Obama is the next Carter? WTF?
Got this little political cartoon in my inbox earlier today:
Here’s the full quote:
We can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times… and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK. That’s not leadership. That’s not going to happen.
Question is…what about this statement is wrong? Regardless of whether you believe in global warming or not, energy conservation is something that I think no one can deny is a good thing. Gas is at $4 a gallon and rising with expectations of it getting to $5 a gallon soon and the possibility of it going up to as much as $7 a gallon. At what point will people wake up and realize that there is something wrong? At what point will they stop and realize that they can’t keep pointing fingers at others and see that they are also a part of the problem? Face it…there are a ton of people in America (and many others around the world for that matter) waste so much energy out of pure convenience and materialistic reasons.
People drive big ass trucks, SUVs, and Hummers for no other reason than they just simply want one. Anyone owning a Hummer has no right at all to bitch about the cost of gas. Problem is that people who own Hummers don’t give a shit anyways. The cost of gas could be $10 a gallon and they’ll still keep driving the damn thing.
And judging from the sheer population of obese people in America, I’d say it’s pretty accurate that people do indeed eat quite a bit. Have you ever seen a fat homeless person? I have.
And, yes, we’re a country that believes in air conditioning. We have millions of people in this country that insist on running their air conditioners non-stop while wasting tons of wattage hours on 60 watt incandescent light bulbs when 15 watt fluorescents would do just fine. Do you remember the last time you bought a light-bulb? Did you buy a normal one? Or did you even consider a fluorescent bulb?
This is exactly the kind of mentality that Obama was talking about. Wasting energy isn’t doing a damn thing for gas prices. If you look at it from this perspective you can see how other countries might not look favorably on the United States when it comes to energy conservation. We’re a country of gluttonous waste. It’s about time we change that.
I’m not saying that we should tell people what to do…but I do think that people who want to abuse the energy use in this country should pay a premium.
Want to drive that Hummer? Then, yes, maybe you should pay $10 a gallon. Mark it up with a 100% tax. If you can afford it then damn skippy. Otherwise, shut up and drive something more sensible.
Wanna be fat? Wanna smoke? Then be prepared to pay more for health insurance. I quit smoking and I’m also going on a diet. I’m trying to prevent disease…not treat it. Why can’t you?
Wanna turn up that air conditioning and use 60 watt light bulbs? Then be prepared for some regulation on energy use. Use more and you’ll be taxed more.
This isn’t socialism folks…it’s just common sense. If you abuse and neglect the very things you take for granted then the cost will go up. The gas and economy situation in this country is serious and there’s no time for bullshit anymore.
You can joke about what Obama says all you want, but if you ask me he’s only telling you what you need to hear. I think the reason why people find this to be so offensive is that they simply don’t want to admit to themselves that it’s true. So the next time you hear about someone joking about comments like these, take a look at what kind of car they drive. It might surprise you. 
Tags: environment, obama
