During the last energy crisis in the 70s, numerous measures were proposed for improving energy use efficiency through improved construction, mechanical equipment, lighting, etc. Incentives were starting to go into place to encourage this under Carter.
I heard on the radio the other day that had these been implemented more or less comprehensively, our national energy consumption would be 20-30% less than today - and this didn't include vehicle mileage per gallon differentials in the numbers if I recall correctly.
Then we got Reagan and Bush, who scuttled these plans. Sure helped their power company pals though.
This fits any reasonable definition of real criminal behavior. The best thing about the 80s was that it ended, and by the early 90s we flushed out the tools of big corporate money from the white house (which caused a renewed soft money explosion as they tried to regain influence). That shrub could steal an election and bring back this nonsense when it clearly is not wanted by the majority is a farce unfolding before our eyes. We'll be lucky to survive the next four years without the one thing the extremists fear most -- class warfare. They seem to cower in fear every time they bring this term up, because they know that it's when the American public, which has been deceived by bushchimp, finally sees the shrub/cheney machine's real intentions of turning our democracy into America, Inc., that it will be ignited.
On the upside : McCain / Feingold. Even if the demos lose as much money from this as the repubs, I say good. Let's get more decision making back in the hands of the majority, and out of the hands of the moneybags, regardless of the source of the dough. |
