You didn't think this would be easy, did you?

Been thinking long and hard after being asked "what can we do about the fact that the EPA seems destined for dissolution"... Here's what I am thinking: This election (at it's core) is about one thing: MONEY. It's about the haves, grabbing everything they can and not caring at all about the have-nots. The dismantling of the EPA at it's core is about the fossil fuel and chemical industries wanting to keep the billions of dollars they currently spend fighting against regulation (and buying votes) in their own pockets. So the answer isn't going to be easy, but it's the only way to have a real impact. Hit them in their wallets. It will mean changing the way you transport yourself: driving less or not at all. It will mean reevaluating what type of energy you consume. It will mean not patronizing companies that are complicit in this. It will mean if you have investments, divesting from all fossil fuel ties (or if you have a pension, lobbying to get them to divest--a great resource is: https://gofossilfree.org/). It will mean taking a long hard look at how you consume products and food because it all connects back to the consumption of oil. Will it be easy? Absolutely not, but you really don't want them to win this easily, do you?

t-t-t-too much time on my hands

 I’m not gonna lie, I’ve got a bit of free time on my hands right now…and considering I’ve been off work for about 2 months, I’m trying to keep my cash outlay low. That said, what I’m about to reveal is not for financial gain, but more of trying to keep my community clean and get a bit of exercise at the same time. Here in Maine we have a bizarre littering problem. Every state has litter, but for some reason, my state feels the need to throw all of their recyclable cans and bottles out the car window. I can’t find the logic behind it (and even more disturbing is the fact that 80% of those cans and bottles are alcohol related). This is strange because we have a bottle deposit law here which means, you paid that .05 cent deposit when you bought the beverage so throwing it out the window is literally throwing away a nickel. (I know for a fact my fellow Mainers need those nickels which makes this all even stranger). Even if all those cans were bought down in New Hampshire (which has vehemently opposed a bottle bill for almost 35 years), there are recycling centers that will take them here (as opposed to places like Michigan and California where machines scan the bar code to make sure you bought the beverage in state. So in an effort to clean up my ‘hood, I’ve been taking 30-45 minute walks this week and bringing along a satchel (and my trusty Deluxe Grabber) to see what I could get. And wow. In just 3 days, I picked up the 2 bags in the photo here. I have a redemption center within a mile of my house so I headed over to see just what I’d get…that’s $5 going right into the #mainerscanbeidiots fund.

PPS: I almost forgot that during yesterday's walk, I found a working iPhone on the ground before I could attempt to figure out how I could find out who it belonged to, someone came up and claimed it. A very Maine thing to happen...but still surreal. 

And onward...

 
Nothing makes me happier than the fact that the world’s longest election cycle is over. And while some are trying to downplay it by saying that we’re in for 4 more years of the same (same President, same parties in control of the House and Senate) there are some small but important changes that I hope and believe will make a difference.

1) Elizabeth Warren defeating Scott Brown in Massachusetts. No one should be caught unaware of my girl-crush, but if you’re not on board with her, just watch any one of her Daily Show interviews and you’ll fall in love with her no nonsense, rational approach to fiscal responsibility. Cutting out essential programs is not going to fix the budget, but getting Congress (and ordinary Americans) to live within their means will.

2) Big money doesn’t always buy you an election. With billions spent by Romeny (and specifically the Koch Brothers) and McMahon in Connecticut, it’s nice to know that money can’t buy everything. Oh but it was nice of them to stimulate the economy like that for a while.

3) Another Independent in the Senate. Maybe it’s just me, but I like the idea of people publicly keeping themselves open to other ideas. Maine’s previous Senator (Republican Olympia Snowe) often voted outside of her party line, but her successor (Angus King) is showing up unattached to any party. Here’s hoping he and Bernie Sanders (IND-VT) start a trend.

4) Hate, fear-mongering and slander aren’t cool and women kicked ass. Tammy Duckworth winning in Illinois (after Joe Walsh repeatedly belittled her military service), Claire McCaskill besting Todd “legitimate rape” Akin in Missouri, Joe Donnelly beating Richard “pregnancy from rape is a gift from God” Mourdock.

5) Love is love. Gay marriage was finally approved in Maine and Maryland. Minnesota turned down an initiative to redefine their constitutional definition of marriage (as 1 man, 1 woman) and Tammy Baldwin, the first openly gay Senator was elected in Wisconsin, beating a 4-time incumbent!

The beauty contest is over, now it’s time to do something with the prizes. I’m praying that no longer having the fear of losing a second term will allow this administration to truly move forward on the environment and financial recovery. I really have hope that progress and bold changes can happen, but only if the Republicans can drop the "I'm taking my ball and going home" mentality. Stay tuned.

If everyone grabbed a bucket...

 I’ve been reading a book about World War II lately (“December 1941: 31 Days that Changed America and Saved the World by Craig Shirley) and it’s interesting to compare the 1940s mentality of disaster with today’s. In the 40s, Americans were told to ration items (gas, sugar, steel, panty hose…) in order to support the war effort. They were told to participate in black out drills so the enemy couldn’t discern targets (like, what? The Johnson’s lawn jockey? But I digress…). They were told to carpool, plant victory gardens, to ‘use it up, make it do or do without’. They raced to get to recruitment centers and were upset when they were deemed unfit for service because they were too old or too married. These were the hardships of the 40s, but the thing is, Americans did them all. And willingly. Its an interesting comparison to today, where we have all these luxuries that we take for granted and no one asks us to cut back or go without (Could you imagine George W. Bush asking Americans to cut back on sugar after 9/11? LOLOLOLROFLROFLROFL…sorry, I lost the plot there for a minute…I’m back). I just wonder how many Americans will take a moment this week and say ‘no latte for me today, I’m making a donation to the Red Cross instead.’ If everyone grabbed a bucket, the water would be gone from the flood zone. (pick any flood zone you want, it doesn’t have to be the one Sandy caused, because there will be another flood next year. In Iowa, in Nashville, in New Orleans, in Manila…somewhere.) And I can guarantee you that pick 2 flood victims and the one with the more simplified life is coping a lot better than the one who can’t charge their iPhone to play Angry Birds or order take out or watch Netflix.