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July 4, 2009 – My apologies, once again, for the dark print.

You know, Cincinnati has the reputation of being 10 years behind the rest of the country. That reputation is well earned, in my opinion. It came to the fore on yesterday’s Op Ed page of The Cincinnati Enquirer. The newspaper, like the area it serves, is a bit stodgy and fairly conservative. It’s not a bad paper, though the quality of journalism, like everywhere else, continues the general trend downward. So I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised when I read Peter Bronson’s column regarding the energy bill passed by the House this week. Bronson contends the bill is “awful,” and besides, it addresses a problem “that might happen in 100 years – if ever.”

Good grief - where to start. Mr. Bronson fails to grasp that the members of Congress who wrote the bill are experts on the subject. They have many years of studying the subject under their belts. How could they have had all that time to study? Why, thanks to the Bush II, Clinton, Bush I, and Reagan administrations, that’s ALL they’ve been able to do, because those presidents refused to take their brave pills and Do the Right Thing: address the problem! The bill has probably appeared in committee in many forms over the years. We are now the beneficiaries of their expertise.

As for problems arising as a result of the use of fossil fuels in 100 years, is it really possible that Bronson is unaware of the fact that Cincinnati has the third worst air quality of all the cities in the United States? It was reported in his newspaper! Is it possible he knows no one who suffers from asthma? What about his own children and grandchildren and THEIR future? Can it be possible he has no desire to leave them better off than they are now? Is being better off really only a function of how much money a person makes?

Ok, I’ve gotten that out of my system. On to more important matters. In fact, the House DID pass the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. I’m positive there are all sorts of give-aways to energy utilities for developing nuclear energy, not something any of us other than the utilities will want to celebrate. But there are lots of dollars for the research and development of alternative energy, as well. Goodness knows what the bill will look like by the time it gets through the Senate. Now would be a good time to let your senators know what you would like to see in the bill.