JosephThePoet's Blog

Originally posted online September 26, 2007

Open Letter to all our politicians

I have no personal political desires.  I just want our “leaders” to lead responsibility.  If you think the following makes sense, then please help to promote it.

Subjects Involved:
Security
Tax Revenue
Health and Environment
Energy Production
Natural Resources
Education
Employment
Aboriginal Reserves

The people are the greatest assets any government has, and you all claim you can lead us responsibility, so please read this and consider the logic.

Never mind where these ideas came from, or who or which group first somehow presented them somewhere in an acceptable format with the currently recognized credentials.  If my logic is sound then promote the concept.

There are a number of concerns, both globally and locally, that are in immediate need of addressing.  Energy, employment, and the environment are some biggies.  Our future is at stake.

Everyone sitting in the legislature is a government elected person and should show respect for the people they represent, above and beyond any petty party bickering.  If a concept is valid if you controlled the government, then it is valid and should be promoted regardless of your position in the government.  Our government is not just the leading party, and you are all responsible to us people first.  Please do your job with a semblance of respect to the people who trusted you to your job.

Governing is not allowing the private sector to decide the future.  The private sector is supposed to operate under a government directed framework that politicians create.  You encourage or discourage what business practices you choose, by making laws and investing in fields that you believe will promote a certain future.  That is your job.

You can insist companies operate responsibly and not have to worry about a loss of jobs, if you’ll just pay attention to current technologies and any new information as you guide the private sector along certain paths.  Good ideas should be promoted and the bad ones reigned in.  You have the power and responsibility to do so.

Big businesses destroy people and property or do other nasty things, if given free reign.  A lot more jobs in North America are currently under threat as big business chases the almighty buck.  The government cannot rely solely on the private sector for all new job creation.  Your job is also to encourage economic and job growth by promoting private sector activity that is of benefit to the country.  The people are the country.

China and India are taking our jobs, fuels and resources.  We have also exported our poisonous ways, as the pollution in China’s cities now shows.  By promoting clean energies and practices here, we can export a superior way of life and create many new jobs for everyone.

Power requirements throughout the world will continue to increase.  This is not a bad thing.

We are vulnerable to environmental and economic threats because we rely so heavily on oil.

When most of you think of wind turbines, you probably think of large clumped together windmills in “farms”.  Now consider smaller building size units that people could buy to power their home or business.  Remember these can be slightly over sized in power and connected to the grid to help meet our grid needs, and they offer personal security against large blackouts as well.  Are you starting to see a good concept to promote?  Maybe the auto manufacturers would like to keep their North American employees employed and use them in the mass assembly of some of these generators.

Easily transported and installed wind and solar power generators are a good product for the world, and mass production of these generators will create assembly, installation and service jobs.

Aboriginal reserves, and many other poor or isolated villages around the world, could benefit from clean local power.  Clean water is easier to get and use if you have a power source.  Powered irrigation from wells makes it easier to grow food.  Power provides light, refrigeration and many other benefits.  These villages can’t afford the huge wind generators, and most times the equipment to help in the installation of such large heavy structures is not available.

The first job of elected representatives is the protection of the people, and people are the government’s greatest asset.  All governments should be eliminating poisonous and destructive methods of doing things to protect the people.  That includes directing how things are being done in the private sector (governing?).  You cannot continue to cater to the greedy and destructive big business practices in the hopes that they’ll always supply your government with income and employ your citizens, especially as they have demonstrated their will to destroy and poison our environment then run off with our jobs to other countries in their chasing a quick profit.

Many more people are employed by small employers.  Being able to buy smaller power sources, that last for years, will allow many more people to create and to start local businesses.  Businesses and families would not have to worry about rising fuel costs or disappearing fuel sources caused by market instabilities if they had their own power sources.

Drilling out and burning oil is environmentally stupid, and turning food (corn) into fuel to burn is just as stupid.  Speeding the turning of the stocks, grasses and other organics into methane (which is a vicious greenhouse gas that’s naturally released by decomposition anyway) to be burned instead of being released into the air makes more sense.  Cities, farmers and some businesses could use methane generators to help meet their power needs.

Don’t worry about potentially losing oil and gas tax revenues, because it’ll take years to switch over and our fuel reserves will always be in demand.  Oil is also a commodity for products, other then just wastefully burning it up.

There is a lot of talk about nuclear power plants being built, and coal plants being closed instead of redesigned to take advantage of current clean burning technologies, and of turning food into “bio” fuels.  What are you politicians thinking?  Create a poison that will remain a threat for tens of thousands of generations of people, ignore a valuable power resource, and take the food out of the mouths of people to boot?

We are informed our politicians will throw billions of dollars into promoting those evil pursuits, under the false guise of being environmentally responsible and needing to meet our future power needs.  Maybe we should have an intelligence requirement for anyone seeking to become a politician.  We don’t allow doctors, or people in other trades, to practice without first having some semblance of knowledge of the subject matter.

Using the above mentioned power sources will help bring about hydrogen fueled vehicles quicker as well.

We as a race, currently, seem to be as dumb as sticks.  What other species destroys the environment it needs to survive in?  But that is what you our elected representatives are allowing big businesses to do.  We voted for you people.  So we are the superior intelligent animal eh?

We have a chance to lead the world in responsible living.

Sincerely,
Joseph