With America and other countries, most notably, Venezuela heading to the polls, voters have to be informed.  The cornerstone of the first American debate between “Big Bird” and “The Fumbler” in Denver was the economy.  It’s obvious that no matter who ends up in office, they will be unable to drive America into a better economic environment.  Corporations – made of folks concerned about their own jobs and family fortunes are less prone to put their jobs at risk to make the community, cities, and country a better place.  For Coloradan’s a new movie set to hit the screens in December will hit home.  “Promised Land”, featuring Matt Damon and a blockbuster cast and director (Yes Matt has reconnected wtih his Good Will Hunting Director Gus Van Sant), are expanding on Josh Foxes’ HBO film GASLAND.    For those in Longmont, Colorado choosing correctly on Question 300 will likely be played out twice – once in the voter booth and then on the big screen.

While Fox was first driven to choose between selling out his family’s land for mineral riches when natural gas companies came knocking, his documentary in 2009 set the stage on the natural gas fracking debate.   Promises of riches are what farmers, rural land owners and states are faced with daily.   Communities that once flourished, from countless towns in Pennsylvania to Louisiana, Florida to Washington, have to decide – feast or famine.

What is most interesting about “Promised Land – The Movie” is it poses Damon’s character in the role faced by a big company employee.  Like other major films, The Social Network comes to mind, will Van Sant be able to accurately deliver in a major drama? Will corporate positions reflect what the countless energy documentaries have not been able to visually show?

The position of this director and film maker is: choice over policy.  Consumers not voters continue to vote with their dollars and consume cheap oil and gas – for supposed lack of viable alternatives.   The unfortunate problem is that gaining the right information for the choice is cluttered with commercial advertising.   If a community can somehow collectively come together unanimously to say “Yes to drilling” and “it’s ok to eat processed gmo food and nourish their minds with contaminated well and ground water so they can drive 12 mile to the gallon trucks and cars with our new found wealth”  by all means do it.   And when the costs of caring for these short term thoughts and actions play out, let the corporations not the state care for their new found assets – community and all.

In an ideal world, it should simply not be expected that the rest of us to pay for your missing teeth, deformed limbs and cry for you as you drive 45 miles for a new job – you know the one that you will need when your land is forever ruined and the wells run dry.  Of course you too are benefiting from Obamacare and ad hoc anything goes energy plans.