Thursday, December 20, 2007

A New State Motto

On the way to work this morning I heard a depressing bit of news on our local public radio station: Michigan's governor desperately wants the state to become a leader in alternative energy technologies and supportive industries, but until there is actually a regional demand for such technologies, Michigan is likely to fall behind states with proactive, mandated alternative energy initiatives. Unsurprisingly, progress in this area is being blocked by a variety of special interests who like things just fine the way they are and who don't want to be forced to invest in future technology.

When I ponder this corporate attitude, plus the fact that Michigan is constantly at or falling toward the bottom of numerous citizen health lifestyle and quality of life indices, I wonder if we shouldn't change our state motto from "If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look around you" to "Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life."

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Oh, I wouldn't worry about it. Those states (like Calif.) that DO have proactive, mandated alternative energy intiatives will shot down by the Fed anyway. Like the new legis. passed in Calif. that would mandate specific improvements in emission standards in vehicles sold in Calif. by 2009, it was thrown out by-- get this-- the EPA who have a weaker mandate set to take place 11 years later-- 2020. Calif. has had higher air quality standards for decades, which is how we were able to clean up our smog. Generally the EPA has reacted kinda favorably to the whole idea of cleaning up the air, that sort of thing-- you know, being the Environmental Protection Agency and all. But not this time.

I thought Republicans were supposed to be all about states' rights and the Fed. not overstepping it's bounds? I guess that only goes as long as it doesn't interfere with, oh, Texas oil interests perhaps?