On Drilling and Nuclear Energy

I used to live on a hill, and next door to me was a church with a sloped planting area. At some point the church's irrigation system developed a leak and water would run for hours  drowning my adjoining  planting area and trees to point where they became waterlogged and began to die. After much discussion with the church about the problem, they decided to fix the problem by turning off the water feed to the affected area instead of fixing the problem.

About six months later the plants on the sloped planting area were either dead or dying so the church decided to turn the water back on. As you may have guessed the water began leaking again drowning my garden and running down the street. When I spoke to church about this they informed me that only turned the water off because I complained and that they had to turn the water on again because the plants were dead.  I told them that I only wanted them to fix the problem not to just turn the water off. When I asked them why they thought by turning the water off for six months it would somehow fix the leak, they looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language and repeated "we only turned the water off because you complained".

I don't know if we should drill off the coast of California or build more nuclear plants, but it seems to me that we turned the water off many years ago and turning it back on has not changed any of the reasons why we originally turned it off.

Before we turn the water again on it might be a very good idea to see if it makes sense to drill again, whether we have progressed to the point where we can safely drill without polluting our coastline, or whether the safety issues  with  nuclear power plants have been solved.

If we turn the water on and the underlying issues remain we only have ourselves to blame. If we solve these issues and are able to reduce our energy dependence we will be the better off for it. But, remember we only turned the water off and have not yet fixed the leak...

The Audacity Of Audacity

 

Barrack Obama has searched deep inside to respond to the firestorm  his pastor created by such intemperate remarks as "God Damn America" and the "US created the aids virus".  As any good didactic he has the audacity to declare that we need a national dialogue on race.

Many voters talk about being inspired by Barrack, invoking Kennedy and the way they felt when he was elected. This election truly is an historical event, but  it is quickly turning into one where you are either a Misogynist or a Racist for asking the tough questions. Is it too much to expect of our prospective presidents to answer these questions?

Excuse me teacher what is needed here  is that a some point during the past 20 years you needed to have a dialogue with your minister. If you can not change the heart and mind of your minister how do you expect to change the hearts and minds of republican legislators?

A Presidential Candidate Goes Into A Classroom

A Presidential Candidate  goes into a classroom of kindergartners and asks “hands up all who want free ice cream”, everyone raises their hand. One precocious little boy says “can I have a tax cut with that”.

"Why yes you can" says the Presidential Candidate, "you are truly wise for your age". The the kindergartners stand up and cheer the Presidential Candidate.

In back of the room one little boy raises his hand and says to the Presidential Candidate " I am confused Presidential Candidate, how can we cut taxes, pay for everything,  reduce our deficit, grow our economy, and make our nation strong again when we can't balance our budget and pay down our deficit with the level of incoming revenues we currently have"?

"What are you, A Damn Liberal" the Presidential Candidate snarls?

"No I am a Conservative" the little boy replies.

By Way Of Being A Response To John McCain's South Carolina Primary Winners Speech

Dear Senator McCain

I am at once mystified by, and concerned about the speech you gave after winning the South Carolina Primary. As a life long Democrat I find you by far the most compelling of Republican candidates. No one can doubt you love of country or the ordeal you went through in Vietnam. I can not overlook however the irony that as a life long Maverick mistrusted by the Republican party that your speech is pure Reagan 101.

The problem my friends, you say, is that Americans pay too much tax and there is too much regulation. As a life long realist, whose house is completely paid off and who has no consumer credit card debt, I was looking for some straight talk.

A nation that refuses to pay its bills and yet believes that it can continue to under pay on its payments (taxes) must surely be taking a long walk off of a short pier. I wonder how you would evangelize to a nation of debtors the importance of paying their debts when our government says, pay no attention to that man behind the curtain, we can have lower payments (taxes) and deficits too and everything can be hunky dory. We can pay for a War off the books pretend that it does not have to be paid for.

My point, Senator McCain is that a nation that refuse to pay its bills (taxes)  and yet believes that  the way to cut debt is to cut payments can not long endure as a great nation.

Almost as puzzling is your call for less regulation. What would you regulate less? The SEC, who did not catch the Savings and Loans meltdown or the Sub Prime Mortgage disaster that is currently threatening to undermine our economy even more than our deficit spending, an off the books war, and the transfer our wealth to China and the Oil producing nations? Or would you  let the FDA regulate drug companies less because they have such a good record of having the public's best interest in mind when they make decisions. Or how about the EPA, I am sure that our environment is in such good hands that we surely could reduce the staffing levels at the EPA.

My point Senator McCain, as a fellow Westerner, is that I look around and see a land blessed with natural resources and wealth, I see a land scared by mans inherent greed ( an example, to this day the California Gold Rush  is  Mythologized, when in fact it is one of the West's worst ecologic disasters whose scars cans still be seen today). I see a need to balance the regulation of those who invent and who do not, unfortunately I see that balance is sorely tipped in a direction that is not in our nations best interest.

Just as it was seen as our manifest destiny to expand as a nation from coast to coast, it is now time to create a new destiny. We now inhabit this nation from coast to coast, the west is close to built out without any additional water sources. Now is the time to address the future and what it will take to build it.

If we as a nation believe that we can build this future without paying for it, we will fail. If we continue to believe that we can have butter and guns, we will fail. If we continue to believe that we can have something for nothing, we will fail.

My point Senator McCain, is that straight talk starts with a realistic look at regulation good and bad, and what is in the nations best interest, not just those who would profit from lack of regulations (see the California Gold Rush).

Men of Wisdom can regulate themselves for the common good. Are you a Man of Wisdom?

Straight talk starts with a  realistic look what we spend, and how we pay for it, and what is in the nation's best interest, not just for those who would profit from not paying for a future that benefits them.

Men of wisdom can speak the truth when all around them are deferring payment and the truth to a time uncertain. Are you a Man of Wisdom?