The voice of De Anza since 1967.

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The voice of De Anza since 1967.

La Voz News

The voice of De Anza since 1967.

La Voz News

    As The World Burns

    Going Green the Trivial Way

    It’s an honor when a society has decided to make it a moral obligation to protect and preserve the environment. Western Civilization has now made it a priority to fight global warming with the United States now actually joining the effort.

    However, just because America has joined in the effort doesn’t mean that the environmental movement is strong. There are many ways to save the environment but it’s the actions we take that will matter the most.

    What the government needs to do is set high standards for industry and actually enforce these standards while phasing out harmful substances. Yet some politicians have taken an environmental crusade against something that is really trivial or ridiculous.

    For example, the California Energy Commission has proposed a ban on big screen TV’s in an attempt to curve greenhouse gas emissions. Now take a quick moment to fall out of your chair and laugh.

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    I call this a waste of our effort and potentially, our taxes. The state is in debt, the economy is in a recession and the best this collection of green-washed clowns could suggest is a ban on big screen TV’s.

    If you think that was funny, consider the time when the California Air Resources Board proposed a ban on black painted cars in March. And while we’re at it, at De Anza there was the abolishment of paper towels before the swine flu epidemic.

    People know they need to do their part in contributing to the environment; it’s a no brainer. What the people don’t need is a commission of slackers proposing bans on a few trivial items. All these bans will accomplish is to turn consumers against the environmental movement because the new bans are so ridiculous that everyone will demand to return to the harmful ways of old.

    Since the nation is in a recession with high unemployment, maybe these coalitions of green washers should attempt to kill two birds with one stone. How about a proposition that is actually useful like a major green project?

    For example, if the California Common Sense Commission were to begin the proposed high speed railway project, the state could go green and help the economy.

    A high-speed railway would allow residents to travel within the state using a clean alternative to a car and airline. At the same time, the construction of the railway would require a work force while the finished project would create new jobs for skilled labor.

    As for De Anza, maybe a better alternative would be to reduce the amount of parking permits issued to students. The heavy use of fossil fuel is a major contributor to global warming and the parking lot is in a state of anarchy with reckless drivers every afternoon.

    The alternative would be to offer a limited amount of parking permits to students who have a clean driving record and either live far away or stay at school for long hours. Everyone else should stop being lazy and ride a bike, take the bus, or carpool with a responsible friend.

    If this is how politicians want America to contribute to protecting the environment then nobody should be surprised when Sarah Palin wins the 2012 Election on an environmental policy of “drill, baby, drill”.

    If the proposed solutions to helping the environment are going to be a ban on trivial items, then Palin in the White House is a guarantee. In the end, the few with rationality could sit back and watch the world burn.

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