Equality of Misery
Posted By Russ Emerson on May 20, 2008 at 1:21 pm
At Hot Air yesterday, Allahpundit noted:
A winning campaign slogan if ever there was one: You’re going on a diet.
Pitching his message to Oregon’s environmentally-conscious voters, Obama called on the United States to “lead by example” on global warming, and develop new technologies at home which could be exported to developing countries.
“We can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times … and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK,” Obama said.
“That’s not leadership. That’s not going to happen,” he added.
Obama wants us to tighten our belts, and overlooks the fact that the U.S. already leads by example, already develops new technologies. Only prosperous societies such as ours have the extra energy to spend on worrying about the environment. Subsistence-level farmers in, for instance, sub-Saharan Africa can’t be bothered, when their main motivation is simply to avoid starving.
My question, however, is: who cares what other countries say? Since when do they get a veto over our lifestyle?
Obama apparently wishes that our way of life was more like that of other (read: poorer) countries. If he’s given the reins of power, I’ve no doubt we’ll get that opportunity.
In the meantime, I think today I’ll go for a drive in my big-ass pickup truck, stop at Hardee’s — it’s only about 10 miles out of my way — for a monster burger, and when I get home I’ll turn my thermostat down from 74 to 72, just to irk some other country. It’s my patriotic duty.
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