The Loneliness of Political Expediency

Last week, Senator Arlen Spector, from Pennsylvania, changed from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party.  It doesn't take a lot of political sophistication to understand that Spector read the polling data telling him voters in Pennsylvania self identify either with a Republican far more conservative than him or with a Democrat, name unknown.  So, Spector, switched, probably thinking he could get elected if he was a moderate  Democrat rather than a moderate Republican.

Then, within the week, he failed to follow his new party's voting recommendations.  Among other things, he was against the modifications to the Bankruptcy Act, allowing for borrowers to seek court ordered modifications of their mortgages.  I am not sure if he said this, but some Senator who voted against the legislation apparently said: "a contract is a contract, a deal is a deal."  Okay, and since when has any politician followed through on their word much less a contract?  

So now the Democrats in the Senate "stripped" Spector of his seniority.  In other words, he has become a freshman Senator.  Ironically, the reason he switched was so he could be re-elected, to hold onto power.  Power.

Maybe, maybe, just once these ya-hoos should listen to their constituents.  If they are not re-elected for who they are, stop trying to bend and contort themselves into something they are not.  Rather, exit stage left, gracefully.

Can Green Technology Save Us?

Now that the economic stimulus bill has been signed into law, it's time to examine some of the assumptions contained within the legislation and campaign rhetoric about green technologies (which the development of those technologies is a key element in the jobs creation).

It goes without saying that green technologies are not particularly environmentally friendly, in other words, often the most "green" thing you can do is if your appliance, car, house, or whatever is working, don't replace it.  Replacing with "green" items is as bad or worse than doing nothing.  

However, now the emphasis is on clean energy.  While commentators from other regions of the country drool over clean power, the Pacific Northwest, semi-abundant with large and powerful rivers, knows full well the impacts of hydroelectric power, considered clean by so-called energy gurus (as in it sure beats coal).  As with everything, there are pluses and minuses to hydroelectric power, just as there are with coal, nuclear, wind, and harnessing the tides or waves.  In my opinion it will take a mix of all potential power sources, not relying on one or two, to create a relatively green source of power.

Hydro power not only increases the temperatures of the rivers, but it also creates an impassible barricade to anadromous fish such as salmon and steelhead.  And these barriers are extremely difficult to "fix" in order to assist salmon in their return to spawning grounds.  In the Pacific Northwest we have fish hatched, barged, trucked, fish laddered, and airlifted salmon up and down the Columbia and it's tributaries, and still find ourselves listing salmon spawns on the federal Endangered Species lists.  Not only is the spawn an issue, but once you create an impassible barricade, predators become an impediment to the fish, such that the predators such as Sea lions or Caspian terns become prey of humans trying to prevent lower numbers of salmon spawn and yes, the cycle continues.

Then, there are the issues of displacement that we witnessed with China's massive construction of the Three Gorges Dam or the potential irrevocable damage to First Peoples with the proposed Hydro-Quebec's dams on James Bay.  

And, of course, when any technology is seen as a panacea for perceived problems, we overlook or neglect the problems with the technology itself.  For instance, the actual mileage per charge for electric cars is almost 50% less than originally touted.  Plus, there are the issues of battery disposal, much less the amount of electrical energy the cars require.

Ah, then there is the issue of increasing our power capacities.  If we're going to be finding and developing "green" power, the major problem is apparently the current power grids in this country can not handle new sources of power (wind, solar, geothermal) and are vastly  over capacity as it is.  Recently, Senator Harry Reid from Nevada, the current leader of the majority in the Senate, introduced a bill to have the federal government essentially take control of siting of the the high voltage power lines.  In other words, removing all the regulatory red-tape from 231 different state agencies across the country, so that the feds can determine where to put power lines.  Which on it's face seems like a good idea, except who really wants a high tension power line running through a national forest (the bill asks that federal lands be opened up for these kinds of lines) or even, gasp, in your back yard?

Today, I had an appliance repair man come over to fix my oven.  I have this old stove, my guess is it's at least 25 or 30 years old.  The bottom heating element died on the oven.  It cost about $175 to fix.  I've thought for years about replacing it, getting a swanky stainless stove (in fact, I had a free one that was gas a few years ago, but that is a whole other story about my city's bureaucratic nightmare on digging a hole to access the gas main).  But the repair man said to me: "listen, this is the best stove GE every made.  It will last you a long time.  Hold onto it. "  And so I will.  And to me, that is the greenest thing I can do.

As an aside, he also told me that appliances are being made, now, that will generate an error code which will be transmitted to the manufacturer's service division, who will then email or call you to set up a time to repair...he said, that will put him out of business.

As we look to these new and amazing technologies we need to remember we are beginning to emerge from a decade, if not longer, of jumping feet first without looking, thinking, pausing.  It's time for us to  pause, to pencil out all the ramifications of our love affair with more and more technological solutions to our environmental problems.  If the noodling says these technology is worth it, given all the consequences, then let's go for it.  If not, there will be other answers over time.  Remember, the root of conservation is conserve, to be conservative.  Sometimes that is a good thing!

Who Elected These People?

When I was growing up I remember my father debunking the ultra-right wing conspiracy theories that the world was controlled by the Trilateral Commission, or bankers, or the Rockefellers.  

But now, I am beginning to believe those folks were on to something.  The World Economic Forum has been held in the ski resort town of Davos, Switzerland for 38 years, but in the past decade, it has become the must go to event for the world's powerful and gliterati.  Former President Bill Clinton, Angelina Jolie, Former Prime Minister Tony Blair, heck, even African dictators muscle an invitation.  Private jets fly corporate executives, cocktails and dinner parties entertain the attendees, and apparently there is a famous all night party hosted by, of course, Google.

