Almone takes middle ground in climate change debate

LANSDALE--While many in the Conservative party have vocally denied or downplayed the impact of climate change, POG Gov. Donna Almone (C) is emphatic: global warming is real.

Almone is perhaps the most prominent CNS figure thus far to acknowledge the effects of global warming.

Other well-known Conservative politicians have outspokenly rejected climate change, to the joy of many Conservative voters and activists.

Remmington Gov. Jen Stevens-Taylor, a staunch conservative who governs one of the country's driest states, raised more than $2.4 million in campaign donations following his refusal to attend the 2009 Copenhagen climate change summit. He also took heat from Nationalists--and received applause from Conservatives--for taking part in an anti-climate change rally in downtown Remmington City.

Stevens-Taylor said he believes in global warming, but believes it is not as severe as scientists claim. He also opposes any laws that push taxes or seizing civil liberties in the name of alleviating climate change.

Other Conservatives, such as 2010 Veroche Senate candidate Talley O'Neil and former Veroche Sen. Evelynn Blankenship, have downplayed global warming. O'Neil told a crowd at a campaign rally in February 2010 global warming was just "a way for Nationalists to make more money" through taxes.

Blankenship said at a Christian religious forum the climate change movement was "a central part of Satan's plan" for the world.

New Portsmouth Sen. Nadine Pietrasaelis (C) mocked climate change protesters, calling them "fuddy-duddies." And North Ceona Sen. Pete Deetch told the National Press Club last month "climate change is about as real as the tooth fairy."

But in an interview with Essence magazine, Donna Almone affirmed the existence of climate change, and the need to combat it.

"I do believe in climate change. I believe it is real, it is man-made, and I think we do need to do something about it. That may put me at odds with some in my party, but that's how I see it," the 64-year-old, three-term governor said.

That being said, Almone does disagree with Nationalists on how to address climate change.

"I do believe global warming is real. But I don't think raising taxes through the roof on corporations or every day Grassadellians is a fair or plausible solution. I think we have to look at ways we can curb our greenhouse gases. We have to look at ways we can cut back on pollution, ways that don't involve taxing people to death or taking away personal freedoms and civil liberties. We have to be realistic about it, and those ideas are just not realistic. And we have to come up with a solution that does not infringe upon reasonable rights of Grassadellian citizens."

Liberals say Almone's stance on climate change is hardly commendable.

"She acknowledges global warming is real. Okay, great," says Neil Donaldson, PhD and president of the left-leaning think-tank GreenTree, told the GBC. "But she opposes every measure out there that is in place or being proposed [to help stop global warming]. It's a bit hypocritical. On the one hand, she says it's real and we need to do something. And then she turns around says, 'well, we can't impose taxes and we can't put regulations on products because that's limiting freedom of choice and expression.' That's like throwing darts and trying to catch them. It just doesn't work."

It does make sense though, according to Almone.

"I'm not saying we should sit back and do nothing. That's foolish. But there are other ways we can reduce our contribution to global warming. Specifically, we can give tax credits to companies for reducing their carbon footprint. We can give incentives. Let's give businesses a reason to willingly cut carbon output rather than forcing them to do it through punitive taxes and a maze of red tape. Let's unleash human ingenuity and let entrepreneurs and scientists discover new solutions instead of spending billions of dollars on government bureaucracy."

A new poll put out by Lexmark University shows POGer's largely agree with Almone when it comes to climate change policy. More than 71% said they would not favor climate change laws that take away personal freedoms. Forty-two percent said the threat of climate change is real, while 46% said is not real or is exaggerated. And 62% said they would not favor laws that impose new taxes on businesses or individuals.

Nevertheless, Almone says she is committed to addressing climate change during the next legislative session.

"I will be proposing allocating funding to studying the effects of climate change on POG's agriculture, beach geology and coral reefs off POG shores. I think that is very important."

The current POG state legislative session runs through May. The next legislative session will begin in September.

Lindselli revels in 'maverick' status

HANSBORO, East Deschire--She was once called the "firebrand from the heartland" by a Nationalist colleague.

And now, former Sen. Nancy Lindselli (C) is back in the spotlight, just a few months after losing re-election by a sliver of the vote.

Lindselli has all but confirmed she will challenge fellow Conservative (albeit moderate) Sen. Denna Halitz in the 2014 primary elections.

Halitz has struck a bipartisan tone in the Senate, a far cry from Lindselli's strictly party-line voting record.

