Immigration, solar panels, windmills and fluctuating gas prices: everything is terrible, and the country will have two hockey sticks in a basket.
At least that's what everyone says and thinks on social media. I'm an eternal optimist, but sometimes the bottle is empty.
A local politician recently praised New York's governor and mayor for being on a team to bring immigrants from the city to New York state and urged state lawmakers to act before it's too late. , again
I understand that you are concerned about how local government, infrastructure and social services will cope with the costs of the migrant invasion, but what can be done?
These people, foreigners from other countries, are looking for ways to improve their lives here. Is it not our duty as humanity to give a hand? There is no point in getting angry, jealous and blaming political parties for making things worse. The blame game didn't solve any problems. It simply absolves the other party of any guilt. We need to work together to find solutions. Who knows what skills these immigrants have and why do we assume they will destroy our resources?
Maybe, just maybe, everyone could benefit if we gave it a chance without exposing the problems and prejudices. I don't know how it happened, but instead of blaming and getting angry, let's put our heads together and find a solution to the problem.
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I think solar panels and windmills are interesting things to see. Driving through the streets of Rexville recently, a group of people I was riding with tried to look out the window to see the tall windmills surrounding the village. I didn't think they looked that bad themselves. There were acres of fields and trees untouched by winged giants flying through the sky.
It was a sunny day and I felt no ill effects from watching the windmills spin. I didn't see bird carcasses piled under big buildings. The problem here is what to do when the leaves die, not the birds, and how to deal with the toxins left behind by farm fields treated with pesticides for decades.
People are outraged by the collection of solar panels built up in fields and on highways. I'm sure you'll find people who object to seeing tall cornfields, but the point is, the farmer has to live, and it's happier and easier to gather sunlight than harvest corn.
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I wonder if the same outrage was created 140 years ago, when the area between Richburg and the Little Genesee was nothing but rigs and oil wells. Then there were those who were upset about the show and complained from ruining their reviews? I have a little doubt. If you notice, those places are in the history books, not yet in the landscape.
Rising gas prices are putting everyone in jeopardy as prices climb to $4 a gallon or more. What happened when gas was $2.49 or 35 cents? The answer is OPEC and the fact that we as a country are dependent on fossil fuels coming out of the Middle East soil.
The answer is not to ban pipelines, oil extraction or gas stoves. The short-term answer is more fuel-efficient cars and public transport. The long-term answer is alternative energy and electric vehicles.
We need to stop looking at everything as a last resort, a last stop, and start looking at wind and solar energy as obstacles before finding and implementing a permanent solution.
The local oil route did not stop there, although oil or gas wells were drilled here and there. Neither solar panels nor windmills will be permanent additions to the landscape.
Maybe one of the immigrants or their daughter or son will find a solution.
- Katherine Ross writes a weekly opinion piece.
This article originally appeared in The Evening Tribune: Ross: Windmills and solar panels are a sustainable solution to energy needs.
