Things are turning green here in the Foothills. And not just my yard. I pondered the election while walking through the woods with the dogs.
Yesterday, Californians overwhelmingly voted down Prop 23 (the measure that attempted to discontinue our global warming initiative). Not only was it voted down, but the "NO" vote got the second highest amount of votes of any ballot measure. And only 0.2 percent more of the vote would have made it the most popular vote.
Good news!
Other good news from California---at this time it looks like the Republicans didn't pick up any House seats! Barbara Boxer handily won re-election. Jerry Brown won. In fact, it doesn't look like ANY Republicans won a State wide race (at this point). California bucked the trend--despite an unemployment rate of 12.5 percent.
My favorite ballot measure lost--prop 21 (the State Park Initiative). But it at least got 40 percent of the vote. Californians don't want anything to make their blessed cars be more expensive.
Locally, the vote in Butte County went 56 percent against Prop. 23. This in one of the most conservative districts in the State.
So why did California do so well? When the rest of the country is slithering down the slope and electing Climate Change Deniers---why is California, again, on the cutting edge? Will the rest of the country catch up?
I thinks so. The best thing the Democrats could do is to educate the public on energy. On climate change. To move towards transforming our economy in the Green direction. California has been working on evolving her economy (albeit slowly) steadily over the last ten years. A winning strategy would adopt California's methods and work towards a Greener tomorrow.
So keep on going to those Farmers' Markets. Put up those Solar Panels. Buy local. Eat better. Join the Slow Food Movement. Take a walk in the Outdoors. This strategy is working in California. The rest of the country will catch up soon.
3 comments:
So we hope.
Allan- If only the rest of America had California's vision. It boggles my imagination that we have Republican Senators and Congressmen who can stand in front of their constituents and proclaim that "global warming is a myth."
Perhaps they need to put down their bibles and head back to science class? I like your optimism. I hope you're right!
Jeff
Jeff,
If the climate change people are right, the anecdotal evidence will just be too overwhelming (and also too late to make any changes). Let's see: millions of acres of spruce trees in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana are rust colored with death from bark beetles. I just noticed some Ponderosa pine deaths on my ridge dying from bark beetles. My brother writes to tell me they've had their third "100 year flood) this decade. 17 inches of rain fall in my hometown flooding it three years ago. In August.
Only people who spend all their time inside wouldn't notice that things are changing. Oh, people do spend most of their time inside you say? Perhaps we are doomed...
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