I'll be very honest with you. Science was never my strongest - or even favorite -- subject during school. But even though it wasn't top on my list, I did learn quite a few things.
The first, and probably most important, thing I learned during any science class was that facts do not lie. No matter how much you may want to be a naysayer and disagree, you cannot simply change facts to fit your own narrative.
I think that's a lesson that Ted Cruz and Donald Trump missed out on in school. They seem to want to change and ignore proven scientific fact about the environment and climate change. Take Cruz for example. During a hearing he held in December as the chairman of the Senate's Subcommittee on Space, Science, and Competitiveness, he repeatedly challenged all proven scientific fact and made wild, false assertions in an attempt to defend his faulty view.
And then of course, there is the front-runner for the Republican nomination. In a tweet a few years ago, Donald Trump wrote: "The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive." All I can say to that: What?
John Kasich has acknowledged that climate change may be real, but he continually disregards the overwhelming scientific evidence that human activity is the main cause of the problem.
As we celebrate the 46th anniversary of Earth Day this year, I just can't understand how anyone could back a candidate for president who doesn't believe in science and fact? That was the most important lesson I learned in college - data doesn't lie. You may not agree with it, but facts are facts.
That's why I'm so proud of all the work that has been accomplished by President Obama these last seven years to protect our planet and preserve it for generations to come.
When laying out his Climate Action Plan in June 2013, President Obama asked, "Someday, our children, and our children's children, will look at us in the eye and they'll ask us, did we do all that we could when we had the chance to deal with this problem and leave them a cleaner, safe, more stable world?"
If Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, or John Kasich win in November, the answer will sadly be "no" since they refuse to acknowledge the facts. That's why it's more important than ever that Democrats unite together this fall so we can continue building on President Obama's legacy.
The Obama administration has made real progress in developing a wide range of initiatives that reduce greenhouse gas emissions through clean energy policies. Since President Obama took office, the U.S. has increased solar electricity generation by more than twenty-fold, and tripled electricity production from wind power.
President Obama has tirelessly worked with the EPA to develop a plan to reduce carbon emissions from power plants by 32 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. He's put in place tough fuel economy standards for passenger vehicles and is pushing us to invest in 21st century technologies that will improve the planet.
President Obama and Democrats at every level recognize and understand the science of climate change and the real impact that proactive policies we implement can have on preserving the planet for future generations.
On this Earth Day, we need to make sure we draw light to the fact that leaders in the GOP like Trump, Cruz, and Kasich simply want to ignore the facts of science and continue destroying our planet. I'm hoping for a future that's brighter, that's cleaner, and that's safer. And with a Democrat in the White House, and Democratic majorities in Congress and state legislatures, we'll see that brighter future last for generations.