Amidst all the debate over health care, there is an important issue being ignored. Maybe one that is even more important than the issue of health care. That is the issue of climate and how the U.S. is going to help improve it. Reducing carbon emissions is a high priority on the United States agenda and it should not be overlooked so easily.

It is hard to go through the day without hearing different arguments on whether the proposed health care bill will save or damn the U.S. The debate has become so tense that the mere mention of health care can send people into a frenzy. Everyone becomes so engrossed in these popular issues that other equally as important issues go ignored by the media.

“Mass media outlets have had such success with sensationalizing health care, they have had no incentive to inform the public about the climate bill” said Jeremy Abrams, senior mass media communication major at the University of Illinois.

The climate bill is currently in the Senate after it passed a narrow vote to get out of the House of Representatives. The bill was originally introduced by Senate Environment and Public Works Chair Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.). It hopes to cut carbon emissions by 20 percent by the year 2020. The ensuing battle over the climate bill is leading up to the global climate summit in Copenhagen, Denmark. There has been some dissent by both Republicans and Democrats over the bill. They argue that the bill is an energy tax that could send more people overseas or result in an overall loss in jobs. However, it is widely perceived that the bill would be beneficial to the country. It is predicted that if this climate bill is made into law, it would draw in billions of dollars in private investments into the economy.

“We need that private capital, and we need to become energy efficient here and energy independent” Boxer said in a quote from The Hill’s article, “Boxer claims climate bill could bring billions in investments.”

“We’ll create a number of jobs,” she said.

It is evident that this bill attempts to kill two birds with one stone. Not only will it serve to improve the environment, but also to stimulate the economy as well.

President Barack Obama is quoted in The Hill’s article “Kerry, Boxer launch climate debate,” stating that the bill moves the country “one step closer to putting America in control of our energy future and making America more energy-independent.”

Whether or not people agree on the merits of the purposed bill, it’s important to note that the United States has been highly resistant to making real changes when it comes to climate control. Already the U.S. has received heavy pressure from the European Union and United Nations to make a stronger effort to reduce emissions. It is important to remember that the United States has a heavy burden to bear. Our current health care system is one of the worst in terms of developed nations and also we refuse to practice what we preach by protecting our environment.

It is up to the people to help bring about this change. Basing opinion on party affiliation alone is no reason to completely shut down an idea. People need to really analyze issues rather than subject them to superficial bias. That goes the same for both Republicans and Democrats. The change we’ve heard so much about can not be carried out by one man.

All comments are moderated before being published. We will not edit your comments, but we also will not approve those that are abusive, off-topic, attack another poster or contain information we know to be libelous or false.

During peak weekday viewing times, most comments will be reviewed within six hours. For more detailed information, click here.

After submitting your comment, check below for a confirmation message.

• Your name:
• Enter text from image:
  

• Your comment:

* 300-character count. HTML formatting will not display.