Quote Originally Posted by stinkyattic
What's a good Democrat to do?
The most important things are to take the steps that you can, which it sounds like you do. I don't think anyone would expect you to give up your house or take a 2-hour bus ride instead of 1/2 hour in the car.

I try to do what I can but still have plenty of waste or lifestyle choices that are wasteful. One example, I've got a hot tub that stays hot 24 hours a day, even if I only use it a couple times a week. That is not really efficient, but that is how the machine is built to work, and I like it enough I'm not getting rid of it.

What I cannot stand is the gross and thoughtless waste that is built into almost everything we do in our society. You mentioned your house. Everyone loves their house. I know I love mine and would never give it up. And a house is part of what we expect in our society. But what is it with the huge over-the-top McMasnion phenomenon? I see these developments popping up all over the place with ENORMOUS homes that are far larger than anyone needs. I think people have an idea that this is what they want, but I do not think it makes people happier to have these things. They get on the hook for mortgages they can't afford. And then they have to pay that much more to furnish, heat, and clean twice as much area as they need. It's not just the waste of the big place itself, it's the ongoing waste built into keeping it up.

I think if people were to examine their choices more and think about what really makes them happy, they would make different choices. Is the huge expensive house going to make you happy, or is it more about expressing your status and impressing others? Same for the big expensive car. Our house is fairly small by some standards, but we saved a lot of money over buying something bigger than we needed. Now we've had the money to really make it what we want. We've put in nice landscaping and a nice kitchen, both of which really add to our enjoyment of life. It's for us, not to impress anyone. And we would not have been able to afford it if we had bought a bigger house or if we bought new cars more often.