Is the USA capable of thinking about short-term and long-term issues at the same time?

I sure would like to think so, but sometimes I wonder.

Carbon tax. Cap-and-trade system. 80% fewer carbon emissions in 45 years. All of these issues came up during the recent presidential campaign. You may love them or hate them, but you can hardly disagree with one thing: if we as a country are going to get them up and running, we need to be able to articulate a long-term plan and then stick with it, year in and year out.

In the meantime, of course, we have entered a nasty recession, so the airwaves are dominated with talk of foreclosures, job losses, state budget deficits, and the like. The “green energy economy” does get some play in the middle of this recession coverage – but almost entirely as a short-term way of creating new jobs.

I agree that the public needs to be informed about what is going on with the recession, both to make their own financial decisions and to be able to participate in the national debate – call up talk show hosts, petition their legislators, you name it. But I have heard and read very little on NPR, on national news websites, or anywhere else about the long-term aspects of our energy problems. New energy secretary Dr. Stephen Chu says, “if the American people knew how serious the climate change problem was, they would not stand for this level of inaction.” My point exactly. They don’t know, so they stand for it.

But I am not writing this entry to complain – I am writing this entry to hold out hope. The American public is entirely capable of focusing most of their attention on the recession and some of their attention on climate change and long-term energy security. And so are the President and the Congress. It is essential that they start doing this.