Why we can’t afford to wait for the government to develop a responsible energy policy
If you tuned in to watch the President’s last State of The Union address, you may have heard him speak about the need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, further our clean energy research and eliminate the subsidies to our petroleum industries. Encouraging words no doubt, but as history shows us, most likely to be empty and with little substance behind it.
Whether or not you enjoy “The Daily Show“, you can’t argue with the point he is making in this montage of previous President’s commitments to develop a forward looking energy policy, going all the way back to President Nixon.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| An Energy-Independent Future | ||||
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It is up to us folks, the people who live and breathe the mess our politicians and corporations make of our planet to make the necessary changes in our lives if we truly wish to see a future without big oil, its pollution and its numerous societal impacts. If the oil spill hasn’t convinced you, or the nuclear disaster in Japan, maybe the pending changes to our state’s ban on “fracking” will.
It’s human nature to respond first to what puts the most pressure on us. Our children have learned this from an early age as have corporations. Energy companies rely on the chaos and hectic pace of our daily lives to help them slip through legislation which favors their interests, whether they are at odds with the interests of the country, the state or the people who live there. By it’s nature, a publicly traded company has no ethics or morals, just a bottom line. If the two should align, all the better, if they should not, profits by design will win out.
It’s time we all make a conscious effort to change. It can be as simple as starting to use the recycling bin, or going with “meatless Mondays” or maybe putting up some solar panels. Whatever it is you choose to do, the time is now past for any of us to push off on others the responsibility of taking care of our planet. It’s clear the politicians are not interested in going against influential corporations with deep pockets and afterall, it’s time we all realize that this is the only planet we have.
