Conservation/Being Green/Sustainability, etc etc
This past Earth Day, more than ever before, we have been inundated with “eco-friendly” suggestions from profligate over-privileged celebs, that generally amount to how they are being Green in their second home or private jet. Along with this are mostly foolish pronouncements by various companies indicating some change in operations, that while proclaimed as Green, will have minimal effects. Perhaps most troubling is the endless parade of events and festivals that are hardly eco-friendly in themselves, yet attempt to justify that with the astonishingly puerile notion of carbon credits.
Meanwhile, most commercial and government enterprises are overlooking—purposely it would seem—an incredibly simple way to drastically reduce energy consumption, and cut other types of expenses at the same time. I’m talking about telecommuting!
At least 30% of the American workforce would fit into the category of people who are commuting to some remote location, only to long onto a server and perform their daily tasks. How much energy could be saved, and how much would traffic congestion be reduced if these people worked from home? Would reduced demand for gasoline cause in drop in prices?
In many cases, no changes at all would be required for current computer networks, and at worst, enhanced security would be needed for others.
As I see it, the biggest obstacles to going ahead with this are:
- Perceived lack of control by management
- Exposure of most staff meetings as pointless
- Possible threat to real estate market
Regardless of where the employee operates, he will still be judged on results. Moreover, most workplaces provide far too many opportunities for wasting time. The fact is that most people accomplish more via telecommuting. Assuming that some meetings actually are justified, the employees can come into the workplace on that particular day. As to the real estate market, what is lost in commercial space might be gained in enhanced residences; but even if that is not the case, sometimes there have to be net losers. Did anyone care about the slide rule or typewriter manufacturers?
Agonizingly Long Presidential Election Season
This one is truly a no-brainer, and it saves energy, too. The current system of dozens of individual primaries mainly benefits the TV networks, and gives disproportionate voice to smaller states—especially those that are fortunate enough to be scheduled early.
Simply have one national primary, in March or April, and leave it up to the individual parties whether the delegate count will be winner-take-all or proportional. Now, the candidates can campaign as they wish, and fund-raising will be based on the prospects of an overall victory, rather than some arcane perception of momentum.
While I really do have a soft spot for New Hampshire, times change. In fact, a wonderful “Live Free or Die” moment could be the Granite State being the first to make the suggestion of a single national primary.
Immigration and Diversity
We hear a lot about dialogue, but for the most part, this means “frank” discussions about how some victim group—usually a minority—is being mistreated. Inevitably, the solution to the mistreatment is not so much more understanding, but just more money from the government.
How about a national dialogue on immigration and diversity? These are two issues that will raise up strong emotions in most Americans, and not only because significant changes have occurred that were never subjected to a vote or even public debate.
Politicians should favor such a move, since they would be able to cite the results of this dialogue as a reason for the positions they are taking. And, if immigrants (legal or otherwise) really are taking the jobs that native-born Americans won’t do, this could be determined once and for all.
Finally, citizens could have a say in how many of their institutions—including the public schools—are changing, based on some unspecified fiat. It’s time to shine a bright light on the multiculti mandarins.
Rotten Leadership
The cynics tell us that we get the government leaders we deserve, but I always respond by asking what we did to deserve this current crop. If one person is powerless, maybe the answer is for all of us to join a pressure group, and then keep tabs on the group to make sure it is doing more than simply collecting money.
Surely, we should be a lot less complacent, and things could only improve.