'Tis the season to be jolly......

Originally I was going to question why a lame duck City Council is pushing through large expenditures on outside attorneys, a non revenue producing, uncovered parking deck and additional superficial personnel at the same time they are cutting firemen, policemen and other vital city hall employees.  But the majority has spoken.  It said that Mayor Johnson may push spending through his sycophants four on any project that strikes his fancy or the fancies of his backers.  So I address another issue.

To frack or not to frack, that is the question.  It’s roundly debated.  There is the usual divide between the corporations and the conservationists (a word has the same root as conservative).   Only one fact in the issue is immutable.   “Personkind” (mankind to oldies) cannot live without water.  The current proposals for fracking all include pumping chemicals into the ground which will most definitely leach into ground water systems.  Nature insures it just as with the PCBs.  No thinking or caring person wants to have children in any shale region drinking any part of that toxic mixture.

BUT listen up.  The Saratoga Springs Democratic City Committee is lucky enough to have a taciturn third Vice President who is a working energy engineer.  Over a glass of bubbly at the Democratic committee holiday party, I asked him about the question of fracking. 

My first question was how important is shale gas.  He said, if we can harvest it, in not too many years the U.S. may be exporting fuel the way we were the world’s exporters of oil before there was a Saudi Arabia or a Libya.  That’s impressive as a way towards the re-energizing of our economy as well as reducing our dependence on the oil from some problematic areas.

 

My second, but more important question, was what about befouling our water systems?  Apparently, as usual, the Corporations ably assisted by their politicians are looking for the cheapest, quickest way of attacking a problem.  “No one has given the problem to the engineers” said our friend.   There may ways to extract the gas using other disciplines of engineering.  It might be possible to extract gas by using controlled sonic booms or other methods yet to be considered that have no lasting impact on the natural habitat. 

The question that really needs to be addressed is can we safely extract the gas; can we frack safely.  And that is not even being asked no less discussed publically - at least not by the politicians; not by the corporations; not by the public.  If the answer is yes, let's go ahead.  If the answer is no, it should not be an option, Governor.

As usual we are mired in an issue totally polarized and muddled by opposing political sides, heavily funded by corporations and obfuscated by mendacity.  There has to be a better way.

Congratulations to Mike Toohey and those retiring from the City Center Board.  Grateful thanks to him and the exceptional current Board who have provided us with an enlarged City Center .  It will enhance our City's economy by accommodating more and larger conventions.  The Mayor as he did with the 9/11 sculpture committee has reached out to new people to enlarge participation in the governing process of our City....among them Joe Dalton and Tom Roohan.  Ho hum.

Wishing you and yours a healthy, happy holiday season whether you celebrate Chanukah, Christmas, Kwanza or any other faith.  To my atheist and agnostic friends, simply enjoy.