Grading Green - and Health Care - Initiatives
There are mumblings (or maybe more than that, maybe real protests) around the country against two issues that are wending their way through Congress (Rucker). The mumblings focus on issues that will be crucial to all of us over the next years, health care and environmental topics like green initiatives. Broadly, the mumblings say, "I'm not going to let the government tell me how I am going to live my life." For health care, the quote might be, "I'm not reducing my caloric intake just because you tell me it's good for me," or "Don't restrict my access to certain procedures because " for instance "I smoke." For green initiatives, the quote might be, "The global warming science isn't proven, so don't tell me what kind of car to drive (Friedman, 212-213), or investments to make (Milloy, 162)." Pretty volatile issues, issues I'd normally stay away from. Entrepreneurs, however, would spend good time if they considered the ramifications of the discussions on opportunities in the health care and green sectors.
Pretty preposterous ideas come to mind. Health care for smokers is one. Investment pools for non-green companies is another, something Milloy is addressing with his Free Enterprise Action Fund (Milloy, 162). Contrarian thoughts, certainly. Possibilities? Maybe.
Friedman, Thomas L. Hot, Flat, and Crowded. Why we need a green revolution - and how it can renew America. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 2008.
Milloy, Steve. Green Hell. How Environmentalists Plan to Control Life and What You Can Do to Stop Them. Regnery Publishing, Inc. 2009.
Rucker, Philip and Dan Eggen. Rowdy protests at health forums. The Washington Post. 6 August 2009. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/text/2009607024_townhall06.html