If we all talked openly about what we really want from our politicians I think we would find a lot in common. I also think we would find that none of us truly likes the choices we are given.
U.S. politics is overrun with business people and lawyers. Neither one of which is particularly adept at problem solving. Career politicians are worse, they make their living off knowing how to kiss ass and beg for money. Also worthless at problem solving.
In this modern era of challenging scientific and technical information it is kind of important to have people with training in these issues representing us, or at least willing build a basic understanding before handing down decisions. What we have now are representatives considering privacy issues with Facebook that have no idea how the internet works. Lawyers arguing about environmental policy that don’t know earth history well enough to understand how coal ever came to exist or why understanding that would even be important.
The high profile freshmen Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives scare the establishment not just because they shift the discussion a little father to the left but mostly because these people aren’t members of one of the professions that maintains a strangle hold on our society.
It was in the news lately that Obama was getting flack from progressives for saying the progressive members were trying to push issues to hard and fast and they needed to reign in their demands. To an extent Obama is right but he is also wrong.
There are serious issues that need to be dealt with sooner rather than later and merit action. But ramming unpopular policy through government along with the important stuff is a recipe for doing nothing. The Green New Deal is, in its current form, dead on arrival. It was dead the minute it included things like reparations and housing and more. And some of those add-ons are not required if you only ran the other programs carefully. Let me give you an example:
The Green New Deal scraps some of the more socialist aspects and focuses on the environment and global warming, like it was originally advertised. One of the programs includes grants to build solar panels on roof tops across the Southwest, from Texas to Los Angles. This is a good program that drive renewables up, but it has a problem and also an additional opportunity to make it better.
First the problem. Power plants can’t just shut down and turn on easily and solar power peak coincides with a demand lull while everyone is at work. A few interesting solutions for this would a smart refrigerator that only makes ice in the freezer during peak solar hours and actually runs a little colder during high noon and a little warmer during the evening and night. Electric vehicle charging stations at work that charging during peak solar. Timer activated laundry machines so that you throw in the clothes and the detergent pod and it runs while you are at work during solar peak. Smart devices that can be used to increase demand during peak power generation and reduce demand during peak demand hours.
The opportunity to make things better. The grants are dependent on hiring contractors that hire veterans, homeless and unemployed people. Hire some homeless or unemployed veterans, give them OSHA 40 training and put them onsite at an installation. They got a job, marketable skills, maybe even a place to live all while preventing global warming and making life a little better.
To this and have it all work this way requires clever legislation and partnerships with private utilities, which is not currently capable with the people we have running things.
P.S. The fact that my coffee pot can run on a timer to make sure Inhave fresh coffee when I want it but I can’t program my dish washer to run while I am at work so I have clean dishes waiting for me when I get says a lot about what the priorities are.
U.S. politics is overrun with business people and lawyers. Neither one of which is particularly adept at problem solving. Career politicians are worse, they make their living off knowing how to kiss ass and beg for money. Also worthless at problem solving.
In this modern era of challenging scientific and technical information it is kind of important to have people with training in these issues representing us, or at least willing build a basic understanding before handing down decisions. What we have now are representatives considering privacy issues with Facebook that have no idea how the internet works. Lawyers arguing about environmental policy that don’t know earth history well enough to understand how coal ever came to exist or why understanding that would even be important.
The high profile freshmen Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives scare the establishment not just because they shift the discussion a little father to the left but mostly because these people aren’t members of one of the professions that maintains a strangle hold on our society.
It was in the news lately that Obama was getting flack from progressives for saying the progressive members were trying to push issues to hard and fast and they needed to reign in their demands. To an extent Obama is right but he is also wrong.
There are serious issues that need to be dealt with sooner rather than later and merit action. But ramming unpopular policy through government along with the important stuff is a recipe for doing nothing. The Green New Deal is, in its current form, dead on arrival. It was dead the minute it included things like reparations and housing and more. And some of those add-ons are not required if you only ran the other programs carefully. Let me give you an example:
The Green New Deal scraps some of the more socialist aspects and focuses on the environment and global warming, like it was originally advertised. One of the programs includes grants to build solar panels on roof tops across the Southwest, from Texas to Los Angles. This is a good program that drive renewables up, but it has a problem and also an additional opportunity to make it better.
First the problem. Power plants can’t just shut down and turn on easily and solar power peak coincides with a demand lull while everyone is at work. A few interesting solutions for this would a smart refrigerator that only makes ice in the freezer during peak solar hours and actually runs a little colder during high noon and a little warmer during the evening and night. Electric vehicle charging stations at work that charging during peak solar. Timer activated laundry machines so that you throw in the clothes and the detergent pod and it runs while you are at work during solar peak. Smart devices that can be used to increase demand during peak power generation and reduce demand during peak demand hours.
The opportunity to make things better. The grants are dependent on hiring contractors that hire veterans, homeless and unemployed people. Hire some homeless or unemployed veterans, give them OSHA 40 training and put them onsite at an installation. They got a job, marketable skills, maybe even a place to live all while preventing global warming and making life a little better.
To this and have it all work this way requires clever legislation and partnerships with private utilities, which is not currently capable with the people we have running things.
P.S. The fact that my coffee pot can run on a timer to make sure Inhave fresh coffee when I want it but I can’t program my dish washer to run while I am at work so I have clean dishes waiting for me when I get says a lot about what the priorities are.
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