A reason why changes in lifestyles may be more important than political changes for reducing carbon footprint.

Some people say that promoting individual actions, like driving less, doesn't do much good for reducing climate change. They say we need reform of political and business institutions instead.

The problem is that reforms, such as taxes and regulation on business, often lead to higher prices for consumers. Then, if consumers don't change, they rebel against the political changes. An example of this is the 2018 Yellow Vest Rebellion in France as working class people struggled with higher fuel prices.

Higher gas prices was one thing that lead to Trump's popularity in 2024. A carbon tax has recently been repealed in Canada.

Here in Washington state, some folks complain about our state's higher gas prices, compared to other states. These prices are partially the result of Cap and Trade laws attempting to address climate change. So far, Washington's voters have continued to support Cap and Trade when repeal of it was on the ballot in 2025. In future years, the cost of Cap and Trade cost will continue to ratchet up. There are goals of gradually weening us off of fossil fuels by decreasing fossil fuel cap imposed on industry. This ratchet is built into the law. If people remain dependent on fossil fuels, there will be a time when support for Cap and Trade breaks. Another initiative could repeal it, even here in liberal Washington State.

I think voters need to understand the "big picture." Institutional changes that are placed on business and government does have an effect on the consuming public. We can't "have it all." We can't just expect that corporations will make the change for us. When government forces change on business, it usually does effect consumers and workers. This often means that the public ends up rebelling against the higher prices. Then, instead, people need to accept change in lifestyles such as driving less to save money.

Changes don't always have to mean sacrifice. More urban lifestyles, where things are more convenient can help. Using public transit can be less stressful than driving in traffic. Bicycling can improve one's health.

Republicans are out of step with the American people.

Seems like the majority of American people don't support Trump, but Republicans still seem to favor him. Republican voters, in Kentucky voted for the Trump favored Republican candidate over Republican Thomas Massie. This further strengthening the stranglehold of Trump over that party.

With Republicans slight majority over national government, the only way, basically, to get change is for some Republicans to break away from their pack and differ from the president, such as with the vote on releasing the Epstein files. This looks less likely as voters on that side of the aisle continue to lock in Trumpism. Trump's purges of government officials and military generals continues to lock in his rule. The best ways to bring more diversity of opinion back to national politics is to vote Democrat for the time being at least.

As CBS crumbles, the internet provides more platforms where talent and freedom of speech still thrive.

Corporate powers have decided to end CBS Radio News. Our local affiliate, KGMI, has switched to ABC Radio News.

Sometimes I liked listening to John Batchelor's CBS Eye on the world. Though it was a bit conservative (I am open minded) I learned a lot about the workings of the economy from his interviews. Now, like so many things, his show survives on the internet. We live in an era of diversity on the internet. Lots of things taken off traditional media may even have more followers on YouTube. For instance Stephen Colbert, who has been famously pulled from CBS TV and was said to have more viewers on his YouTube channel.

Yes, the billionaire tycoons run much of traditional media as well as the social media platforms, but the platforms are a bit different. Diversity of opinion can still thrive.

Traditional media used to always say that the newsroom and editorial staff had a "firewall" between them and the sales department. News and opinion could be objective from being bought, supposedly.

Looks like the billionaires do try and run everything, including government, but freedom of speech still finds its way.

RIP CBS Radio, at least, and maybe eventually CBS TV? Oh, I didn't say that did I?

In Bellingham, WA. I felt like I was missing the excitement of witnessing Mount Saint Helens eruption.

I felt like I missed most of the excitement. Here in Bellingham, we hardly got any effect so I had some of that geologic experience second hand.

It would have been exciting and not too daingerous, from a distance, like in my home town of Pullman where it was dark by noon from ash fall.

My mom and sisters were living in Pullman at that time. My sister Judith mailed a plastic container of ash from the driveway that I still have as a momento.

That afternoon, I was mowing Mrs. Taylor's grass. She invited me into the house and said, "Have you heard what's happening to Mount St. Helens?" The TV was full of news including dust causing problems all the way to Montana!

After I got home, I heard on the radio that the volcano was heard in Vancouver, BC. Wow.

Then I thought, "what was I doing that morning?" I was cleaning the kitchen in a Bellingham restaurant and remembered hearing a rattling at the door. No one there. That must have been from the blast.

I didn't have a TV so I tried to tie my big old multi band radio to my bike rack to keep listening while I rode up a hill to try and look south. Couldn't see any evidence of the plume.

