If you've lived on Earth as a Human for any length of time, you've noticed that problems tend to come in clusters. There are even commonly used phrases to describe the phenomenon.
"when it rains it pours"
and
"clusterfuck"
...or if you're into statistics, it's a "markov chain," where if Shit Happens Today, you can expect More Shit Tomorrow.
And thus we end up in a situation where: We are in two wars, the Health Insurance situation reached a breaking point, the economy reached a breaking point, labor issues are reaching a breaking point, global warming is reaching a tipping point.
All this shit that needs to be addressed and fixed NOW.
But that's okay. We can walk and chew gum at the same time.
Apparently not. As RLMiller points out climate legislation is being skeletonized to a "framework" and put on hold as the oceans rise and turn to acid, and drought grips vast swaths of the world.
Mr. Kerry tells us
"I'm confident we'll pass a law as soon as it is practicable. And when I say practicable I mean after health care and after financial reform."
-- Article
See?
We have a "markov chain" again. Past and present states predicting the future state. We're putting off climate legislation.
A body of legislators who didn't have the vision and (pardon the expression) balls to lead boldly yesterday, predictably don't have the vision and (thousand pardons) rocks to lead boldly today.
Kerry said he, Lieberman and Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) have been meeting privately to develop a "framework" for a bipartisan climate change bill. Though bills have passed through two of the relevant committees, there's still a long way to go before there's a vote on climate change legislation.
A "framework." They were tasked with creating something solid and they developed a "framework." It reminds me of when I was in high school and I'd hurriedly, sloppily do the homework on the way to school on the bus just to get credit..."I don't know The Grapes of Wrath per se...but I know OF The Grapes of Wrath!"
If there's one thing I've learned over the past few days as I've ranted about losing green manufacturing jobs to other nations, I've learned that much of the blame for that falls on people like Mr. Kerry, Mr. Graham, and Mr. Lieberman. The joblessness. America's difficulty competing now for work and technology.
They've spent years failing to make America a leader in green...well...anything.
And now we're paying the price. We're paying the price in jobs. Paying the price in climate. Year after year. Decade after decade, American leadership willingly abdicated it's claim on the future.
And we're doing it again.
Right now.
From the same people.
Look Senators...
It's not just that I'm saying we CAN pursue climate legislation AND health care reform AND financial reform at the same time. It's that we HAVE TO pursue climate legislation AND health care reform AND financial reform at the same time. Do your god damned jobs.