Just can’t do it alone

For years the United States government has sat idly watching the earth suffer from global climate change.

Men and women in positions of political power with the opportunity to help correct this problem have ignored it. These next few years have the opportunity to be different.

With Barack Obama attending the international climate meetings in Copenhagen, there comes encouragement for the U.S. to do more than make promises – it gives us the opportunity to live up to them. 

Obama is bringing with him a plan to reduce U.S. emissions by 17 percent of the 2005 level by 2020 with increasing reductions from that point on.

This seems to come as great news to those who are looking for Obama to fulfill promises outlined in his “Blueprint for Change,”  especially the bullet point titled: “Make the U.S. a Leader on Climate Change.”   

All of this sweet excitement comes with the bitter realization that a bill with the same ideal reduced emissions was passed in the House in June but remains stuck in the Senate. This leaves Obama with little to truly offer the world at these talks, which he will only attend in their beginning stages.   

Although Barack Obama’s presence and promises seem to be a tangible reality of America for the world to see in Copenhagen, a closer look will reveal a one-dimensional picture, falling apart to reveal a rotten bureaucracy which seems to be uninterested in its inability to enact real change.

Barack Obama is one man. His dreams, aspirations, campaign promises and enlivening spirit are becoming hot air to the American people who are still waiting for real change to begin.

This change has to unite the Democratic party in its resolve on many issues. This change has to unite the U.S. with the world in its resolve to stop global climate change.

There comes a time when the U.S. gives itself the opportunity to join in leading the world – reducing emissions as well as increasing our own contributions to global climate change is the perfect opportunity that is passing us by. 

Now is the time for Democrats to step up to the plate and help Barack Obama live up to his campaign promises, no matter how difficult that might seem.

Now is the time for Democrats to stop blowing around hot air and join those nations who have begun this shift while giving an example to those which have not.

We say that the hot air emitted by the U.S. Government is a leading cause in climate change, now is the time to fix that.