Later that evening, I went to a WWU campus TV lounge to watch the news.

A few years later, I visited Mount Saint Helens area by bicycle.

In 1986 I biked to Windy Ridge on east side of mountain. Got some photos.

Again in 1994, I biked to Johnston Ridge on west side of mountain. Got some photos.

A-frame cabin partially buried, 1994.

Mount Saint Helens is a tourist attraction, 1994.

Someone took my photo at Johnston Ridge, 1994.

Washington State should find a way to tax McMansions more since the mansion is rooted in the state and less likely to flee.

Some of Washington State's billionaires have moved to redder states, while leaving their mansions behind. They still use their Washington mansions as "vacation homes," so I hear. This state has just passed a millionaires tax and some folks fear it will lead to a flight out of state by most of our wealthy entrepreneurial class.

I think we should do more to tax the residential real estate left behind, but our state constitution prohibits progressive taxation of property. I looked up on Google AI that our state constitution has a uniformity requirement that blocks progressive taxes on property. This uniformity clause has also been used to stop progressive state income taxes as courts have defined income as property. If we could remove that clause, we could have more progressive property taxes and possibly even a progressive income tax in this state. I would be in favor of that.

Washington did pass a large capital gains tax applied to the most wealthy citizens. It's been allowed to stand as it's considered an excise tax (a tax on transactions such as sale of stock; like a sales tax). This tax is now in effect, but there is worry that its focus on business and stock is causing some business to flee from the state. Even lower middle class people do benefit, or at least consume from the jobs, products, services and tax revenues derived from a healthy business climate.

I think we could remove the barriers to progressive property taxes, especially residential property. I think that has been done in New York State where there is a new tax on second homes (like vacation homes rather than the primary residence) valued at over 5 million dollars. New Your City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is known for promoting that.

Should climate activists better connect to people's aspirations for making what they want more affordable?

I've heard some talk in media that worry about climate change is not high on the list of priorities for most American people. Worry about the cost of living is much higher. There is an author named Matthew Huber who writes that climate change activists need to better address and connect their messages to people's concerns about cost of living.

In my case, that connection seems easy. Bicycling and public transit tends to cost less than owning a car. Living in a small space is less costly than a big house. Of course, my lifestyle has always been different than average. Most people don't wish to be minimalists, especially if they are raising a family.

Even families can live on less, but that idea doesn't really sell. In my case, I prefer a less stressful lifestyle. I think driving a heavy fast moving car in traffic would be too stressful for me. Many career choices and responsibilities, in the lives of others, would be too stressful for me. A life with lots of exercise has been enjoyable and good for my health. I seem to have plenty of social life and possibly more time for social life without those so called "higher standard of living" things.

Still, it seems like Huber, feels that asking people to reduce climate change through lifestyles isn't working. Instead, better connecting aspirations for a rising standard of living, that so many working class people have, to better energy policies would be a better road to successful politics, for instance messages about how greener energy, such as solar, can be less expensive than fossil fuels.

Trying to win back members of the working class who have recently left the Democratic Party is the topic of a lot of discussion. I understand, for the most part, that thinking, but I still seem to like my own lifestyle. It works for me. This is partially true because I have been able to live in affordable housing. That makes a difference.

Whatever agenda there is, it needs to allow people to have lives that work and are affordable or else it will not play well at the polls.

Will a greener China be the adult in the room during Trump's visit?

China's government may look like the adults in the room when Trump visits China. They are quickly transitioning toward green energy while the US government is rededicating its efforts to fossil fuels. China still does burn lots of coal, but it has over 1 billion people to serve. While China progresses past that, the Trump Administration seems to want to go back to the past.

Coal trains do travel through Bellingham on their way to ships, waiting in Canada, for Asian ports, but China is making progress with solar, railroads and so forth. Their system may be more authoritarian than ours, but it's less likely that populism will push China erratically. As for war in the Middle East, China seems well prepared for oil shortages in the long run. Less reckless in its foreign relations.

Temporary suspension of gas tax might be a bad idea in the long run.

Temporarily suspending gas tax could bring long range problems. Increasing the debt or less funding for roads. We seem to be having a repeat of the fossil fuel crisis in the 1970s. I don't drive though I admit I eat food delivered by truck and prepared by folks who drive to work.

Here in Washington State, the high state gas tax gets complaints also. We may not get lots of road bang for the buck as some state money goes into salmon habitat restoration. We can't have it all. Whales in Puget Sound are large animals and they use the salmon for their food.

