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The premise (preface) of "Towards a Sustainable America, Advancing Prosperity, Opportunity, and a Healthy Environment for the 21st Century" is wrong. The "vision" and beliefs of its authors are scary, and its "facts" and "findings" are selective or wrong. Consequently, the conclusions and recommendations based in them are wrong as well as wrongheaded. It is an advocacy document for tyranny. Its irritating that taxpayers were forced to pay for its development and publication. Call 800-363-3722 and ask for the full title to get your piece of the pork while supplies last. "Preface Humanity faces an unprecedented challenges as our numbers grow, while Earth and its capacity to support us do not...." Wrong. Our challenges are little different from those of our ancestors. Thanks to the inventiveness of free minds and the efficiency of free markets, the ability of the Earth to support us is limited only by the life of the Sun. Earth is bathed in energy from the Sun and new matter from space. Since antiquity we have converted energy and matter to useful forms. We will continue do so without the "aide" of governments or the self-anointed elite like the arrogant authors of the report, who believe they know what's best the rest of us and who would happily use government force to impose their belief on those who disagree. "Vision Statement ... We are committed to the achievement of a dignified, peaceful and equitable existence.... equitable opportunities..." Equitable according to whose judgment? How are the equalities to be imposed? This sounds more like socialism than "life, liberty" and "equal justice for all." "We Believe ... 2. Change is inevitable and necessary for the sake of future generations and for ourselves. We can choose a course for change that will lead to ... social equity." Ah, the arrogance of those who think they know what's best for future generations and the 49% of "ourselves" who may disagree. Who are "we" other than the self-anointed elite and what is "social equity" according to them? "3. Steady progress in reducing disparities... " "Disparities" according to whom? "4. The United Stated made great progress in protecting the environment in the last 25 years, and must continue to make progress in the next 25 years. We can achieve that goal because market incentives ... " Government is the worst abuser of the environment. "Market incentives" means regulation and taxation. "6. Environmental regulations have improved ... the lives of Americans...." Many Americans would disagree. In fact most regulations have been environmentally counter-productive. Some actually encourage people to kill "endangered" species. "7. Environmental progress will depend on individual, institutional, and corporate responsibility ... "Responsibility" means agreement with the elite. "8. We need a new collaborative decision process that leads to better decisions; more rapid change; and more sensible use of human, natural, and financial resources in achieving our goals." In other words, the democratic process is too slow for these authoritarians, and they want government to steal more of our wealth to achieve their tyrannical goals more quickly. "9. The nation must strengthen its communities and enhance their role in decisions about ... equity, resources, and economic progress so [those] affected can join with others in the decision process." Firstly, communities are not owned by the nation, they are comprised of individuals who can best express themselves by voting with their dollars and their feet according to their self-interest, not the interest of the elite. Secondly, we don't need to increase the politicization of our interactions or have a gang impose their beliefs on us. "10. Economic growth, environmental protection and social equity are linked. We need to develop integrated policies to achieve these national goals." "Equity" means "ease liberal guilt." It's just another excuse for authortarians to impose themselves on us. "Integrated policies" means regulatory tyranny. "National goals" are really authoritarian goals. The only lawful goal of the U.S. is to protect life, liberty and property. "11. The United States should ... contribute to stabilizing global human population..." Here "stabilizing" means bribe or force. There is no need for government intervention when world population is naturally stabilizing at about 10 billion despite government subsidies of birth. "12. Even in the face of scientific uncertainty, society should take reasonable actions ... " In other words, forget the facts. Rush to judgment and forcibly impose the beliefs of the elite. "13. Steady advances in science and technology are essential to ... modify consumption patterns." In other words, steal more money from taxpayers for the authoritarians to use to bribe scientists to make their conclusions agree with the beliefs of the elite, and to regulate consumption according to the wishes of the elite. "14. A growing economy and healthy environment are essential to national and global security." Clearly untrue, but the association with national security justifies secrecy and the use of U.S. and U.N. military force to impose the beliefs of the elite on the world. "15. A knowledgeable public, the free flow of information, and opportunities for review and redress are critically important to open, equitable, and effective decisionmaking." The actions of the authors and their organizations indicate the opposite. They want to limit information to the propaganda of the elite, bypass the electoral process and have a committee of elite decide how the rest of us are to live. They may hear muted protests, but will dismiss them and proceed according to plan. This statement is right out of the Communist Committee Handbook. "16. Citizens must have access to ... lifelong ... education that enables them to understand the interdependence of economic prosperity, environmental quality, and social equity -- and prepares them to take actions that support all three." In other words, the authoritarians want us to pay to propagandize and be propagandized not only throughout our government education in "public" schools, but also after we graduate and realize most of what we learned beyond reading writing and arithmetic was B.S. The propaganda must be continuous to be effective and incite us to demand government action against individuals who fail to be indoctrinated. A confederation of colonies that defied the King and Church of England and created a country in which for the first time in human history the pyramid of power was inverted. They placed the individual as sovereign at the top and kings, potentates and their bureaucrats as servants at the bottom. With the destruction of the separation of powers by the 17th article of amendment, disproportional taxation with the 16th article amendment and direct federal taxation of State Citizens has come sovereign immunity for government employees and innumerable other offenses to the intent of the founders of this country. The pyramid has been gradually reversing such that government again has dominion over individuals and their property. You can depend on libertarians to resist the tyranny of the elite and put individuals back on top as consumers rather than beggars, i.e. voters. |