Et Tu New Hampshire?

Well, add New Hampshire to the cash strapped states considering the idiotic idea of liquidating their state parks. Bad enough my adopted state of Washington doesn't fully value their parks-now my home state wants to throw some parks under the budget bus too! Democrats control the governorship and both houses in New Hampshire. When the Republicans controlled the state throughout most of the 20th century they added parks. Granted the parks were never fully funded-but during the recession of 1979-81 the state never even considered getting rid of some of its crown jewels. I can't believe the list of parks on the hit list- Cardigan, Kingston, Silver Lake, and Pisgah-those are some of my favorite places and a couple of them are excellent hiking destinations as well! Governor Lynch-I actually respect you-I hope you stop this madness from occurring. I would hate to think that your sate park legacy may replicate governors Locke and Gregoire of Washington. First the old man crumbles-an act of God-now the state park system is crumbling-an act of indifferent legislators who value our natural, cultural, and recreational heritage very little.

Economy, not environment is Canadians' top priority

(and Americans too)!

Here's some environmental food-for-thought from today's Vancouver Sun:

Economy, not environment, is Canadians' top priority
By Larry Pynn, Vancouver Sun

Substantially more Canadians are rating the economy ahead of the environment as their top priority, according to an international survey of green trends that ranks Canada second last among surveyed countries for the second straight year.

Canada's ranking suffered in part due to residents' large homes, the survey noting more than half have seven rooms.
Home heating and hot running water added to our footprint, as did our love affair with the automobile, especially large private ones. "Car and truck ownership is above the 17-country average (86 percent compared with 74 percent) and, of those who drive, Canadians are among the most likely to drive large vehicles," the survey found. "Canadians have the third highest rate of driving alone most days (56 per cent)."

(bold face my emphasis)
Read the rest here.

And which country comes in last? The U S of A! Oprah's jet, Al's big house and all the latte liberals' second homes in the Methow, Cape Cod and Vail certainly can't help our ratings. But it's not just the hypocritical green washing left that has us on the bottom. The use-it-all-up who cares about spotted owls, wolves and grizzly bear conspicuously consuming right wingers lower our rating too! But they don't care. What about the well heeled enviros? They pretend to care. Who are we fooling? We'll never be able to address climate, habitat, and resource issues as long as we don't address our ridiculous levels of consumption (and population and immigration-but that's another topic). And who does cares more about the environment than the economy according to this poll? Can you believe India, Brazil and China (although I seriously doubt that last one-the government anyway)!

(photo- downtown Montreal- an economic center built on exploiting the environment-beaver pelts!)

Earth Day Soiled

Happy Earth Day 2009 everyone! I don't get too worked up today though. It's not that I don't believe in Earth Day. I do. It is just that I have always had a problem with this holiday. Not with its intent-I'm all for it! It's how it's practiced- often the way many Christians go to church once or twice a year-at Christmas and Easter- celebrate Jesus and His teachings-and then go back to living a life disregarding The Way the other 363 days of the year. I see many Earth Day Revelers the same. They plant a tree-ride their bike-then go back to over consuming and not addressing the real issue at stake when it comes to protecting the planet-Population Sustainability!

Earth Day Founder, Democratic Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin viewed the stabilization of the United State's population as one of the most (if not the most) important factor to preserving and protecting the planet. Among his most resonating quotes back in 1970 was this

"It's phony to say 'I'm for the environment but not for limiting immigration.'"

You can not have a sustainable planet (or country) when your population is growing unfettered. Adding one million plus people to the US's already burgeoning 300 million plus people will not yield earth Friendly results. So instead of planting a tree in your lawn this Earth Day, how about working toward a sustainable immigration and population policy. I haven't heard anyone in Congress, the President, or the mainstream Environmental community talk about this. Accomplishing a sane and sustainable immigration and population policy along with a reigned in attitude toward materialistic consumption would be an Earth Day achievement that I would gladly celebrate-and every day-and I'd even plant a tree in commemoration. So, Happy Earth Day everyone- now get to work making the planet and the United States truly earth-friendly by addressing immigration and population reduction. There's a lot at stake and it'll be much more difficult than recycling your Evian water bottles.

Oh yeah-and for Right Wing extremists who mock the whole concept of Earth Day by consuming more-you're far worst (and despicable I may add than the folks who want to do the correct thing but are misguided or afraid to tackle the real issues of population and immigration. Richard Nixon was president when our first Earth Day was celebrated and he proudly signed into law shortly afterwards the Clean Air and Clean water Acts. Many in the Republican party today need to remember how some of our greatest environmental achievements in this country came under Republican administrations.

