The China Excuse

Bush says we shouldn't have to do anything on global warming until China does.

So he's off to the G-8 summit, meeting with leaders of countries who ARE doing something about warming, and urging them that, gosh, we really need to get China going on this.

What a moron.

Yes, China needs to get going on global warming, but that's not an excuse for the largest, richest, most carbon polluting nation in the world to sit back and do nothing.

The U.S. could play a useful role by SHOWING China the way. Lead by example. Yes, we know that's a tough one for the W-meister, but he might try it once in awhile.

No doubt the Chinese, who are awakening to the issue, have a different view, to wit: why should WE, a country with per capita income less than one fifth that of the U.S., a country still far below Western standards of living, have to make sacrifices when those fat Americans are sitting on their air conditioned butts complaining about a little $3 gas.

(Air conditioning is so out of control in the U.S. that one commenter on a recent blog piece on saving energy asked how he could get employees in his office to stop running electric HEATERS under their desks during the summer because they were cold from too much air conditioning! The solution, of course, was not to ban the heaters, but to turn down the freakin' AC, which is often colder than anyone would be comfortable with when heating their house in the winter.)