Denver, Colorado--In the land of the blind, a one-eyed man becomes king! In an insane asylum, a rational person with common sense cannot survive. In Colorado, lucid thought flies the way of the carrier pigeon! (Now extinct) Rational actions by our leaders plod slower than a mud turtle on his way to Texas!
Often, I scratch my head concerning the actions of others that make no sense. In a recent filler piece by Denver Post writer Mike McPhee, “Ritter, Hickenlooper shed their jackets to save on energy costs”, Thursday, June 5, 2009, I found myself laughing, crying and gurgling in my own “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” descent into madness.
To give you some perspective on our leaders, three years ago, former President Bush, with no da Vinci or Einstein mental capacity, let alone the common sense of a 6th grader, told the nation, “…in 10 years, we will cut our use of foreign oil by 10 percent with bio-fuel, hybrids and conservation.” He neglected to share with the American public that in that decade, we would add 30 million people. Therefore, no amount of hybrids, conservation or bio-fuels would be able to cut our oil consumption by 10 percent. In fact, it would rise by 20 percent at the minimum.
As history will amply validate, George W. Bush will be likened to “The Straw man” in the “Wizard of Oz.” At least the Straw Man found a brain!
But, back to Denver. Ritter and the “Looper” encourage conservation by shedding their ties!
“It’s time to take off those ties, shed those jackets and dress a little more casual at the office,” Hickenlooper said. “Turning up the thermostat and turning down the air conditioning in the summer is a simple, effective way to cut costs by using less energy and promote sustainability at the same time.”
Ritter said, “Government wants to lead by example and show every day that we are serious about saving taxpayer dollars, conserving energy and protecting environment.”
Balderdash! Hogwash! Carp! Twaddle! Drivel!
How do we get back to Kansas, Toto?
By the end of this year, another 100,000 people will have been added to Colorado. All conservation efforts will be negated and made far worse by that increase. Within 30 years, we can expect to add three million and up to four million more people to Colorado. You could take off your ties or pretend you’re working at a nudist camp at the Capitol Building, but that won’t solve the core problem!
Can you think of other ideas that will actually work? When will we think out of the box? When will we get realistic? When will we grow a brain like the Straw Man? Or, gain courage like the Lion Man? Or, engage our hearts like the Tin Man?
We need leaders that think beyond the moment! Otherwise, leaders like Bush, Ritter and Hickenlooper feed us fluff while they sit around their offices sweating like a bunch of businessmen in a steam sauna! Not a pretty picture!
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