More Politics!?!?

I know I said I don't like to get too political on this blog, but I just can't help it. One of the very prominent political issues that The Husband and I shared with great enthusiasm, is the denying of climate change/global warming. And here I go...

To begin, I DON'T believe we are put here on Earth to 'rape and plunder.' I very proudly voted for the deposit tax on beverage bottles/cans to be reinstated in this state. I find it a pain in the ass to bring them back to the store, so I give them to The Oldest and, as a family, they save the money to help pay their way at the county fair each year. I have seen how much bringing cans back to the store has helped this state; the amount of debris on the sides of the roads and in wilderness areas is minuscule, compared to what it used to be. It is a good thing. I support common sense solutions to keeping the Great Lakes clean and usable. I don't care for too much cutting of the trees here...again, common sense solutions. Just some of what I believe in.

And then we have some things that really get under my skin...

The wetlands reclamation (or whatever it is called) is ridiculous. Because some construction, at some time, happened to 'destroy' some wetland (read that as 'swamp') here in the city, new wetlands had to be built. Within one mile of me, I now have FOUR swamps. (Could actually be more, but sometimes they hide them.) I don't ever remember the amount of mosquitoes that we have now...all at a time when more diseases are being spread by the critters. There are people I know, that have property, that are not allowed to have roads because they would disturb the wetlands. One couple wanted to make their camp a permanent home, but without easy access, they can't do it...it remains a summer escape, nothing more. I don't understand this. We also have a ban on the killing of grey wolves because they are protected.** That was all well and good when it was passed, but now the population is to the point where they have to kill livestock to sustain themselves. Again, some of this stuff needs to have common sense applied to it.

So, I can see the reasons for some regulations/concerns and not see some others. (The above is just a smattering of climate/environmental issues that I have opinions about. 😁) That being said, I have a REAL problem with this entire climate change hysteria going on now. And here we go...

I'm so old that I remember being inundated with the 'facts' about how we were entering into a new ice age. I remember thinking about how far south I would eventually be living...and, at the time, I LOVED warm weather and was a happy little camper thinking of living 'down south.' NOW they're telling me that I have to move even farther north in order to escape the rising temperatures. I also remember how the population of Earth would grow so large that there would be massive famine, at all times, around the world, and here in the US. We were told that the population couldn't be sustained and that people would be dying in massive quantities. We weren't supposed to be able to grow enough food to feed the world. Well, one thing is true, we are told that the famine is STILL coming because of over population...it just didn't happen by the turn of the century as I was told. In 2007 (and this was The Husband's favorite story against global warming/change) the Great Lakes were at an 'all time' record low. Basically, we were told that they were drying up and IF they were to recover, it would take decades. A few years later, the levels recovered to 'normal' and this year, all of the Great Lakes have record high levels. Hmmm...

I believe there is a changing in the climate, but it is something that has happened over and over and over again, as long as the Earth has been here. While some of what we have seen (pollution, for example) is man-made, the majority of what is screamed at us is just cyclical and usual. We don't have records from 2000+ years ago, so we can't know if what is happening NOW happened then.

While I might not live long enough to see it, I think there will be a 'what were we thinking' moment in the future. Coal-fired power plants--such as where The Husband worked--are being dismantled and power plants using alternate fuel are being built. We now have natural gas fueled plants here...all supposed to provide cheaper electricity for us. And when EVERYTHING is using natural gas, just how much will the price of the fuel rise? And how much will our 'cheaper' electricity cost then? We also have a 'solar garden' to help provide electricity to our city. Works well enough in the summer, but the six months of the year when we have/can have snow, it doesn't work so well. (I know how 'well' this works because The Husband 'bought' some solar panels and I get 'credit' on my electric bill from the power generated from my panels. Even in the middle of the summer, I get no more than a $10 credit per month...in the winter, at the most, it is a few cents. All of this on a $100+ bill.) Solar, at this time, is NOT a solution where the sun doesn't shine for days, weeks, even months, at a time. And I won't even get into the problems with wind power.

There is NOTHING wrong with exploring other means of doing things. We can look into alternate fuel sources for power...and look at different, alternate ways to grow food. I have no problem with doing things differently, in theory...it's just when scare tactics are used to try and FORCE drastic change, very quickly, that I have problems. We are told we MUST change our ways of doing things, yet those who are screaming the loudest are doing more 'damage' to the environment than the normal people are. I don't fly private jets around the world or live in a McMansion (or bigger) house, so my gas/electric/water consumption is, at the most, comparable to what the majority use. I DO have a smaller-sized SUV, but for me, it is a necessity so that I can get around during the snow months, especially. (We have minimal public transportation here, so private ownership of a vehicle is close to being 'must have.') I would make changes if it was PROVEN that it is necessary, but I haven't seen the proof. (I can bring up as many articles 'proving' my opinion as anyone on the other side of this issue can cite. Statistics, to me, only prove whatever YOU want them to prove. The way they are presented can show whatever 'facts' the presenter wants.)

Anyway, when ALL the facts are ultimately presented/believed, I have to wonder just how much support this will get from the young 'uns. It is an inconvenient fact that they will have to give up a lot more than us old timers will. I remember a time when there was no internet, cell phones, cable TV, high school students driving their personal cars to school, certain foods being unavailable during some months, no fast food drive-in restaurants on every street corner, and you get my drift. I don't think a lot of people have thought this through very well...there are a lot of things they will not want to give up. But it isn't only the young ones: How many people are going to give up their cars or their daily Starbucks fix (unrecyclable/non-reusable cups) or their drive to the restaurant because they can't be bothered to fix a meal at home. And what about all of the STUFF we HAVE to have: BIG houses, more clothes than we can possibly wear, cell phones, ear phones, TVs, recreational toys... (So much of what we have uses enormous amounts of energy to build/make. If we can't use energy for 'things,' then we will have to go without.) Not to mention how much this is going to cost...not many people are going to be happy having to pay the taxes necessary to implement the changes being talked about.

In no way am I saying there can't be a conversation...but it HAS to be more than one sided. It has to be open and honest, not just fear mongering. And BOTH sides HAVE to listen to each other. There is much too much screaming and not wanting to hear what the other side has to say...that's not the way to get things done. It would be very easy for me to say 'the sky is falling' and 'this world has had it,' but I've lived through a few of these 'moments' in my time...and we always have seemed to come out okay. I think we might be able to survive this crisis, also.


**I believe we make a lot of things worse, rather than better, when we decide to 'fix problems.' If we let Mother Nature take care of some things, maybe she would have the correct solution and not what WE think is right. For example, pandas. There are those that feel as if we should just let them become extinct...they can't live without aggressive human intervention, so maybe nature just says it's their time to go. A thought, anyway...