Maybe someone could do a historic photo exhibit to memorialize the graffitti rock that was recently removed from I-5 south of Bellingham.

Coming into Bellingham on I-5, there has been a famous rock painted with many layers of expression over the years. It's commemorated graduating classes and lots of other things.

There is now a local controversy as the rock has been destroyed. It basically fell victim to salmon stream restoration. Washington State has been ordered, by treaty obligation, to remove culverts under highways for improving salmon passage.

There's lots of construction for daylighting streams along I-5 and other roads and paint flakes from the rock can be poison near streams.

Some folks had wanted the Department of Transportation to move the rock to another location, but I guess that was determined too expensive. The rock was broken up instead.

The rock basically fell victim of contradicting demands from various constituencies of the public. Salmon restoration versus an affordable highway system. Keeping gasoline taxes from going through the roof while maintaining highways. I guess much of the highway budget, these days, goes to habitat restoration in this state. So much of life is about tradeoffs.

Since I don't drive, the rock hasn't been real important to me. I do remember some car and bus trips into Bellingham, during my college years, seeing a few of its graffitied presentations.

During the 1980s, soon after bicycling was allowed on rural shoulders of I-5, I stopped by the rock to hike up there. At its base were slabs of paint that had broken off. Each slab consisted of, possibly hundreds of paint layers in various colors. I took a slab home for souvenir. Eventually, I threw out that slab as it was crumbling and leaving a mess of paint flakes.

Recently, I got to thinking that good way to memorialize that rock is to collect pictures of its various paintings over the years; possibly for an art exhibit. Maybe someone has already thought of that.

A new sculpture could be placed in some public spot with the surface covered by various pictures of the original rock. Photos could be glazed into ceramic tiles covering the surface of a new boulder in some Bellingham park.

While I have none of my own photos from that famous I-5 Bellingham rock and I didn't keep that crumbing paint slab I found from the rock in the 1980s, I have found other souvenirs along roads. I still have a pile of warning signs that must have fallen off a tanker truck. Here are a few of those changeable metal signs. I wrote about the rock's demise in an earlier post.

I tend to ride less on I-5 shoulders, these days, than back in the 1980s after it was first legalized. Back then, the wide shoulder was, and probably still is, safer than many roads. The 55 mile per hour speed limit was still in effect from the 1970s, oil crisis. Today, traffic is flying by faster and there is probably twice as much traffic in this region as there was in the 1980s. More backroads have been improved since then as well.

If gerrymandering voting districts for race is illegal, it should also be illegal to do it by political party.

I think computers would be better at fairness in drawing district lines than politicians that are biased toward their own party. Voting districts should be based on criteria like equal population and compactness of district.

Today, there is the pronounds. When I was in college, the learning curve was to say woman instead of girl, or better yet, Womyn.

Today, there is the talk about pronouns. When I was in college, in the 1970s, I knew a few transgender people, though the pronoun issue wasn't evident. Back then, it seemed like the learning curve was about not calling women "girls." When someone called a person over 18 a girl, they would often be corrected. She's a woman. Feminism was evident back then.

There was also a new spelling for woman. It was better to write "Womyn."

Looking this up in AI, I just learned that there is both singular and plural for women. "Woman" is singular. "Women" is plural. I've never been good at spelling. For Womyn, AI says, "Womyn" (plural), "womyn" (singular).

As for other LGBTQ people, Western Washington University was quite progressive for its day. It had a "Gay People's Alliance" office in the Viking Union.

Before I graduated, they changed that name to the more inclusive "Sexual Minorities Center," but for first year of the change, it was called, "Union of Sexual Minorities Center." I think this was so the acronym could be "USMC," like the "US Marine Corps." It was for humor and folks joked that "we are looking for a few good men and women."

While being gay, I haven't had the desire for actual sexual intercourse, so I thought I was celibate back then. The organization included celibacy as a sexual minority. Today, these many things are talked about as spectrums. The concept of spectrums brings back sexuality me.

I was thinking about spectrums, even back then, as the Kinsey Scale is actually a "spectrum." The Kinsey Scale said that most people fall somewhere on the "gay to straight" spectrum, rather than being all "gay" or all "straight."

I also thought about other spectrums of personality on a graph making things more complex.

I remember thinking that the human personality is too complex for any label. It takes quite a bit of time to get to know someone.

I even think that starting meetings by giving one's name and pronouns is somewhat of a waste of time. In a discussion group, learning what someone thinks about the discussion topic seems more useful.

