It's Time...

I finally finished reading Thomas Friedman's: Hot, Flat, and Crowded. It took me a long time but I am glad I persevered and finished it. I know many people think Friedman is an environmental nut. He may be, but he has some good points.

The main one is this: the energy revolution is the opportunity for America to stand up and be truly innovative and lead the world with new technologies dedicated to new forms of energy that are better for our planet rather than allowing other countries to take that lead. This opportunity can allow us to transform our economy, creating new companies and jobs. Instead we have had our head in the sand and handed hand-over-fist billions of dollars to foreign countries, many who hate us, and allowed them to be successful off our backs. And whether or not you believe in global warming, which I am amazed there are those folks out there who think it's great for the planet to burn fossil fuels, (ever been to a coal plant?), how could you not believe we have the opportunity to change our country economically. We aren't in the best place right now are we?

And today, I turned on the radio to hear that Al Gore is saying that the current House bill on global warming is akin to the Marshall Plan and Civil Rights and Glen Beck was throwing a hissy-fit about that. Well guess what Mr. Beck? A plan that in all-encompassing and geared to change the energy landscape of the USA is akin to those things. It would change everything. One day it would give access to electricity to those who don't have it and electricity is necessary for an improved standard of living. And doing it clean is absolutely necessary as the areas of the world this effects have the most people.

So America, when are we pulling our heads out of the sand? We have men and women losing their lives because of oil right now and every time you fill up your big-ass SUV or truck you are paying the people who are killing them. Being all fuzzy and nice with Arbor Day, which is today, and Earth Day is nice but it isn't enough. We need politicians to make tough decisions by passing laws that force the companies who are polluting the planet to change and mandate it's citizens to make new choices. Change is tough and sometimes people have to be forced. It's time...