Well so much for spring, it rained, and rained and then boom 90 degrees and humid. It seems more and more that Kentucky is becoming tropical. Well it is July and that means that Summer is in full swing. We’ve just marked our 233rd birthday as a nation. Wow, have things changed!. In 1776 the shores of New England were piled two feet high with oysters and lobsters. Now the Georges Bank, the most productive fishing ground in the world is barren. Two hundred years ago we were a nation of farmers who lived off the land. Now we have driven the family farm into virtual extinction. I know we are the most productive nation in the world, and we have built a standard of living that is the envy of the world, but it has come at a price.

I think that people are finally getting the message about living a more healthy lifestyle, returning to our roots of good fresh food, realizing that resources are limited and precious, and that unlimited consumption simply cannot be sustained. You are now hearing the debate take place about a carbon tax, and some kind of energy policy. Oh there will be outrage and attempts by some businesses and lobbyists to stop any change in fossil fuel consumption and pollution, and the cost to business will be no small amount. But at some point we need to make the tough choices, and take the pain if we ever really want to progress in a way that is sustainable. If we are ever going to deal with the challenges of the world, the time is now. Instead of wasting a trillion dollars on so called shovel ready projects, lets really spend some money on a new middle class, lets create the next industries of the future, mass transportation, green energy, sensible water projects, and a healthy food chain.

I have always admired those generations in the past two hundred years that made the sacrifices that have brought us to our more perfect union. Perhaps this is our calling to be great and make our sacrifices for a better tomorrow.

Mark Stevens