I'm pretty bad at even remembering names until I've had a chance to get to know someone over time. There seems to be no substitute for taking the time.

From a self published brochure I did in 1975.

Beefed up security for a White House ballroom could imprison the president. More mobile security works better.

Spending a billion to fortify a White House Ballroom does little to protect a president that is away from the White House. Secret Service needs to be mobile when the president gets out into the community and overseas. Otherwise the president has to always stay home and the ballroom becomes more like a prison.

Could conservative religions be leading the world to declining population due to more deaths instead of fewer births?

Conservative religious values, that have contributed to the rise of the Republican Party, are also leading to more deaths of children and adults around the world. They were talking about the cuts to USAID in Canadian radio today. The US has made big cuts, but other countries, including Canada and European countries, are making cuts as well. This, to conserve money, speaking of conservative.

I've often thought that the world may soon be entering an era of declining population which could also conserve the environment. Still, this is more painful than less conservative values would be.

More generosity could help budgets, due to increasing prosperity for US and Canadian farmers. US farmers are among the first to feel Elon Musk's act of tossing USAID into the woodchipper, as he once put it. The woodchipper also cuts programs to deal with birth control which would be a less painful way to deal with the overwhelming numbers of people in need.

Ironic if people who call themselves right to lifers are backing this.

Much of the increase in deaths is due to lack of medical care around the world. Food, fuel and fertilizer shortages will add to the problems. More money is being spent, around the world, on military budgets. NATO countries are being asked to ramp up military spending and they are responding due to increasing threats, or at least perceived increasing threats, around the world.

The silver lining, in all of this, is that public opinions do change. They swing back and forth like pendulums. Even religion doesn't always have to be a force pushing politics to conservatism.

Inexpensive use of airconditioner for studio apartment.

Living in an era of inexpensive products, versus medical bills and rents, I decided to get an airconditioner.

For several years, I thought I didn't need it. Bellinham usually has a cool summer breeze. I'm on the northside of a building and I'm out on my bike quite a bit anyway.

Still, there are predictions of a warm summer, this year, and likely more to continue due to global warming. I've been thinking about getting one for warm nights when it can be harder to sleep. So I decided to get it, thinking I would use it sparingly.

I don't pay a powerbill. That's included in my reasonable rent in subsidized housing. Still, I think about energy usage.

Spring is a good time to buy, before a potentially hot summer sets in and supply of such items diminishes.

All the local ones, I found, were more powerful than my needs, plus finding a way to bring it to my apartment besides on my bicycle.

This became one of the few things I bought off Amazon. Larger selection; though admittely I only looked in one Bellingham store due to the traffic sprawl of going all over town to comparison shop.

It's rated for just the size of my studio and delivered right to my door.

I've retrotfiited it to my space.

I've added to the window fitting so it can be easily removed from the window and stored, unless I'm actually using the airconditioner.

I close my 7th floor windows at night unless it is hot as traffic on the street below my apartment is amazingly loud.

When unit is running, it does drown out the traffic. Often I just use it on "fan only" mode to bring in cool night air from outside.

Most of the time I just keep it stored as just the window breeze is usually sufficient.

Iran may have outsmarted USA in war strategy.

It looks like Iran has outsmarted the US in war strategy. This is not, however, a moral high ground. That's a different measure. In this war, there really is no moral high ground.

In war strategy, Iran has cleverly used the geography of the Straits of Hormuz to ripple global economies so the US faces difficult choices such as the possibility of a ground invasion. Iran's lower cost drones have worked well against our more expensive warfare as the US government continues to sink farther into debt.

Our leaders have harmed our alliances with Europe and Canada at such a time when we could benefit from the alliances that were stronger in the past. Iran has brutalized it's own people and propagated violence abroad though we also seem to be slipping farther into authoritarian government at home. The US and Israel have our own violent effects abroad as well.

It seems like the strategy we have pursued, especially under Trump and Republican Party leadership, is not helping to improve the situation in Iran and around the world.

Lessons against close mindedness and oil dependency.

Like beligerant bullies playing in a sandbox, both the leaders of Iran and USA have gridlocked the Gulf of Hormuz with 20% of world's oil supply. A lesson against being closed minded and beligerant. Also a lesson against world dependency on fossil fuels.

Seems like neither US or Iran can back down now without loosing what they have invested in this conflict so far. They are both backed into corners with billions of dollars worth of paint.