Earth Day Bonus- Click here to read my 1996 UW Daily Earth Day editorial-classic Romano with the same message more or less.

World Hiker Clarifies

Position on Climate Change

David has left a new comment on your post "Tenth Coldest March on Record!": I know being a skeptic of science the link below will not change your mind, but I thought it would be a good read. One thing I must ask is what you mean by "the climate always changes". Do you mean long term climate always changes or every day, short-term weather always changes? Oh, by the way, just because you are willing to be conservation minded does not mean everyone else is willing to make the changes needed (that you and I - a left wing "hypocritical" environmentalist) to conserve the environment or stop global climate change before it is too late to conserve what will and is being lost. http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/03/cool-spells-in-a-warming-world/

Hey David—thanks for commenting. Let me clarify my position on this whole Climate Change thing. I am in between the naysayer Right-wing nuts and the world is coming to an end Left-wing kooks. When I state climate always changes-I mean both on a seasonal and long term basis. That’s my point. I do not believe that man has had as large of an impact on climate that the alarmists claim. I still say that it is part of a bigger climate change that is part of the way the world is heading-ice age-warming period-mini ice age-the beat goes on. With that-I think it is absolutely crazy to implement drastic measures to fight climate change (like fighting the sun from shining) which I believe will only destroy our economy, unnecessarily tax people (which will seriously impact lower income people-latte liberals have plenty of money to tax themselves-the folks don’t) for something that I believe we cannot warrant significant change or influence (or minimally at best and there are sounder wider reaching measures like land preservation that are far more effective than cap and trade) upon. I am all for sound conservation-like land preservation-energy conservation-alternative energy like nuclear which has the smallest impact for the most energy and population control which includes reduced immigration-especially the latter-we cannot add one million people to our population every year and expect energy consumption to go down-it will never happen. But, the left wing alarmists only want to regulate what kind of cars we drive, what we set our thermostats at, try to get us out of our cars, etc.etc, without addressing the real issues to a planet at peril- over population and over consumption. What makes so many of them hypocrites (and they aren’t all hypocrites-many are just misguided) is that often the ones that speak the loudest-and demand the most radical changes in personal behavior usually don’t carry though with it themselves. They want you and me to change but they won’t. Whether it is a certain overweight mayor that expounds upon the virtues of public transportation and riding a bike and shunning your personal vehicle-yet he has a limousine tote him around- a certain president that wants to implement cap and trade which will dramatically increase our electric bills-but he cranks his thermostat up- a certain ex vice president that claims the world is ending but he lives in a huge house and flies all over the world in a private jet-the list goes on-that and all the other well-healed limousine liberals that scream and shout about the world coming to an end-yet they continue to live in giant houses-or two-fly all over the world on vacations-import trendy food (with big carbon foot prints) use tons of energy for all of their electronic gizmos but think they are off the hook because they drive a Prius or bought some stupid green tag (indulgence)- I’m tired of this hypocrisy! None of them address their own over consumptive behavior (it is always yours and mine they want to address) and none of them tackle the real problems of over-population and over-consumption-because they are at the center of those problems by refusing to address them! Now, right-wing climate change deniers-they may not give a crap about the environment- but at least they’re not hypocrites-just selfish fools, The left wing do as I say not as I do types are worst-and I am tired of them trying to regulate my life while they continue to live a life of waste and largess. I’m all for real conservation methods- and I have been living them my entire life. The world is not going to end because of climate change-it is just going to be a different place-and that is not bad or good necessarily-just different—we’ll adapt-the planet will adapt-it always has-so let’s stop wasting time chasing windmills and instead work on real conservation issues- land preservation-reduced energy consumption, and sustainable development and population reduction! I hope I made myself clearer and thanks for having the dialogue.

Florida Saves their State Parks

Republican governor and concerned citizens put their money where their parks are!

Can't help but note the bitter irony here. Down in the south where people "cling to their religion and guns" they evidently didn't cling to their wallets when it came time to save their state parks. Floridians overwhelmingly backed a plan by their legislature to raise day use fees (some up to $8 to park) to keep their parks operating and open. And governor Crist, a Republican has allocated more money to the parks system to keep them open. Nice job Florida and Governor Crist, and nice to see that you cherish your outdoor and historic heritage.

