It's Wednesday, January 18, 2011, as I write this.
Last night the President of the United States gave his State of the Union Address. I'm sure the political pundits are all over it today. I also suspect that they are picking apart what was said about the health care bill, spending cuts, and 'investments' among other things.
What did I pick up on? What did the President say that had me jumping up and down and yelling "You GO, guy! Do it! DO IT!" Well, none of the above, for one thing.
What got me going was that little statement about investing in clean, renewable energy research, and funding. He wants to get the money to do it by ending the government payouts to the gas, and oil industry's. I agree with Obama on what he said next, "They seem to be doing alright." I especially liked that little grin he had when he said that. Gas and Oil company profits are, what, in the billions range? And yet, the government is still giving them all kinds of hand outs and monetary breaks!
Yeah, I know. They, the oil and gas folks, really like that billion dollar plus profit line and will do what ever is needed to keep it growing. Especially raise the prices you know who has to pay.
What do I think we should do about that?
Start a write in campaign to Chevy, Nisan and every other car maker you can think of demanding truly usable, AFFORDABLE electric vehicles and hybrids. A striped down model with out all the high priced widgets and do dads would be nice. Maybe suggest to small town governments that it become legal to drive slower electric vehicles like golf carts on city streets where you should go slow anyway.
Enough of my favorite hobby horse.
The thing is, if the new guys in congress get their way, there will be cuts to spending all over the place. You all know who is going to be hit first.
Yep, you likely got it the first time. Us po' folks.
Some reason is going to be found that we don't really need what ever we have been getting. I really won't be too surprised; pissed as all get out, but not surprised, if I have my disability payments cut. I know I haven't had a 'cost of living' increase in two years now because, ah-hem, "the cost of living has not increased." (Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! Where are these fools living? I wanna go there so I can afford to live off what I get from the government!)
What do we, should we, do about this? Well, I may be dipping into that IRA I have stashed in the bank, the one that keeps me from getting food stamps because I "have too much money on hand." I'll use it to do some things around this place to cut energy costs, and hopefully, start actually raising some of my own food. Maybe try to find a way to actually make some regular money off of my goat hobby. I do have idea's. My biggest problem is implementing them and in some cases carrying through with them over the long stretch.
I am hopeful, however. I'm finely losing weight and, if I can keep it off, maybe this new found energy will also hang around; so I can manage to actually do the organic vegetable gardens, rain water harvesting, and other sustainable things I've been wanting to do. Heck, maybe I'll even sell some of my stories to a publisher, who knows.
The way I see it, we all need to stop sitting on our hands waiting around for Uncle Sugar to "do something about" whatever problem we are faced with. Most of us usually know what the solution is. Haven't you ever suspected that maybe a home grown solution just might be better? After all, we wouldn't be applying a big box, cookie cutter answer like the government would. We'd be solving the problems at hand with what we had on hand.
We should start doing that sort of thing now. Before the big boys in DC decide we don't need whatever pittance they have been giving us.
What the president said that I don't agree with is that foolishness about "Clean Coal!" Yeah, maybe you can find way's to burn it so that less nasty stuff gets out but you are still left with CO2 any which way you go.
ReplyDeleteThe real nastiness of coal, and the other fossil fuels is in what has to be done to the environment to get them out where we can use them to mess the environment up even more. Simple little things like rip the tops off of mountains, dig really nasty pits in the ground, and then there's all the garbage released to prepare the stuff just so it can be used!
Oh, and BTW. Uranium, the stuff that powers nuclear reactors? It is a fossil fuel. It has to be dug out of the ground like coal, and even more has to be done to it before it can be used in reactors. Reactor fuel doesn't just magically appear in a lab, after all.
Yes, the US has lots of coal deposits and a good deal of Uranium. But, folks! This is OUR back yard we are talking about here!
And here's a fun thought. Old gas or coal powered power plants can be dismantled and the parts recycled. But what do you do with an old, out of date, nuclear power plant? Hummm?
As for the power plants them selves, wheither nuclear or coal it will take more time, and money to get them up and running than to start implimenting cleaner tech, like individual home based solar panels, wind turbines, or even fuel cells.
Hell, yeah, Mr. President. Yes we can. We CAN switch to clean power and I'm betting if the Government would just get out of the way we could do it faster. The only regulation I'd really like to see on this clean energy is a requirment that all the systmes be able to be conected no matter who makes them. That way we the people get to choose the brands we can afford and still hook them togather.