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It's not about rationality it's about power


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Posted by Brian Macker on December 08, 2002 at 09:32:02:

In Reply to: Re: USFWS posted by froggystyle34 on December 05, 2002 at 20:35:43:

It's not about rationality it's about power. Having power allows one to get yourself unearned money. There is a political ploy where a politician votes a law into existence that is vague and gives broad regulatory power to an agency. The beauty of this is that later the politician can claim "I didn't voter for THAT to happen". In the meantime he gets great publicity helping his "constituancy" navigate all the ridiculous regulations that he voted indirectly into existence.

It is very common for these regulations to cause the exact reverse effect than desired or rational. That is because when property rights are respected and enforced the market does come up with efficient solutions to peoples problems. Markets include costs both directly and indirectly.

As an example, there are tax credits given on certain "energy efficient" appliances. Thus you will find that heat pumps are given tax credits while gas furnances are not. However gas furnaces are much less polluting than heat pumps. Why? Because heat pumps run on electricity which is provided by coal burning power plants. There are effects like electrical transmission losses that are taken into account by market prices automatically that are not by the politicians. So it is already automatically using the least resource with no interference. Now come in the politicians. They can't make it more efficient but they can take bribes from special interests groups to force the system into a less efficient configuration that benefits that group.

Not only do they get the special interest money, look good to the voters, but they also have more money flowing through the tax system that they can skim money from directly as salaries and pension packages but also by directing to those businessmen that are directly linked to politics. Later when they get out of office (and often before) they have a lucrative job waiting for them. This is also highly lucrative for those corrupt environmental groups who take tax money and get donations via scaring people with hyper extreme chicken little scenarios.

The bad thing is that this was done with a tax subsidy to energy! This is pumping money away from other areas and subsidizing increased energy consumption for those who get the tax credit. Thus even more pollution.

This whole global warming thing is another example. The Kyoto treaty if signed and followed by every country would have by the underestimates of the socialist style environmentalists a 5% total drain on the economy. Not a big price to pay for stopping global warming. ...but wait... the actual amount of reduction of global warming would be 7 thousands of a degree over 50 years (again by their numbers which are disputable).

That 5% however is real and it means a 5% reduction in efficiency of the economy. Which means and increase in the consumption of other resources. Remember that 5% is an direct underestimate and also does not take into account other quality of life issues that arise, corruption it causes, etc.

The only way to stop global warming would be to stop burning any fuel at all, and then proceed to remove the CO2 we have already pumped into the system. That would require energy. That scenario would require mass starvation.

The whole issue of global warming is a red herring anyway as there are more important environmental issues that could be concentrated on that we can actually do something about. In fact, global warming is most likely a net benefit to mankind. Only about 5% of industry is actually effected by the weather and those industries would benefit from warmer temperatures.

The last period of global warming was prior to and resulted in the rise of civilization and we haven't even gotten temperatures up to those prior levels.

That however doesn't make good press and doesn't lead to large donations of money or justification for tax increases and forcing oneself into other peoples business.



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