> >
> > I've always thought this accusation against the US, that it, being a
> > minority of the worlds population but uses a majority of the resources
and
> > produces a majority of the waste, was meant to pander to envy of and
anger
> > against the US.
>
> No, it's just pointing out that developed countries make more of a
> mess than undeveloped countries. And that we have a responsibility as
> global citizens to look at the mess we're making, and do our best to
> reduce it. That's all.
>
Developed countries do not make more of a mess than undeveloped countries.
The US has done way more than it's share to prevent and clean up pollution.
Developing countries would benefit from paying the price now to reduce
pollution rather than waiting until they were "developed"..... and then
cleaning up the mess.
> >
> >
> > Ironically, it's the US that has led the way in cleaning up industry
> > emissions and auto emissions.
>
> I would have thought it was places like some Scandinavian countries
> and Germany that have led the way in cleaning up industry emissions.
> California probably leads the way in cleaning up auto emissions, I'd
> guess.
>
I'm sure they do. But the US had to start preventing pollution decades ago
as the industrial revolution took hold and pollution began to be a problem.
Whatever the Swedes and Germans do, the Americans are no slackers when it
comes to pollution controls. They've been leaders. Unfortunately, the
environmental extremists go too far. Their agenda goes beyond clean air and
clean water and the like.
> > The tax the US places on it's own economy in
> > striving for clean air and clean water is enormous.
>
> If you want to maintain your strong economy, it makes sense, too.
> There is a strong correlation between fresh water supplies and
> strength of the economy, worldwide.
>
> > Finding newer
> > technologies to reduce or illiminate pollution is great, but there's
> > currently nothing that can replace oil as a source of energy without
killing
> > the world economy.
>
> Well, totally replace? Yeah, you're right. We can, however, use the
> oil we have more efficiently, and use alternative sources where
> possible.
> >
Agreed.
> > And like it or not, it's the power of the US economy that has protected
the
> > world from despotism... from the Nazis and from the Communists. And now
> > from Islamic extremists. They are more dangerous than Nazis or
Communists
> > because they understand that destroying the US economy is what will give
> > them the ability to push back and defeat the "infidel" west and impose
an
> > Islamic empire. If you're looking for greed, look there.
>
> Yeah, yeah, yeah...
> At the risk of going off on a BIG tangent, keep in mind it was a US
> foreign policy (concentrated on stamping out Communism) that lost
> sight of the long term picture, putting Islamic extremists into the
> positions of power that they now have. If you're looking for
> solutions to the Islamic extremist problem, look to the sources of the
> troubles first. Still, this is getting so far OT, that I probably
> won't respond further to that particular issue here. Feel free to
> email me if you want a little donnybrook over that one! 
Don't worry about that! These megathreads have a life of their own and only
those who care participate; everyone else ignores us. I can state my
opinion on this matter rather succinctly.
Say what you want about US foreign policy against Communism or supporting
Israel or whatever, the Islamic extremists only have power to threaten us
because of oil and proliferation of WMD. If the world didn't need middle
east oil or if terrorists only had car bombs, there wouldn't be this war on
terror.
>
> Cheers,
> Steve