So who cares if they are in Davos or Cannes?

The difference is, in Davos there is a lethal mix of corporate interests and policy makers, all allegedly talking about how to help the world.  And indeed, theories about free trade and the globalization of the economy (the lifting all boats idea), are discussed with enthusiasm.

It has been reported (which, by the way, hot-shot reporters and opinion makers like Arianna Huffington and Tom The World is Flat Friedman not only attend, but give talks at this Forum) that at this years forum which recently ended, many policy makers and more than likely corporate leaders, derided American politicians for including stipulations in the stimulus packages before Congress that American produced goods should be used on infrastructure projects.  And these leaders say, if America is not careful, free trade will end.  With straight faces they assure Americans that China will have an open bidding process for their infrastructure projects, so maybe American steel could be used for railroad tracks.   Raise your hand if you believe that any American manufacturing company will win a bid in China.  

But really what these threats are about is that the rest of the world still views the United States as one large consuming population.  And if we become even the slightest "protectionist" it means we won't buy BMWs from Germany or running shoes made in China.  Since we barely manufacture anything in the United States, those countries are not afraid of us flooding the world markets with goods, but rather that we will not buy their goods.  

I am not a buy American person.  I don't think I have ever owned an American car, although the foreign car I own now was manufactured in America.   I buy Chinese made running shoes, wear Mexican made jeans, Vietnamese made fleece vests, Thai oxford cloth shirts.  But, I do resent the simplistic and self serving pro-globalized economic arguments that are made these days.  And I think it behooves us to spend time examining the fundamentals of what went wrong with our economy before we gleefully return to spending money on imports.

Last, I really want to know who elected those people who attend the World Economic Forum and why it is the rich, powerful, and famous all get together to decide the fate of this world?

More on Media

Little over twenty days ago, I wrote about the demise of the Seattle PI.  It is looking increasingly certain that the newspaper will not be sold and that the possibility of it maintaining some presence in the Puget Sound region as an online medium is remote.  

On Wednesday, the City of Seattle City Council's committee on culture, civil rights, and all else,  chaired by Councilman Nick Licata, held a hearing about the state of news media in Seattle.  While there was virtually no coverage of the hearing in either newspapers, the internet sphere has been busy Twittering and blogging about the hearing.  

Here are my several thoughts now that I have digested the news of the demise of the paper, the reactions from journalists and the comments from public leaders.  The more I thought about it, the more I realized I would rather have one quality newspaper than two sort of ok outlets.  When I lived back east in the largest city in the nation, I read only one newspaper (ok, I subscribed to a local paper for the local news).  Washington, DC essentially has one paper (sorry Washington Times).  Los Angeles barely has one paper.  Seattle will survive.

But will it's politicians?  What struck me in reading about Wednesday's hearing is that the policy makers have well managed relationships with journalists.  George H.W. Bush invited members of the media to the living quarters of the White House for intimate dinners when he was president.  Alan Greenspan's wife is Andrea Mitchell.  The press are friends of the policy makers, and now days when a journalist wants out, he or she goes to work for a politician or a corporate entity they used to report on.  Talk about conflicts!  And if you want to engage in your own reporting, try to get credentials or press passes.  It is a club that is difficult to gain entry.  So, it seems the politicians and powerful enjoy the dignified and should I say, gentle relationship between established media and themselves.  So what happens when the so-called reporting institutions die and people find creative and inventive ways to spread news?

There is no doubt that the demise of newspapers and the continued erosion of independently owned media outlets is bad for this country.  Anytime options are limited when it comes to understanding ourselves, it is not good.  The simple fact there are people in our communities who do not use computers much less have access, but who do read newspapers, is an argument for finding a way to keep newspapers in business.  

That said, there are a whole slew of new ways of disseminating information by a whole new crew of people.  While blogs like this really are written rants or soapboxes and are not "news," there is still a lot of information distributed through this and similar mediums that don't have the same types of conflicts main stream journalist have.  

I am a little concerned that local politicians find a need to hold hearings on the demise of a newspaper.  That they apparently questioned the "credentials" of a blogger who testified about his wildly successful blog which provides local news of a Seattle neighborhood.  In many regards the same business models that have brought down other institutions in this country (read: banks) are bringing down newspapers.  It's a free-for-all right now as laid off journalists, newly minted observers and bloggers, and major mainstream media players all try to figure out what will work.  And, in the end, I think that is really healthy.  Maybe it's time to storm the gates of all the exclusive clubs!

Hope

Wow.  It has been an amazing day, poignant display of humility, power, history, the future.

I admit I have been rather cynical of the well polished messages of this past presidential campaign.  But this morning I got to thinking about hope.  Hope maybe, I thought, the most powerful weapon against those who seek to oppress.  I thought about Nelson Mandela, who used hope to endure 27 years in a South African prison.  Or someone like Joan Benoit (Samuelson) who was told for years and years she could not beat the best women runners, and a mere 3 months after knee surgery, entered the Olympic Stadium in Los Angeles as the winner of the first Olympic Games woman's marathon in 1984.  

A number of years ago I had a conversation with a friend who had been through horrific problems in her life.  I asked her if she felt hope and she said she still did.  She had not let all the crushing defeats in her life take her hope away.  Hope, she told me, was her defense to people who wanted her to "just go away."

And so it is that today, our new President, asked us to feel hope, to speak hope to those who want greed and self interest to continue to control this country.  

We are in one of the most difficult moments in our generation's history.  We are in an island prison off of South Africa, coming out of knee surgery hoping to run in the Olympics, a woman suffering tremendous public humiliation and defeat. We are all of those and more.  To face the issues, the moments, we must have the audacity to feel hope.  Hope is, in many ways, speaking truth to power.  And we need a lot of that truth speaking right now.