And after having lost by just a handful of votes to Nationalist Secretary of State Allison Sweeten in the 2012 election, the 76-year-old Lindselli seems less ready for retirement and more anxious to jump back into the political battle zone, by challenging the much younger Halitz (age 37) in what could be a tense primary race that centers as much around policy differences as generational ones.

Over the past month, speculation has mounted that Lindselli might take on Halitz, who is up for re-election in 2014.

Sources close to the "gun-toting grandma," as she calls herself, told the Mavocke Capitol last month that Lindselli was all but certain to run for the Senate in 2014.

And last week, Lindselli herself told political reporter Tom Cuben that she would return to Mavocke.

"I'll be back there (in Mavocke), in some form or fashion," she said.

She added that the opinions of party leaders has little impact on the decisions she makes.

"I take pride in being independent. I don't go around kowtowing to party leadership. I do what I think is right, and I stick to it."

Lindselli's possible forthcoming maverick candidacy has some CNS party leaders concerned.

On the one hand, she has a more reliably conservative voting record compared to Halitz, who has sided with Nationalists on a number of important votes.

But chief among their concerns: Lindselli's fiery tone and hard-line conservative views could alienate voters in friendly and folksy East Deschire.

The Harvest State is generally conservative-leaning. However, East Deschireans have a record of voting in moderate Nationalists, including Sens. Portia McLendon, as well as Gov. Lynn DeMont and Lt. Gov. Laurel McEdery.

"There is some concern in the leadership...that if Lindselli wins the nomination, and the NAT nominates a centrist candidate like John Blackman or Donna Rae Cobb...that may result in the loss of a Conservative-held seat," one source, who asked not to be identified because they were not allowed to speak to the media, told the Hansboro Laureate.

Blackman, a businessman from Hansboro, was a candidate for the Senate back in 2010, but lost the primary election to Sweeten, who went on to lose narrowly to Conservative Mike Aventhalle in the general election.

Cobb is the Assemblywoman for the seat of Forkwich, which encompasses the northeastern corner of the state.

Both are said to be considering a 2014 Senate bid.

Densy halts teacher pay raises, wants merit-based pay

TREETON--The political heat is being turned up in Monomi.

Conservative Gov. John Densy and a CNS-controlled state legislature are pushing forward with a budget proposal that will cut more than $1.3 billion in spending.

Densy and the CNS-led legislature proposed the leaner budget to combat a $6.3 billion budget deficit. But among the more than $1.3 billion in spending cuts are about $120 million in education funding.

The results: public school teachers will not receive planned pay increases, nor will instructors at the state's public universities see their pay rise in the next year.

Funding for higher education will be cut by about $72 million, while the remaining cuts will be felt at the K-12 and pre-school levels.

Densy and backers of the budget say the cuts are necessary to dig the state out of its deficit.

"These are painful cuts, of course. But there is no easy way to cut $1.3 billion. Every department, every sector of government is feeling the consequences of these cuts. It's not pleasant, it's not preferred. But it is, unfortunately, necessary under the circumstances," Densy told reporters Friday.

Conservatives also point out that most proposed cuts would be to planned construction projects and non-essential services.

"We are trying to lessen the impact of the spending cuts to our children. We're trying to keep the budget cuts out of the classroom. So most of the cuts will be felt in the construction sector, as well as in maintenance and operations," state Sen. Chris Midges (C-Rantham) told STAR-TV.

That means Monomi's public universities will have to put a hold on many of their expansion projects.

Community colleges and state-ran technical schools will also feel the cuts.

"It's unfortunate that the governor feels the need to balance the burden of the budget cuts on the backs of the community and technical colleges, and the higher ed system in general," Macy Kastetter, chair of the Monomi Higher Education Council told the NPF.

Critics say the budget unfairly punishes teachers by discontinuing their scheduled pay increases. And educators will have to pay more out of their own pockets to buy supplies, the NAT says.

"If these cuts go through, teachers will be paying more of their personal money to supply their classrooms. They will continue to have over-crowded classrooms, and vital programs, such as after school and early education programs, will be eliminated," Dani Damuir, head of the local teacher's union in Scottsville north of Treeton, told the GBC.

State Sen. Lisa McDonnell (N-Averan) says the "cuts at any cost" approach of Densy and Conservatives is punishing children.

"We're not slashing spending with this budget. We're eliminating dreams. We're putting our children on the chopping block. This is Conservative anti-tax crusaders at their worst," McDonnell said.

Densy has tried to soften criticism by proposing a merit-based pay system beginning in 2015, which the governor says would be cheaper than across-the-board pay increases.

