Newspaper Page Text
EARTH
continued from previoui page
acknowledge that, and plan for it, and assist
those workers and assist those companies in the
transition to solar and other renewable energy
technologies, or we can try and hold back the
flood and watch it eventually burst the dam, and
make those people drown.
The irony is. American firms happen to be
leaders in the energy efficient industry. You'd
never know it by how we behave in the U.S., but
firms like Honeywell and Allied Signal are
leaders, and they could be making lots of money
right now in countries like China while also
helping the planet at the same time. If Congress
and the White House were smart, they would
start cutting deals with China. Instead of
sending them militarily sensitive nuclear and
satellite technology, we should be sending them
environmentally sensible energy-efficient tech
nology. Environmental conditions could change a
lot if there were active and engaged leadership
in the world. We could take
China's commitment to
reducing energy con
sumption and say,
“Weil double it,
make jt 40 percent.
Well finance the
deals." That could
change things a lot.
FP: How do you address the powerful capacity
of members of Congress to
protect their state's
interests — particv-
larly the fossil fuel
states with small populations
like Montana and Oklahoma, which exercise as
much power as states with many times the popu
lation?
MH: You just have to go out and organize.
You have to build a political constituency in
favor of the shift. We re seeing that now, I think,
in the global warming fight, with the building of
coalitions of firms who are going to benefit from
the transition. You have to organize the compa
nies along with the unions, and say to the
unions, "Your guys are going to get re-trained
for the jobs created by the shift to solar."
FP: If you've got enough money to re-tram
them and the jobs We've got a lot of evidence
that the welfare to work shift is not producing
living wage jobs
MH: That's because the welfare to work shift
doesn't create, or even try to create additional
jobs for people, the way the global green deal
would. One of the most hopeful developments in
this regard has happened in Germany, where the
red/gTeen coalition is pushing through a tax
reform where carbon taxes — on coal, gasoline,
et cetera — will be increased 2.5 percent.
Simultaneously, there is a 2.5 percent reduc
tion in payroll and investment taxes. So you're
taxing the things you don't want — pollution
and greenhouse gases — and you're using that
money to encourage the things you do want: job
programs for coal workers, retraining for gas sta
tion owners, and so forth. The problem here in
the United States is that Max Bacus (Senator
from Montana) is going to be carrying water for
the coal people, and the oil industry is going to
be running their ads about no need to worry
about climate change and that diverts the
debate. As far as how to deal with that, I'm afraid
I don't have anything terribly original to say. Of
course you've got to have campaign finance
reform, and you've got to do that patient, local
political organizing and just get out there and
beat them. Remember, we've got a two-thirds
majority agreeing with us on this stuff.
Parenthetically speaking, one of the things
you leam while traveling around the world on
this kind of investigation is that the U.S. is the
only advanced industrial
country where there's this
notion that there's any
real debate about global
warming. You go to Germany
or Bntain and everyone from
the business press on the
right to the Greenpeace
types on the left
acknowledges
that there's global
warming. There is
debate — about
how tc fix it, and how
fast — but the idea itself is about as controver
sial as the second law of thermodynamics. The
idea that global warming remains a mere theory
is almost entirely a creation of the propaganda
campjhgns of the coal and gas interests in this
country, reinforced by the connivance or at least
gullibility of the media.
FP: In “Earth Odyssey," you write: “Hope is
the foundation of action. “ So how do we find that
hope?
MH: I look at our strengths, the fact that we
do have a two-thuds majority. I look at exam
ples like Vaclav Havel. If anybody had the excuse
to give up because things looked hopeless, it was
Havel during the cold war. But of course he
didr't give up and in the end he tnumphed.
Havel says, "It's a mistake to ever worry about
the likely consequences of a given political
action, because while a certain action might lead
to nothing, what will surely lead to nothing is
not taking any action at all." ©
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cm' PAGES
continued from page 5
legislation will not be going forward to
change to non-partisan elections," according
to Representative Keith Heard.
Heard was the swing vote. The Athens-
Clarke County legislative delegation, which
met Monday afternoon, requires unanimity
on “local legislation" among its members —
Senator Paul Broun and Representatives
Louise McBee, Ralph Hudgens and Heard.
The other legislators were apparently willing
to introduce local legislation allowing a refer
endum on non-partisan elections, but Heard
held out. and the legislation will not be intro
duced. (The General Assembly will routinely
pass any legislation that has the unanimous
backing of the local delegation.)
Heard said Monday evening that he feels
the change from partisan (political party
related) elections to non-partisan is a “major
change in our charter.” and that an
upcoming charter review commission
should consider other possible changes
along with this one and have them all voted
on at the same time.
“I'm not saying not to do this." Heard
said. “Just why rush it through?"
“ This is an off-year." Heard said. “That's
not going to get the people out."
Rep. McBee echoed Heard in saying that
none of the delegation had had very much
contact from constituents about non-par
tisan elections. Although McBee was willing
to let the legislation go forward, she says
she doesn’t feel as strongly as some of the
other members of the delegation.
“1 understand both sides," she said. “The
first time I ran (in an election to fill an unex
pired term) I ran non-partisan. Some argue
that the people are not informed on this sub
ject. Well, it’s up to us to see that they are
informed, and I would always go for the
people having the say on this."
Mayor Doc Eldridge said Monday evening.
“Representative Heard has shut the door on
a referendum." Eldridge had made a motion
two years ago as a commissioner that mayor
and commission elections be non-partisan.
That vote split five-five with then-Mayor
Gwen O’Looney breaking the tie with a no
vote. This time around the commission split
again and Eldridge broke the tie in favor of
asking the legislative delegation to introduce
the non-partisan legislation.
“I’m not surprised, but I am disap
pointed." Eldridge said. “It would have been
better for the referendum to be voted on in
an off year, when it wouldn’t get bogged
down in election-year politics. It could have
been put to bed faster; this way it will con
tinue to be a hot issue after every election."
(Pete McCommons)
LITTLE GUY
continued from page 6
3. Power rates — Through a quirk in reg
ulation. residents get a low rate and big
users get a volume discount or even have a
choice of providers, creating a competitive
rate. Small businesses are left in the middle
with the highest rates.
4. The last item gets off track a little, but
indirectly has served to damage the Clarke
County business environment. That is the
continual removal of property from the tax
base. This should be stopped tomorrow.
This last one reaches past small busi
ness fc every landow’ner and tenant in
Athens. The property tax of each business
or individual increases with each piece
removed. UGA’s argument might be that
they would just be paying themselves.
While this is true. Clarke County residents
as a group pay for this instead of the whole
state Non-profits provide invaluable ser
vices to the community, but we should be
able to select the ones we support. We also
unknowingly do this to ourselves when we
ask the Clarke County government to buy
up properties for various reasons.
Now with the addition of a new Wal-Mart
on the Eastside, an entire day can be spent
touring the Athens perimeter deciding who
has the lowest price on an S89 VCR. At
least we are not guilty of offering them tax
advantages to locate in Clarke County, as
many counties have done.
I think that is enough! Certainly every
one of the services I feel could use some
change are also the services that have
worked to make it possible for small busi
ness to flourish in Athens. After 25 years
of retail in Athens. I wouldn’t consider
going anywhere else, and certainly for
every item that needs to be changed
there’s something that has been done to
enhance small businesses. The survival of
downtown. Five Points and Beechwood are
a tribute to a community that recognizes
and enjoys neighborhoods and friends'.
The momentum over the Five Points
Eckerd just needs to be kept up so we can
take a few more people to Hodgsons for
IceCream.
Gene Dixon
Dixon is the owner of Dixon s Bicycles on
West Broad Street
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