Blondie for one believes it may be Spring. The "peepers" in the pond next door have been singing their "ode to spring" song since before I opened up the house this morning.
I have my doubts, however. The weather patterns recently have been swinging as wildly as the stock markets.
Global warming ("GW")is a cop out in my mind. It is a convenient message that puts the blame squarely on the shoulders of the evil empire of manufacturing.
In the United States we have taken measures to eliminate the threat of "GW." Slowly, but deliberately, our congressional leaders have encouraged (through poor legislation) the movement of manufacturing from this country to all others. The net results are: lower wages (higher minimums however), fewer "good jobs" available for high school graduates (and liberal arts graduates from colleges), and more pollution (because manufacturing is now taking place in countries without the strict controls required here).
Several years ago the European Union (or its predecessor) required all manufacturing to meet the environmental standards of either the "country of origin" of the company or the locality - which ever were more stringent. My belief is that this control concept has not been faithfully followed, particularly by corporations identified as "American."
The recent summits on "GW" have resulted in some countries (Japan and others in Asia) signing up for reductions of 80% over the next several years. Where is the US leadership in this "earth movement?" Our current president talks a good game, but I have yet to see congress getting on board in a meaningful, cooperative manner to provide the "executive" direction and funding necessary to make this happen
I have heard some (make that one) of the current political contenders for President state that his/her election would guarantee strict requirements for reduction of environmental impact. Generally, the candidates are more concerned with the loss of jobs in the US and figuring out methods of "penalizing" corporations that close factories here to provide jobs overseas.
What happened to taking the long view of problems? What about evaluating potential impacts and solutions that will last for 10, 20, or even 50 years? The short-sightedness of our current political leaders and the majority of voters is astounding. No wonder we seem to be getting further behind.
"We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if mankind is to survive." ~Albert Einstein
