A recently released Strategic Counsel commissioned by the Globe and Mail and CTV shows that the number of Canadians who think that the environment is the number one issue has fallen. According to the Globe and Mail, the environment dropped to third place from first last year with the high cost of gasoline and the economy generally overtaking it. Only 16% of those polled consider the environment the numero uno issue.
It should not come as a surprise to anyone that with soaring gasoline prices and no end in sight that worries about that and the economy have overtaken environmental concerns. The backpack-toting, sandal-wearing, aging 60s hippies whose solution to these woes is for everyone to ride a bicycle still haven’t figured out how to move goods by pedal power. The rising cost of fuel has of course led to rising prices in other goods, most noticeably food. And with OPEC predicting that prices will continue to rise, it is becoming abundantly clear that the rising gas prices are far from being a temporary phenomenon. We’re as unlikely to see $1 a litre gasoline again as we are 10 cent coffee.
If the time is not now it will come shortly, that concerns about the environment and the impending doom about global warming will rest solely with society’s elites. After all, the Al Gores, the David Suzukis and the Stéphane Dions don’t have to worry about where their kids’ next meal will come from or how they’ll be able to fill up their tanks for such mundane tasks as going to and from work.
The elites have always lived by a different set of values than the rest of us. They have one rule for themselves and another rule for everyone else. A perfect example of this in action is last week’s love fest between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. They were both together in Washington the day before their magical, mystical get together. They could have easily accomplished their highly choreographed meeting in the capitol. But no, they had to fly to Manchester New Hampshire and then board a bus to Unity just so they could say that they had unity in Unity. Ha ha. This useless trip that spewed unnecessary carbon from the planes and buses to transport them, their entourages and the media to Unity was never a concern. It’s only the rest of us that are required to reduce our carbon footprints lest we be accused of destroying the planet.
What these elites like Dion don’t realize is that the unwashed masses also act in their own self interest. When push comes to shove, ordinary Canadians will say the hell with the environment when they spend sleepless nights wondering how they will be able to pay their bills. As gas continues to rise, the 16% figure that represents how many people think that the environment is the most important issue facing us will continue to drop. When people start getting their home heating bills, they don’t have the luxury of thinking about revenue neutrality.
If that isn’t bad enough, Stéphane Dion’s carbon plan actually makes no sense. According to the Liberal leader, increasing taxes on industries that pollute will have investors overjoyed at the thought of investing in alternative energy sources. What nonsense to think that higher taxes will actually improve the economy. If this had even some truth to it, Canada would already be leading the world in economic output. Perhaps if Dion really wants to help the environment perhaps he should consider shooting all the polluters and then he could brag about what great strides are being made in the funeral industry (Note to Steffi: don’t shoot anyone in Toronto; we don’t like guns here).
Many Liberals with far more experience and many more political smarts than Stéphane Dion had urged him to bring down the Conservatives before the spring session had ended. But no; Dion wanted to spend the summer selling his plan to increase fuel prices while everyone watches the price of oil continually escalate.
As Dion sells his carbon tax and gas prices go up, there is much more at stake than the Liberal leader’s career. It will only be a matter of time before global warming and the environment will fall off the radar screen as a major problem. Ordinary people simply won’t have the time to worry about it.
