So I receive my monthly newsletter from my city. On the front page is a story titled "Duke Energy rates show significant increases". Inside the article is this gem, "The largest portion on this increase, 7%, is to permit Duke the ability to recover $33 million in lost revenue it has incurred due to implementation of energy efficiency programs mandated by state law. As energy efficiency programs are implemented and revenues decrease...".
So the average Joe who winces and mutters "please, please, please," under his breath when he opens his utility bill this winter is going to have to pay more because of the push to be more energy efficient and use less energy? And no one thinks this guy isn't going to support efforts to conserve energy use in the future? That he is going to support conservation groups and vote for politicians that support conservation?
In 2012, President Obama called the call to drill for oil domestically, "drill baby drill", "a slogan, a gimmick, and a bumper sticker ... not a strategy." Almost every single politician supported by national conservation groups echoed this sentiment. And every single politician that supported drilling was painted as evil and against clean air and water. That same average Joe who was paying $4 for gas is now paying close to $2. Joe knows he was lied to. In todays world of black and white where no common ground is ever reached the political pendulum is swinging away from the screeching hypocritical politicians flying their private jets home from Washington every weekend while telling Joe he's ruining the Earth by driving a pick up truck. Instead of electing politicians who understand the need to drill at home BUT do so cleanly and in a way that won't wreck the environment, Joe is going to support politicians who were painted by conservation groups as evil. Do we really think these guys will give a flip about clean air and water when they are elected? Ignoring the fact that living in the world is a delicate balancing act where the input of all sides is considered is going to cost conservation dearly. Common ground, common sense, all thrown away in the rush to wring out an extra dime while fund raising.
Yesterday I'm listening to National Public Radio on the long drive home from South Carolina and every hour they played this piece, "Climate Change is Forcing Bangladeshi Girls into Child Marriage". According to the reporter climate change was forcing families to marry off their girls at an early illegal age where they are beaten abused and raped by their new husbands.
Why? because families were losing their homes and land to river erosion; others lose crops every year to flooding or had lost everything in a cyclone and could no longer support their children. All caused by climate change of course, In another story a supposed climate expert claimed we could expect the following scenario:
"ALLIGATORS bask off the English coast, the Sahara desert stretches into Europe and 10 per cent of humans are left. Science fiction? No, this is the doomsday prediction if global temperatures make a predicted rise of 4C in the next 100 years. Some fear it could happen by 2050…"
And on and on, childhood insomnia, cannibalism, bird strikes on airplanes, civil unrest, cabbage shortages, and hundreds of other absurdities have been blamed on climate change. Our average Joe knows this is a huge steaming pile of bull crap. Just like the debate over oil drilling their is no common ground or common sense. No one is allowed to say, we need to study this in a sane manner, we need to see how much is a natural process and just part of the natural cycle in temperature that has gone on since the beginning of time. Say that and you are painted a moron who cares nothing about the planet. That same average Joe who quit throwing his trash out the car window years ago, quit rolling that old washing machine in the river, who gave money to groups like the Nature Conservancy is starting to realize todays conservation movement who seemingly cares about nothing but climate change is not really helping the world in tangible real ways.
Who's going to lose out from all this extremism? Real conservation groups like the Nature Conservancy and thousands of local groups like the Little Miami Conservancy, Friends of the Great Miami, Friends of the Little Miami State Park. People trying to make the world a better place are going to find it harder and harder to get support from Joe. All because of the idiocy of the "mainstream" conservation movement and the idiots in Washington they support. It's time we speak out and take the conservation movement back and put the emphasis back on making the world a better place instead of being about how much money can be squeezed out of guys like Joe thru hysteria and half truths.
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