I like Green Inc.

Working with high school debate kids, we focus on certain questions that are momentous in the world today and often controversial in the way that both sides have compelling cases. Like Michael Valentine Smith from Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Hienlen, I personally find the detailed and momentous examination of microcosms of our ethics and values, such as Nuclear vs. Oil vs. Green Technologies, to be the most compelling of issues lately.

Technology is a reflection of our culture. Take basket weaving; how often have you heard of basket weaving being derided as a pariah of the uselessness of higher education? Yet, historically, basket weaving is highly prized for its economical practicality and also lauded as a measuring stick of comparative Anthropology. But, for all our recent technology, we find so many containers sold in the cheapest stores in America are more expensive than what weaving a basket would cost. Further, plastics are non-biodegradable petroleum derivatives, and worse, we're not so sure that microwaving genetically modified processed food in plastic doesn't cause cancer or Alzhiemer's (etc.)

We're happy being unsafe as long as it is convenient. Tragically, the real world forces that try to tear apart our peace and prosperity (I'm referring here to human nature in aggregate, not pointing fingers at some conveniently ethereal, ideological, "other" enemy) are not only opposing viewpoints, but the sum of judgments against us. In other words, we can't tra-la-la through our day pretending that we live in a bubble - everything we do becomes us and is reflected back to us. This phenomenon of karma only increases as our information concentration increases. After all, if we cover the country roads with billboards, then the view from the road will be of an artistic facade which obscures the real nature of a country. Any regular passenger or driver of a car on such a road would have no knowledge of alternate truths (see Plato's The Cave). So through the aggregate of our media do we paint the truth we cling to; so we create the ladder we climb on.

I contend that Nuclear Power is unsafe, that Green technologies are a coming sign of the First Great Worldwide Consumer Reformation, and that anti-socialist/anti-union sentiments in the United States stand in the way of defeating Corporatism in the name of humankind. However, I believe the Free Market (such as it is) will build as many nuclear plants as is economically sustainable - given the rising demand of power, we could tax the development of nuclear plants and the revenue of such plants, and many plants still would be build by private interests. This is assuming of course that we remove other barriers to building plants. Our tax of these industries could fund oversight, research, and regulation of the admitted evils of Nuclear waste and Nuclear proliferation. Meanwhile, those two negative aspects will be kept minimal through federal levies on nuclear power.

Innovation is the Platinum core of progress. Our country clearly craves change. The second step in this infinite journey is latching on to new ideas while balancing the ideal benefits of the past - every new idea we embrace is saying 'yes' to the question of step 1 - can we change?