There’s no denying the fact that Barak Hussein Obama is a new kind of president. In the past we’ve always had presidents with executive experience, with a solid, concrete understanding of the reality of global political and economic conditions.

Obama breaks that mold. He has burst onto the scene wet behind the ears, singing Kumbaya, prostrating himself before a Saudi petrotyrant, and snubbing our historical allies. But the most disturbing of all might just be the unbridled enthusiasm with which he has embraced yet-unproven climate change theories.

Before you chastise me for the term yet-unproven, recall that when the presidential primaries began, the AlGorians were concerned about the “global warming” that was a “certainty”. Now that it has been established that we are in a global cooling phase, the inconvenient phrase is “climate change”.

This comes as no surprise. After all, on the campaign trail, he vowed to eliminate the coal industry.

That brings us to his energy “plan”. Embracing new alternative energy sources is a great idea. His plan is segmented into the two basic kinds of energy, geothermal and solar. Drilling down, each type is broken down into specific categories, with funding earmarked. For example, in the solar energy department, $51 million is going to photovoltaic technology development, $40 million to solar energy deployment, and nearly $26 million to concentrating solar power research and development.

“So, what does this mean to me?,” you ask. Plenty. Cap and Trade legislation will have the net effect of an attempt to strangle out conventional electricity production. This will be disastrous for workers in that industry, but the expense of that death will be felt by consumers when they open those utility bills each month.

An article published by the Heritage Foundation think tank not long ago estimates that your utility bill may rise as much as 50%.

As I said, new technology is a great idea. So what is Obama missing? The bridge between the old and the new. The Pickens plan has addressed this by proposing a shift from oil to natural gas, but so far, the president hasn’t exactly been running to embrace the plan.

The HR 1835 bill proposes tax credits to encourage the bridge plan, but as usual, Nancy “waterboard” Pelosi, Barney “boy brothel” Frank, and their band of bandits are sitting on their hands.

Once a Utopian, always a Utopian. You can lead a liberal to wisdom, but you can’t make them think.

As you know, I write a lot about the innovations in green building practices. Of course, the whole sustainable materials industry covers much more than home building and commercial construction. And a lot of it has a dark side.


Most of this downside is not obvious when trying to discern it through the dense fog of climate change hype. Same as it ever was. Look at what the status of asbestos is now. But when it was first beginning to be exploited for its fire-retardant and insulating properties, it was touted as the “miracle mineral.”

And it was, in a sense. As a fire-retardant in firefighter’s suits, how many firemen’s lives has it saved? And by virtue of being able to get closer to the hot spots, how many potential fire victims did it save?

And how many race car drivers evaded a fiery death after spinning out of control? And certainly, our collective carbon footprint was greatly reduced by using asbestos insulation.

But in hindsight, what do we have? Mesothelioma lawsuits, lives spoiled by cancer, and the sad propagation of the number of exploitative class-action tort lawyers. Carrion in a three-piece suit, IMHO.

What does all this have to do with today’s green movement? Consider the compact fluorescent bulb. My house is full of them and they are even mandated to be phased in according to current energy policy in the US. I’m saving a lot of money on my utility bills. They’ve paid for themselves long ago.

But were they rushed to market prematurely before the implications were considered?

Environmentalists laud them as the greatest thing since the Big Mac, and that may be true from an energy efficiency standpoint. But these same environmentalists made nor urged any provision for any proper disposal in a realistic way.

Throwing them in the trash puts deadly mercury into landfills which makes its way into the water table, which makes its way to… you guessed it; YOU, and the crops and livestock you eat. Pay attention PETA and Vegans International.

Sure, they could go to a collection point in your city, but are you really going to make a special trip across town in your carbon-emitting car every time a bulb burns out? Of course not. It would be a wash, carbon-wise.

And how about solar power panels? They reduce the need for fossil fuels, but producing them creates silicon tetrachloride, which is highly toxic. Anybody know where that stuff’s going? Neither do I.

All I’m saying is that we should have learned something from the gargantuan asbestos-abatement industry we have now. That’s a lot of “today” fuel intensive effort to balance out “yesterday’s” energy savings.

Just a thought. Have a nice green day.

So much for global warming. 2008 was the coldest year on record in recent history and 2009 looks like it will be an extension of that trend. Even the Al Gore crowd of alarmists are referring to “climate change” rather than “global warming”.

So what does this mean for homeowners? Not too much for most. The few degrees difference won’t change the way we use our central air conditioners and heaters. But the real consideration is that it’s a fair bet that energy costs will continue to rise. Ouch.

That makes this a good time to tune-up the thermostat for energy efficiency. What’s involved? This includes changing the battery, cleaning the bimetal coil and contacts, and adjusting the anticipator.

It’s also a good idea to use a trusted thermometer to make sure that the setting is what you really think it is. Just make sure it’s at the same level as the thermostat. Why? Because warm air rises and cold air sinks. That’s why it’s installed where it is. This is the comfort zone.

Did you find this home maintenance tip helpful? Feel free to read my other free home repair articles.