Friday, July 18, 2014

Positives to Negatives

In 1970 there was smog creeping across almost every landscape and cities like Louisville had a blanket. The water ways were also badly polluted and some rivers even caught fire. If you could find fish in the river they were too toxic to eat.

In 1970 the clean air act was passed and was a very positive thing so that now our air is safe to breathe. Then in 1972 the clean water act was passed and our rivers are now safe to use. Both of these acts were and are positive actions by our government for the general good of the country.

Today we have a senator running for re-election who refers to these two very positive laws passed in the 1970's as Obama's War on Clean Coal. He has taken a positive action and rephrased to as a negative for purely political reasons. I am not buying it at all. Clean air and clean water are important for all of us. No matter how much the coal industry contributes to his coffers it doesn’t change the facts.

The coal companies have saturated the media with the term “Clean Coal” which is a contradiction in terms. Coal is not clean by any stretch of the term. The best coal is still dirty and pollutes our air and water. Coal may be an economic giant in Kentucky and is loosing ground to natural gas for electric production but it is not more important than clean air and water.

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Loving Liberty

I do love my country and on this past Independence Day I rejoiced in celebrating our freedom. Loving our country is a lot like loving our family; it is something that we grew up with. I know people who chose to come here from other countries and become citizens but I did not choose my country in the same way that I did not choose my parents. I have chosen to remain a loyal citizen because I truly love the idea of the "United States of America." Our many freedoms have fostered in me a spirit of personal growth and optimism.

My love of country like my love for my family is not blind. I know that we as a nation have many problems to be solved. I believe that we are one of the best able to solve them. I love the idea of the "USA" so much that I wish the whole world lived under the same concept. Since I was a High School student working on a paper about the United Nations, I have thought that a "United States of the World" would be a very good thing. I know that the idea of a one-world government drives some people crazy, but a world at peace with justice is a wonderful idea.