Toward a More Perfect Union: A Prescriptive Approach — Energy
Energy
Energy can come from non-renewable fossil fuels which create pollution in our biosphere, or it can come from renewable sources which pollute little or not at all. The fossil fuels are oil, gas, and coal. While we are weaning ourselves from coal, we are still married to – and highly dependent on – oil and gas. Our current administration is busy with efforts to increase oil and gas extraction at the expense of solar and wind power.
Nuclear power through fission as a source of energy is also highly problematic, due both to the extremely long half-life of poisonous radioactive fuel, and to the danger of meltdown as in the cases of Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, or Fukushima. Nuclear energy based on fission is not a long-term solution, nor is it a good solution.
The long-term solution has to be a combination of power from solar, wind, and water sources. In the case of water, the tidal effects on the oceans offer promise, and harnessing that would be non-polluting. Solar and wind are already in the process of implementation, though being delayed and hobbled by regressive efforts in our executive and legislative branches. There is also the possibility that we will find a way to harness cold fusion; should that occur, then it too could be a source of non-polluting energy.
Nuclear War
The greatest threat to our long-term survival is climate change, but the greatest threat to our short-term survival is nuclear proliferation and nuclear war. We survived the cold war reasonably intact, but that does not guarantee that nuclear weapons are no longer a major concern. With rogue states like North Korea and Pakistan flexing their nuclear muscles and with terrorist groups seeking access to nuclear weapons, we are in a more precarious position than we have occupied since the Cuban missile crisis.
The current problem is greatly exacerbated by a president that seems not to care about the dangers and who either coddles enemies (accepting talks with North Korea without preconditions) or inflames potential nuclear powers like Iran by scuttling our agreement as defined by the UN and by President Obama. Rather than “protecting and defending” our country with careful diplomacy, we have a shoot-first-and-negotiate-later approach that can only harm everyone involved.
The solution here seems to be twofold:
- Get congresspeople to grow a spine and provide a counterbalance to the provocative positions of our president, or
- Elect to congress people who DO show such a spine until we are able to elect a different and better president.
Continued in Part 15 — Education
Other options:
Return to Part 1 — Prologue
Return to Part 2 — Voting & Election Issues
Return to Part 3 — Gerrymandering & Courts
Return to Part 4 — Congress
Return to Part 5 — President and DOJ
Return to Part 6 — Campaign Financing
Return to Part 7 — Lying and Ethics
Return to Part 8 — Sexism and LGBT
Return to Part 9 — Abortion & Church/State
Return to Part 10 — Guns
Return to Part 11 — Healthcare & VA
Return to Part 12 — Big Pharma
Return to Part 13 — Environment
Go to Part 16 — Economics
Go to Part 17 — Unions, Safety Net
Go to Part 18 — Homelessness
Go to Part 19 — Trade, Tariffs
Go to Part 20 — Media
Go to Part 21 — War, National Security
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Above is the fourteenth of numerous submissions wherein I suggest ways our country, our government, and the world can be made better. I am an old fart in my 70’s and have seen much: the turmoil of the 1960’s; Vietnam (where I served as an infantry officer and was awarded a purple heart and other medals); the anti-Vietnam protests (in which I participated while still in uniform); Watergate, the rise of the right wing attack on the poor and powerless during and after the Reagan years; the continued wars in Grenada, Panama, Iraq, Afghanistan and pretty much everywhere else; the Clinton years, the invasion of Iraq in 2002 and the never-ending war since; the brief glow of sunshine during the Obama years; and now Trump. While my dog in this fight is getting long in the tooth, I still deeply care about three things: my country, my country’s honor, and the future we leave to our descendants. My personal history, other than military service, includes college teaching, computer support, hospital IT supervision, consulting, and now — in my retirement — substitute teaching.
I make my recommendations in all seriousness, recognizing that most of them are not immediately attainable. Nevertheless, if we elect people who share our values as our representatives at all levels of government, we can accomplish much.