gas guzzlers unite

Sporting a panel that read: "Congress get in touch with America," an oil industry worker bused in by her employer, Anadarko Petroleum, protested the upcoming climate change bill at a meeting in Texas.

The America Congress is supposed to get in touch with is a gas-guzzler nation that seems to care very little for the future or the environment. It is a nation that burns gas for no good reason. It is all part of the great consumerism wave.

David Leland, a geological map maker for the petroleum industry, was quoted by the NY Times as saying: "We provide a product at a reasonable price, and we're going to get punished for doing a damn good job." What he forgot to mention is that the price is so "reasonable" because his company fails to pay for the environmental damage it does. What he also forgets is that this reasonable price is conducive to some very unreasonable behavior on the part of consumers.

Big oil, like big pharma and many other big businesses realize that they can only keep going the way they are now if the public behaves in an extremely irrational and wasteful manner. People have to consume oil, drugs, and other goodies as if these things have no value.

Unfortunately, this is not a viable long term strategy. The executives with their fat bonuses and lavish lifestyles may not care, but in the (not so) long run their irresponsible behavior is going to cause massive harm and loss of life.

Wouldn't it be better if we could tone down our economic activity to a more reasonable level? We would all be happier and we'd live longer too.

Death panels

I am sure you are all aware of the fact that the President's healthcare reform plan will not only bring socialism to our country, but it will also encourage embryo-factories, where embryos will be grown to be used for stem cell research, abortion clinics, where young women will be forced to undergo unwanted abortions, condoms and birth control pills in schools so pupils engage in early sexual activity, and death panels, where experts will decide who will live and who will die.

Yes you got it! It is all part of the master plan devised at the UN to make America weak and to undermine religion and family values. Obama is really a UN spy in disguise, who wasn't even born in this country and illegitimately claimed the presidency so he could sell us all out to atheist aliens.

Fortunately for all of us however, the healthcare plan will be administered by the government. That means it will be so inefficient and wasteful we won't have to worry about it. We will just pay higher taxes, but none of the bad things will happen because bureaucrats in Washington won't be able to make decisions in a timely manner.

And so you see, it all balances out in the end!

clunkers

Congress just expanded the cash for clunkers program. It is a typical example of Washington "dual use," as we used to call civilian programs with military applications. This one is not of the civilian-military dual nature, but rather of the green-consumerism variety. Once again, it is one of those attempts to do the impossible. One that achieves nothing good.

Destroying perfectly good cars and replacing them with new ones, even if those new ones are more efficient, is an environmental disaster. Every time you throw out something that works fine to replace it with something new, you are creating excess waste, and unnecessarily consuming resources. There is no free lunch here, no matter how you add up the numbers.

If Washington wanted to do something they should make gas more expensive. Much more expensive. That -unfortunately- appears to be the only way to achieve our goal of using less fossil fuels. I have never seen another incentive that works and I doubt one exists. I don't like high gas prices but it appears to be the only option.

If you are serious about the environment and the future of our children, then pay more for gas. Pay more and use less. Unlike what you may think this is not silly. Paying more is the only way we can pay for the true cost of gas. Right now, we are not paying the true cost. We are only paying for the cost of finding, refining, and distributing it -and let's not forget the fat margins for the oil companies. But we are not paying for the environmental destruction and ongoing pollution.

No matter what you think, eventually we will pay. The longer we postpone, the more it will cost too, and the more painful it will be. So, wake up and get real. Pay the bills now before it is too late. And tell Congress cash for clunkers is a dumb idea.

payback time

Is anyone surprised that Goldman Sachs made another fortune? First the government bails them out and then they let them get away with business as usual. No regulation for bankers! A virtual slap on the wrist and some nice rhetoric from Obama was punishment enough for the financial tycoons.

That is what you get when you pay big money for election campaigns and inauguration ceremonies. In the meantime the country is suffering, people are losing their jobs, homes are being foreclosed, while the bankers are churning through whatever excess wealth is left to generate commissions and profits.

Expect another round of excessive bonuses. That is what bankers get when they bring in the goods. And as long as the regulators let them get away with it, they will succeed in bringing in more. This charade will only end when there is no more wealth to be shifted. Since the bankers do not produce anything, and since they don't even finance productive companies, the country will eventually run out of resources to pay their fees. But that will be someone else's problem. We have some "useful" time left before that happens.

What we are seeing is a new financial crisis in the making. But for now, that is something the bankers won't worry about too much. Now they will concentrate on how to spend their lavish bonuses. Why would anyone worry with a safety net like bankers have? The tax payers will foot the bills so Wall Street can extend the party for another couple of years.

Insanity

I drove through the central valley yesterday and I couldn't help but thinking we are all insane. It was hot as hell, with temperatures in excess of 110F, the air was so polluted you could barely see Mount Diablo from 20 miles away, and yet everyone was driving their monster SUV's as if there is no tomorrow. The freeways were packed even though it was Sunday.

