Ben Stein’s on the money May 27, 2008
Posted by Paul Edwards in Uncategorized.Tags: Ben Stein, Gas Prices, Peak Oil
trackback
If you filled up you gas tank in the last four days, the tally just might be enough to convince you that Ben Stein is on to something when he says it’s time for a radical rethinking of our habits as they relate to energy (specifically oil) consumption:
Gasoline is unimaginably important in our lives in the United States. Without gas in virtually limitless supply, and at prices we could afford, American life would change. We could no longer afford to live so far from one another and from our jobs. We could no longer afford to cruise in cars incomparably larger than those of our counterparts in Europe and Asia. In a way, we would stop being America as we know it.
Maybe this would be a good thing. After all, do we really need to have a 6,000-pound S.U.V. take a 100-pound high school student across town to buy a Diet Coke? Do we really need cars so big that they have flat-screen televisions for the children in the back? Do we really need to pour so much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere? And it’s certainly not great to belch out immense quanta of carbon monoxide, a deadly poison.
Stein’s New York Times piece offers some compelling advice for dealing with the gas crunch. Read it.
I have always said, Global warming or not it is foolish to consume this resource like it has no end.
When Al Gore put out his film, An Inconvenient Truth, I went to YouTube to check out the trailer. I came across some really angry and inappropriate responses that I couldn’t understand or justify. It seemed logical to me, that if it were true, we really needed to pay attention and DO something and if it weren’t true, why should so much ruckus be raised? God put man originally in Eden to care for the garden. Why shouldn’t we take resonsibility and care for the world God gave us??? We are stewards of all that has been placed in our care and frankly for the most part Americans have acted like spoiled thankless children who instead of being greatful for our blessings have just demanded more and more while refusing to take the responsibility for stewardship seriously.
I don’t think spoiling our coastal waters is the answer. If our government really wants to help out it’s citizenry, maybe they could arrange for help in bringing solar power to our rooftops and wind power to some of the hilled landscapes. We already have hydro-electric plants…I’d rather see more of this type of enengy than nukes and coal conversion.
If we begin to use our food sources to fuel our cars we will really be in a pickle. God has promised in His Word that as long as the earth remains there will be seed time and harvest. He didn’t say how plentiful or at what quality. If we don’t wake up and grow up we are going to face some very unpleasant times very soon…It is true that the world and it’s population are in for a bumpy ride no matter what we do, for so it is written.
Nancy,
Check this video out, this is, in part what drives me nutz about the religious right. I appears they are so in bed with the political right and it’s Oil interests that they use scripture and create a “biblical” method of dealing with Global Warming. Essential it is what you are going to be going about the presidential race, Pray.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_Pi1iPjxjQ&eurl
I think we can do much more and demonizing Al Gore is not a solution, he advocates what all christians should be doing and that is caring for the earth that God gave us.
The video makes me think back a few years when the book 88 REASONS Why The Rapture Will Be In 1988 came out. I think when we saw the book, our family was living in Germany and it was really flying around. I remember talking to people about it and the interesting responses…mostly sad…
1. I’m going to get married…I hope He waits
2.We’re supposed to move to Hawaii…I hope He waits
3. My baby won’t be due until after then…I hope He waits
4. My children aren’t saved yet…I hope He waits
5. I’m supposed to graduate and go to college…I hope He waits
6. I have this great new car on order…I hope He waits
7——-I hope He waits
Of course, time setting is non scriptural and no one but the Father knows when the rapture will actually occur, but the Spirit and the Bride say maranatha… Come Lord Jesus! We are called to BE ready. If we are truly Christians and we are not “ready” whats that to us??? God will get us ready…yes, but not without loss…
In this instance, the God is sovereign and He will just take care of it attitude, is I believe as irresponsible as the so called panic. Of course God is sovereign and He does sustain the earth, but we play a part as well and as long as we are here, we are called to be salt and light, not just users. Nobility obligates and we are nobility!
So Pixel,
That being said, can you actually DO anything besides type???? Here’s what we do at our house:
1. Drive a car that is not a hummer. We do have two medium sized cars. We never drive two when one will do. That means sacrificing and arranging to make one trip instead of two when we have church meetings or events. We keep our tires properly inflated…Discount Tires will do this for you for free so you don’t have to crawl around on the ground.
