Call Your State Representatives. I Did.
Tonight I called Representative Will Hartnett. Not exactly expecting him to pick up the telephone, I was startled when he answered his office phone at 7:15 in the evening. Mostly, I wanted to speak with him about the proposed coal-burning power plants. I expressed to him that I was concerned about everything that was going on, and I wanted to know where he stands on the issue. The one most important thing that he told me was that he plans to hold TXU to their word that the coal plants will not raise local pollution levels by even one particle. In fact, Hartnett said that he is considering drafting a bill to ensure that they live up to their promise. My experience tonight truly showed me the power of democracy. Just like my previous entry "Organics in Action", tonight was Democracy in Action!
I mentioned to him that I felt it is sad that we are forced to build more plants in order to meet rising energy demands when we should be making an effort to educate people on energy conservation. He said that the government can't mandate how people lead their lives. I don't agree with this, but it was the best answer he could give me without admitting that I was right; we do need to encourage people to conserve energy instead of just putting a band-aid on the problem by building more plants. Lesson learned tonight? CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES. You will be amazed what you can learn, and how just one phone call could influence future government action.
