Well, considering that they have found that one out of every eight children in our smog-filled cities are developing with reduced lung capacity:
www.personalmd.com...
well, maybe we should be doing something....outside of easing up the pollution restrictions like bush has been doing for the last four years.
And, there is alot that the average individual person could be doing, but isn't.
If we considered the "hidden" cost of the gas that we buy...the subisdies the gov't gives to the oil companies, the cost of keeping the middle east
and other third world nations in a semi-stable state so we can have that gas, ect. well I believe that if the true cost of that gas was known to the
american public, they would demanding the car companies to redesign their vehicles, they would be reducing their usage.....we'd be buying a horse
probably, but that's beside the point. But, the point is, I think if the government hadn't hidden the actual cost from us to begin with, we
probably would have been forced to face this problem years ago and wouldn't be having it. But, we do.
And, I can clearly see where americans could reduce the usage. What, how many pairs of shoes do you have in your closet? How many cars are in your
driveway? How many TV's? Computers? ect. ect. ect...look around your house and notice just how much crap has been bought that just isn't really
necessary. Fuel was burned to make it. If it is something made from plastic, well, someone had to make it. That someone, by making that product
has exposed himself to something like a 200% increase in the risk of liver cancer. (that second hand smoke that some americans are trying to remove
from their presence only has a 30% increased risk of producing lung cancer in waitresses who are exposed to it on a daily basis! And, more than
likely, all the other crap also involved workers increasing their risks of getting a myriad of diseased and illnesses.
Maybe we could reduce the consumption of the unnecessary crap in our lives...that would reduce production of the crap....which would reduce the amount
of energy required to produce the crap? Which would lay off people, who we should then put to work rebuilding our intrastructure in a more
environmentally friendly world....with workers living closer to their workplaces, and publie transit systems across the county. ect....what, the
money we have sunk into rebuilding Iraq probably would have done alot in this respect. and, it ain't like our intrastructure doesn't need the help.
But, anywho.....considering that they have found the smog in our cities at least equally damaging to our children as second hand smoke....which was
deemed worthy of action....
and, considering the hassle it is to keep these countries stable enough to get the oil.
and, considering the possible (I believe real) effects it is having on our environment.....
well, would anyone support some sort of gas rationing? could we maybe tighten the laws so that running to countries with no pollution controls isn't
rewarded by our gov't?
anyone willing to reduce the amount of crap that they just have to buy, bring home, and then wonder why the heck they bought it?