You see, what annoys me are leaders that feel that something must come right to their door step before they believe it is real. Aren't we paying you to think ahead? Take our billionaire friend, Mayor Bloomberg—a guy doing a decent job of Mayor but before Sandy, global warming was about as real as a unicorn. Perhaps not so anymore. You see, having billions or millions and being elected to office doesn't mean you are smart. It just exposes all of your ignorant beliefs.
Before Sandy wiped out New York, what would it take to warm the Earth? Perhaps an Earth-sized event like a string of volcanoes or massive earthquakes—something God-Like in nature. Well, let me put this all in perspective for you.
There are 7 billion people on Earth.1 billion cows and of course, probably another billion that we would need to throw in an ark to save the planet of every living creature with spines. What do we need to sustain this path? Let's look at the evidence.
A Walmart has 500 billion in revenue. Home Depot, maybe 350 Billion. There are about 100 billion in dollar store businesses and these are just U.S. corporations. Now you have to manufacture items to fill those stores. Imagine making 300 billion items to satisfy the dollar store business! All of that in the form of billowing smoke stacks, probably with the filthiest of energy, coal and then the oil needed to transport, buy and consume them. This is trillions of dollars of activity that all produces CO2, the gas primarily responsible for this supposed warming. Still not an earthquake of an event that happens EVERY year? Just wait then.
Let's take a look at your garbage pail. You know all those McDonald's plastic kids meal toys in there? Or those billion plastic water bottles that are using less plastic because they decided to shave 1/10 of an inch off the cap—oh yeah—they have to be manufactured and remanufactured every year. Oh, wait, you are still not convinced that 7 billion people could actually be an Earth-sized event. Let's go further.
Before we got here (meaning you), you had parents, grandparents and even great grandparents who were caught in the manufacturing cycle of life. They really didn't care if their cars were too big or how much gas they used, or even how many strip malls they should build. It was their God-given American right to consume everything and make it bigger then ever. Their footprint is still being felt today. How much steel do you think was produced for a 1972 station wagon with an 8-foot hood and bumper?
Maybe you will never be convinced. You may be of the mindset that every neighborhood needs a new hotel, because traveling 3 miles to the other strip of hotels is too inconvenient. The other side is you can pull a Bloomberg and admit that when a hurricane makes it up north at the end of October, it is nature's way of saying that conservation is the only way to stop the cycle. Enough about "clean coal"—it is the biggest farce since duct taping your windows to stop an anthrax attack.
I hope you can hear that message now. Sadly, I believe that most of us will go back to our normal lives and fill our new homes with as many dollar store items we can get our hands on.
In the words of President Bush after the terrorist attacks—"Everything is OK, just go out and shop." I'm so glad we pay to get advice like that.
