tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497678546248195850.post8103364632762367703..comments2023-08-15T07:15:18.480-07:00Comments on Two Guys Making That Money: A Dialogue Between Robert and ToddUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497678546248195850.post-32793483545301367872008-02-06T13:43:00.000-08:002008-02-06T13:43:00.000-08:00Balance is definitely the key, and so far the mark...Balance is definitely the key, and so far the market response has not been to demonstrate any real concern with reducing pollution. The government has forced it somewhat, but if the market - that is consumers, individuals - does not want to make those sacrifices, then either education has to improve on the pollution, or we have to face the fact that people do not really care so much as they pretend to about the environment.Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04826309601023733396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497678546248195850.post-64076570447639208292008-02-06T13:15:00.000-08:002008-02-06T13:15:00.000-08:00Thanks Rob on the driving him to sleep thing. It ...Thanks Rob on the driving him to sleep thing. It helps tons on the nights when I CAN'T get him to sleep. Can't, can't, can't. (If I left out the contractions, I'd sound like train in The Little Engine that Could). ON the global warming thing, I am not sure whether temperatures would change or not based on how much polution we put into the air. The fact remains, though, that we do put a whole ton of polution into the air, and it isn't good for us. There has to be a balance though. Do we give up flying on planes and driving cars all together for the sake of the environment? In many ways, no. I would never get to see my family. Families are more important than anything else to me. So, again, we have to find the balance.le35https://www.blogger.com/profile/03897932629532339487noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497678546248195850.post-73751827253364448532008-02-05T18:50:00.000-08:002008-02-05T18:50:00.000-08:00Todd barely gets time to read this blog, so I can'...Todd barely gets time to read this blog, so I can't distract him yet. He's been busy training for a half marathon (now finished) and getting ready for a wedding, besides the new job he started. I'm just glad he takes the time to comment here.<BR/><BR/>Yes, it sounds like your husband and I would agree. Global Warming is not what really matters regarding pollution. Americans definitely don't seem to care about either (global warming or pollution) based off the continuing increase in available styles of SUV.<BR/><BR/>Yes, positive parenting and positive governing are VERY intermingled. Slamming someone's hand in a door to teach him not to open it might work, but isn't it better to show him what's on the other side of the door and help him understand why it's bad to go through it?<BR/><BR/>One thing I find, when I really discuss things with "liberals" or "bleeding hearts" is that there is a lot more common ground between "conservative" and "liberal" than the media ever wants anyone to admit or even realize. Most of my problem with the "liberal" form of government is the design of fine and tax to compel behavior over educate and encourage through tax breaks. That's not an open attack on anyone in particular, so much as a statement of my perspective on the difference in philosophy. I think there is common ground to work from to educate each other on ways to answer the problems facing this country.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the support on driving my son to sleep. The swing quit working very early, but the motion effect seems to have carried over with the car. Otherwise, his mother has to put him to sleep every night, or I have to just wait until he passes out.Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04826309601023733396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497678546248195850.post-80662602061992184062008-02-05T18:38:00.000-08:002008-02-05T18:38:00.000-08:00P.S. Fully support driving children to sleep. Much...P.S. Fully support driving children to sleep. Much better than the other, which would be the not sleeping driving parents to drink. It levels out in the end, somehow, if you are conscientious about it. For example, I spent ten years not driving a car. I figure that balances the one year I spent driving my daughter to sleep.Julie Pipperthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03169574697104642479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497678546248195850.post-86548838282225112812008-02-05T18:36:00.000-08:002008-02-05T18:36:00.000-08:00Clearly Todd needs to read my blog. :)I can't spea...Clearly Todd needs to read my blog. :)<BR/><BR/>I can't speak as any expert to global warming, but as he pointed out the pollution has an immediate and discernibly negative effect on the small in the here and now.<BR/><BR/>Must. Quit. Sickening. Off. Population.<BR/><BR/>If that doesn't appeal to hearts, we can make it about the bottom line. Easily.<BR/><BR/>That said, we have a big problem and perhaps starting small will help that as well.<BR/><BR/>BTW my husband thinks the Global Warming battle cry was a tactical error. So I think you two agree.<BR/><BR/>I also believe the "fine them" approach does not work. Obviously. So a more positive approach might have better success.<BR/><BR/>But then I will go all bleeding heart on you about using a positive approach versus negative and the better success of the "do this" instead of "don't do this" an dhow parenting only reinforces that notion.<BR/><BR/>IMHOJulie Pipperthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03169574697104642479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497678546248195850.post-67995370571629252362008-02-05T08:13:00.000-08:002008-02-05T08:13:00.000-08:00I don't think humans have nearly as much responsib...I don't think humans have nearly as much responsibility for global warming as we like to think we do. We do, however, have responsibility for the smog that hangs over major cities, which is something I definitely agree with Todd about. I think, though, that global warming is the marketing strategy to get people to do the things they need to in order to reduce that smog. My main problem with that strategy is that it is disingenuous if not dishonest, and whenever the reason given is not the right one, the public has a problem with following suit on what needs to be done. Making gasoline engines produce less emissions does not seem like the real answer to me, nor does the electric car which is simply remote emissions and inefficient. Hybrids at least speak to reducing the carbon from a gasoline engine, but what we need is truly alternative power sources that are renewable and reasonable to use. We need those, assuming we want our society to continue to grow and expand. If we want to take a large step back in our advancement for the sake of the environment, then I'd like to see evidence that the people of this country are invested in that idea. I don't see it. I especially don't see it in large cities filled with cars - many of them driven by the environmentalists who are so keen on stopping everyone else from damaging the enviroment. I don't see it from political candidates like John Edwards who claim to be for the environment but fly around on personal jets and own massive homes, either. I'm honest about the fact that I tend to worry about my own interests and my children's before I worry about how I'm damaging my environment, but I'm not a naturally wasteful person who intentionally harms the environment. I just don't worry, for instance, that it's probably bad for the environment that on many nights I have to drive my son around for fifteen minutes to get him to sleep at a reasonable hour. It matters more to me that he sleeps than that I'm burning fuel.<BR/><BR/>Humans certainly do things to harm environments, but we have a lot less control or influence on the global system than we imagine. We just need to continue to research real alternatives to oil and coal that are viable. Subsidizing ethanol is not viable, as it stands, and needs a lot of infrastructure change to the food system if we are to even make good use of it instead of creating inflation (which is all it is doing right now).<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the comments.Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04826309601023733396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1497678546248195850.post-43567677584741023052008-02-05T07:51:00.000-08:002008-02-05T07:51:00.000-08:00The truth about global warming and emissions is pr...The truth about global warming and emissions is probably somewhere muddled between all our ideas about it. Al Gore and his ilk are concerned with marketing potentially unpopular ideologies. I mean, everyone is for a better tomorrow, but not if it involves too much personal sacrifice. This is why I'm suspect of carbon credits; it seems like a way to throw money at a problem without addressing the underlying use issues. <BR/><BR/>(don't get me wrong, though; I believe global warming is real and I think humans have some responsibility for it, both retrospectively and in the future).Gwenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12526629366170486737noreply@blogger.com