Monday, November 10, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
Storm after storm
Something in human nature inclines most of us to hope for the best (faith, luck, etc) but it seems that most people are unwilling to face the possibility of, or prepare for, the worst.
It's fine to believe that the changes we're seeing to storm patterns are the result of a natural cycle (the best), but it's foolish to use that as an excuse not to take steps in case the problem is us (the worst). The nay-sayers claim that taking steps to curb human impact on the climate will have negative economic impacts. Ask the people of New Orleans about negative economic impact - both Katrina & the cost of evacuation. Ask the people in the Keys evacuating for Ike now, businesses shut, tourists gone.
Maybe if we called it global climate insurance (everyone understands the concept of insurance as preparation for a worst case scenario) more of us highly evolved monkeys would stop and think critically about the situation instead of letting some talking head on TV do our thinking for us and maybe come to the conclusion that there is something each of us can do that is not terribly painful that, collectively, can improve the situation for every person on the planet. Maybe not a popular opinion in an America where "me first" seems to have become the law of the land, but it's mine and I'm sticking to it.
It's fine to believe that the changes we're seeing to storm patterns are the result of a natural cycle (the best), but it's foolish to use that as an excuse not to take steps in case the problem is us (the worst). The nay-sayers claim that taking steps to curb human impact on the climate will have negative economic impacts. Ask the people of New Orleans about negative economic impact - both Katrina & the cost of evacuation. Ask the people in the Keys evacuating for Ike now, businesses shut, tourists gone.
Maybe if we called it global climate insurance (everyone understands the concept of insurance as preparation for a worst case scenario) more of us highly evolved monkeys would stop and think critically about the situation instead of letting some talking head on TV do our thinking for us and maybe come to the conclusion that there is something each of us can do that is not terribly painful that, collectively, can improve the situation for every person on the planet. Maybe not a popular opinion in an America where "me first" seems to have become the law of the land, but it's mine and I'm sticking to it.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Much ado about nothing
Storm Hanna turned out to be very wet (almost swamped the dink), but not as blustery as predicted. A little over 30 was the max I saw - a far cry from the 50-60 predicted and I'm not complaining at all. Now let's see what Ike, Josephine, etc. have in store for us...
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Flashback
Jumped out this morning and thought I was back in Houston for a few minutes. It's that muggy, sticky air that just seems the weigh you down today. It should all blow away later when Hanna makes her appearance...
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Where do homeless people vote?
So here's an issue: when election day rolls around I will be essentially homeless (in the sense of no fixed address). I will probably be somewhere on the ICW in North Carolina, hundreds of miles from the town where I've been living (and voting) for the last 5 years. Many less fortunate people are homeless in the very real sense of the word - living on the street or in shelters.
It's always been my experience that you have to produce some kind of id to vote: state-issued, passport, electric bill with photo id, etc. That supposedly proves you have the right to vote in the election because you are in your home district, precinct, or whatever.
It's an artifact of our outdated electoral system that a US citizen can't vote in a national election from any polling place - since really you are voting for electors they (the federal government) can't allow anybody to vote from anywhere - imagine what 10,000 voters from a liberal northeastern state (all safely democratic - would not miss 10,000 votes) voting in Ohio in '04 would have done...
Kind of a conundrum. My choices as I see them are:
1. Cast an absentee ballot in a state in which I no longer reside
2. Don't vote
I really don't like either one. If we would wake up and use the popular vote to determine the election results then it wouldn't matter where I was when I voted...
It's always been my experience that you have to produce some kind of id to vote: state-issued, passport, electric bill with photo id, etc. That supposedly proves you have the right to vote in the election because you are in your home district, precinct, or whatever.
It's an artifact of our outdated electoral system that a US citizen can't vote in a national election from any polling place - since really you are voting for electors they (the federal government) can't allow anybody to vote from anywhere - imagine what 10,000 voters from a liberal northeastern state (all safely democratic - would not miss 10,000 votes) voting in Ohio in '04 would have done...
Kind of a conundrum. My choices as I see them are:
1. Cast an absentee ballot in a state in which I no longer reside
2. Don't vote
I really don't like either one. If we would wake up and use the popular vote to determine the election results then it wouldn't matter where I was when I voted...
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