Earth Hour 2008

I suggest Brain Year 2008 instead

by Mark Yannone

Earth Hour 2008 is the name given to a plan for everyone on Earth to turn out the lights for an hour at 8 p.m. on March 29. This is to show our concern for global warming, "to inspire people to take action on climate change."

Lunacy runs rampant. You'd better check your Global Warming IQ, matey.

If the goal of Earth Hour 2008 is to encourage the use of less energy, the goal is not achieved by having the planet turn off the lights for an hour. That merely postpones the energy use and reduces some very badly needed productivity. Of course, if you find that you can do without a certain light, then turn it off and leave it off. In that case you'll save money and energy, including your own energy, but it won't have much effect on global warming, if any.

Try generating and implementing useful ideas instead–-ideas that make sense and have huge payoffs for yourself and others. Consider these seven, for starters:

1. Don't violate international law by launching wars of aggression against a nation of people--like Iraq--who pose no clear and present danger to us.

2. Eliminate the income tax in the United States to take approximately half of the traffic off the roads. Hard to believe? Here's a clue: In two-income households, one income does nothing but pay the income tax on the two incomes. Before you begin to hyperventilate, take note that not one penny of the income taxes we pay provides goods or services, but all of the goods and services we enjoy are produced by individuals.

3. Sell the public schools to the highest bidders; return the proceeds to the rightful owners; and discontinue all taxation and government involvement in education. Net result: twice the education for half the cost. The long-term benefits of that are spectacular.

4. Get complete control of your private property (income, real estate, savings), and guide your world as you see fit. If you don't control your property, you control nothing.

5. The law in the 50 states specifies that "victimless crimes" are impossible. Therefore, half of our two million inmates can be released with clean records so they can return to productive work, and our productive efforts don't have to be wasted on keeping innocent people in cages at a cost of $20,000 per year and more.

6. Since you own yourself, you can put whatever plants or drugs you like into your body without legal consequences. The physical effects and the accumulated knowledge of mankind will support or improve your decisions very quickly, or you will soon make space for someone else.

7. Hemp is considered to be the greatest economic engine in the history of mankind. Therefore, it should not be illegal to grow it anywhere, no matter whose pet ox (forest industry, petroleum industry, pharmaceutical industry) is gored.

That's a start. There are many other things that we can do. Turning out the lights for an hour at 8 p.m. on March 29 would be a fitting tribute to the Dark Ages--like George Carlin's treatment of religion--but it's not the best idea our human brains can produce. We are capable of so much more. Flex yours and see what happens.