And the State of the Union is: Green!
Posted on Monday, January 28th, 2008 at 4:49 pmOk, so those probably won’t be the words we hear tonight during President Bush’s final State of the Union address. And yeah, next year may also be a stretch. But politics are in the air!
With just a week to go until Super Tuesday, and with talk of the primaries dominating the airwaves, election-related thoughts are virtually inescapable. Election 2008 carries with it an energy and excitement long absent from American politics. Candidates are talking about change– to the status quo, to our energy policies, to our patterns of consumption and production– and placing quality of life and the environment atop their list of priorities. Consequently, Americans are streaming to the polls, and cable channels and major news networks report significant increases in viewers during election coverage and the twenty-eight debates televised since last April. We’re tuned in, we’re informed, we’re ready. It’s a pretty cool time.
But sometimes it can be difficult to filter through all of the rhetoric and buzzwords and decipher a candidate’s actual stance on an issue. With such a pivotal election before us, we at New Dream, like many Americans, want to be able to evaluate each candidate based on her/his platform, particularly on topics that we find most important. And finding those nuances, or finding a clearly spelled out vision or plan, can be tricky.
As a result, we’ve constructed a twelve-question survey that reflects issues of importance to the New Dream community. The survey, which we distributed to each of the presidential candidates in October 2007, addresses climate change, quality of life, healthcare, living wage, fair trade, and other related topics. Thus far, we’ve received only two responses: from Senator John Edwards and Congressman Dennis Kucinich (who withdrew his candidacy last week).
Want answers to these difficult– and critical– questions? Want to let the candidates know what issues matter to you? Make your voice heard by signing our petition asking the presidential candidates for their answers on what really matters. Once you sign, spread the word!
Who knows, maybe the state of our union will be green sooner than we expect. Through commitment to living simply and consciously, dedication to a more sustainable lifestyle, and leadership that acts and inspires, I believe it’s possible.
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