Cap and trade proposals were made in an attempt to shift the costs of resource utilization towards technology and production inputs that are currently not economically viable. Simply put, Green Technology has two problems; it doesn't work or it's too expensive. Talking about a viable battery powered car is akin to envisioning everyone with jetpacks. Must be fun when all toked-up, but on the other side of a thick, haze-induced vision not practical.
Of course, when the majority of Oregonians can't handle the math, questions about affordability are never addressed. I guess it's like compulsive gambling or compulsive shopping. You can't win if you don't play and you can't save if you don't spend. Just ask the 75-thousand problem gamblers who live in Oregon. Remember the history of the gas station? Remember the millions of federal and state dollars that were used to develop a network of gasoline distribution points across cities, states, the entire nation? Planning was required to develop the infrastructure necessary to make use of the gasoline and diesel powered cars and trucks possible.
Sadly, younger readers may believe that the above statement--about using public funds to develop a network of gas stations--is true. They are a generation that has been taught that nothing good is accomplished without the gentle hand of government planning and subsidization. Quite the contrary is true, of course. Innovation is the playground of the entrepreneur. But, to listen to your self-chosen masters, we simply can't rely upon greedy people to provide the services society demands as it moves forward with its
Vision. Hey, a billion here, a billion there, pretty soon we're talking about real money!
Some of us, people referred to as conservatives, libertarians or Republicans, have attempted to point out that most of the economic mess we find ourselves in today is directly related to actions taken by our governments; the housing bubble, the banking crisis, the health care crisis, even unemployment. So no surprise when the latest bubble pops.
Found this chart at
Watts Up With That? Crony capitalism was at the heart of the socialist experiment found during the 1930's and 1940's in Germany and Italy. When the nationalist socialist parties of these two nations broke with the Internationale, it lead to severely strained relationships between the states denominated as "socialist," most notably, the strain between Germany and Russia. Russian socialists viewed themselves as leading an international movement. German and Italian "exceptionalism" was viewed with a certain distaste. Eventually, the Germans decided that what would be best for the socialist movement was for the entire world socialist movement to be headed by a German view.
Now that was a bubble.
By avoiding proposals for Cap and Trade, we have avoided the creation of one of the most outrageously destructive bubbles in the history of economy. To say "Cap and Trade is chimerical" overstates the reality of chimeras. For a state dedicated to Unicorns and Pixie Dust, it is business as usual. The woods remain locked up. Land use planners have thrown the lock on developing new factories and businesses. Developers are unable to utilize the land they own to build affordable homes for folks on a budget. These are the realities of living in Oregon.
The lesson, of course is that carbon trading is a hoax. And unless mandated by the federal government, as useless as Democrats in...
Well, useless.
We can't do the math. We can't compare value. Why is coal power better than wind power? For those wedded to Unicorns and Pixie Dust, it's not even a question worth pondering. And without critical questions being asked, Oregon is poised to achieve even higher rates of unemployment. Which, I think, is the goal. The question asked on the Left is how can we reduce the size of our economy in order to create a more sustainable economy? So far, this track is working.
Whistling past the graveyard is an ordinary occurrence in Oregon.
More on the carbon debacle
here.
