Show of hands…how many of you love air conditioning?  1…2…3…ok, I lost count.  I believe that this is one of the best inventions of mankind.  I have been known to suggest that this was actually created by God himself on the 8th day of creation.  What better way to breathe is there in the summertime?

A column in the Washington Post suggests that air conditioning ought to be public enemy number one for a variety of reasons.  Stan Cox, the author of the piece, suggests that air conditioning not only is responsible for global warming, but also responsible for the degredation of the neighborhood, the downturn of big business and the advent of big government.

Cox says that by all of us turning it off, we would see fans make an upturn and neighborhoods get downright friendly.  He also suggests that while some neighborhoods would see bars on windows as a result, they are merely “window grilles.”  He also suggests that we would be cooking and eating outside more often with the A.C. off.  He also seems to believe that we would start growing things on top of buildings including the White House.  And I wondered where that new garden that Michelle Obama planted was.

This utopia that Cox believes would happen is just around the corner if the government would just ban us from using this blessing from on high known as air conditioning.  Summers would be an easy time again as businesses would slow down and people on staff would take a siesta in the afternoon.  Maybe now we could make use of the urban sombrero that we all bought from J. Peterman back when Seinfeld was big on television.

Please!  I believe air conditioning makes it a more civilized world.  How many people would start finding excuses to hang out in hospitals or various places that still use A.C. under Mr. Cox’s plan?  How many people would take to the street and find new ways to air out their aggression?  Seriously, I think that the breakdown of the neighborhood has more to do with more entertainment choices in the home rather than air conditioning.  Would more people outside make neighborhoods safer?  Doubtful.  America is an individualized society.  We don’t value being a group, we value rugged individualism.  We always have.

Does air conditioning cause or perpetuate global warming?  I find that doubtful as well.  First given that air conditioning merely cools the air and removes humidity from it.  Secondly, because we haven’t had actual global warming for nearly a decade.  What causes global warming is more likely to be diatribes full of hot air such as the one made by Mr. Cox versus air conditioners in the American home.

I do have to say this much in agreement with Cox’s assessment of the government on this point.  No air conditioning in Congress might encourage lawmakers to take an extended break in the summer when Washington is at it’s hottest.  I can’t imagine Congress taking a break from spending our money and taxing us to death to be a very bad thing, so from that standpoint I offer a compromise.  Let’s just simply ban air conditioning from the Capitol building and all of the Congressional offices.  That would significantly reduce government as well as help with global warming because of the lack of hot air coming from those particular buildings, as it does on a regular basis.