This past Labor Day I saw on the Television news a commercial for people to stop barbequing because the smoke and fumes would endanger the environment. What next are these people going to say? Quit celebrating the 4th of July and no more Christmas or Thanksgiving because we are wasting gas, energy and our strength on holidays and other family fun? I have come to the conclusion these people have too much time on their hands and need real jobs.
When first noted the think tanks in large businesses it was in the nineteen sixties. I have often thought did the people who invested in this theory realize what they would eventually create? I remember in the late sixties and early seventies the think tanks were flourishing. I had a remodeling job at IBM near Boulder Colorado. We worked mostly above the ceiling in the crawl spaces that were eight feet high above the ceiling. We could easily get around up there because there was lots room to install conduits and cable for phones and computer cables.
When we had to come down with pipes into rooms to connect into the new systems that were being installed, we would remove ceiling tile and the view of the room below was visible. Office after office we opened the ceilings above these offices. Each office we found almost the same thing. A guy or gal sitting at their desk eyes closed and appearing to be sleeping.
When we came down to enter the room to tie the work together we would always knock on the door so as not to surprise anyone. Only a very few times did the person in the room say, “Enter.” We would open the door slightly and look inside. They just stayed in their trance or sleeping which ever they were doing. When we began to make noise working they would open their eyes and look around then ask what we were doing. The long explanation of what we were doing took place.
Now I don’t know how much money these people were making but whatever they were making it was too much. We got to know some of those people and they swore they were thinking about a certain problem they were working on with the other members of their team. I’m not in business now and I realize thinking and consternating on problems helps solving them. But for me if I had a problem that needed this type of attention I would take it to bed with me and in the morning it was usually solved.
This is the world today. People are paid to sit around and think. They come up with the ideas of ways to expose to the public their theories, whether good or bad, and the possible effect these ideas will have on society. Congress receives their information after it has been screened by specialists, like the Ralph Naders, who determines the effect on the environment or upon life. Then congress passes a law to protect the world from disaster number umpteen million. Now that sounds crazy but how do these people come up with this stuff. We have to stop cooking and barbecuing because we are endangering the environment?
I’m not sure my mind can really gather that idea. Volcanos spout off hoards of gas and smoke into the air. When do these thinkers demand Mother Nature stop spitting her waste into the environment? I’m sure if congress thought they could enforce a law on Mother Nature they would pass one. I realize Mother Nature has her own way of solving problems. It usually is to eliminate the problems or those creating the problems.
The ice caps are melting. Yes they are and why? They tell us we are causing this problem. Really, because we are driving cars and burning gas, causing nasty emissions into the air? Okay but how come this has happened before. The ice age was caused by what? It must have been the cave men cooking on open fires. Do we need to start buying boats so we can escape the next great flood? Where is Noah when we really need him?
I’m sorry folks, but all of this panic is too much for my simple mind to deal with. Our society has more serious problems to deal with than the listing of the environmentalist sending ideas to congress to turn into laws, anything to distract the public from the real problems. What happens when this country faces the Constitutional crisis that is looming on the horizon? If we don’t pay attention we will become like Rome and everything goes up in smoke. Once Rome was a great nation, powerful and mighty but now just a blurb in history. Maybe we should take a lesson from history and evaluate our in-house conditions.
The problem of this generation of Americans is apathy. We don’t get involved enough with the things that matter. We listen to radio and television and think the news has the key to our problems. No they don’t, they too listen to the environmentalist prophesies of doom and gloom and fall for the diversion. Some people think there is a conspiracy going on in the world. Well maybe, but if people would live right, meaning do the right things for the right reasons, it wouldn’t take long before it would straighten out.
How many murders go on every day in this country and in the world? How many people in this country don’t have enough to eat or are suffering because they are poor and hungry? Think over-taxing the rich will solve that problem? Some might say a doomsday tax. Will the poor and the hungry ever get any of this tax money if it is levied?
The only way for that and other problems to get solved is people begin to care for people. Now think about that. When people know others are in need and don’t care, then our society is headed for problems. I’m really disgusted with government when they tell us the rich need to be humbled. Maybe the government needs to be humbled. Did you notice when we were having our financial crisis, when congress noticed it, they gave themselves an increase in wages? Well I ask, who the hell does the government think they are?
When we allow our government to make these types of decisions and carry them out, we are destined for a terrible fall. Remember one thing, if you don’t care for what I am saying. This nation is a free society and that means no one can force us to do good or be caring or not, or to be prejudiced. Laws can’t change one person’s heart to want to do good, if it tries then that is force, and that becomes tyranny.
I learned freedom cannot be legislated. It comes from those who are free and care about others enough to give them help to be free. We need a change of heart but that cannot be forced. We must have the will and determination to do it ourselves. I’m afraid that in time, our freedoms will be a memory and force will be standard way to invoke the law or rules of a society gone power crazy. If we fail to see our weakness and adjust or change, then this free society fails also.
PUFF up in smoke!