"The energy crisis is real. It is worldwide. It is a clear and present danger to our nation. These are facts. And we simply must face them.
"I am tonight, setting a clear goal, for the energy policy of the United States. Beginning this moment, this nation will never use more foreign oil than we did in 1977. Never.
"I will soon submit legislation to Congress, calling for the creation of this nation's first solar bank, which will help us achieve the crucial goal of 20% of our energy coming from solar power by the year 2000."
-- Jimmy Carter, July 15, 1979
Wouldn't that have been nice about now? Instead, big oil poured tons of money into Reagan's campaign, and his first decision as President was ordering the solar panels torn off the roof of the White House.
Are we better off than we were 30 years ago?
posted by TheAverageMan @ 10:46 PM
9 comments
9 Comments:
Are we better off than we were 30 years ago?
Desperate times call for desperate measures. My rights and freedoms as an American are inconsequential to me if they are built on the foundation of the exploitation of others. The current administration has illegally invaded other countries, killed its citizens, tortured, detained without warrant or benefit of habeas corpus. I no longer fear losing my rights, for the bill of rights applies to none if it does not equally apply to all. The doublespeak and the double standard has reached a crescendo. Time to take out the trash. Until my fellow Americans throw out the incumbent scourge I have nothing but contempt for them.
To answer the question, no, we are not better off than we were 30 years ago. We are much, much, the worse in every regard.
Best of everything
edgar
Well, we were on the right path for a little while...
Fits and starts! I think it's awesome how much energy there is around the issue right now. I guess it takes everyone suffering a bit to make that happen.
It is shocking the number of sensible things we talked about in the 1970s that are being brought up again as if it were something new. Americans = all talk, no action.
Hold on -- check this out: ACEEE REPORT FINDS U.S. ENERGY CONSUMPTION CUT IN HALF BY ONE MAJOR MEASURE SINCE 1970".
So there was good that came out of the 70s efficiency craze. It's just that the demand keeps going up, from new devices and more people.
Well movies are better today with the advent of CGI and better technology.
I think music is better too.
Cars are more efficient, Hummers notwithstanding.
We've got the information age and the internet right now.
Cellphones, good or bad, you decide.
We've got islamofascism, and that sucks, but we've also got a coalition of nations that are willing to take a stand against it. jimmy carter would have laid his ass down.
I like it better in 2008, just my opinion of course.
Hey, McC! Haven't seen you 'round these parts lately. Nice of you to weigh in.
Though I really meant the "are you better off" as a rhetorical question, since it was Reagan's '80 campaign slogan attacking Carter.
I hear ya.
Keep it rolling guys.
I was working for the Natural Resources Defense Council in DC when Reagan took office, and watched the Congressional hearings as his hatchetmen and -women tried to dismantle just about every environmental protection and land protection law and energy conservation incentive we had. They succeeded enough to set us back so we're still behind where we were in 1980. Around then, I was going to take a job to plan energy conservation programs for PG&E up in San Fran, then they called me and said they had "decided they were no longer in the energy conservation business".
I can't believe people around these parts worship Reagan as a hero. If we have to have a hero with a big, local ranch, I'd rather vote for Michael Jackson. Hey, they never proved him guilty on the little boy stuff, just like they never proved Reagan guilty in the Iran-Contra mess...
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