Fuel standards and Bird Flu

Well, I guess the federal government should just fold. It's probably better that way. There is so little that they are doing well, and in fact, so much they are doing poorly or not at all, that I just don't see the point anymore. Of course, the absence of a federal government could potentially bankrupt a whole mess of DC bureaucrats, lobbyists, reporters, analysts, office assistants, restaurant workers, gas station attendants, housecleaners and prostitutes. Maybe if the DC government could just become an entity in name alone, without even intimating an intent or goal, save the difficult act of self-perpetuation. I'd be cool with firing all the higher ups and allowing the government to exist only to keep anyone making less than 75k annually employed. Let's do it.

As so many people know, self-perpetuation, or survival by another name, is hard these days. Aside from angry rumblings simmering up from the magma core of our petulant earth, and rising sea levels that don't seem to do anything to cool the ire, we also got a whole host of sticky situations that just don't seem to inspire anyone to commit to resolution. Like what?

Gas prices: I don't mind the three dollar per gallon price point. I don't mind it not because I'm rich and love to toss my money at rich oil companies posting the highest profits ever. That would be silly. If anyone reading this is tossing money at anyone who already has a ton, take a moment to think about that move. It's dumb. The reason I don't mind the high prices is because it connotes the significance of using up natural resources. So, right, a bunch of people have been saying that for a long time. Now, though, how about a strong statement from the feds about the merits of driving less? How about a strong statement about the plausibility of carpools or public transit or bicycling to work? How about a strong statement other than, "let's relax the fuel standard for light trucks!" Because, see, that doesn't help the problem.

Bird flu: yeah, you know what? I'm not really scared of this. I don't want to die from it, but I don't want to freak out right now over a flu that has only crossed into a human accessible virus in 200 cases. Again, you want to know why? Because, unlike a bunch of the dead kids who contracted the disease, I don't play with chickens. I don't like birds at all. I'm not surprised to learn that they would carry a dastardly disease capable of wiping a bunch of folks out because birds are horrendously dirty and only worthy of note when they are flying somewhere faraway in a pretty formation, or gathering in a nice wetland where humans shouldn't live. Don't play with chickens.

As I write all this, I keep thinking, what's the best damn thing that the federal government did in the last ten years? And when I say "did," I mean something other than create humorous fodder for cynical observers. I also mean something that is NOT an omission. What have they done? Hmm. What have they done that has resulted in a greater good? Umm, yeah. Shit. I'm at a loss.