One hidden price we are paying for political polarization in this seemingly endless presidential campaign is the failure of Republicans and Democrats to cooperate on opportunities that lie outside partisanship and ideology.
Energy is a good example. Regardless of what you believe about global warming, everyone should want the United States to use less imported oil and to reduce air pollution. Plug-in hybrid cars are one case of a technology on which the parties should be able to compete in a friendly way. But, it almost seems that the lack of controversy on this topic has led to lassitude about moving ahead on it. If I were in the Bush Administration I'd be pushing this idea hard. If I were a Democratic candidate, I'd be demanding to know why the Administration is not pushing hard enough.
Meanwhile, here is an example of another way that technology can help the environment and reduce our dependence on foreign oil: algae harvesting for fuel. It does not suffer any of the off-setting damage that other biofuels provide. It has exciting potential and deserves much more attention. However, i worry that its very reasonableness means it will be ignored by the combative, but unimaginative politicos of our time.
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