I have stood in awe as I have watched the actions of the federal government over the last few months and years. Also, I am most of the way through "Cool It," a book by the "Skeptical Environmentalist" on global warming policy. It's astonishing the ridiculously large amounts of money that is being used in the least effective way. I'll explain.
Politicians and pundits call for the developed countries of the world to save us all from global warming through CO2 reduction. Whether you believe humans are responsible for global warming or not, there are some serious problems with this line of reasoning. First of all, drastic cuts in CO2 production will cost, through actual spending and opportunity cost, trillions and trillions of dollars and it will delay global warming's effects by around 5 years. On the other hand, if the same money was being used for social issues, hundreds of millions of more people could be saved through research and development, 3rd world education, water sanitation, land protection and reclamation (for those areas that will be flooded), and availability of quality health care. In the end, less money would be spent or lost, and more money would be made.
Also, since when is it a good thing to go into debt? For that matter, how can the government justify a mere $1.5 trillion of additional debt for a health care option that likely run private insurers out of business, make our health care system similar to the FANTASTIC systems of Canada, UK, France, and others, and still leave most of those who need health care uninsured.
When I was in college, I was under the impression that contracts and property were some of those things the federal government couldn't just change or take away without just cause, warrants, or something along those lines. Now, the government is rewriting contracts and redistributing property and ownership to appease partisans. I speak specifically of the recent GM and Chrysler actions. The government gave disproportionate payouts and company ownership to the unions and gave the shaft to preferred stock holders, paying them out less than those who had ordinary stock in the GM bankruptcy.
When will people stand up to their government and let the rule of law and common sense reign?