"What this proposal does, is it would give teachers that are succeeding and doing a good job, it would reward them for their hard work. Good teachers deserved to be rewarded," Densy said. "But we need to find teachers that are not succeeding, that are not living up to the standard our kids need. And we're not going to fire them right off the bat. We're not going to discipline them. We're going to work with them to improve their performance."

The Monomi Education Association (MEA), the state's largest teachers union, opposes that idea as well.

"Any person that decides to dedicate their career and their life to education deserves a pay raise. And it shouldn't be tied to shoddy standardized tests or inaccurate teacher evaluations," MEA President Molly Ureakin told the Treeton Sun.

Opponents of the budget cuts have spent the last two days rallying at the state capital in Treeton. More than 600 people, many chanting and waving signs, have crowded the capital's rotunda and gathered on the grounds outside the capital to protest the budget cuts.

Kyle Chetgens, who traveled from Del Latto south of Treeton, told the Sun he is not leaving the protesters' make-shift tent camp on the steps of the capital until the proposed budget cuts to education are removed.

"I'm here for the long haul."

While cuts to the state's education system have been the most controversial, other departments, such as the Monomi Department of Labor, the state Environmental Quality Agency, and the Department of Health will also take major cuts under the budget proposal.

Kolotano, Sanchez possible replacements for Downs

BROOKINGS--Biereland Gov. San Bartholomew (N) found himself partner-less this week.

That's because his former political partner, Lt. Gov. Ashton Downs (N), resigned her post last week after President Brenton Menuhaeo asked her to serve as Director of Consumer Affairs in his administration.

Downs' resignation means Bartholomew will have to appoint someone to fill the lieutenant governorship until the 2014 election.

According to Simon Petersen, a Brookings political insider and reporter, Bartholomew has two men at the top of his list of possible replacements for Ashton Downs.

They are former federal Sen. Steve Kolotano (N), who served from 2008 until 2011, when he was removed from the Senate involuntarily in the Senate Reduction Lottery.

And state Rep. Gabriel Sanchez (N-Oho), who at age 32, would be a very young pick, but could bring ethnic diversity to Bartholomew's cabinet.

Kolotano is viewed as the more experienced choice. He has been involved in Biereland politics for more than a decade. The crafty Conservative-turned-Nationalist could also add tenacity to Bartholomew's campaign, a much-needed asset, since Bartholomew is considered especially vulnerable heading into the upcoming 2014 election.

Bartholomew's office would not comment on whom the governor is considering.

"All I can tell you is that Governor Bartholomew is considering many possible candidates for the job," spokeswoman Kelly Stacy told the Greene Mountain Press (GMP).

Neither Kolotano nor Sanchez would comment either.

Simon Petersen told the GMP that Kolotano is also considering a challenge to Sen. Brad Bearns (C) in the 2014 election.

Sanchez has been planning to run for lieutenant governor for several months now, Petersen said.

"This is all just through the political grapevine," said Petersen. "But word has it that Steve Kolotano may try to claw his way back into the Senate by challenging Conservative Brad Bearns, and Gabe Sanchez is already thinking of running for lieutenant governor in 2014. So even if [Sanchez] is not appointed to the position now, he will likely make a run for it in the near future."

The governor has 90 days to appoint a replacement. That means he has until May 26 to appoint someone to the position.

In Biereland, the lieutenant governor serves as President of the state Senate, and as an ambassador for the state.

The lieutenant governor is elected separately from the governor, and thus can be of a different political party.

Trevano detained by police at Phoenix airport

PHOENIX, Arizona--Grassadellian pop star Trevor Trevano has been released after what police in the U.S. are describing as an "incident."

The former boy-band heart throb was detained by airport police at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport in Arizona, after an altercation with an aggressive fan.

The incident happened Tuesday, while Trevano was arriving in Phoenix for a Tuesday night concert.

Police gave little comment on the matter, only saying that an aggressive fan approached Trevano and followed him through the airport.

Trevano and the fan, who was described as a 40-year-old American man, had some kind of scuffle inside the airport. Trevano's security personnel then broke up the scuffle, pushing the man to the ground.

Airport police soon arrived and detained both the fan and Trevano.

Trevano was questioned for about ten minutes, and then released. Police stressed he was not arrested or charged with a crime.

"Mr. Trevano was simply detained for questioning, and released without charges or arrest," Lt. Glenn Comstock told the Associated Press.

The fan was cited for 3rd degree harassment, and was released by police as well. He was treated for minor cuts and bruises at the airport urgent care center.

Trevano's publicist, Jill Irvine, had no comment on the matter.