Fuel, Food, and Creativity

A very personal opinion! Will America never get it? It seems to be that our down hill economic slide in innovation and jobs started about 25 years ago. I would personally pin it to the Rio Conference when George Bush Sr. said that “jobs came before the environment.” It should be the other way around for if we have no environment we have no need for jobs, we will not be able to survive on our planet. Imagine where we would be now with our entrepreneurial energy had we got with the program. We would be selling these products into Europe, China, and India.

Twenty-five years later we still don’t get it. Hilary Clinton and Senator John McCain this week proposed a cut in gasoline tax so that we can drive more in the summer. This is at a time when demand is outstripping supply hence the rise in prices. Enlightened politicians would be offering alternative transportation incentives not encouraging us to use more of a scarce resource. Go Obama, Go! And while I am on the bully pulpit talking about gasoline why are we taking food out of the mouths of the poor to continue our “business as usual” approach. Using pasture that cows and other animals should be grazing on to grow corn for ethanol is stupid; especially as corn gobbles up tons of water at a time when that resource is also growing very short. We need politicians who work for the whole and not for the few.

I know some folks have cut back on their driving but than defeat their effort by flying. I think the amount of carbon that we can use per person is around 8,000 car travel and 5,000 airline travel per year. So how much are you using and if its more whose carbons are you using and did you ask permission? Remember that the amount of gas you use in driving is having an impact on folks half way around the globe who now cannot afford to buy basic food staples. Get creative, rather than saying “I can’t” say “What if?”