Here in "progressive" (actually quite regressive) "green" (only if it concerns transportation in which everyone must take the bus except overweight mayors who talk a lot about other people taking the bus) Washington state we close parks. Our democratic governor and democratic-controlled legislature are going to allow the state parks commission to close and liquidate parks. And many of our over-caffeinated well-to-do SUV driving citizens balk at the notion of having to pay a day use fee to keep their parks open. Go figure! You get what you pay for folks. In Florida you get a beautiful park system that will continue to provide recreation and refuge for its citizens in this terrible economic time. In Washington, you get squat.

Oh yeah, and Florida doesn't have a state income tax either-yet they have figured out how to pay for their park system. I have said it before-and I'll say it ad nauseum -My fellow Washingtonians-if you care about your state parks and heritage hold your legislator's and governor's feet to the fire! NO STATE PARK CLOSURES! I for one am willing to open my wallet a little to help keep them open. I hope you are too-and I hope that my indifferent state reps and governor will give us this option instead of liquidating our heritage! ENOUGH!

(photo-St Joseph Spit State Park-one of my favorite state parks in the nation. Seven miles of undeveloped Gulf-of Mexico paradise-and worth paying a little extra for)

It's time we Mothball Gregoire!

I can't tell you how angry I am getting over how our state and incompetent governor are treating our state park system. It's not enough that Gregoire asked the State Parks Department to prepare for a $10 million reduction in their budget for the next two years and get rid of 13 state parks in the process. Now our bought by the tribes and WEA governor is asking the parks to prepare for a $23 million dollar deduction and think about getting rid of even more parks! This is insane! These are tough times for sure, but we don't need to do something so drastic and so short sighted in the short term and pay for it dearly in the long term.

I see several choices Christine that are far better than your commission's idiotic plan to liquidate our cultural and natural heritage because of your reckless spending-

1. Bring back a day use fee- make it temporary until we get out of this economic mess.

2. Consider privatization of certain concessions (like camping for instance) at some of our parks to reduce government expenditures and to bring in revenue.

3. Consider a lottery to help pay for parks- Your Tribal buddies owe you one.

4. Sell bonds like New Jersey is doing to keep their parks open

5. Temporarily moth ball some parks until they can fully be operated again when the economy turns around.

BUT DO NOT- ABSOLUTELY DO NOT LIQUIDATE OUR PARKS!
I find it absurd that we are getting ready to celebrate our park's centennial in 4 years and this is how we'll show it by closing and liquidating our parks!
And I find it absolutely absurd that we are going to spend money (my money) on sending illegal immigrants to college and paying their health care, silly cap and trade initiatives and other dubious forms of my hard-earned tax dollars and not fund MY and every other 6,500,000 Washingtonian's state parks.

Its time that we mothball you Governor Gregoire before you get us into even more of a mess--and take Lisa Brown with you! I am absolutely fed up with your (and the legislatures of the past 20 plus years) lack of commitment to our state parks. What would Evans do? Maybe you need to consult him right now-and perhaps call on Governor Corzine of New Jersey and Governor Fitzpatrick of Illinois and see how they are saving (thanks to public outcry) their parks.

And to my fellow hard working citizens-call and write your governor and demand that our parks not be casualties due to their reckless spending and lack of caring for our natural and cultural heritage.

(Photo- Lake Sylvia, one of the nicest state parks in the system is on Gregoire's chopping block. Hey Christine, do you think that maybe you can actually head over to Montesano and take a walk here and explain to the hard-pressed residents of Grays Harbor County why this park should go?)

A Carbon Footprint You Can Believe In!

This from David Harsanyi of Real Clear Politics:

The carbon footprint of Barack Obama's inauguration could exceed 575 million pounds of CO2. According to the Institute for Liberty, it would take the average U.S. household nearly 60,000 years of naughty ecological behavior to produce a carbon footprint equal to the largest self-congratulatory event in the history of humankind.
The same congressfolk who now are handing out thousands of tickets to this ecological disaster mandated only recently the phased elimination of the incandescent light bulb -- a mere carbon tiptoe, if you will. The whole thing seems a bit unfair.

And I may add hypocritacal and absurb. Once again it so evident that the people who scream the loudest about the impending doom of the planet do nothing about it-in fact they do more that counters what they believe that YOU and I should be doing! This is all pure insanity. And it would be laughable if it wasn't so detrimental to our country's economy and our individual liberties. I look forward to a climate change back to sane and rational thinking. God help us!