2. We keep our thermostat set at 78 in summer and 65 in the winter even if we don’t like it.
3. We have changed all our light bulbs to the newest most efficient type and then still make sure to turn off the lights when we leave the room.
4. We have Xeroscaped our property and do not water grass, just the garden and flower pots.
5. We have 2 rain barrels and are planning to get
even more
6. We use “green” bags that are reuseable for our grocery shopping. I make most things from scratch so we do not create excess packaging waste. Simple repurposing and recycling also saves waste…We think twice before we throw out stuff and reuse just about everything.
Mostly these actions aren’t a BIG inconvience just take a little retraining. *: )
I came across this video about your human footprint describing the average British citizen’s effect on the planet during their lifetime. It is very well done and leaves out any fear mongering about the planet failing to survive our generation. It is entertaining and informative.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1207021100826614474&hl=en
Uhhh…does it become a “rant” if you are the only one posting???
I checked out Mike Rogers’ energy independence bill and found the same objectionable suggestion for nuclear power as listed in Ben Steins’s article. Has it occured to these guy’s how long nuclear waste lasts??? We are already in trouble with the nuclear waste currently on our hands. Where will this stuff go??? Will it be repurposed to wash our veggies and foodstuffs???
Nancy,
From what I understand, Nuclear power is actually quite clean and doesn’t have a lot of waste, I could be wrong.
???Could be???
Wow. Why did it take so long for a Republican to become so progressive?
Conservatives used to sing hymns about SUV’s and alleged the “rugged induvidualism” that accompanies said gas guzzler.
How long have progressives been begging the government and people of the US to look at consumption and pollution as viable threats? We’ve been asking conservatives to truly CONSERVE and now Ben Stein gets credit? What a laugh.
Stein seems to be alluding to a way of life that would be characterized as socialist if it came from the Left!
I’m glad some Republicans have finally woken up and realize that Progressive politics aren’t evil, communist or Satannic. It’s all about being accountable for your actions and not squandering resources like a large incontinent child.
We need a Manhattan Project in the US for energy. We need the brightest, smartest and most inventive people working on viable alternatives to petroleum so we can stop funding religious extremists and stop arming the Saudis. We need to put the solar panels back on the white house that Reagan tore down.
Liberally yours,
Ken
Ken,
It started once the conservatives realize that if they don’t change their tune, quickly, they are going to be out of office. That is why you hear them softening up on torture, saying this war “might” have been a mistake, global warming “might” be an issue. You are right, the progressives have been saying all these things for years but the right has demonized them. I am ashamed to say that my christian brothers have been in lock step with them, often times voting the people in office that are against their best interests, all because of 1 or 2 wedge issues, that the Right will never do a thing about but talk….Great points Ken, thanks for coming to this blog, we need more rational thinking.
I just watched a google video of a speech given by Lindsey Williams…basicaly a promotion for his book…The Non-Energy Crisis. While he is coming from a very different perspective than Gore, I think it underscores the need of the American public to take a harder look at our use and dependency on everyday consumer goods, if not to “save the planet”, at least to save your families resonable lifestyle. The video is long…but worth the time.
Here is the link:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3340274697167011147&hl=en
If the Alaskan oil field was tapped, it still would not in my opinion, release us from the need to pursue clean renewable energy.
