We take clean water and air for granted these days. It seems as if it naturally occurs but this is very far from the truth. The truth is that we have clean water and air because people demanded it in the 1960’s. Smog was commonplace. There were frequent ‘smog days’ when schools had to close because it was too dangerous to go outside. Industry would have gone along its merry way had we not banded together and created the laws to insist on a livable planet.

It’s tempting to want to trust politicians and business to do the right thing. Of course they want clean water and air too. And yet, profits and money get in the way. Wealthy people can avoid the issues of clean water and air by getting their own filters or moving away from unhealthy areas so it doesn’t really hit them at home. When we are out of the situation, it’s easy to forget the needs of others.

Flint is a great example of this. The water in Flint was not being used by wealthy people. It was easy to ignore the poor piping and lead. Poor people are helpless in getting folks to listen and eventually give in to the horrors. I was shocked to learn that the people of Flint were not outraged the filters were going to take months or years to get installed. This made clear to me the results of years and decades of oppression. Eventually people see this treatment as the norm.

It’s time for those of us who can, those of us who can see a bigger picture, to stand up for those who can’t. Where in your own area are people putting up with less than quality water and air? How can you find out? Call your local newspaper to gather information. Look up organizations online. Ask at your local library. Then get out there and do something.

Let’s just wait and see what happens

Trusting – I’m all for it – Unless the person or situation has proven itself untrustworthy. You know, that whole fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. We are at a time in our history when a large part of our fellow Americans are trusting hugely in a new way of government rule, one that is secretive and asks to be trusted while removing democratic principle for checks and balances. This is very risky indeed.

I get it that we needed a change. It’s true there was a stagnation in Washington DC, and in many states, obstructing our ability to move forward. Unaware folks (I have been one of them) believed fake news and got information from very select sources that relied on opinion or just made things up to make money.

Some people rejected normal news sources as tainted or corrupt. “Facts” were believed and trusted from a very narrow band of individuals. This has been rising in our society for some time finding a place among a people that wanted an authoritarian power to just fix the problems. Unfortunately, this new system manipulates people who don’t get a breadth of news from a wide variety of sources and trust implicitly.

Here’s the thing – trust is earned, not given. How do you know if you can trust someone?

They do as they say they are going to do

They act honorably

They have everyones best interest at heart

They have a reputation for treating people fairly

We do not have such leaders in power today.

Look at the various news sources you consume. What do you think is their agenda? Why are they a news organization? Do they clarify opinion from news? How do you know you can trust this organization? Are they just repeating news from other sources? Do they employ investigative journalists?

Consider global warming. Some organizations would say it is a hoax made up by liberals, that nothing humans do affects the change of the temperatures. Think about it. Why would liberals make that up? What is the purpose? To make life harder for businesses? Why? When you give blind trust to an organization or individual, these kinds of questions don’t get asked, much less answered.

What is the agenda of denying human impact on the environment? There is a clear connection between denying global warming and making business profits. It’s easy to see how some people might lie or twist the truth to keep from having to comply with laws that protect the environment but require funding.

It would be quite a conspiracy theory that imagines all ninety-seven percent of scientists in the world are lying to support a liberal agenda that… what? Wants to make up a bunch of EPA rules just for the fun of making businesses pay extra money? Makes no sense.

Better is to have the discussion, what environmental rules are necessary and why? How can the government help businesses manage EPA rules and maintain a profit? What are multiple resources saying? How are other countries managing these changes? How can we make government and businesses more transparent so we can see if the issues rise from greed or need?

It doesn’t have to be either/or, you do it my way or you force me to do it your way. We can turn toward one another, listen, learn, find new answers in a challenging world. Who can you trust? How do you know they are trustworthy?