Politics Information |
Voting Pro-Environment is Good For Jobs, Health, and Security
There are many issues on the minds of US voters these days, but according to national polls, the environment ranks ...um... somewhere above hemp policy and just below humane treatment for Teletubbies. People are, of course, justly concerned about top issues such as health care, terrorism, and jobs. But the environment actually has a role to play in all of those areas. Below are some examples of how this is so. ENVIRONMENTAL VOTING CAN MEAN BETTER HEALTH "If you have your health, you have everything"--so goes the old cliche. We usually don't think too much about our health until we have a problem. Diseases usually creep in on us slowly. They're very patient, waiting until our defenses are down far enough for us to be susceptible. The health of the environment--the quality of the air we breathe, the purity of the water we drink, the condition of the land we grow our food on--are prime factors in the health of our bodies. We protect the health of our families by reducing pollution, by encouraging better farming practices that result in more nutritious agricultural products, and by getting the toxic chemicals out of the products we use every day. Politicians are busy jousting about who has the better plan for improving health care, but they're mostly silent on the most basic health issue--keeping disease-causing pollutants out of the environment and out of us. ENVIRONMENTAL VOTING CAN MEAN BETTER SAFETY What are the terrorist targets that have the most potential for causing problems? Here are three.
ENVIRONMENTAL VOTING CAN MEAN MORE JOBS Mature industries do not typically create large numbers of new jobs. Industries based on oil, gas, and coal--the "business-as-usual industries" in the energy sector--are certainly not going to bolster our sagging job numbers, given that they're caught between the twin hammers of dwindling fossil-fuel supplies and anti-pollution pressures. But there is a good solution. According to analyses by The Apollo Alliance, embarking on an ambitious program to develop renewable energy will allow us to create three million new, high quality jobs, free ourselves from imported oil, and clean up the environment. That certainly sounds a lot better than no new jobs and lots more black smoke in the sky. TOOLS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL VOTING So, are you convinced that voting green also supports many of our other primary goals at the ballot box? If so, the best way to decide which candidate is the most supportive of our environment is NOT to listen to what they say, but instead to look at their voting records. A good way to do that for national candidates is to review the information at Project Vote Smart (http://www.vote-smart.org/), which is an independent, non-partisan organization dedicated to providing facts on the voting records of candidates for the US congress and other federal offices. They cover all issues, not just the environment. While Project Vote Smart is an incredible resource, if your main goal is to zero in on candidates' environmental records, you can do this more easily by letting the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) be your guide. LCV's National Environmental Scorecard (http://www.lcv.org/scorecard/scorecardmain.cfm) analyzes and rates candidates' environmental voting records. If you want to keep it reeeaaaally simple, the Scorecard has a single percentage number for each candidate to summarize how often the candidate supported the "environmental position." The higher the number, the greener the candidate. And by the way, LCV is a non-partisan organization--they endorse donkeys, elephants, and political animals of other stripes too. Even though the environment may not come up much in debates and TV ads, it is our air, our water, and our land. Keeping it clean is an important issue in its own right, but it plays a part in almost all other issues too. Vote green! You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. Must be published complete with no changes. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated. About The Author © 2003 by http://www.GrinningPlanet.com Mark is a writer, financial analyst, web developer, environmentalist, and, as necessary, chef and janitor. Grinning Planet is an expression of Mark's enthusiasm for all things humorous and green, as well as a psychotic desire to work himself half-to-death. Hobbies include health foods, music, getting frustrated over politics, and occasionally lecturing the TV set on how uncreative it is. bluebuck@grinningplanet.com
MORE RESOURCES: Unable to open template $TEMPLATEfilename, exiting |
RELATED ARTICLES
Experts? ACCREDITATION: - Scholastic regimentation from the post WWII period has accelerated to the point that Canada won't let an Olympic figure skating medalist teach or coach young Canadians the errors and damages of the present system. She could earn more in the U. Smelter Closures In America Hurt Our Industrial Output The United States is losing its industrial capacity quite rapidly. Some environmentalists call these "old industries" and say we do not need them anymore; that we want clean industries. Time for a New Canadian Party It is time for a change. A change in philosophy, a change in the 3 party system. True Democracy and a Way Forward The process of researching this topic has been an interesting one. It seemed that it would be easy to find information on the Twelve Cycles of Truth if it formed the basis for the Iroquois Confederacy. Bush and Kerry Differ on Immigration Policies Up until the final debate at Arizona State University, the issue of immigration had not been much discussed. Both presidential candidates know very well that illegal immigration is a hot button topic in our country, and each man is now trying to use it to his political advantage. The Glorious Acts of Our Legislature I always have to remember to take a deep breath when examining the laws being proposed by our grand Legislature. I detest most of the new legislation on the table, but have to forgive our representatives in the House and Senate for it. The Politics of American Public Education and Why Dramatic Progress Still Eludes Us The current political efforts aimed at improving the American public educational system appear to reflect Einstein's definition of insanity - doing the same thing over and over again hoping for different results - than truly creating sustainable change. Until, we begin at square one, sustainable educational achievement will not happen and the limited resources of time, people and taxpayer's dollars will continue to be depleted. Just War In an age of terrorism, guerilla and total warfare the medieval doctrine of Just War needs to be re-defined. Moreover, issues of legitimacy, efficacy and morality should not be confused. A Need to Review Abortion Laws In Belgium INTRODUCTIONThe aim of writing this article is to encourage the long standing pro-life battle against abortion and protecting the rights of unborn babies to experience life on earth as nature permit it to be. Thousands of unborn babies are being aborted in Belgium by wicked mothers just by convincing the physician with any of those reason covered by the laws of which a woman can abort without facing any criminal charges. Howard Deans Big Fat Mouth "The only time I open my mouth is when I exchange feet . . Emerging Markets, Property Law I read an interesting article in foreign Affairs magazine last year, and recently in the Economist also. The articles stated in some way that a country without a set of laws for property rights would mean slow-growth, lack of foreign investment and economic vitality would be scarce. The U.S. Department of Justice vs. the Realty Industry, and Its Effect on Consumers From the National Association of Realtors' Virtual Office Website policy, to laws and regulations in individual states across the country, the U.S. Mass Transportation Efficiencies and Price Per Rider Theories Having redundancies and today's technologies in transportation we have protected the system for nearly any eventuality. Today in California, the BART train tram system is trying to figure out how to continue with mounting costs and California's financial debacle. Does America Get It about Terrorism? I have to be honest. It is time to come clean. Doorstops and Paperweights Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, has come up with what he believes is a brilliant idea. He thinks the FCC should have to the power to hold cable and satellite channels to the same decency standards as over-the-air broadcasters. Debt Relief and Reality Check The United States and other first world nations have been asked to forgive debts of foreign third world nations. We have obliged in doing so. Business: "Where Is America Headed To?", New York Millionaire Wonders Hello! Happy new year. May you live a long healthy life and prosper. To Grow Out Of Unemployment There is a connection between economic growth and unemployment. There is a connection between growth and inflation. Is The Bill Of Rights Necessary? The Bill of Rights to our Constitution caused -- and still causes - some contradiction, confusion and danger with the Constitution itself. It is unfortunate that a bill of rights was included with the Constitution. Dealing with Massive Prisoners of War In the last Gulf War we saw thousands of enemy soldiers giving up. Killing them is against Geneva Convention and they know it. |
home | site map | contact us |