Hubris and Decline...

Image Credit: earth911dotcom

From the article:

"But with Congress deeply divided over whether climate change is real or if the country should use less fossil fuel, efforts in the United States have paled in comparison. That slow start is ceding job growth and profits to companies overseas that now profitably export their goods and expertise to the United States.

"A recent report by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that while the clean technology sector was booming in Europe, Asia and Latin America, its competitive position was 'at risk' in the United States because of 'uncertainties surrounding key policies and incentives.'"

We lack a broad appreciation for critical thinking skills, that's for our youth in school now, and our leaders in positions of power and influence tweeting during the State of the Union, no less.

The "whether/whither climate change" crowd plays to a constituency similar to The Flat Earth Society (note: link is Wiki info only; encountered a Trojan on their site): moonshots, shuttle missions, the International Space Station, satellite photos, long form birth certificates and logic will never impede upon the accepted orthodoxy. Like charlatans that predict apocalypse, they just refine/redefine their "calculations" and continue the lemming march.

We have politicized the very act of problem-solving, resulting in -- to quote Shakespeare's play: "Much Ado About Nothing," a plot device more worthy of Seinfeld than the taxing issues we face daily that affect the planet, its inhabitants and its economy.

Politics and policies are followed in this nation like a religion that cannot be varied despite the facts on the table. Intelligence is askew the new normal in the digital age; disdained as "elite," so of course, our youth do not pursue it or mastery of any subject, just as self-absorbed in their tweets, text messages and Facebook updates as their parents and their parents' elected representatives.

In teaching, it's called "modelling behaviors": to serve as an example/model; worthy to serve as a model: exemplary. Sadly, we are not.

The future leaders of this country don't practice what we preach/teach: they justify their actions/inactions by what they see the "grown ups" do!

New York Times: U.S. Said to Be Falling Behind in the Business of 'Green'