Idealism versus practicality

This post is mostly about how much I like public electricity, and all the wonderful widgets it powers and benefits it brings to me. And in retrospect, public AC electricity has only been available in the last 100 years, though around this rural place on the Cumberland Plateau, the time has been less. Even this old time place is still wired (in places) for the old time DC method of providing private electricity.

So don't mess with my public AC electricity, period. And all my present electric machines are AC based...to go DC means buying another set of machines.

Now gas energy for cars is another thing, but again, don't mess with my public electricity.

Obvious examples pop up to me, like frozen and refrigerated food at grocery stores, available gas from the public pumps, hot water including electric thermostats, interior lights after the sun goes down, security lights to protect me from the criminals and wild critters, and energy to heat and cook by. Even most natural gas systems use some electricity in various modes, as do our public clean water and waste water treatment systems. And never assume washing and drying machines are energy free. The list can go on and on. I don't see many clothes lines around these days, for example.

So, like most, I am concerned we may run out of the energy that makes my electricity while I am alive, and while I can influence the action. Said another way, will my public electricity run out for human caused reasons that, in theory, we can do something about. After all, I do like the benefits it provides me.

Now I will just touch on the global warming discussions/debates. There are two elements I seldom read about, as in reported. One, is it in fact occurring, and two, is our human influence part of the problem? Two more ideas come out of these questions. One is that this GaTech grad has been studying this for decades, and thus have my own opinion, heavily influenced by the many Danish studies. Two is that the historical dilemma of all scientists, including Galileo, is in seeking sponsors. Even President Eisenhower's famous writ often quoted about the military industrial complex had a scientific industrial complex second half, seldom reported, though valid to me. I would suggest read it and make up your own mind. After all scientists have to make a living, too, to include getting married and supporting their own families, and government money spends just as well as private sponsor money.

As a quick summary, I think our present fossil fueled world economy will eventually run out of fossil fuels. But I also think it will be in the far future, like in the latter centuries from now.

So hence, I choose to balance my idealism with my practicality, and to me that means let time sort it out; let's muddle through, as in to do anything other than what some politician wants to do in a much shorter time frame. Let me say it another way, there are still bigger influences going on than the human influence in 2011. And I still trust we humans, in general, to do the right thing, whatever that is in our interest, than what some politicians say to do.

Of course most politicians are savvy enough just to say what the people they rule say to do, but then some politicians (be they elected, or tribal, or dictatorial, etc.) are not as savvy in their time. And too often it comes down to idealism versus practicality, and the time frame for change.

In the meantime, I sure like my public electricity, like I will fight for it.