Make Me Proud
Energy is a vital and pressing problem in our country. A problem we all have to live with.
One of the campaign plays this year is to push for oil drilling and blame the oil problem on the Democrats/environmentalist wackos /liberals/. That is how the right plans to win the argument on energy. This is Newt Gingrichs' genius plan.
So astonishing stuck in the past that it is almost embarrassing. Let's leave the environmental argument out completely and evaluate this.
Saudis raise output. The price goes up. Middle Easterners say there is no lack of supply. But the price goes up. We reduce consumption, the price goes up. Supply has become disconnected from price. Even if we produced more oil there is no promise of reduced prices. If OPEC reduces supply equivalent to what we produce we are in no better situation then we were before. Anybody think they are going to sell domestic oil at less than market price? Actually the thought of “more oil” is a bit of an oxymoron. There is less oil everyday. We may have enough left for X years but there is no doubt that when it threatens our economy to this extent and it is cause for wars that it's time to come up with a better idea. It's a declining and unsustainable industry.
Many will say, but while we are coming up with alternatives why not drill and get more oil too. Because it is a bad business decision that delays a sustainable future. Why shouldn't we put All our dollars and efforts into getting this done as fast as possible? Actually do things like a LEADER would do things? Not many would argue it is a national emergency. Giving the addict more of what he is addicted to just prolongs his sickness. There is much ready to go into production. From a viable compressed air cars. To viable vehicles that utilize wind and solar.
Putting our efforts in things like that seem far more exciting and promising than, lets suck oil til somebody else thinks of something else.
I'm excited about the potential future, with more choices, more jobs and the idea that we can THINK our way out of this problem.
Drilling and supporting it gives us the wrong mindset and one that will delay a future of potential . We will continue down the road of inertia instead of innovation? It's time to act, the bells and whistles are blowing all around you. Are you afraid of the future or are you willing to stand up and handle it. It's time to act. Do it now. Demand it. These are the things we did in my youth that made me proud of my country. Please.....make me proud.
posted by Ron at 9:34 PM
2 Comments:
Environmentalist wackos? How many of the ANTI-environmentalist wackos are still saying this in the states devastated by floods, tornados, hurricanes, and heat waves?
Fossil fuels will not last forever. We need a lot more alternative energy sources and to invest more in making the ones we have now more feasible and affordable. A lot of the reason we have such high gas prices anyway is the war in Iraq and the turmoil in the Middle East. Yet, I hear people saying all the time that they can't understand why the price of gas is so high not to mention asking what's wrong with the weather and why there are so many destructive storms recently.
Wars, destroying the planet, and killing off all the wildlife, trees, etc. is not going to help anything re: the price of gas/oil. People need to conserve energy for one thing, but that won't increase the revenue of the oil companies who have made huge profits all the while getting huge subsidies and tax cuts from the oil men who are running our government.
One of the only good things about McCain was that he seemed to care about the environment. Now the only thing he seems to care about is saying yes to Cheney and his cohorts-just one more reason I am supporting Obama.
Mara
Speaking of energy and the environment, just think of how much positive impact Amerians could have on the environment and how much energy could be saved if more people would change their diets, and the raising of beef cattle, pigs, and sheep. was reduced or eliminated. Both farm machinery to grow their feed and trucks to transport it and the livestock use a lot of gasoline. It takes energy to process and bag the feed and to process the animals in the meat packing plants. Cattle are being grazed on federal lands, as well. If people stopped eating animals, we could grow more food, feed more people and without the hormones, etc. found in meat now, have a positive impact on the environment, and use less energy.
Did you Know?
It takes about 25 gallons of water to produce a pound of wheat and 390gallons to produce a pound of beef!
An average steer consumes 16 pounds of grain and soy to produce 1 pound of steak on our plates!
An acre of beans, peas, and lentils can produce ten times the protein of an acre devoted to raising cattle!
Grain consumed by American livestock could feed 800 million people!
If the entire world switched to a vegan diet, our currant food production would properly nourish 7billion people. As it is now, only 4 billion of the world's 5.6 billion people are adequately nourished.*
(Source: The Vegetarian Manifesto by Cheryl L. Perry, A. Lytle, and Teresa G. Jacobs)
*This was published in 2004. After 4 more years of Cheney/Bush and global warming, the situation has got to be much much worse.
Mara
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