April 26, 2008
Environmentalists Warm Up New Taxes
A lot of people have begun to second guess the wisdom of turning a staple food crop into fuel for cars and trucks. It raises the price of fuel while decreasing its efficiency and it has begun to cause widespread increases in food costs. I would not be at all surprised to see Europe and the U.S. start to ease up on their ethanol mandates as they begin to weigh the economic and humanitarian costs against the environmental impact.
I don't expect the environmentalists to like it or sit quietly while it happens, but even they may have to face the reality of the ethanol beast they created. Nor do I expect this to be their attempt to distort and destroy markets. Wherever they see productive human activity they will be there ready to tax and regulate.
If you think I might be exaggerating for effect, consider this effort to tax the entire food industry.
Shipping food across the globe generates carbon. And for that people who eat must pay.
Of course the people who grow, harvest, process and ship the food will suffer too, but no matter. Carbon is produced. A price must be paid.
The economic, social and humanitarian costs may far outweigh any environmental damage the shipping of food may cause, but that doesn't matter. Someone has to pay.
In this case, as in the case of ethanol that someone is everyone.
I don't expect the environmentalists to like it or sit quietly while it happens, but even they may have to face the reality of the ethanol beast they created. Nor do I expect this to be their attempt to distort and destroy markets. Wherever they see productive human activity they will be there ready to tax and regulate.
If you think I might be exaggerating for effect, consider this effort to tax the entire food industry.
Shipping food across the globe generates carbon. And for that people who eat must pay.
Of course the people who grow, harvest, process and ship the food will suffer too, but no matter. Carbon is produced. A price must be paid.
The economic, social and humanitarian costs may far outweigh any environmental damage the shipping of food may cause, but that doesn't matter. Someone has to pay.
In this case, as in the case of ethanol that someone is everyone.
Posted by: Stephen Macklin at 08:20 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
1
"even they may have to face the reality of the ethanol beast they created."
In predictable fashion, they have. Once they achieved their 'victory', and the results are exactly what their opponents foretold they would be, they are now decrying the ill effects by blaming it on mandatory government edicts. Isn't that rich? A type of person to the left of Lenin whining that it's all the governments' faults?
In predictable fashion, they have. Once they achieved their 'victory', and the results are exactly what their opponents foretold they would be, they are now decrying the ill effects by blaming it on mandatory government edicts. Isn't that rich? A type of person to the left of Lenin whining that it's all the governments' faults?
Posted by: Jeff Perren at April 26, 2008 09:57 AM (G9jUm)
2
Correct Jeff. But as usual their prescription for fixing it will be further government edicts.
Posted by: Stephen Macklin at April 26, 2008 02:24 PM (R7LgM)
3
The sad part regarding the environmental movement is how the mother nature crowd got sucked into the anti capitalist group. The mother nature crowd is too proud to admit they have been used and the anti capitalist crowd will never let up until we are all totally and completely under the thumb of government.
Posted by: T F Stern at April 27, 2008 12:59 PM (Ruh11)
4
And it would not be a green thumb but a bloody one.
Posted by: Stephen Macklin at April 27, 2008 04:30 PM (R7LgM)
24kb generated in 0.0715 seconds; 40 queries returned 181 records.
Powered by Minx 1.1.4-pink.
Powered by Minx 1.1.4-pink.
