Ok, think. I'll check it out.
I make it less than two lines before seeing a reference to "being stewards of God's Creation." Go figure. Now I am by no means slamming religion. Religion and spirituality are very important and I do agree completely that we need to in fact "be stewards of God's creation". But they seem to be only paying God lip service.
Their main argument seems to be the old standby that there is no evidence to support global warming. They believe that we should act to solve a problem that we don't know is real. A short list of buzzwords includes "alarmist agenda" and "questionable scientific data". I am going to highlight this section in particular:
There’s a better approach to addressing the issue of global climate change rather than the campaign of mass hysteria being promoted by most of the media, much of academia, and many of the special interest groups that stand to profit from their “doom and gloom” pandemonium.
I had to laugh a little bit when I came to this. During the news show, the KSTP reporter mentioned Pawlenty's public forum with Will Steger. The forum was an open discussion on the issue that was taking place at St. Thomas this evening. I tried to envision Will Steger inciting mass hysteria. If you have ever met or talked to Mr. Steger, you'd be laughing too.
I've seen Mr. Steger speak in both a small classroom setting and in a large public forum. On both occasions he was anything but alarmist and hysterical. Not only did he present clear and concise data and evidence gathered by scientists, he also shared decades of first hand arctic experience. It would be also fair to point out that Steger holds a degree from St. Thomas in geology. Even this fact is not good enough for some people, who would claim that "well, what does a geologist know about global warming. It's not like he is a climatologist?" He may not be a climatologist, but a degree in a scientific field certainly qualifies him to know how to process and examine data.
Another ironic part was the statement about "special interests that stand to profit". The Minnesota Majority, sponsors of globalwarmingscam, don't seem to mind another cause to champion. Speaking of issues, here are some more of the Minnesota Majority's views:
1. The Healthcare "Crisis" is a myth. More of the same "taxed to death" rhetoric.
2.Illegal Immigration. Clearly another hot button issue for Minnesota Majority to champion.
3.Homosexual Marraige. We can't afford to pay taxes for health care but spending money trying to change the state constitution to favor one group's religious views is a priority?
4.Sex Education. Many of the points raised in this section are valid. Having sex before marraige does increase the risk of unwanted pregnancy and disease. To discuss the rest of the "evidence" supplied for reasons not to educate kids about sex I'd have to borrow some previously mentioned buzzwards like "alarmist agenda" and "unproven scientific data".
5. Embryonic Stem Cell Research. More of the above. Lots of religious interpretation of unprovable issues like the beginning of life, conciousness and the soul.
6. Transportation Spending.
I'm going to talk a little more about transportation because that's the one part of this that relates to this site most closely.
Two earmarks the Minnesota Majority lists involve bike paths. Bike paths, always a good target for the anti-tax lobby, are always included in with the so called "pork". Bikes are proving to be a viable and cost effective source of transportation for more and more Minnesotan's each year. There are a bare minimum of good bike paths in our metro area. Remember, sidewalks are NOT bike paths. In fact, it is illegal to ride on them. People who choose to ride their bikes often take a great risk by riding on busy shoulders. This is not only dangerous for the biker, but for the cars who share the road. A path that allows bikes off of busy roads not only saves lives, but helps prevent costly accidents and traffic disruptions.
One of the bike paths receiving an earmark will be located in the Cuyuna Recreational Area in Crow Wing County. Crow Wing county isn't exactly the wealthiest part of the state, with the 2000 census reporting almost 10% of residents living under the poverty line. The money being spent on this will be a benefit to people in the local community by providing jobs. An improved recreation area will promote more tourism and could help the local economy.
Furthermore, having access to safe bike trails promotes a healthy activity. At a time when our country is suffering an obesity epidemic maybe we should be promoting a healthy lifestyle. it might even save us money in the long run.
Now this post has strayed over probably too wide of a range of issues to give each the time it deserves but the biggest issue I have is with KSTP even giving these people the time of day. They are just another lobbyist group that is trying to distort the issues for their own political gain.
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