Everywhere there were large scale developments of monster mansions baking in the sun. 4,000+ sq ft. homes that have air conditioners running full blast day in and day out for three quarters of the year. The other quarter they run heaters. Meanwhile, the occupants were probably out shopping in their gas guzzling 8 cylinders, buying more stuff to throw away before year end. No doubt their sprinklers were set to keep their huge lawns bright green too.

When you stop the car for more than a few minutes and get out in the open, you realize that this is no place for human habitation. It is as hot as an oven, there is no water, and there is nothing to do. Humans can only exist in a place like this because of cheap oil and coal. Oil and coal to generate electricity to run the air conditioners and bring in water. Just plain survival for more than a few hours in these conditions takes a fair amount of energy. Let alone doing so useful work.

And it is not as if the people living there realize their predicament or act what one could call responsibly. Far from it. They cool their entire houses to 72 degrees, they water football field-sized lawns, they take several showers a day, they fill swimming pools, they drive monster trucks, etc.

There mere existence comes at an enormous cost, yet they choose to live lavishly and luxuriously. One cannot shake the impression that they seem to enjoy wasting energy. They don't bother to live in a small house, or separate their room, or to turn off their cooler when they leave, or their lights at night, or anything else for that matter. They buy huge mansions, with open floor plans, and they heat and cool the entire spread continuously, whether it is needed or not.

In short, they behave as if everything is available in unlimited quantities. Any normal human looking at this objectively would have to conclude that they have lost their minds. Perhaps it is a good thing that so many of these homes will be foreclosed upon. At least it will cause a substantial cut in energy wastage.

Even so, it appears that sooner or later, this insanity will have to end.

sex and environmentalism

It isn't just a catchy title. The role of sex in environmentalism or lack thereof is deep and profound. It is also widely ignored. It goes beyond Arnold's lament that environmentalists have failed to make their cause sexy. Because some of the most sexy behavior is very destructive to the environment. There is nothing sexy about being frugal. Not unless times are hard, and even then displays of excess have followers.

Start with cars. If people bought cars for transportation we'd all be driving a sensible, high mileage and practical vehicle. But, as I have outlined in this blog before, if you don't know why people buy cars, ask any teen what the real value of "a set of wheels" is. Think about it, why do you need a big box with a 300hp engine to drive an average speed of 27 mph?

Or why do people travel? Remember I highlighted Bill Maher's statement that "people travel to get laid?" The opportunity to find new partners or causal sex is a major driver for the tourist business. Forget about those sight-seeing opportunities. Other than a different backdrop there isn't much to be had here.

How about fashion? Is not fashion intimately connected to sexuality? And what more is fashion than an excuse to throw away perfectly good items prematurely? Fashion is all about consumerism.

Why do teens buy gadgets like mp3 players, cell phones and cameras?

Or why build at 5,000+sq ft mansion? Why show off to your neighbors? Why, other than to show how important and powerful you really are?

Should you get a sailboat or a powerboat? As one guy once told me, "take a look in any marina and see where the chicks are."

Wastefulness in men is inherently sexy because it shows they can afford it. It shows they are a good bet for reproduction. They will be able to provide for the offspring.

So, it should be no surprise that wastefulness and power is an aphrodisiac for young women.

When something is so deeply imbedded in our brains, the chances for real change are minimal.

platinum certified consumption

It was on the news last night. Two Oakland homes, within mile from one another are vying for the title of most green house in the nation. They are Platinum LEED certified homes and that means they have the bragging rights for being the most environmentally friendly consumers.

Wait a minute? Did I say consumer? Something is clearly wrong with this picture.

One house, the newly built 4,600 sq ft "Margarido House" is a case in point. It is attempting to achieve the first LEED-H Platinum certification. The other house is older but extensively remodeled and quite a bit smaller.

First the good news: Margarido does some things well. It uses locally sourced products, recycled concrete and glass countertops and reclaimed ground water. It has underground storage for rain water. It has drought tolerant landscaping and plants. It also uses LED lights (nothing said about leaving them on all night though!).

Margarido also has the key token of environmentalism: it uses solar panels. However, even with all its solar panels it is not energy neutral. And that had the owner worried. According to the newscast he was planning to buy more solar panels. Buy, buy, buy baby. Buy your way to green!

What about the other bad news? I doubt that Margarido, for all its certification and hoopla can beat our energy use of around $500 a year for gas and electric. You can see our bills in earlier postings. Or our water use of around 35 gallons per day, including a vegetable garden that actually produces food instead of decorative cacti.

To say nothing of the wasteful 4,600 square feet, or the extensive remodeling that its main competitor underwent. What happened to all the materials they ripped out?

What Margarido and other Platinum certified houses are, is examples of a new breed of consumerism. Green consumerism. It may help the "economy" but I doubt it is good for our environment and it certainly won't solve our pollution problem. Better would be not to build Margarido and live in a small house. Better would be to grow veggies in the yard. But who gets platinum plaques for that?