America puts global warming on the back burner

The Pew Research Center just released this study about what Americans think should be the top priority for Barack Obama in 2009. Not surprisingly, the economy and jobs are no. 1 and no. 2 on the list.

Obviously people in this country want to make a living and you know, not get laid off.

However, one surprisingly development is Global Warming is dead last in top priorities for 2009. I guess Al Gore just didn't do enough spreading the word about the evil ManBearPig on South Park.

But really? Dead last. While I'm not one of those doomsayers that thinks we'll be sleeping with the fishes in a couple of years after the eco system completely crashes - heck, I'm suffering through one of the most epic winters Spokane has ever had - but it's pretty obvious that something is happening with our climate and we need to adjust.

However, I mean, we need to figure out what's going on. Problem is that enviormentalism is one of those things where people really lose sight with what's important and go into "we'll show them mode", refuse to compromise or work with companies, government offices and other individuals and then essentially they become a popularist movement full of liberal college hippies. No joke, ask anyone who's a "environmentalist" and they'll tell you they grew up in a suburban middle-class home, enjoy long rides in their Subaru, like hiking at the 3,000 ft. mountain just outside town, marveling at nature in our city zoos and really not having a true understanding or passion for nature.

Really they're doing it because a bunch of other Dashboard Confessional fans are saying the same thing too.

So once things start to rough, namely the economy, people start dropping their recreational feelings really quick. So after all that name-calling, fingerpointing, sit-in protests and bumper stickers, you're telling me that Americans really don't care about the environment.

Oh meanwhile, we're still actually debating if this is just cycle of warming or if we're really screwing up the planet. But oh wait, people can't afford iPods anymore so conservation efforts may have to wait.

Carry on, at least I'm in the Northwest where the biggest natural disaster we have is my morning breath.