This is Why I Don't Watch the News

I’m still feeling puny. My Grandma used to say this when she wasn’t really sick, but just wasn’t feeling 100%. That’s me right now.

I don’t (and won’t) generally blog about the news because I am not a newsy person. Call it a personal flaw, but I don’t need to know what’s going on in the government concerning global warming, building over the wilderness, basically treating the planet like a doormat—because it makes me angry and frustrated and not feeling too good about what on person can do to change all that. I know, I know, knowledge is power, but in this case knowledge is also a downer. I just keep doing what I’m doing, and look for either positive news stories—or get my information from somewhere a lot less gloom and doom than the news.

My boyfriend, on the other hand, likes to watch the news. Therefore, I do get bits and pieces of it here and there. Today, there was some story or an other (I was only half listening) about a hearing/meeting about the possibility that the Bush administration pushed scientists into making global warming sound a lot less dangerous than it is. Does this surprise anyone? Certainly not me.

Of course, the familiar feelings of frustration and anger bubble up to the surface. It maddens me, irritates me and continually shocks me that we elect leaders and allow our political system to carry on the way it does. The Bush Administration is a whole new level of this, but politicians on both side of the spectrum do this—take advantage of the weak, reward the rich, and spin, spin, spin till there’s no hint of an issue left.

Bush was quoted as saying something about putting caps on greenhouse gasses would be too “expensive.” Expensive for whom? For companies that rake in billions and trillions of profits? For the government? For who? Because, last time I checked, global warming is going to end up being pretty expensive in the number of natural disasters, species lost, climate change affects on crops, businesses, and so on and so on. Let’s spend billions of dollars on a war, and do nothing to begin to solve some huge problems we’re costing the Earth and ourselves. The average person can’t always afford to make the “green” choice, it’s sad that those who can, won’t.

And this is why I don’t watch the news—I basically end up wanting to punch something or someone. I don’t feel inspired to make a change, I feel the need for screaming and shouting—and I don’t think that’s going to get anyone to change their mind.