Conservation: Hotword of the Day
With oil at $145 a barrel and gasoline exceeding $4.00 a gallon, we are implored to conserve energy. With drought in several regions of the country, we are told to conserve water.
To conserve is noble and uplifting. But what does it actually mean? In simple, non-inflated words: use less. Dictionary definitions include "to use carefully or sparingly, avoiding waste" and "to economize."
Using less is rather depressing. It means smaller cars, colder homes in winter and hotter in summer, shorter showers, and browner lawns, among others. Senator Obama has gone so far as to say that we may have to eat less to hold down food prices in developing countries. This is not the stuff of the American dream.
Private individuals are asked to conserve in all aspects of their lives. Why has no one said that the government has to conserve, to make do with lower taxes and less spending? Or does conservation really mean the transfer of resources from private individuals to government?
1 comments:
I really like this. It checks our priorities. If a healthy level of conservation is to be achieved, it should be done with the values of our nation/ other nations in mind. Maybe our oversized country will need to become used to smaller portions, but no (or very little) free will or liberty should be sacrificed.
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