Archive for January, 2007
US-CAP
What does it mean when a group of major international companies band together to drive policy about global climate change? It means we’ve finally turned the corner. Although the Whitehouse and Congress are still stuck in the 1970s, the very same corporations that helped drive us into this mess are actively searching for a path to get out. This is a Good Thing.
For every blow-hard conservative who said it couldn’t be done, it’s too expensive, we can’t compete globally, we need to wait for technology, etc. etc. I point to the US-CAP as proof positive that we can, and must, change our climate policy. This isn’t some pink-o hippie liberal Birkenstock think tank. This is Caterpillar. GE. DuPont. BP. Not exactly the first names you think of when you think about policy reform. (Seriously, go read their report.)
But these companies have realized a very important fact: we can’t delay any longer. Corporations are lawfully bound to increase shareholder value, which is very difficult to do when the global economy starts to crumble under the weight ofcatastrophic climate change. This isn’t about feel-good PR or green-washing. This is the real deal, where the rubber meets the road, when we stop passing the buck and step up to the table.
Is it going to be easy? No.
Is it going to be free? No.
Are we going to make some bonehead decisions in the interim that will seem foolish in 25 years? Probably.
But we must do something, we must act now, and we must show our fearless leaders in Washington that cheap talk and election games just aren’t going to cut it anymore. 2007 is the projected year for global peak oil. Let’s make 2007 the year when we finally start to turn things around.
US-CAP is a promising start.
Filed under climate change, energy : Comments (0) : Jan 29th, 2007
For super-nerds only
Here is a video of, by, and for super-nerds like myself. It is nothing short of artistic genius.
This is my current favorite youtube video of 2007. Let’s see if anything else can take the top rank in the next 11 months.
Filed under culture, sites i like : Comments (0) : Jan 23rd, 2007
What about Social Security?
How quickly we forget. Way back in 2004 Social Security was the issue de jour. Bush wanted to privatize it, Kerry wanted to keep it public; both trumpeted its pending collapse. After the election, there was a brief flurry of activity in Congress, then the issue completely dropped off the radar. Was the underlying problem fixed? Of course not.
As a young professional early in my career, I am confident that I will not see a Social Security check with my name on it. By the time I retire in 40 some years, the program will be bankrupt. The problem is simple: There are a whole lot of baby boomers ready to retire and not a lot of workers like me to support them. Compounding this problem is slowing population growth. This means that unless we drastically alter our immigration policy and throw our doors open wide, Social Security will fail.
This troubles me for a number of reasons. First, it bothers me that a key election issue can be so quickly swept under the rug and forgotten. If we need any further evidence that politics is nothing more than an expensive game of charades, this is it. Sure, we have other pressing issues at hand, but I guarantee you that Congress could find some time in its schedule for more action on Social Security. Is there an easy answer? No. Does that mean we get to ignore it for another few years? Of course not!
The other reason this irks me is my generation (and more so my children) are the ones getting royally screwed! Like the limitless deficit spending so fully embraced by Bush (and those before him), we demonstrate no concern for future generations in America. Look at our environmental policy–it’s too expensive to clean up now, so we’ll pass the buck on to our children (and in the meantime make matters worse). I understand that it is difficult to assign a dollar value to a policy more than a decade in the future, but we should at least consider the ethical ramifications. I, for one, find it shameful that we spend so carelessly and assume our children will pick up the slack.
Filed under politics : Comments (0) : Jan 14th, 2007
Olbermann on Bush
I’m not crazy about Olbermann, but he says what desperately needs to be said. Take a look:
Filed under politics : Comments (0) : Jan 13th, 2007
Oh me oh my!
Apple did it again:
First it was the iMac, then the iPod, now the iPhone. Can’t wait for Apple to release the iCar that gets 150 miles per gallon (of water) and folds into a briefcase when you’re done driving.
Well done, Steve. Well done.
. . . now the only problem: I need $600 to buy one!
Filed under technology : Comments (0) : Jan 9th, 2007
Political Snapshot
This is why I’m not a Republican:
1. I believe no one should go hungry, even if that means I foot the bill.
2. I believe in our constitution, even in the face of terrorism.
3. I find it morally reprehensible to discriminate against people of different race, gender, class, sexual preference, or ability.
4. I value our allies in Europe and the rest of the world. (France included.)
5. I believe that labor and capital each hold rights and responsibilities, and deserve fair representation in government.
6. I believe in three co-equal branches of government.
7. I believe in a woman’s right to choose.
8. I believe in a clear separation between church and state.
9. I believe a $9 trillion debt is unfair to future generations.
10. I trust adults to make adult decisions–even if I don’t agree with their choices.
And this is why I’m not a Democrat:
1. I know that many problems cannot be solved by simply spending more money.
2. I believe that citizens have the right to own guns.
3. I believe in states’ rights and a small Federal government.
Filed under politics : Comments (0) : Jan 8th, 2007
