I want to see him excommunicate all Republican Catholics who oppose a $15-per-hour minimum raise. The Mammon worshipers are going to bust down the gates of hell on their way in anyway--so why not make it official?
Amen to everything you and Big Jake said! The main thing is that I don't feel like it's worth either the electric bill or the environmental impact for me. My house has lots of cross-ventilation, plus the fans. In my previous home, I did have a window unit. I disliked the noise, the blocked view, and the inability to open that window for cross ventilation.
I've never had A/C but not because of the environment. Because I just don't care about the (at times extreme) heat, I enjoy humidity and there's only like 3 days a year I even think it would be nice. If I lived in an apartment block I would probably need it though. It's never airless where I am now. Electricity is now a fortune here so I'm glad I never got used to it.
I used to be Catholic, born into it and went to Catholic school through high school. I'm not Catholic anymore, but my parents certainly are. I think it's somewhat pointless to criticize Francis for not progressive enough--given the history of the Catholic church, he is the most progressive leadership they've seen in...well...ever, I guess. My hope is that this is a transitional leadership that will lead to even more progressive action in the future on the part of the church. In general, he's been very well-received. I guess what I'm trying to say is, he's as progressive as the Catholic church can handle right now, and he is pushing a lot of buttons by being so. I like that. I think he's quite smart by couching his more forward-thinking material in the language of social justice, as this will appeal to many Catholics who might be otherwise on the fence about these issues. It can bypass some entrenched political ideologies that people hold.