Technology Can Save Human Civilization from Catastrophe, But Only If We Give It a Chance
Long-time 2GE readers have seen this blog morph over the years to include more posts on politics, a result of my slowly coming to realize how completely impotent clean technology is in the absence of the political will to implement it.
This seems a fitting time to point this out, given that it’s the 76th birthday of Bernie Sanders who said, “A guy named Adolf Hitler won an election in 1932, and 50 million people died as a result of that election in World War II, including 6 million Jews. So, what I learned as a little kid is that politics is, in fact, very important.”
Craig,
You are quite right to consider political policies and attitudes when considering the progress of Clean technology, since political policy initiatives play a significant role.
(Sometimes government support can have unintended negative consequences).
However, Clean technology will still progress even with the most negative government support if those technologies are simply more convenient, environmental and economically beneficial.
Poor ol’ Bernie Saunders ! He’s the sort of guya lot of people say should be President, but secretly they’re very grateful he’s not !
Hilary Clinton’s quite right, Bernie Saunders, like all leftists is great at promising everyone a “pony” for Xmas. Never mind you live an apartment, and have no to keep for a pony, ol’ Bernie will fix that also !
Ol Bernie would solve everyone’s problem by doubling the minimum wage to $15 dollars an Hour ! Great, now I wonder why no one else thought of that ?
Could it be because it’s just plain silly and irresponsible ?
Bernie Saunders indignantly condemned President Trump for threatening to rescind President Obama’s DACA executive order, reviling the president as a Fascist, and having no regard for the Constitution or democracy.
Really Bernie ? You would continue the Executive order if you where President eh ?
I might be wrong, but I can’t find any mention in the US Constitution allowing a US President to rule by decree. The authority to create law lies with the legislature, not the executive.
But wait ! ol’ Bernie’s a Senator, why doesn’t he take the President at his word and move for DACA to become law ?
Why wait until the Presidential decree is struck down in the Supreme Court ?
Surely that would be more traumatic for the unfortunate people covered by DACA than just sitting round calling the President a fascist for hand back Presidential power to Congress.
In truth, Saunders is just a hypocritical, sanctimonious ol’ windbag.
But in reality, real clean energy technology can survive without government assistance. It’s just got to be thought out, well promoted and be a tangible benefit to consumers.
Continuing my Odyssey into the US coal fields, I leave Ohio for the belly of the beast, Eastern Kentucky.
Unfortunately, my younger son who has accompanied so far, must return to his employment in NYC, and I will miss his company and observations.
However, for the next stage of my journey to the coal towns of Eastern Kentucky I will be accompanied by a young grad student friend I met in Columbus, who is not only a native of Kentucky, but a student of the States rich and varied history.