When moving from New York to Florida, my wife and I went
through the usual rituals that all property sellers go through: touch up
painting to hide scuff marks, renting storage units to declutter the apartment,
and replacing worn out appliances. The last task fell squarely on me, so off I
went to the appliance store to replace our well-worn gas range. While
finalizing the paperwork, I noticed an electric stove in the corner of the
showroom. Off-handedly I remarked to the salesman, “I didn’t even know you
stocked those,” pointing to the lonely appliance. “I haven’t sold one of those
in four years.” came the reply.
If the Democrats have their way, that salesman might
only have electric stoves to sell, that is if anyone has the electricity to
power them.
To say that the far left has declared war on any
fossil fuel is like saying Vladimir Putin is just looking for some extra real
estate in Ukraine. Parts of the Biden administration want to declare all gas
stoves unsafe, not because they can blow up, but that they could, under
certain circumstances, emit toxic gases if they weren’t maintained and if
there wasn’t proper ventilation. New York Governor Kathy Hochul included
banning the sales of gas stoves after 2030 in her current budget legislation,
giving the New Jersey mob ample opportunity for yet more illicit income across
the border. Not to be outdone, New York City plans to ban new building
construction that includes natural gas lines. And on it goes.
The sad part, besides the lack of any rational
thought, is that this nation used to come up with national polies that most
people could accept without destroying the very things we need. When it became
clear that lead exposure was inherently dangerous to human health, we didn’t
ban gas or cars—we just banned leaded gasoline. As a society we now contend
with catalytic converter theft rings (more money for the mob!), but taking lead
out of the air is something we can agree upon as worth the cost.
Similarly, the elimination of phosphates from laundry
detergents made these products less efficient, but as a nation we are willing
to pay Proctor & Gamble a few extra bucks to engineer a better Tide rather
than have dead fish washing up on our shores. The simple soda can no longer has
a pull tab that creates loose garbage and a choking hazard—we happily open our
beverage with the self-contained push tab.
The irony is that propane, natural gas’s cousin, is
seen as environmentally better and healthier to users in other parts of the
world. And by “parts” I mean the estimated 3 billion people who use what are
known as “biomass” (wood, dried dung, and charcoal) for cooking fuel.
Especially when used inside, the toxic fumes these fuels emit make the average
car tailpipe look like fresh Alpine air. With this revelation, the US
government was firmly behind an international effort to give these third-world
cooks free portable propane stoves so they would stop using their biomass
fuels. And who was the point person giving the thumbs up? None other than Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton during her time in the Obama administration. It seems
Democrats find it easier to admit that fossil fuels have a useful place
thousands of miles away than here at home.
I don’t have a “solution” for the opponents of natural
gas stoves. I know that small, local landlords don’t have a couple of grand for
each apartment that needs rewiring (can we say mob-controlled union
electricians?), especially since local politicians won’t allow those same
landlords to recoup their costs because of rent control. Even power authority
executives admit that this country’s electric grid doesn’t have the capacity to
replace gas stoves, and that doesn’t even take into consideration all those
electric cars that will need juice. Maybe we just start accepting life as a
third-world country (or California), with rolling blackouts and spotty energy
supplies.
My wife and I will soon be moving into our new house in
Florida, and the outdoor grill is waiting. Waiting for us to light up its
natural gas flames, that is.
© 2023 Alexander W. Stephens, All Rights Reserved
