A lot of things seem topsy-turvy (March 5)
By Chuck Doud
The Madera Tribune
It’s no wonder some people lose faith.
Since 1975, for example, catalytic converters have been required equipment on every new car sold in the United States. They were required because they were supposed to clean up internal combustion engine emissions, and by all accounts, they did. Other changes in auto technology have also worked to make vehicles cleaner than they ever have been. Yet, environmentalists tell us our air is dirtier than it ever was. What’s going on?
In the 1950s, many drinking water supplies were on the verge of crisis because most sewage that was piped into waterways was either untreated or only treated minimally. Since then, sewage treatment has vastly improved, and in most circumstances pollution of drinking water supplies is minimal. Yet, environmentalists tell us the nation’s drinking water supplies are in grave danger. What’s going on?
The United States operates a widespread and heavily financed war on drugs, far more than in most countries, yet U.S. citizens seem to use drugs to a greater degree than the citizens of any industrialized nation. Based on surveys conducted from 2001-2005, reported by The Wall Street Journal, 42.4 percent of Americans have used marijuana.
By contrast, in the Netherlands, where marijuana possession for personal use has been decriminalized, only 19.8 percent of the population has used marijuana. In Japan, only 1.5 percent have used marijuana, but the penalty for possession there is five years in prison beginning with the second offense. What’s going on?
The captains of U.S. commerce, having fallen on hard times, line up for federal help. But they are lining up before the Democrats, not before the Republicans, who have been their traditional go-to people. The GOP, in fact, appears to have been marginalized by its most important constituency. What’s going on?
Is everything topsy-turvy?
