I was reading an interesting article from J. Warner Wallace last week that he wrote for Townhall. In the article, he said that the real driver behind people turning away from truth, the big questions, religion in general, etc. was because of a desire for autonomy. People have enormous confidence about their desires, believing that following their desires is the surest way to reach happiness. But is it true?

In blue states, people consistently vote for leaders who make them feel good. Voters want to feel good, and they want to look good to other people – virtue signaling. And they are sure that feeling good and looking good will produce good results.

Hawaii is one of the bluest states in the country. There, the people consistently vote for policies that are much more progressive than the policies of those terrible red states. Policies like re-making the power grid to be driven by renewable green energy sources.

Here’s what happened next, as reported by Daily Wire:

Hawaiian Electric is under scrutiny for allegedly slow-walking modernization and repairs of its electrical grid before the fire that ripped through the island of Maui last week.

Hawaiian Electric is Hawaii’s principle electric utility, providing power to roughly 95% of the state. Financial disclosures and reports show the company worried about the state of its electrical grid, and specifically the risk of wildfires, but devoted resources to building out the utility’s green energy network with limited action to mitigate fire risk, according to The Wall Street Journal.

In 2015, the Hawaii State Legislature amended the State’s Renewable Portfolio Standards to establish the nation’s first goal of 100% renewable energy:

The focus on Hawaii’s energy priorities over the past decade has been dominated by its push for green energy. The state enacted a first-in-the-country law in 2015 mandating that Hawaii’s grid be powered by 100% renewable energy by 2045.

In 2021, regulators finished a top-to-bottom restructuring of the regulatory framework to guide that transition, offering Hawaiian Electric large bonuses for finishing green energy projects on time, and threatening the utility with fines if it missed deadlines.

[…]“You have to look at the scope and scale of the transformation within [Hawaiian Electric] that was occurring throughout the system,” Mina Morita, the 2011-2015 chair of the state utilities commission, told WSJ. “While there was concern for wildfire risk, politically the focus was on electricity generation.”

The government, which was elected by the people, mandated that the energy company would make going green their highest priority. Politically, the focus was on global warming alarmism. Not on lowering electricity prices for consumers. And not on protecting taxpayers from wild fires.

I had a quick look on LinkedIn at the resume of the CEO of the energy company, and she had no earned degrees in science, engineering or technology. She has a bachelors degree in accounting. Good degree, but not for the top job in energy production. Why is she the CEO of an energy production company? Will she face consequences for her failure to perform?