My Aunt Jeri sent out an interesting email today about Vaclav Klaus, president of the Czech Republic. He lived through the communist days and is an outspoken proponent of free economic systems. He views the "green" movement as largely a clever disguise for collectivism, efforts to curtail freedom and put more power in the hands of a few. An interesting thought, and one that deserves discussion.
My wife and I just spent a few months living in the People's Republic of California. They were actually considering a law that would let the state have control over your thermostat. So, if they thought you were running the A/C too high in the summertime, and this would cause "excessive" damage to the environment via power consumption, rate of turnover on the unit, and so on, they could turn it down for you. For you. You, a commoner, are too stupid to decide these things yourself.
Almost every strategy by environmentalists to save the earth involves large portions of our decision making capability being handed over to them. Leave aside the idea that global warming and it's cousins are based on junk science and hysteria, and just contemplate the arrogance of a group of self-appointed earth guardians telling the rest of us how to live. Follow the trail, it always ends up with more power and money in the hands of these folks.
Al Gore champions the idea of purchasing "carbon credits." This does nothing to change the size of his house, he doesn't change his habits or consumption by purchasing them, and there is no more surface area on the earth after his purchase than before. But money does flow in a certain direction as a result. The UN and other groups want to fine countries for pollution, and while the idea of punishment as a disincentive for a given act has validity, the tastes like a con to me. Especially when one considers the whole idea of global warming.
Even with little things like fluourescent light bulbs, it's all about appearing to care for the environment than really doing any good. I used to work in environmental recycling and disposal. These new bulbs have mercury powder in them, they ARE NOT good for the environment. If one breaks, you better get some breathing apparatus on before sweeping. If you suffer a cut from the glass, call 911 immediately. The powder getting into your bloodstream is potentially very lethal.
Plus, what do we do with lightbulbs when they burn out? They end up in the trash, and then go to landfills. Do you want mercury seeping into groundwater for the next 100 years? And trust me, it's not cheap to properly dispose of these things. My clients spent a lot of money doing it, because they had to. This type of short-sighted rush to save the planet stuff needs to stop.
But it won't, not as long as the snake oil salesmen behind this continue to profit from it. There was some global warming conference on a pacific island a while back. All the attendees had to fly jets to get there, pumping out obscene amounts of carbon all the way there and back. Gasp! The absurdity of this is astounding.
This is all about control. The more they can control your life and decision making processes, the better for them. Freedom and individual liberty are the most stubborn obstacles to those who envision themselves as rulers of the human race. Make no mistake, they will ride any vehicle to get there. Just look at the pressure exerted on anyone who tries to stand in their way.
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