, we have to do whatever we can to not take away – and certainly not criminalize – the shelter peop...

https://vimeo.com/279923192?quality=1080p

https://futurism.com/basic-income-part-time-work/ "The study examines the impact of the  Alaska Permanent Fund , a $61-billion communal resource backed by oil, which has been running for more than 35 years. It is currently the closest thing to a UBI in the U.S. Researchers at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy   analyzed the economic effect of the annual cash payments made to Alaskan residents, which have recently totaled around $2,000 per person. The researchers found that not only did employment not decrease, but the number of people in part-time work actually increased by a significant 17 percent. And, while overall employment was reduced in fields like manufacturing and oil, it remained steady in fields like construction, education, and healthcare." People want upward mobility, not the ability to sit on their asses all day.  

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/02/24/from-barely-surviving-to-thriving-ontario-basic-income-recipients-report-less-stress-better-health.html "The three-year pilot project, which began last summer, is testing whether no-strings-attached cash support can boost health, education and housing for people living in poverty." This short article lists 3 people that are better off thanks to the program.  I suppose you might find a person in there who's blowing his $ on hookers and beer, but then that person could just be removed from the program, eh.

https://www.ft.com/content/2b1c5cca-fc60-11e7-9b32-d7d59aace167 "

http://listen.sdpb.org/post/south-dakota-company-announces-ethanol-breakthrough "Officials with Poet DSM Advanced Biofuels have announced a breakthrough that will allow for increased cellulosic ethanol production. The latest development from the South Dakota-based company is a process called pre-treatment. Matt Merritt with Poet DSM Advanced Biofuels says pre-treatment transforms plant residue like corn cobs and husks into a substance that can eventually lead to fuel. " The article doesn't say how energy intensive the process is. Of course you don't want to be using up one kind of energy to produce less energy in another form (ethanol).  So we wait to see...

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/31/us-nuclear-arsenal-cost-cbo-report "The cost of the US nuclear arsenal over the next 30 years will be over $1.2tn, even before any new weapons ordered by the Trump administration, and is unlikely to be affordable without cuts elsewhere in the defence budget, according to a independent congressional report. The total price tag marks nearly a 25% increase from previous estimate, taking in the modernisation programme established under the Obama administration, which account for $400bn, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found. The costs would peak in the 2020s and the 2030s." http://www.ibtimes.com/political-capital/defense-department-war-terror-has-cost-250-million-day-16-years-2608639 "American taxpayers have spent $1.46 trillion on wars abroad since September 11, 2001. The Department of Defense periodically releases a 'cost of war' report. The newly released version, obtained by the Fed...