Government shutdown looming

It is looking more and more likely that there will be a Federal Government shutdown early next month, meaning that non-essential government employees, myself included, will be instructed to not show up at work.  The Federal Government is currently funded through a continuing resolution that expires March 4. If Congress fails to either approve the longer-term spending bill or pass another stopgap by the expiration date, most government operations will cease until more funding is approved.  In 1995, Republicans in Congress reached an impasse with President Clinton over elements of the fiscal year 1996 budget which resulted in a government shutdown in November that year.  Threatening a government shutdown is a risky game for Republicans to play.  In 1995, public opinion largely sided with Clinton.  You can be sure that Obama is well aware of that fact.

Here are a couple of articles that popped up on the shutdown: "Government Shutdown: What's at stake" by CNN; Battle over Budget Cuts Raises Specter of Federal Government Shutdown by Fox News.

Here are possible 2012 presidential candidates who favor a shutdown.  Sarah Palin: "A shutdown would force President Barack Obama to work with Republicans."    Tim Pawlenty: "In Minnesota we survived it OK. You don't want to be reckless or irresponsible about it, but there's going to have to be some lines in the sand."  Ron Paul: "I don't think it would hurt one bit."   Newt Gingrich: hearkening back to the 1995 shutdown, ""Everybody in Washington thinks that was a big mistake. They're exactly wrong."

Here are those who do not favor a shutdown.  Mike Huckabee: "I think it is not a good thing.  It means the disruption of a lot of things. It just creates a nightmare. The ideal solution is for people to act like adults...do the jobs they were sent to do."   Michelle Bachmann: among Tea Party politicians, a minority opinion, "That's not going to happen because that won't serve anyone's interest."  Haley Barbour: stated that Republicans should learn the lessons of 1995.  Mitt Romney: could not find any statement where Mitt was quoted on the subject, but assume that he would not favor a government shutdown.

USA Today's analysis of 2010 Census at state level features Louisiana first

USA Today has begun to present local data from the 2010 Census.  Data on population trends and ethnic makeup will be released for each state during the months of February and March, beginning with Louisiana, Mississippi, Virginia, and New Jersey; Louisiana demographics being on display first.

As shown in the 2010 Census, Louisiana's population has had some interesting shifts, heavily driven by natural and man-made disasters.  New Orleans' population has gone from 485,000 (2000) to 343,830 (2010), a 29% drop, thanks largely to Katrina.  The estimated population drop was not this great, so the census was rather revealing.  Relative to its size, the parish (county) most impacted by Katrina was St. Bernard Parish, on the east side of New Orleans, which sustained a 47% drop in population.  All in all, seven parishes lost populations at double-digit rates, while ten parishes gained population at rates above the national average of 4%. Parishes between Baton Rouge and New Orleans gained the most, with Ascension and Livingston Parishes gaining 40% and 39%, respectively.  While Baton Rouge and surrounding areas gained considerably, and New Orleans shrunk, New Orleans remains the largest city in the State. Terrebonne Parish, where we live, increased by 7%.

Tropical Cyclone Yasi slams into Queensland, Australia

What is being called the "Cyclone of the Century," Yasi is now coursing its way through Queensland. It was reported to be a Category 5 storm as it approached landfall.  In its wake, it dealt a powerful "blow" to the midsection of the Australia sugarcane industry, causing world sugar futures prices to reach 30-year-high levels.  Australia is the 3rd largest exporter of sugar in the world.  I have had the good fortune of visiting Queensland twice during my career.  Between the two trips, I have been lucky enough to have traveled by road from Cape Tribulation near the top of Queensland, all the way south to Mackay, then by air to Bundaberg and eventually to Brisbane. Queensland is indeed a very large state.  So to see the size of Cyclone Yasi relative to the size of Queensland, for me, was amazing.  Yasi came on shore just south of Cairns where Dr. Anna Hale and I recently visited (see blog entry "Trip to Australia," dated 30 Aug 2009).  The life cycle of sugarcane in Australia in early February, would be equivalent to our sugarcane in early August.  Like our sugarcane, the greatest damage from a storm like this will probably be more from the water than from the wind, water that sugarcane farmers in Australia certainly didn't need, considering the extensive flooding that they have already experienced.  Something to remember when looking at the path of a cyclone south of the equator, is that the south side is the "bad" side, as it travels from east to west.  Intuitively, we would think of it as being on the north side,  but a southern cyclone spins clockwise, causing the surge of water to be on the opposite side from what we normally expect.  The last word I heard is that Cairns came through this major storm better than most expected.  Residents of Cairns and surrounding communities were benefited by being on the "good" side of the storm.  Further south at Mission Beach, which took the most direct hit, the devastation has been described as "apocalyptic."  The coastal town of Cardwell, a few kilometers south of Mission Beach, was described as having been "wiped off the map."