Oh…I forgot this part of my rant…today it’s oil, tomorrow it’s WATER…better get your rain barrels while they are still affordable! *: )
My comments here are sort of related to the post but kinda related to Ken from Cleveland. I was listening to Paul yesterday and actually commented to him on the IM during the broadcast. To my surprise he commented back. It was on the topic of the recent decision to allow the imprisoned in GBay a day in court. Habeus Corpus, Paul took the far right stance that this was an outrage and that the court is “siding with the Terrorist”. What Paul and others on the right don’t realize it that it is stances like this, one that pledge allegiance to GW Bush that is making previous right wingers like myself decent from the party. This may have worked for the right to frame this issue as “siding with the terrorist” 15 years ago, but knowledge is easier to come by nowadays, the internet has made this world a smaller place and it is easier to get the truth of what we are doing over there and how we are treating those we have imprisoned. I have watched documentary after documentary of soldiers who came back from Iraq and those who served in Gbay telling the most unthinkable stories of how they were commanded to treat innocent people, who were listed as “enemy combatants”. This administration has shown many ex-right-wingers (like me) what happens when authoritarianism is allowed to flourish, which is what happened from 2002 to 2006. I know that Paul will likely make the excuse that I am prey to the Mainstream Media (MSM) but that is not the case, I don’t watch MSM as I feel they parrot FoxNews all too often. If we truly had a leftist MSM we would have never had this war, but they were all too complicit in giving this administration a pass. This post is not an attack on Paul as much as it is am appeal to realize that if this continues it will be a snowball effect on the right, it already doesn’t look promising for the right this fall. I am very concern of the reverse of 2002 to 2006 when the Dems control everything (BTW, I like to think of myself as center than right or left), Just like in when the right controlled everything abuse will run rough shot. We need to stop being divided and be Americans. As a Christian, I want to stand next to atheists like Ken and Skeptimal and say “even though I disagree with you theologically, I stand with you for truth in politics.” I will not defend a dishonest administration just because it is from God’s Own Party.(GOP) Unfortunately, the last 7 years has shown what happens to our faith when it becomes to tightly tied to a political party. It is very tragic.
Music pops into my head quite often and Pixel your post brings up the song illistrated recently on Joe Carters blog…CLOWNS–YOU-ME–JOKERS …you might notice I placed YOU on the left… This of course is coming from a plegmatic/cleric with a Calvinist world view. Am I conflicted???…sometimes…that is why I am eternally grateful that God is firmly seated on His throne and has predesigned and ordained my life and its outcome.
I know, I know…all you non-Calvinist are getting all ruffled up and saying WHAT!…don’t I get to choose anything???? My answer is YES…you get to choose how you respond and go through life! Example…In our household bedtime for the children was 8:30 pm they got to choose if they went to bed happy-nuetral-or complaining…do you want the abundant life??? Choose LIFE!
Nancy, are you Nancy Scott from previous posts? I wouldn’t consider myself left because I am not for abortion or gay marriage. However, I don’t side with the right in the way they fight the issues. I do agree with the left on a lot but that might because I disagree with the corruption of the right and even more appalled by the damage it has done to the faith that I love so much. Our spiritual earthly leaders signed a pact with the devil back in the late 70’s and early 80’s. They denounced that we are not to be of this world, they made the mistake that so many have throughout history claiming divine providence and have given up their soul in exchange for divine power. History of abundant with cases of abuse by men who truly thought they were doing God’s will. I have witnessed so many lies on behalf of God that it has literally made me sick, I point much of it to the merger of faith and politics in this country. Wanna research this? google Council for National Policy - lookup some of the names you find it is an eye opener. If I am addressing this to Nancy Scott from the previous posts I know you will look it up, you have a great ability to research stuff and not drink anyone’s kool-aid.
Nancy,
Choose LIFE! I’m confussed. Is it not already chosen, or not, for you?
Joshua 24:15 …. someone choosing ( a free will? )
Matthew 23:37
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! …. someone choosing against God’s will for them (quite a remarkable verse in light of reformed theology)
d-
If those are real questions, first we need to define what choosing life entails…agreed?
Just as you had no choice as to when, where and at what time in history you entered your physical life… so also it is with the spiritual… It took a physical act of creation to bring you into the physical world and it took or takes a spiritual act of creation to bring you into the spiritual world. God being sovereign orchestrates both… the actual choice is His, He IS the author of creation.
Let’s say you HAVE been spiritualy regenerated by the Holy Spirit of God…now you get to choose…are you going to willingly find out through study of the Living Word of God, His way of doing things and willingly and compatably work with Him??? Are you going to sit around and just let life happen to you and hope you make good choices or be a fatalist??? Are you going to go kicking and screaming and fighting your way to the end of your life???? Its your choice. Are the major events basically out of your hands??? Yes! Do you get to choose how you will respond to the major events??? Definitely! Choosing LIFE would be choosing willingly to line up with the Living Word of God. He has given us all things to enjoy…do we want to enjoy them or complain, kick and scream??? Our Father LOVES us and has provided wonderful life-filled things for us…It is our choice if we are going to make use of what he has provided and enjoy the ABUNDANT LIFE.
