This topic has been on my mind for some time, and I think now is the time to voice my opinion, and hope that many of you reading this will change your opinions and help the cause as well. It is a subject that I think is the most important to all of us right now, but nobody wants to speak about it. People are more interested in "The Bachelor" or finding ways to trash the top Republican contenders for the general election. When what we should be focusing on is the environment. It is our home, and the result of trashing it in less than 100 years, has caused us to live in the threat of warmer climates and diseases such as cancer and lung disease, not to mention the effect that it has on our wildlife and plants.
What has brought me to express my outrage over how we have treated our world for so many years? Well, it is because I am taking an environmental biology class, and it has opened my eyes to the horrors that are occuring in our environment today, and what may occur if we do not change our ways now. We have watched documentaries that have made me want to leave the classroom and then set fire to the Capitol in Washington in protest of the leaders of our nation that have allowed terrible things to happen, as well as prevent things from being done to make the world better. And the facts that I have learned in that class has given me headaches in frustration because we as individuals have had the tools before us to change our world around us for the better, and it will eventually be free to do so.
We are living in a society today where gas is close to $4 to the gallon, with some parts of the world way over that mark. That seems crazy since gas was only 25 cents to the gallon when my grandparents can remember. That wasn't too long ago though. That just goes to show that speculation and the competitive oil companies and then with tension with other countries have influence in how high the prices go. But the problem is that no matter what happens from this point, gas prices will not go down enough for consumers to continue to commute to anything. Who wants to continue this lifestyle?
We need alternative fuels not only because it will be less expensive on our pockets, but also to take the step to be healthier and stop pollution in the environment. But something that you may know about is that other sources such as electric cars have been in existence even before the car by Henry Ford was introduced. They were even on the roads in the early 2000s, with many customers on a waiting list to purchase one. But you know what? The car companies took them away and crushed them, trying to forever hide this technology and increase sales in gas engines. This was done because the companies realized that once people got these cars, there would no longer be a need for maintenance like our current cars require. Electric cars only require the usual routine stuff like tire changes, not like our current cars that require oil changes, and the extra stuff that costs us so much. Nothing like looking our for the customers, right?
Years later, cars are finally being introduced into the market that are fully electric. Like the Nissan Leaf, which can go 100+ miles without having to be charged. And in my opinion, it looks like a cool car. While it is at an expensive price of $27,000, owners can get up to $7500 in tax credits. I have done the math, and it would only cost up to $600 per year to power it. Compare that to your current gas bill, and I think I know what you will choose. Hopefully if people show more interest in these cars, and there is a greater demand for one, there is a possibility that more electric cars will be made at a more affordable price in a couple of years.
Same goes for solar energy. This technology is not new. It has been around for years, and is the most common throughout the world. And after a first expensive cost, this power would eventually be free. This would help us to live our lives the way we have, without polluting the world and causing danger to ourselves and everything around us. And as more people invest in this, the more cheaper it will become. Why not try to invest in this now and make it a global effort, and eventually make this the best source of energy in the world.
But our leaders have not made this an easy task. For decades, politicians have followed the orders of these polluting companies because of contributions to their campaigns. And when opprotunities arise to help make things better, our leaders turn the other way and do what makes the quickest dollar. That's why I am so disappointed in our canidates for president in this election. We see people like Rick Santorum who feel that drilling and Hydro Fracking in our own country will help us with our harsh prices. He is so far from the right path to fixing this issue. If anyone wanted to become president, I would think that they would promote solar and electric energy, a source of energy that people are actually wanting to use. But I am sure that everyone is waking up to this and will be electing people that WILL get these things done. So sorry D.C. lawmakers, but pack your bags because America is sick of your crap!
So why am I making this a big deal? Because I know that everyone is starting to feel the same way, and we all need to come together to get these things done. We need to raise awareness to all of these things that is hurting our world, and fix the things to help us prosper without having to pay so much to clean up our messes. How can we do that? First, click
here to recieve contact information for all our representative and senators, as well as their twitter addresses to show our outrage and disapproval of their jobs. Second, start expressing interest in our alternative fuels. If we express enough interest, then there will be no choice than to lower the prices and making this all affordable to everyone. And then third, don't bend over and take these outrageous gas prices. Carpool, and do whatever you can do to prevent those many trips to the pump.
I hope that this has opened your eyes to the many different things that are going wrong in our world concerning our environment. I hope this encourages you to do more to prevent more troubles from coming our way, and to take a stand and voice your opinion as well. Please, spread the word so people who may not realize these things can be knowledgable in these many things. With your help, we can make a difference. But if we decide to wait any longer and allow the greedy pigs in Washington to run our fragile environment to the ground, it may be too late to do anything about it...
-Tyler
