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| week
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| Sacrifice
and good sense amid the misery of high oil prices North Carolina’s primary election is a memory now, but as voters look toward November and the choices for president, perhaps they should take a long look at the energy policy of the candidates they are considering. Energy will dominate American and global politics in the coming decades, and we are far, far away from any kind of sound policy. In fact, we are not even taking the problem seriously. Take, for instance, the idea being touted by candidates John McCain and Hillary Clinton to do away with the federal excise tax on gas for the summer. That would save every American about 18 cents a gallon when they fill up. Sounds like a great idea, one hard not to like. It will save families real money, and its populist appeal likely garnered votes for McCain and Clinton. In truth, though, it’s almost beyond belief that those who want to lead this country would adopt such a short-sighted idea. At the most base level, the plan encourages more consumption while driving the country further into debt. If that’s our energy plan, we’re in trouble. Here’s how New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman described the temporary repeal of the excise tax: “The McCain-Clinton gas holiday proposal is a perfect example of what energy expert Peter Schwartz of Global Business Network describes as the true American energy policy today: ‘Maximize demand, minimize supply and buy the rest from the people who hate us the most.’” The problems associated with our political lack of will toward energy are starting to escalate. Friedman pointed out in the same column that Congress is still bickering over whether it should renew tax credits for companies investing in solar and wind technologies. Say what you want about these energies, but it seems we have reached a point where every politician should support investment in alternative energy sources. There is little doubt that clean energy is emerging as one of the fastest growing industries in the world, and America is not getting on the boat. According to business analysts solar, wind, biofuels, geothermal, energy intelligence, hybrid- and all-electric vehicles, advanced batteries, green buildings, and other clean-energy-related technologies and markets were some of the brightest spots in last year’s otherwise bleak economic news. Germany now has the capacity to get 25 percent of its energy needs from renewable sources, and Denmark is generating 20 percent of its electricity from renewable sources. But here’s the rub —although the Danes have the same standard of living as the U.S., its citizens use one-third as much energy per capita as the average American. While government can encourage investment in new energy technologies and encourage wise use, every American is going to have to change their lifestyle. That’s where leadership comes in, and that’s why the plan for the gas tax holiday is a great example of what we shouldn’t do. It tells us we can still waste, and our national leaders are going to step up and help us do it. Perhaps we’ll start to deal with this problem on a serious level. The alternative is to let our economic might and status slip away because of the pandering of our politicians. What’s telling — and worrisome — is that we knew this was coming more than 30 years ago. While President Bush started a worldwide war on terror, the president many describe as among the worst in U.S. history wanted to declare war on oil dependency and energy consumption back in the 1970s: “Our decision about energy will test the character of the American people and the ability of the President and the Congress to govern. This difficult effort will be the ‘moral equivalent of war’ — except that we will be uniting our efforts to build and not destroy.” That was Jimmy Carter in April 1977. We can only wish there was a politician speaking similar words in 2008. |
You're
gonna miss them, I know it You
are going to miss them, aren’t you? No matter how the election
turned out yesterday — and I have no idea, since we go to press
before the results came in last night — the politicians, their
spouses, and their children are now gone... full
story
Brought to you by DOT: Anywhere, America Over the last several weeks, the North Carolina Department of Transportation has been actively surveying the section of N.C. 28 that runs north out of Franklin for approximately five miles until the first bridge crossing of the Little Tennessee River... full story Your thougths: 
Submit your opinions to info@smokymountain-news.com,
fax to 828.452.4251, or mail to:PO Box 629 Waynesville, NC 28786
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