Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Environment, economy...or politics?

I know that this issue is a topic in many of this blog’s posts, but I simply can’t help it. I’m fascinated by the global warming debate. To me, I think it epitomizes much of what’s wrong with American politics. And now President Bush will address the issue in his annual State of the Union speech next week. Personally, I’m a little disappointed. The President has always shared my opinion on global warming – basically, we need more research – but now it appears that he has yet again folded to political pressure. Remember, this is a man who had both houses of Congress and still failed to achieve much of anything, mainly because he allowed his policy to be altered by the whiny minority.

But it’s the hypocrisy of this issue that really gets me. Let’s take a look. On one side, the "believers". These are the environmentalists, socialists, tree huggers, whatever you want to call them. For the most part, this is the political Left, which adds intrigue to the issue. They believe that humans are changing earth’s climate and we are headed for an imminent global disaster. If we don’t "change things" soon, it will be too late. And their idea of changing things is quite unrealistic. It involves punishing big business (a common battle cry for the Left) and drastically altering our way of life despite how that may affect the economy top-to-bottom.

But wait a minute. This is the political Left, the liberals, the anti-establishment-question everything-spawn of the 60s crowd who have been raised on the foundation of intellectualism and independent thought. Yet, we’re talking about an issue that is based on questionable scientific evidence. At best, the intellectual thing would be to say that more information is needed before we know the truth about global warming – or, in short, what I currently recommend. But the intellectuals aren’t doing that. They are virtually ignoring ALL of the counter evidence which is just as credible as what they’re accepting. They’re going against their very instinct of making sound informed decisions. So what’s with this lemming-like acceptance of a scientific theory riddled with holes and based on questionable evidence? What happened to the independent thought? The question-everything attitude? Well, of course, I have my ideas.
You see, global warming is not an environmental issue or an economic issue. Global warming, like everything else, is a political issue. That’s why the Left has adopted it as gospel. Global warming represents the evils of corporate America. It’s symbolic of what rich people do to poor people. It’s the ultimate socio-enviro nazi theory…big business is killing us all. If you took a similar amount of evidence and applied it to the counter theory…stating that big business is GOOD for your health, what would the Left’s response be? I don’t have to answer that question. Thus, the hypocrisy is evident. But we can take it a step further.

Suppose human induced climate change is real. Suppose the fossil fuels we burn are destroying the planet. Well, there’s an easy fix. Right now, 80% of our electricity is generated by burning coal. Yes, in the 21st century coal is still our primary source of energy. Why? Because it seems the enviro-nazis fear nuclear power more than they fear the global warming disaster. Now, there is no credible evidence that shows that nuclear power is harmful. In fact, there are quite a few credible theories that suggest small doses of radiation are actually healthy…but who cares about scientific evidence? Certainly not the global warming hysterics. But it doesn’t change the fact that within a decade we could convert to nuclear power and virtually eliminate the coal-burning, making the environment cleaner and safer. Yes, it may be costly up front, but isn’t it worth it?

But the enviro-nazis aren’t with it. They fear nuclear power because they’ve seen the Hollywood films showing how bad it is. They have nightmares of mushroom clouds and mega-meltdowns that kill us all (interestingly enough, they don’t seem as bothered about terrorists and WMDs). Plus, converting to nuclear power may actually be profitable for big business, which is the whole point of the Left's opposition isn't it? No, they will never accept this. What they want is for us to give up our luxuries, give up our way of life, live "within our means"…or basically regress from a scientific point of view. Is this realistic? Has it EVER been done in human history? Were there enviro-cavemen telling their friends that the wheel is bad, and they should all give up fire? No. And it never will be done, which is fine with the Left because it means that they have a permanent complaint against big business. They have their political issue, their topic for debate, their "fight for the little man". It really is quite ridiculous. The hypocrisy has come full circle.

So, until the enviro-nazis are ready to actually DO something about global warming, I don’t want to hear them complain. Remember, a standing rule on this site is that if you don’t have a solution, then don’t complain about the problem. The solution is simple. We have the technology. We have the resources. We can put an end to this debate. We can "save" the environment. The question is: Are they ready to do it? If not, then it obviously isn’t much of a concern, unless you’re a politician.

5 comments:

Dan Trabue said...

"but now it appears that he has yet again folded to political pressure."

Well, his own science advisors have told him as much. One would hope that he's "folding" to science moreso than political pressure (although, I suspect you're right - it's more that he's folding to political pressure. He's never been one to fold to science!).

Anonymous said...


Great post. I see this as a matter of control. The liberal left wish to control anything and everything that they can, including your life and mine, from cradle to grave.

The American left is to me, nothing short of a bunch of stinking socialists.

Indeed, far more research is needed for mankind to be able to say conclusively that global warming is actually happening.

I've never in all the years since this huge lie has brainwashed so many people, worldwide, seen ANY evidence that is so concrete that it could prove beyond a doubt that global warming is real.

The global warming lie is nothing more than a political tool for politicians, governments and others with agendas, to attempt to take control of the masses and promote their socialist or communist agendas.

It's all about control. There will never be a shortage of idiots in this world who have a desire to "rule the world"... And whom can not seem to fit in and live peacefully with others.

Take a look at our new Congress in Washington. Way to vote, Americans.

It seems the American people are wanting this country to change from our capitalist form of government and living to what so many in Europe enjoyed for generations...

State control of every single thing in their lives. People in too many cases these days believe that the federal government "owes" them something, and can not seem to rely on themselves for anything any longer.

They rely on the "federal teet" for their survival.Ridiculous!

Dan Trabue said...

"Remember, a standing rule on this site is that if you don’t have a solution, then don’t complain about the problem. The solution is simple."

The solution IS simple. Live within our means. Don't pollute more than you can swallow. Be personally responsible. You wouldn't throw your solid waste into your or your neighbor's backyard - don't do so with your other wastes.

Nuclear is not a solution that we're going with anytime soon. It's not a politician thing, in this case - the people don't want it. We must consume less. Much less.

That is the only answer.

Dan Trabue said...

John said:
"far more research is needed for mankind to be able to say conclusively that global warming is actually happening."

Actually, there's no doubt that it's happening. No one is disputing that there has been an increase in temperature over the last 100 years.

What the questions are is:

1. Is human activity exacerbating this problem?
2. Is it even a problem or just something to acknowledge?

Dan Trabue said...

"It's all about control."

There is some truth in this. You apparently wish to be able to control how much you pollute my air and water. I'm saying that we need control on how much you or I pollute.

It's about control - but not just from the left.

And, as I alluded to earlier, I suspect that no one here has a problem with controls on where your neighbor throws their garbage (that is, you're probably glad that there is a law prohibiting your neighbor from throwing his garbage in your yard).

Control is not always a bad thing.