Voting literally took about as long as it will take you to watch this, and NC has now heard two more voices during this all important election. Seriously… get out there, or cram it next time you want to complain about gas prices, food prices, school systems or transportation. :) Happy Tuesday Voting!
I am going “there” to let you know how I feel about all this talk from Hillary Clinton and John McCain about a gas tax holiday. I think it’s ridiculous. Yep. I went there.
We are within 24 hours of voting in the primary elections, and for the first time in ages, NC has an opinion that the entire nation actually cares to hear. When’s the last time that happened, eh?
What I think much of the US fails to know about NC is that we are an incredibly complex little state. A state that is much bigger than people give us credit for, with a tremendous population boom that has no end in sight.
On top of our tremendously growing population, we are a diverse people, mixed heavily of all different nationalities, backgrounds, religions and socio-economic standings.
We have farmers fighting for their due credit, respect and compensation. We have growing energy concerns and a couple major nuclear plants. We have the hub of technology and education that is the Triangle and the hub of finance that is the Charlotte Metropolitan area. We have a dying furniture and textile industry, leaving many babyboomers without job stability or adequate retirement. We have tremendous transportation issues, from whether and how to create efficient mass transit, to making roads safer for bicyclers, to severe droughts and infrastructure issues for such growth, to housing and building and bridge concerns, to reducing emissions and commute times for our residents.
And those are just tidbits of all that NC is but has yet to be fully recognized for.
After hearing a variety of arguments in many directions, I do not see how having a gas tax holiday (if they could even get congress and the President to back it) is helping working-class Americans, as so many NC residents are. Don’t bother thinking I am also “out of touch” or “elitist”. I myself am from two working-class American families that have worked far too hard to have earned as little as they do.
I found this clip on 2sides2ron that really highlights why I think that supply and demand are all the evidence we need to see that a gas tax holiday is a short-term relief for a large-scale problem… and in reality, the bandage will only make the problem worse.
So get out there tomorrow and VOTE, no matter whether you agree with me or not… or don’t complain. Don’t complain about immigration. Don’t complain about our factories closing down and getting shipped overseas. And don’t complain about how much you are paying at the pump.
My friends Jake and Anna have done an AMAZING job looking through NC Assembly laws, on the books or in the works, and highlighted the top 20 on greening our state responsibly.
Check out their finds across four separate posts: NC Assembly Part 1, NC Assembly Part 2, NC Assembly Part 3 and NC Assembly Part 4
My favorites from the posts are:
18. Senate Bill 948 - Small Dairy Sustainability
This bill would allow for consumers to contract with local farmers to become partial or complete owners of dairy animals. The original edition of this one was just to allow for people to contract with local farmers to buy fresh milk, but it turned into the current bill that would allow consumers to buy into a local farm to get fresh milk, it now would also require a health warning of the dangers of raw milk, but the nature remains the same. It would allow for small dairy farmers to stay afloat, and for people to support and take part in local agriculture and give themselves a local food source.17. House Bill 618/Senate Bill 671 - Eat Smart…Move More Initiative
This would provide a budget of $3,000,000 for the next two years for to promote community environments that would support physical activity, healthy lifestyles and personal well-being.3. Senate Bill 927/House Bill 1073 - Green School Construction Loan Fund/Program
This basically allows for schools to get no interest loans for the purpose of green constructions or renovations. With the number of schools going up in the state every year (especially Wake County) there is no reason why they shouldn’t be building as green as they can, and this would help them cover a lot of those costs.10. Senate Bill 1149 - Use of Biodiesel on School Buses
This bill would allow $5,000,000 for grants to NC public schools for production of biofuels to be used to run school buses.11. Senate Bill 141/House Bill 1117 - Topsail Beach/Beach Renourishment funds
This would provide $2,000,000 to the town of Topsail Beach for use in beach renourishment.
All in all, it’s really interesting to see what our state is working on, and for the full 20 that the Green Home HQ picked out, check out the posts!
The NC State Board of Elections sent out the 2008 NC Primary Voter Guide last week, and I wanted to bring to your attention that our NC Primary Election will be May 6. In order to vote in the much-hyped North Carolina election, you MUST register in your current address, and you MUST have it postmarked or delivered in person by 5 pm on Friday, 11th April 2008.
Check out the North Carolina State Board of Elections for all the information you need.
Random fact I learned on the NC SBOE page: North Carolina has WAY more democrats registered to vote than republicans (2.5 million registered democrats and less than 2 million registered republicans). I did not expect that.
Check out the NC Center for Voter Education for other great information, podcasts and interactive information for us, the general public.
Check out NC-Politics - Triangle for links to local media, news and political blogs (from both citizens and elected officials). Great resource, and if you know of other links, you can add them.
Why do I push politics on a green blog? Because the differences we make start at home and educating ourselves on the candidates ~ regarding sustainability, education, energy, human rights or otherwise ~ will be what shapes our society’s future, far more than just bickering about who’s running for President.
Truly, if you want national change to happen, you have to pay attention to who’s running here in NC.
Do you want more focus on railways between Charlotte, the Triad and the Triangle? Do you want Sharon Harris to stay a primary energy source, or do you want to see wind turbines in rural fields? How do you feel about the decline of farming, tobacco or otherwise, in NC? Do you feel we should tap into more domestic oil reserves, grow more corn and switchgrass fields, or focus money toward hydrogen technology?
Our State representatives often voice what they feel is best for both our state and nation, and if you don’t vote locally or don’t know which candidates carry your political sentiments, forget seeing changes that you agree with, in your backyard or nationally.