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Decisions, Decisions

-- Pete -- 10/22/2008

According to the news there’s a big election coming up. There are many issues to base your vote on. Unfortunately, it seems the more crises’ we face, the more immediate the need for action, the more likely the environment falls off the map as an issue. Global Warming is still considered by many as a long-term problem and not urgent.

My wife and I have two children and we have all the concerns of most families. We are keeping a close eye on the financial situation and hoping for the best but planning for the worst. We don’t have the luxury of seeing everything in terms of the environment and all other issues through that lens.  

Global Warming is urgent. It may not always feel like it, but it is. When prioritizing your issues remember that many of the issues we face today, we could have dealt with in the past at a much lower cost. We are all excited that gas prices hover around $3 after topping $4 for a few months but we could have avoided a lot of pain if we had worked towards energy independence when it was first proposed- some 30 years ago.

If you live long enough you start to realize that many of the same issues come up every election cycle. They always seem so urgent but they are rarely addressed. We have a bad habit of waiting until we have a full-blown crisis before we act. When you see smoke in your house you should react while it’s just smoke and isolated. Obvious, right? Well, it’s obvious but not always easy. It requires true leadership to help people see the value in reacting while there is time.   

I suppose it is human nature to put things off but now is the time to rise above our nature and act while we can make a difference. When you are deciding who to vote for look down at any little eyes that may be looking up at you; wondering if somebody is in charge and will do the right thing.