(Steps up on soapbox. Teeters, then steps down and stands next to it.) The government always moves too slowly on too many things. I do and don't blame them. Whenever you have a large structure of people (government, corporations, etc.) what happens in the lower ranks rarely reaches the ears and eyes of the governing bodies. Unless it is something that could affect the group structure (embezzling, harassment charges, impeachment, etc.), those in the positions in power tend to ignore other problems. They’re background issues, not worthy of serious consideration, at least until something goes wrong. Such as it is with terrorism and the environment.

We knew that there were terrorists out there. Considering almost every country in the world has had some sort of terrorist attack laid against it, it’s almost a given that we would eventually be attacked. I’m not saying we were standing there in our stained wifebeater T-shirt, grabbing our crotch and saying, "Bomb this, yo." It was simply a statistical possibility that if various U.S. embassies and interests are bombed across the world, someone is finally going to take a shot at us on home soil. It happened on 9/11/01 and now, years later, we’re still playing the Great American Blame Game as to why this wasn’t reported to higher authorities. Because, up until those planes hit the Towers, it was a background issue.

The environment is a background issue as well. When you see massive deforestation or crippling pollution in some far flung country, you think how horrible that is for "those people over there" and then you change the channel. The environment gets the same short attention span in politics. It’s not a pressing issue like terrorism or tax cuts, it’s a football that helps people win reelections. You tell the voters how you pushed for better SUV emissions while you campaign in a Suburban. You talk up your environmental track record while quietly smashing out the teeth of any useful legislation for fear you’ll lose your backers in Detroit.

And when asthma and lung diseases start outnumbering auto deaths, when skin cancer becomes so prevalent doctors will have mall kiosks for treatment, maybe then we will see that the environment is something we can’t ignore. Until then, I have to assume that we’ll be seeing snow forecasts well into May.