We can't?

It isn't the end of the month or year yet, but what a November! So far we are averaging 10 or more degrees above normal temperature and are on record pace for the greatest percentage of sunny days in what is ordinarily one of the least sunny months.

Another aberration in what has proven to be the norm this year. Global warming? El Nino? Who cares? For those of us who work around the weather it is at the least fascinating if not downright frustrating. Well, one thing is for sure: "We can't change it!"

We can't change it because we can't get out of our own way on any of the real steps we need to take to make even the slightest progress. We can't have a reasoned debate on any of the issues that are either part of the problem or part of the solution. We can't even agree there is or even might be a problem.

We can't afford to do without our cheap electricity from Vermont Yankee. We can't afford to store or take regional responsibility for the nuclear waste from Vermont Yankee. We can't afford to make the necessary repairs to Vermont Yankee, and we can't afford to clean up after the disaster that Vermont Yankee will eventually become.

We can't cut wood because we will destroy our forests. We can't burn wood because we will unleash another cloud of uncontrolled carbon. We can't have windmills because they will destroy our ridgelines. We can't have dams because they will destroy our valleys.

We can't continue to import oil because it will destroy

We can't have large centralized utility generation because of transmission inefficiencies and related increased costs. We can't have local or regional utility generation because there's no money in it and no one wants it "in their backyard."

We can't have corn because the tillage and fertilizer runoff are poisoning our watersheds. We can't have large dairy operations because we can't grow cows without corn. We can't have large animal operations at all because of the health and welfare issues for the animals themselves. We can't feed the nation on produce from small farms.

We can't afford our diesel fuel for the tractors and our chemical fertilizers any more. We can't afford the downtime to transition to organic and we can't afford the expense. We can't find enough market to sell our produce locally and make any money.

We can't afford to keep farming.

We can't afford to keep logging.

We can't afford to keep the store open.

We can't afford to live here any more.

What has happened to us? What is happening to us? I think we could all look at this list and conclude it is a comedy piece! You might be right except for one thing. I'm not making this up. I have read every single one of these statements in the news lately.

We are becoming close-minded in our thinking and decision-making. Too much of the information given us is seriously "spun" and ideological. We have lost the faith that anything constructive (or honest) will come from the people we trust to be running things.

We need to become more serious about finding reasonable solutions. We need to become more open-minded regarding the issues that are critical to us. We need to work harder to find local connections and local solutions that we can grow.

We can't keep going on like this!

Don Wilson is the chairman of the Bennington County Conservation District, whose mission is promoting rural livelihoods and protecting natural resources in Southwestern Vermont. As a matter of policy, he "doesn't do can't."