On Tuesday Oct 27th Barak Obama stood in front of a field of solar panels and talked about change. The energy of this country has a long history, from the cutting down of forests to the mining of coal to power steam engines. Thomas Edison changed the game when he made energy transferable through electricity, and the country made great steps to implement electricity to all of it's citizens throughout this past century.
Obama now wants to change the game again, making electricity and the grid on which it flows more efficient. The smoke and mirrors of the American media focus on the handful of issues that tend to attract viewers, such as health-care, War, Money, Taxes, and the budget allocation.
The president declared that he would get rid of the red tape that makes it timely and slow to update the infrastructure that transports the energy in this country. He declared the CHANGE we must have creates apprehension in many people. There was even a joke in the speech regarding the CEO of FPL Group, the owner of the solar panels behind him, saying that companies and CEO's tend to feel uneasy about change.
Who wouldn't feel uneasy about risking the present model where profits are almost assured? The president did mention the FPL company several times in the speech, the company will no doubt be given some of the money that the government is spitting out into the economy. The reasons given is that this new technology will not only lower the carbon usage and dependance upon fossil fuels but also create jobs that are well paying, meaning that the workers will be able to consume more goods.
The issue I have with such a speech is that it fails to point out the obvious need we have to consume less and less energy. The president mentioned home energy monitors being installed so that consumers could be the deciders of their own usage, and realize that when energy is expensive, like arrival at home around 4 to 8 O'Clock is a good time to cut down consumption, but the comforts of air conditioning are just to precious for many of Americans. The energy consumption is much higher in the summer when it should be much lower as the environment offers great weather for us to be outside and enjoying the beautiful land this earth offers.

No politician wants to lecture, instead they let us go on paying taxes and then allocate the funds where they say it is most necessary. The lecturing risks re-election and politicians like any other person today cares about job security as much as they do the American people. I mean think if politicians had to live in small houses or not wear hundred dollar suits all the time?!?!? THE HORROR...
A true straight talking politician in the vein of Henry A Wallace would tell the american people that we consume too much, that our behavior of commuting to work in our cars from the suburbs and then watching our big screen TV's after eating out corn and soybeans filled pre packaged dinner is not sustainable and a drain upon our economy. Our health is at risk with such behavior where sitting and eating are the two most constant habits of our population. Sit in a car, sit in a office, sit on your couch and watch the TV (a device that only exists because of commercials to sell you things to consumer more), sit at the table and eat meat corn soybeans.

And when you don't feel good about your life, either drink/do drugs or if you can afford it go to the doctor for pills. There are many ails to our lifestyle that no politician wants to lecture on. The fact that the sports that consumer our media and idle water cooler chatter is a vehicle for advertisement of goods that are typically unhealthy, like Beer and Junk food. The biggest buildings in a society tend to reflect the priorities of that society, therefore our sports stadiums are our modern day acropolis's.

But the need to fix the problems our lifestyles cause are on the tongues of politicians. Patrick Kennedy, the Rhode Island congressman and son of the late Ted Kennedy, got all riled up about Health Care for treatment of Alcoholism and Drug addiction being included in Health Care reform. He pointed out that over half of all emergency medicine (the most expensive kind) is related to drugs and alcohol. Spousal Abuse also has a high correlation to drug and alcohol abuse, and has a high rate of victimization of women. That is why many women groups of the early century were involved in the temperance movement. There is nothing that leads to productive citizens like growing up in a home where violence and over indulgence in alcohol exist.

I could go on but I must cut it short... remember to drink responsibly, ingesting a poison like alcohol into your body should be done in times of great celebration and socialization as it was done in the past, not as a means to relax on the weekends and allow you to speak about emotional issues you otherwise hold deep inside you.