Hillary and Barack

Couldn't pass this one up.....

Barack Obama and the Environment

As a democrat, Obama must stay with the party line on the environment. In order to differentiate himself from the pack, he uses the theme of his candidacy…Change.
Obama states “I don’t believe that climate change is just an issue that’s convenient to bring up during a campaign. I believe it’s one of the greatest moral challenges of our generation. That’s why I’ve fought successfully in the Senate to increase our investment in renewable fuels. That’s why I reached across the aisle to come up with a plan to raise our fuel standards… I went to Detroit, I stood in front of a group of automakers, and I told them that when I am president, there will be no more excuses — we will help them retool their factories, but they will have to make cars that use less oil.”

The challenge for all presidential candidates is balancing the economy with the “retooling” of industry. Quite often the blue side of the aisle has relied on platitudes about the economy rather than action. This isn’t due to neglect or insincerity, its just that the practical application of changing the way thousands of companies do business is a daunting task. I think I speak for most reasonable voters when I say; it’s long overdue in reaching a compromise about the environment.

To find out if Barack Obama is the right man for the job and to read more about and his positions on energy and the environment, Click Here

John McCain's Environment

According to John McCain's staff, he has a proud record of common sense stewardship. Among the group of Republican candidates, McCain seemed to be the first to address the environment in a serious way. It seems to resound with many on both sides of the aisle, because he understands the economic impact. Along with his commitment to study global warming, he states, "America's economic and environmental interests are not mutually exclusive, but rather inextricably linked."

His tagline reads "By protecting our country, strengthening our economy, and addressing the challenges of our time, rather than leaving a much worse problem for our children."

To learn more about McCain's platform, Click Here

Candidate Views on the Environment and Energy Moving Forward

Hillary and the Environment

The Clinton campaign claims it "has a bold and comprehensive plan to address America's energy and environmental challenges" Realizing that nothing in the government works in isolation, she addresses the linkage to other areas, including the economic impact, which is a novel approach compared to previous democratic candidates.

One of the bigger goals is that she wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent from 1990 levels by 2050. Pretty significant when you consider that our manufacturing sector is filled with pollution creating companies. In fact as a direct insult to capitalism, she plans to create a $50 billion Strategic Energy Fund, paid for in part by oil companies, to fund investments in alternative energy.

I just can't see how the government should be dictating how private industry invests their dollars.

Some of the more realistic and less obtrusive goals include:

An increase in fuel efficiency standards to 55 miles per gallon by 2030

A requirement that all federal buildings designed after January 20, 2009 will be zero emissions buildings.

Doubling of federal investment in basic energy research

To learn more about Hillary's plan, Click Here

Presidential Candidates on the Environment

After a long layoff from writing, its time to get back in the groove. An interesting place to start is with politics. Not just any politics, but cut throat, primary politics.

I have been pondering the question as to how each candidate views the environment. Over the next couple of weeks, I will bring you the leading candidates' views for you to discuss. Keep in mind, that I run a non-partisan blog here at Natural Health Lifestyles, but we’re sure you’ll agree that protecting the environment will be a major responsibility of our new president.

Our first victim....Hillary Clinton

See you tomorrow...