I was flipping through the channels past mindless infomercials
and self-important sports commentators looking for something that
would tell me to pay attention when I chanced on the end of
”
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
”
and Jimmy Stewart reminded me that
”
Lost causes are the only ones worth fighting for.
”
I was flipping through the channels past mindless infomercials and self-important sports commentators looking for something that would tell me to pay attention when I chanced on the end of “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” and Jimmy Stewart reminded me that “Lost causes are the only ones worth fighting for.” It is with that in mind that I review some of those topics that I have written about in the past and will continue to write about even though they often seem to be a lost cause.
n Climate change: It would be difficult this month, following the inconclusive conclusion of the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, to not write about climate change. The one thing that did happen was an unofficial agreement that it was dangerous to mess with the status quo, even though the status quo is what got us into this predicament in the first place.
Mainstream journalism does not do their job on this topic, choosing to make the story about a made-up controversy over e-mails rather than about the facts that any observant being can see all around us. Environmental organizations do not make it easier to get the story right, with their focus on far-off fauna and polar bears floating on a melting ice pack in the Arctic. Had they focused on the fact that many insects are now able to have an additional generation each year in a warming climate, a fact that threatens our food supply, we may have paid more attention.
Still, with every new piece of scientific evidence making a stronger case for man-caused climate change linked to the emissions of greenhouse gasses, primarily CO2 and methane, the American public’s assessment of the situation is diverging from the facts that are noted. Most climate scientists will admit to error, but the errors we have been seeing are those that arose from underestimating the effects rather than over-hyping what they had documented earlier.
n Water planning: California may or may not be coming out of a drought. Even with the heavy rains we’ve had, we are tracking only slightly above normal in a year with a moderately strong El Niño. If that continues, we may have a normal year but with depleted reservoir levels, not return to normal. That is only one part of the problem.
Maybe a more important issue deals with ground water, the way we measure it (or don’t) and what we have done over the years. Un-restricted pumping of groundwater leads inevitably to subsidence, a sinking of the ground when the earth settles into the space where water used to be. We should know all about the area around Alviso, now below sea level. We may not be as familiar with subsidence in the San Joaquin Valley where 28 feet of subsidence was documented by 1977 and they have not stopped pumping it yet.
Groundwater is important for California and yet, the legislation that came out of the special session of the Legislature this fall only “mandates” groundwater monitoring but is unenforceable, unfunded and mostly relies on volunteerism with no recourse when well owners fail to volunteer. It was a costly charade that must be exposed and the situation corrected.
Then comes the question of paying for groundwater. We know that the Santa Clara Valley Water District spends money to recharge the aquifer under South County. We also know that their accounting has been questionable, that they have been charged with double dipping and that they lost a lawsuit over a violation of the state constitution.
n Health care: The legislation that passed the two houses of Congress still needs to be reconciled so we don’t know what will eventually happen with it. With either version, I would classify it as the health insurance equivalent of the banking system bailout we experienced last year with the exception that the banks are having to pay the money back. It is worth noting that on the day that the Senate passed their version of the health care bill, health insurance company stocks reached a 52 week high.
Legislation SB 810 introduced by Mark Leno would provide for universal coverage in California, but might not be legal if the House version of the U.S. health care bill forms the basis for reconciliation. I get angina every time I hear a politician label ours the best health care system in the world. It may be the most expensive: David Brooks opined on New Hour that it is headed toward more than 20 percent of GDP and our outcomes are not as good as many other countries.
n Green Party: Some tell me that the Green Party is a lost cause. It’s numbers are in decline and Democrats are running as the small-g “green party.” Even the always-endorse-a-Democrat, the California League of Conservation Voters has co-opted the brand and put up a Web site called GreenGov2010.org.
Still, if I look at the issues above, the Green Party is on the correct side of each, supporting the use of basic climate science in determining how to provide for our energy future, defining a management process for water basin oriented water planning and supporting true health care reform either through SB 810 or another method should Congress decide that they can’t allow states to do what is best for their citizens.
So, maybe the sum of all of these lost causes is just enough to keep me going.
Wes Rolley is a Morgan Hill artist and concerned citizen. He is Co-chairman of the EcoAction Committee, Green Party.