Oh, and yes Pixel, it is the same me…I’m just conflicted and not sure if I want to always use my full name….hmmmm…says the skeptic…who else might be posting under more than one name??? *; )
So you do have a choice, a free will, in some areas of life, but not all, right? … A.W. Pink would disagree with you, at least in his later years when he gave up soul winning to pursue writing. Intelectualism and a burden for the lost make strange bedfellows.
“Choosing LIFE would be choosing willingly to line up with the Living Word of God” ….. I thought .. “LIFE”.. was a gift of God’s grace. How does one ‘choose’ grace, if it is granted prior to man’s existance?
“He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever”.
“For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD”.
A couple of question for your ponderance;
1. Who is doing the asking and who is doing the giving, and what kind of life is it discussing in the first verse?
2. Who is being found and what kind of life is it referring to in the second?
“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is (still) wise”. (are you a fruitful servant?) I’m not nearly as much as I should be.
Isn’t the Lord a wonderful Savior!
Dear Eyore,
Don’t be down cast…just go read John 15 again and let your joy be made full!
You must have missed the rejoicing in the content.
The word “wonderful” was a clue.
Not much rejoicing going on. I had hoped for a meaningful discussion, I was wrong.
He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
I do (have the Son), and am compelled to tell others.
Dear d,
Of course I noticed that you refered to Jesus as The Wonderful Savior…You also lamented on not being as fruitful as you wished…John 15 clearly tells us how to become fruitful and produce lasting fruit…while it is Jesus in us that is doing the work, there is nothing here or in a Calvinistic world view that would purport that we ourselves are not to proclaim the gospel to the world…I’m not sure where that misconception originated…also if you have been judging your own fruitfulness by body count…I believe you have made an incorrect judgement. Your responsibility is a clear stating of the truth of the gospel…God’s is the regeneration…you cannot cause regeneration…only provide the Living Word of God and an opportunity. the promise Jesus makes to us is that if we will keep our eyes on Him and let His Word live in us, He will insure our fruitfulness. *: ) Be blessed d, don’t take offense…
None taken.
I was taking the seat in the back of the wedding room. Luke 14:8
Also, I’m not the judge nor referee, but I do judge myself daily.
“But let a man examine himself”
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. (and what a prize it tis!)
I’ll let you know if I arrive prior to the second trump.
Thanks for the discourse. d
Well Pixel…I clicked, I saw, I HMMMMed…outside of PRAYER…there is not much we can DO about these guy’s…the same names pop up in power grab groups and secret societies going back for several generations.
The Bible tells us what is going to happen at the end of our world system…A New World Order, One World Government, One World Church…These things do not just appear overnight. They are grown over many generations, There is nothing new about new age theology, government or economics the roots go way back and the foundations have by this time become quite solidified.
God has chosen to shorten the time for our sake; we should be thankful indeed.
We carry within us the very same Holy Spirit who breathed the Living Word of God…the very same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead…He has promised never to leave us or forsake us…should we fear??? Jesus said we would see these things and not to be afraid for they must come to pass.
Best advise, cozy up to Jesus keep your eyes on the Living Word and let the rest take care of itself. Don’t get weary in doing well…keep doing all the good you know to do…Learn the Word…get it in your mouth and speak it…come in agreement with God and His commandments. This is where dying to self comes in. It takes time, input from the Word (a regular Bible reading plan) and practice listening and then following through (a bit harder than just listening).
And, if these alarming things do not come to pass in our generation…what have you lost??? Oh, but What wisdom you will have gained!
“The Bible tells us what is going to happen at the end of our world system…A New World Order, One World Government, One World Church…”
I used to be into end times stuff, I have backed off when I found out that many of those in the CNP, are the ones that push that very interpretive part of scripture. There are a lot of leaps that people need to take to come up with the end times theology that they do. I also found that as world events change so does the scriptural interpretation. IE in the 70’s and 80’s it was the Soviets that would bring Armageddon, now it is Islam. I look at much of end times theology as a method for most christians to throw up their hands and say, “God ordained this!!!!!”
And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
d,
you really post some strange ones, I read them and think, what and who is this person addressing?????
Pixelmaster
Find the verse and you should get the connection. I bet Mr. Edwards got it.