I applaud the liberals, Democrats, progressives, whatever you want to be called. I applaud you for caring about the environment. I really do believe you are genuine in your concern for the future of this beautiful planet that we live on. You really do want to make a difference.
The problem that I (and many others who do not subscribe to your party or politics) have with your ideas about the environment is that those ideas are fueled by your passion and not by logic. It is if you can't see the forest for the trees, pardon the pun.
You may click on this and think "Great, here is another right-wing 'teabagger' who doesn't care a lick for the environment." Maybe you are thinking worse things, who knows?
I assure you, while not being a Democrat, I am no right-winger, although right-wingers care for the environment, or at least they should as they are human and inhabit our planet as we do. I am independent in my politics. I disagree strongly with the neo-conservative views of our previous administration and I disagree strongly with our current President on many of his policies. I keep an open mind at all times.
Now, I really do care about the earth. I cannot stand littering or people who do, I recycle, I drive a car that gets decent gas mileage, and I would LOVE to get off of oil for national security and pollution concerns.
I love the outdoors and I am glad that the government is there to keep clean water and keep pollution in check. Even if it was proven tomorrow that Global Warming and Climate Change was NOT real, I would still be for reducing pollution, alternative energy, and getting off of oil as it will make for a healthier world.
I just don't believe that your way of handling these environmental issues is constructive. Further, I believe it to be a danger to our prosperity and economy to follow your lead.
So, without further delay, I will lay out my greviences against the "left's" ideas about energy, pollution, and the environment.
- Fear Mongering (or "emotionalizing" as Green Peace says.)
Just as you were mad at George W. Bush for using fear to lead us into a debacle in Iraq, you are leading the way for using climate fear to push your agenda. Do you really believe that we have "only 4 years to save the planet"? (or is it 4 months, I don't know. I thought we were going into an ice age in the 70s, now Global Warming, or is it Climate Change?)
The Earth is barely beginning to be understood. It is 6 billion years old by some accounts. The climate has changed for eons without humans there to read temperatures and check ice levels. I think that too many conclusions are jumped to when it comes to the environmental hysteria. Theory and hypothisys is taken as fact.
- Short-sighted Idealist Ideas (which turn into policy)
Coal is a big polluter. If we got rid of all coal plants or at least put possible new ones out of business, as Obama insinuated, then the air would be cleaner. Great idea. Now, someone get some fairy dust so we can replace the energy gap that losing coal creates. What? There is no fairy dust. What? Nuclear energy is not on the table.
You have to replace a polluting energy with a clean energy to do this correctly. If you don't have a replacement and you tax the only avaliable energy then you aren't saving the environment, you are making life harder on the middle class and poor that you say you care about.
Creating pollution tax on U.S businesses without China doind the same to Chinese business will just hamstring us further without doing a bit of difference in world pollution levels. We do not need to add resistance to the treadmill when it comes to our economy so to speak, we are losing breath as is.
- Carbon Credits, Al Gores's jet-set energy hogging lifestyle.
Carbon credits, really? Al Gore's hypocracy, really? (He is spreading the message, so it is OK) I will just leave it at that.
Carbon credits are a scam and Al Gore is making a killing off of this environmental movement while not being quite "carbon neutral". His hypocracy is shameful and indiciative of "do as I say, not as I do" leadership. The only people who respect him are the choir that he preaches to. It is too bad this choir can effect energy legislation.
- People who don't agree with you don't hate the planet.
I am sure there are lots of people who think the Waxman Markey bill is stupid, it doesn't mean they are dumping oil in duck ponds and lighting tire fires on Earth Day.
You do not have a monopoly on caring for the earth or ideas. Listen to other points of view without demonizing the people as you do to the people who disagree with your Health Care plans.
- Nuclear energy....electric vehicles
I feel that having nuclear energy as our main power source would be wonderful. I also believe that is the only feasable way for our country to have electric vehicles. If we went to electric vehicles tomorrow, COAL would power them.
Wind and solar deserve research, but if you think you will power the country with them, you are sadly mistaken.
With a nuclear energy as our bread and butter power source and better technology and cheaper prices for electric vehicles, getting off of oil is only a matter of time. The internal combustion engine revolutionized the world as we know it. That technology is infinitely better now than in the early 1900s in performance, pollution levels and fuel consumption. Electric vehicles WILL follow suit. It will be practical to own one someday.
I believe we could rid ourselves of personal transportation gasoline consumption in a few decades. A bit after that, we could rid ourselves of gasoline consumption in shipping and heavy equipment. A bit after that.....
We just need to start. I am so disappointed that nuclear energy is not invested into. I see no other realistic way.
- Politicians with secret agendas (this goes for all politicians).
How is it OK that Brazil can explore for oil off their shores with $2 Billion of our dollars from President Obama but it is harmful to the environment to do the same on our shores?
I am sure that George Soros and his money had nothing to do with it, even though he owns a good stake in Brazil's oil industry and that he also holds the Democrats hostage as he owns the party.
I can't stand that politicians are held hostage by money. The Clintons are at the feet of leader of Dubai, numerous high level Congressmen and Senators on either side of the aisle answer to lobbyists, nobody can be trusted.
There you go. Feel free to discuss, agree, or slam the daylights out of my diary. I meant this as an honest view from someone you would concider an "outsider" to most of the people on dailykos.com.
Good day.