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.lcv.org/scorecard/scorecardmain.cfm
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. http://www.lcv.org/scorecard/scorecardmain.cfm
executive chauffeured services Bradford .. Madison to Airport carMany people do not understand politics very well. They often... Read More
Much of our personal and cultural perspective on the world... Read More
One question not addressed in GM Crops and Monsanto Terminator... Read More
How do you feel about Terminator Seeds from Monsanto? I... Read More
The great leader and Senator from New York and wife... Read More
Currently when we transport troops we use large cargo planes... Read More
According to a postulate made by Ignacio Ramonet ecological resources... Read More
Industrial Recruiting. The absence of a state income tax in... Read More
"Those who sacrifice essential liberty for temporary safety are not... Read More
It looks overall like the liberals are advocating for no... Read More
There is no doubt in hindsight that Sarbanes Oxley was... Read More
Rush is right! The government's stepped up bid to regulate... Read More
(1) Each person is to have an equal right to... Read More
City Governments is their quest for; "quality of life" often... Read More
As more and more cities and states set up websites... Read More
Close to 500,000 people - one in four - live... Read More
I. WARS ARE BASIC CONFLICTS OVER LAND. II. BOUNDARIES. THE... Read More
The entry by telephone and cable companies into the Internet... Read More
Veterans Affairs Employees using government credit cards on personal items?... Read More
Contrary to the Hobbesian prediction of anarchy (freedom) and brutish... Read More
The NSA failed the American people and allowed the attack... Read More
As we increase our populations every new soul will require... Read More
Yes, Bush is two-faced. The two sides of the faces... Read More
Prison guards and corrections professionals are hard at work insuring... Read More
Recently the FTC, Federal Trade Commission put forth a report... Read More
O'Hare Chicago prom limo ..As of late steroid use in sports has been the... Read More
Currently the US Army is having trouble recruiting. These problems... Read More
Many environmentalists are against roads through the forest because it... Read More
What has really changed in the housing market with regards... Read More
We see today a fierce unspoken competition between trucks and... Read More
Close to 500,000 people - one in four - live... Read More
Websites designed to help people overcome their gambling addictions have... Read More
I, too, am saddened by the disaster in New Orleans... Read More
Aren't you glad you purchased Alaska? You got a bargain,... Read More
The CBR taxes the Pakistani source income of nonresident individuals... Read More
A governing.com report blast one of the major grassroots initiatives... Read More
I was dismayed to learn the other day, that my... Read More
Predicting the future is a tricky business. There have been... Read More
Ever wonder why labor unions consistently endorse democrats over republicans... Read More
It never fails to amaze me. HM Customs and Excise... Read More
We need more oversight and transparency in government. We need... Read More
The number-one question people ask us is, "What possessed you... Read More
Many Americans have children, fathers, mothers, grandparents, other family members... Read More
For anyone who wishes to become an armchair General in... Read More
The Federal Trade Commission in their latest move to increase... Read More
Previously Senator Dick Armey and his staff in 2000 to... Read More
The Flow of Trade is a major consideration of civilizations... Read More
Continued thoughts while driving down the road in a huge... Read More
The recent scathing remarks by High Court Judge Richard Mawrey... Read More
In every national budget, there is a part called "Public... Read More
Political |