Reformed Loser

I'm going to try and explain myself a little, in the arena of the environment, only because that was the subject of my last thought. What is Kerry trying to achieve with his book? I don't know, I haven't read it. I probably never will. Presumably he wants to inform, and he wants to motivate. The world is in danger, corporations are polluting the earth, air, and water. Politicians can save us. Vote for the right kind, or better, send money, and together we'll use the power of legislation to clean this place up. We'll mandate the production of super fuel-efficient automobiles and provide tax incentives for alternative energy sources.
That's crap, but I'm not sure there's any point in arguing. First of all, who the hell am I? What special perspective do I have on all of this? None. Secondly, will arguing the merits of these ideas change minds? Well, maybe (I'm sorry if I'm boring you, I'm thinking out loud). Probably not though.
What the heck, I'll try.
Isn't it true that dissatisfaction with government is one of the most prevalent attitudes in America? Why do we always turn to this body to satisfy what we consider our most pressing needs?
Private citizens go out and earn a living. The corporations, say what you want, they build things, they do things, then they submit their labors for your approval, and if you want, you can buy them. What does the state do? They don't do a lot of manufacturing, they lack the expertise, but they do subsidize weapons production on a grand scale. They provide services, police, sanitation, education. Here's the big difference: they do all these things, just like the private sector, but whether or not you approve of the finished product, you will pay for it.

I think it sucks.

Back to the environment. What is the market-oriented solution? It comes from your and my own desire to breathe clean air. Our own decisions about what products to buy and what to do with our old motor oil.
Morality does not and cannot come from our government. If we are selfish and sinful, no congressman can fix it. Unfortunately our culture dictates that we look to our government first.

Think about it.

Here's something else, from cato.org. It's a podcast with Victor Gold, author of Invasion of the Party Snatchers: How the Holy-Rollers and the Neo-Cons Destroyed the GOP (I always listen via the mp3 link). Now if one of my pasty leftist friends sent me a link to a Green trashing a Democrat, I'd be nonplussed, however I'll still recommend this to anyone. This Vic Gold is very colorful, and the podcast itself is fairly informative but very entertaining.
Also, I drank a strong cup of coffee last night at about 11, and didn't get a wink. This morning I tuned in to C-Span and caught John Kerry and his wife Teresa talking about their environmentalism book. I was surprised at how engaging this Kerry guy is. I found myself really liking him, while still dismissing his priorities.

(I'll be expanding this post later, probably.)

Rushjet has a new album over at 8bitpeoples. That is all.