MC MR. NAPKINS

And I need some followers!  @zachsherwin

My friend Joel wins online video contests for a living.  Check it out – he’s insanely talented, and all his stuff’s online. We recently collaborated on the above entry in an EPA-sponsored contest about how you can get involved in the process of creating federal regulations.  I’ll let you know if we win.

Also – from Joel’s blog entry about our video:

Now, you might not believe it, but this contest, hosted by the EPA, has been a major source of controversy in the world of us Video Contest folks. For some reason, a lot of the ol’ tea party folks around the country have decided that it constitutes a major flashpoint and ideal subject for arguing over. I guess the issue of whether the government is right in using $2500 of its advertising budget to sponsor a contest about “the role of citizens in rule-making,” is a little controversial?

What’s crazy about it is a few parts:

1) It’s basically a 4th grade assignment, “what is a citizens role in a democracy,” and the idea of people getting so mad about it is really silly.

2) Rules made by the EPA are pretty good things. I’m super glad that there are rules prohibiting dumping of toxic wastes into my drinking water, limiting the pollutants going into the air, enforcing standards of quality, etc. The role of a government is to protect it’s people, and that means more than just an army – that means standing up for us as consumers and air-breathers, too!