Do you remember where you were on the morning of September 11, 2001? I certainly do—vividly. I remember pretty much every second. I remember every feeling—horror, anger, and fear are the first that pop into my head. That morning, life in the United States changed in a million little ways. We went from a firm feeling of security to a stunning realization that, yes, even the United States of America can fall victim to the evils we’d gotten so used to seeing ‘somewhere else.’
SoVA Trip Last Weekend; Other Updates
We had a great time last weekend visiting people in Southern Virginia. Between Friday morning and Sunday night we had driven from Fairfax to Bedford to Roanoke to Lynchburg to Bedford to Altavista to Lynchburg and back to Fairfax. Lots of driving, yes, but it was worth it to see a bunch of people we’ve been neglecting.
Breathe Easier: The World is Getting Cleaner . . .
So a lot of people like to talk about how the environment is collapsing around us (despite limited evidence that the climate change we’re seeing is anything other than one of the natural climate changes that have happened periodically throughout the history of the world—an inverse ice age, if you will). But what many in the United States don’t get is how much better the environment in our country is today than 36 years ago, and much it continues to improve.
Since 1970, carbon monoxide emissions in the U.S. are down 55 percent, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Particulate emissions are down nearly 80 percent, and sulfur dioxide emissions have been reduced by half. Lead emissions have declined more than 98 percent. All of this has been accomplished despite a doubling of the number of cars on the road and a near-tripling of the number of miles driven, according to Steven Hayward of the Pacific Research Institute. . . .
- Breathe Easier: The world is getting cleaner, Al Gore notwithstanding (Wall St. Journal; free email subscription may be required).
Health Care for Everyone? We’ve Found a Way
An interesting piece by Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (R) in the Wall St. Journal this morning about an inventive plan to provide health insurance to nearly everybody in the state. Unlike ill-advised government takeover plans proposed in the past, this one works without raising taxes and uses the existing health care infrastructure.
Sick, but Well-Read!
So I’ve been sick. I got sick on April Fools Day (no direct connection to the pink and purple site that I’m aware of) and have basically remained sick. It started one week ago as a fever and muscle aches which continued on-and-off until Monday, at which point it transitioned into a plain-old cold. I’m finally starting to feel a lot better today.
Scott Bradford is a writer and technologist who has been putting his opinions online since 1995. He believes in three inviolable human rights: life, liberty, and property. He is a Catholic Christian who worships the trinitarian God described in the Nicene Creed. Scott is a husband, nerd, pet lover, and AMC/Jeep enthusiast with a B.S. degree in public administration from George Mason University.