LowCarbonHome.info » Politics/Voting

VOTE!!!!!!!

Seamus Ford — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 12:26:09 +0000

With the Future of your planet and economy in mind. Vote and make sure that everyone you know votes today!

Today, November 4th, is Election Day! Remember to vote—not just for Barack Obama, but for Congressional, state, and local candidates as well.

Where and when do I vote?

Find your polling place, voting times, and other important information by checking out these sites and the hotline below. These resources are good, but not perfect. To be doubly sure, you can also contact your local elections office.

Obama’s VoteForChange site: voteforchange.com
League of Women Voters’ site: vote411.org/pollfinder.php
Obama’s voter hotline: 877-US4-OBAMA (877-874-6226)

What should I do before I go?

After you’ve entered your address on either Vote For Change or Vote411, read the voting instructions and special rules for your state.
Voting ID laws vary from state to state, but if you have ID, bring it.
Check out all the voting myths and misinformation to look out for: http://truth.voteforchange.com/

What if something goes wrong?

Not on the voter list? Make sure you’re at the right polling place, then demand a provisional ballot.
If you’re voting on an electronic machine with a paper record, verify that the record is accurate.
Need legal help? Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE.
If you encounter a problem, try to videotape the situation and submit it to VideoTheVote.org

Want to do more?

Text all of your friends: “Vote Obama today! Pass it on!”
Make calls from home for Obama.

Now, everybody go vote!!!

John McCain’s awful environmental record

gadfly — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 19:04:42 +0000

Joseph Romm’s post at Salon today, pretty much sums it up as “John McCain’s Hot Air“.The Sales & Marketing folks that have bombarded the US with McCain = Maverick pitch have only helped themselves rake in cash. The rest of us are left holding the bag – and believe me we don’t know what’s in that bag. However, for starters we can reasonably tell that pollution, environmental rape, run-off and helping the oil companies screw us over royally for the next two generations are well placed in that bag.Pour yourself a strong coffee and head over to Salon for this piece. If you are like me, you will be disheartened by McCain’s performance. Hopefully, like me – you will reach out to someone and make sure that they know – and remember this when they vote.- gadflyThis is post from the author of the National Gadfly

Energy Independence and the Domestic Drilling Con Job

Seamus Ford — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 15:47:12 +0000

During John Mcain’s recent acceptance speech, there were periodic interruptions where the crowd could be heard chanting “Drill Baby Drill!”. The implication during the convention was that we are are addicted to foreign oil and if the damn environmentalists had not controlled congress in the 1970s and passed all kinds of restrictive legislation we might not be in the situation we are in.

A recent drop in the price of oil concurring with the lifting of the ban on off shore drilling by President Bush might seem to indicate that off shore drilling might help bring down the price of gas in North America. If there is a connection, it is dubious at best. When people are chanting “Drill Baby Drill”, what they are actually referring to is exploration not tapping immediately available oil.

The fact is that we been at plateau in global oil production of about 85.5 million barrels perday since 2005. Most energy analysts and experts in the field say that the remaining oil in North America will be increasingly difficult to get at. A case in point is the Alberta Tar Sands project that after more than a decade of development still requires more energy to produce than it provides.

This upcoming US election is perhaps the most important in the history of the world. Already history making for the age, gender and ancestry of the people involved, it is the one where the choices that are made will have permanent consequences. That is not being dramatic. The long term future of the US economy and it’s dynamic ability to create jobs and prosperity is not guaranteed. The United States not only behind in the development of a post oil infrastructure, it is out of shape and unmotivated.

The world needs the United States to participate in the leadership of the coming Green Economy. It needs our still dynamic, innovative outside the box thinking to address the global challenge of keeping all of our economies going while we are making this transition to life after oil.

Maybe the bigger legacy of the environmental legislation of the 1970′s is not that it protects our natural treasures, but that it will bring about the true potential of the US economy to create prosperity and quality of life for each of us.

New Thinking on Climate Change — Al Gore Speaking at the Ted Conference

Seamus Ford — Sat, 10 May 2008 01:57:28 +0000

Changing light bulbs is great and we should do it. It is only the beginning however. Much more is going to be required from us. Check out Al Gore presenting at the 2008 TED conference in Monterrey CA.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Take the time to watch this. This is a time of ever increasing personal responsibility.

How Relevant Will the Next President Be To the Environment

Seamus Ford — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 04:55:09 +0000

Environmentalist and Chief

No matter whom you vote for in 2008 and whether you believe it or not, you are voting for the environment

It would seem obvious, that the most powerful political leader in the world would have the biggest single impact on the environment.

Certainly there are many who would like to rightly put the blame for the current climate crisis on President Bush and those who voted for him. (If you are someone who still supports him, please don’t be offended by what follows) Whether it is nepotistic appointments to the EPA and Department of the Interior, or just the open access big energy has had to this administration, it is clear that the President has the power to damage the environment.

How much power does he really have to heal it?

A multitude of forces far greater than executive branch of our government are at work against the environment. These forces include our collective and unexamined habits. How relevant will the next President be to the environment? As of July 2007 there are nearly 20 viable candidates running for president. As you look for the candidate you are going to vote for in 2008, regardless of your party affiliation, there are basic perspectives that you should evaluate from.

1) Climate Change: whether you accept that it is caused by human activity or not, it is already effecting you and it is unquestoinably going to profoundly effect your childrens future.

2) Energy Independence: Wether it is the War on Terror or economic stability, it is vital to America’s future. This does not however mean wasting money on attempting to get to domestic sources of fossil fuels. That is literally a waste of time and money. What it does mean is renewable energy and energy conservation.

3) Energy Innovation: America is at a fork in the road. While the last century was America’s the current one is not going to be. China will soon have the world’s largest economy and India is likely to surpass

America too. Post 9/11

America closed the door on a lot of the world’s brightest minds at a time when those minds are going to be applied to the looming energy crisis.

America’s advantage has always been her innovation, creativity and ingenuity. Solving this looming energy crisis will quite likely be a bigger global economic engine than even the internet. The next president is going to need the vision and commitment to see that America is a relevant player.

America’s relevance in the coming world economy is far from guaranteed. Just like the GI bill built the suburbs, the next president is going to have to get behind policies that create strong incentive and opportunities at the level of individual. In short, the next president is going to have to think outside the box that most of the country has been inside of up until now. With this in mind here are some resources you can use to evaluate your candidates. Democrat: MoveOn.org or SeacoastNRG.org. Republican: SeacoastNRG.org. Again–No matter whom you vote for in 2008 and whether you believe it or not, you are voting for the environment.