What is green?

Tuesday, June 30, 2009, 14:04
Constitution Daily
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environmentalism With the Cash for Clunkers program getting rolled out tomorrow and Cap and Trade being passed by the House, I thought I’d look at the green movement again. To do so with any accuracy you must define what green really is.

If you take the liberal definition, which is the one used by most media and politicians, it means to restrict and tax energy use at almost any cost to the people (or should I say businesses). The Cap and Raid tax, if passed by the Senate, will force this country into second rate status. We already have a hard enough time competing with other countries with better tax and regulatory structures. Now with this tax on our businesses, we’ll be devastated in the world market. The ironic thing is, our businesses, currently working under heavy EPA regulations, will move to China and other countries where environmental regulations are almost nonexistent, causing more pollution, not less.

That same irony exposes the Cash for Clunkers program. The absolute greenest thing you can do is drive your car until the wheels fall off. Energy and resources are wasted with every new car purchase. With each new vehicle built, we use more energy and resources. Even if you have an old 1972 Chevy pick-up with a 454 engine getting seven miles per gallon downhill with the wind, trading that vehicle in for a new one is a net loss of resources and is harder on the environment.

But the environment isn’t really what Democrats are concerned about. This is a political movement for them designed to gain votes – especially from the younger demographic. What they don’t realize is the younger demographic actually does care about the environment; so much so that many times the environment is first or second on their list of most important issues.

Since Republicans don’t want to be just the party of no, we have an opportunity to use our conservative ideals while promoting a greener nation. Just like with cars, the best thing you can do for the environment is to stay in the old government building and not build new. In the name of being green, our government must not add on or build new from this day forward. In fact, to save the environment and prevent global warming or climate change, we should shut down the most wasteful and least efficient facilities in the country…the Department of Education, the IRS, the National Endowment for the Arts, and every other wasteful government agency.

So as conservatives it is only natural that we are better stewards of this land. We must conserve resources by limiting the size and scope of government. If we don’t, we will end up under two miles of ice or two miles of water or really bad hurricanes or no rain or too much rain or too cold or too hot or locusts or volcanoes or earthquakes or eventually the sky falling…I think those are all the consequences laid out by Gore and his mindless minions. Whether these things would actually happen is inconsequential, we need to capitalize on the green attitude of voters. We can use this movement to advance conservatism without destroying prosperity.

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Constitution Daily has written 97 stories on this site.

An Iowa based blog with the purpose of giving incentive to those actively engaged in conservative causes. Content will include Iowa and national issues ranging from politics to everyday society, but in every case you will know where Constitution Daily stands. Please feel free to contact me anytime at constitutiondaily@gmail.com.

7 Comments on “What is green?”

Timmy wrote on 30 June, 2009, 14:51
If we are going to hell in a bucket, we may as well enjoy the ride!
tlorenzen wrote on 30 June, 2009, 15:05
what really burns up my rudder is young people are not even aware they are trying to be bought off by a feeble attempt to help the environment. when in actuality this bill [pushed by the coasts] proliferates pollution…as long as you have the cash to pay for the offsets. and Im sure with the bang-up job the feds in the emerald city have done with our money so far; we can expect nothing but “efficiency.” Lets not forget, however, this bill wouldn’t have made through the House w/o 8 Republican votes….
Mike C wrote on 30 June, 2009, 15:31
So long as the Republican Party continues to deny climate change, they aren’t going to get any traction as the truly “green” party.
Constitution Daily wrote on 30 June, 2009, 15:35
Mike C – Why? We have a conservative philosophy about us. We hate waste and inefficiency. Why wouldn’t we be the party of “being green?” We just need to articulate the message of not wasting our resources – especially through government.
Mike C wrote on 30 June, 2009, 16:12
Because being green means being concerned about man’s effect on the environment. The deniers, in their unscientific glory, care more about green dollars than a green earth. True or not (I think true), it’s a powerful meme that you’re not going to shake by lamely suggesting that environmental regulations are anti-green because companies will move to unregulated China. That’s not a solution, it’s a surrender. Surrender is not “green”.

Which isn’t to suggest that conservatives can never become green. Certainly, they can. But they need to shake the climate change deniers. They also need to put away the simplistic “regulation BAD” argument and start presenting progressive solutions to the problem. Reasonable minds (and parties, and political philosophies) can differ over the wisdom and efficacy of solutions to the various environmental problems. (Maybe cap-and-trade is a terrible idea. Maybe cash for clunkers utterly brain dead.) But first Republicans need to accept that there IS a problem! Until they do, the fight is going to be between the Democrat’s proposed (and potentially terrible) solutions to the problem vs. the continued (and discredited) conservative denial that there IS a problem. No matter how bad the Democrat’s plan is as a practical matter, they are set up to win that fight.
bgunzy wrote on 30 June, 2009, 17:46
Hey, I’m a green conservative…I grow corn and drive John Deere.
Constitution Daily wrote on 1 July, 2009, 9:25
Mike – I understand your argument but I think you missed my point or I didn’t explain it well enough. The greenest thing you can do is to conserve. It isn’t buying a new Prius or trading in the SUV for a new car. It is taking care of what you already have and conserving. Seems to match up well to our platform.