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TERRIBLE COSTS IMPOSED

Yielding to demands from the Sydney Morning Herald (among others), John Howard proposes a carbon trading scheme. The Herald’s reaction:

Emissions plan hurts households ...

Electricity and fuel bills will rise and the only way to avoid the sting will be to use less, under the national emissions trading system to be adopted by the Howard Government.

Did they think such a system might somehow reduce costs? The Age is of a similar view:

Australians will face higher electricity and petrol prices and slower economic growth under a climate change blueprint branded too little too late by its critics.

We await from these critics a plan that will deliver cheaper power, increased economic growth, and reduced emissions.

Posted by Tim B. on 06/01/2007 at 12:51 PM
  1. Economics is nature’s way of keeping you from using things that don’t exist.

    Posted by rhhardin on 2007 06 01 at 01:18 PM • permalink

  2. What? People didn’t know this carbon thing was a new commodity trading scheme?

    Posted by mareeS on 2007 06 01 at 01:23 PM • permalink

  3. We await from these critics a plan that will deliver cheaper power, increased economic growth, and reduced emissions. - Tim B.

     

    How about nuclear power?  Oh wait, can’t say that.  The left screamed for 4 decades that nuclear power would KILL US ALL !!!!!

    Posted by wronwright on 2007 06 01 at 01:24 PM • permalink

  4. ...and a PONY!

    Posted by mojo on 2007 06 01 at 01:25 PM • permalink

  5. This is how socialism works:

    1) Declare a goal.

    2) Throw financial and human resources at it.

    3) Stir occasionally.

    4) Throw more financial and human resources at it.

    5) Claim that your program came this close to working, but was undermined by reactionaries.

    6) Argue that “real socialism is the best system ever devised but it’s never been tried.”

    7) Skip town without paying rent.

    The same rules apply to big government, in general, whether overtly socialist or not.

    Posted by paco on 2007 06 01 at 01:41 PM • permalink

  6. We await from these critics a plan that will deliver cheaper power, increased economic growth, and reduced emissions.

    I’m sorry, your suggestions do not compute.  Please reread Das Kapital and and try again.

    Posted by RebeccaH on 2007 06 01 at 01:53 PM • permalink

  7. #6 rebecca: Woof! I love the way you said Das Kapital!

    Posted by paco on 2007 06 01 at 02:08 PM • permalink

  8. paco, that is one of the cleverest things I’ve read in long time especially the point 7 transition.

    You should write fiction, you have a talent.

    Posted by phil_b on 2007 06 01 at 02:18 PM • permalink

  9. ...a plan that will deliver cheaper power, increased economic growth, and reduced emissions…

    1.  Move all envirotards and leftards from around the work to the Yukon next August.  Give each of them a blanket, a folding knife, 3 days of food, and a copy of Algore’s “Assault on Reason”.  (This will have the added benefit of bringing their “My dissent is being crushed!” fantasy to life….surely they can’t object!)

    2.  Remove all signs of human habitation from the Yukon, and return it to a pristine, natural environment. 

    3.  Withdraw all other (rational) people, and set up a border that keeps these Friends Of The Earth™ up there for the next two years. 

    4.  Any survivors at that time may elect to return to civilization (well schooled in basic economics, as taught [ironically] by Mother Gaias™ Herself), or remain in the Yukon, living the good life as a Noble Savage.

    As a result:

    + Emissions will be significantly reduced in a fashion popular with a certain segment of the Mother Gaia™ crowd (notably, those who advocate killing off 90% of humanity).

    + Economic growth will be increased because of the reduction of non-productive people (e.g., artists and writers who live on government grants, or the NEA).  Not to mention the wankers who insist on funding such deadheads.  Said funding, since it is surplus, can be returned to the rest of us in the form of tax cuts. 

    + Cheaper power will be realized because new power plants can be built quickly, without all the litigation and other impediments laid down by said environtards and leftards.  The savings can be put into safety and environmental protective measures.

    Simple, no?

    Posted by The_Real_JeffS on 2007 06 01 at 02:31 PM • permalink

  10. The price of caving-in to the Left ...

    AFAIK Joe Public’s eyes are glazing over from the meeja hype on AGW ...

    Posted by egg_ on 2007 06 01 at 03:57 PM • permalink

  11. Ah, the eternal question:  What to the idiots want?  There must not be nearly enough force applied by the new plan.

    I respect Mr. Howard, but his (and Bush’s) leaping onto the idjits bandwagon does them no service.  Lipstick on a pig does not change the nature of the pig.

    Rebecca, you are simply wonderful.  I always look forward to what you have to say, whether here or over at Critter’s place.

    Paco, you are always a treat to read and enhance my daily life in ways you’ll never know. 

    JeffS,  Brilliant!  It’s the first workable plan I’ve read.  You are also on my must read list.

    Posted by saltydog on 2007 06 01 at 04:03 PM • permalink

  12. #8: Thankee, Phil!

    #11: Shucks, ma’am, I’ve been called a lot of things in my time, but never “life enhancing”. Always glad to oblige.

    #9: But RJ, think of the poor musk oxen!

    Posted by paco on 2007 06 01 at 04:09 PM • permalink

  13. So Queensland’s Premier Pete jumped the gun when he recently announced increased electricity costs because of the drought.
    If he had just waited a week or two, he could have blamed it all on John Howard.

    Posted by Skeeter on 2007 06 01 at 05:16 PM • permalink

  14. Paco and Salty, thank you for your (always)kind words.

    JeffS, I wholeheartedly endorse your plan.  However, there is the problem of flooding polar bear country with nonnutritional foods.  Think of the polar bears*, man.

    *We don’t have to worry about the grizzlies.  They eat bells and pepper, from what I understand.

    Posted by RebeccaH on 2007 06 01 at 05:20 PM • permalink

  15. Well, I think S&M and the Aged are just revealing the political agenda behind the Global Warming Swindle.

    Posted by Wimpy Canadian on 2007 06 01 at 05:38 PM • permalink

  16. We await from these critics a plan that will deliver cheaper power, increased economic growth, and reduced emissions.

    SCIENCE!

    Posted by paulris on 2007 06 01 at 06:41 PM • permalink

  17. You Yukon dudes are making mighty free with my country.

    I like the idea, but why damage the place to make make it ‘pristine’, whatever that means? There are not a lot of signs of human habitation up there anyway. Why the Yukon? Not very civilized, but too civilized for those people haters.

    I say dump them in Nunavut and let them walk out. Kugluktuk is fine this time of year. Iqualuit is no good because it’s on an island and that would not be fair. Must give them a sporting chance.

    Posted by fred z on 2007 06 01 at 06:53 PM • permalink

  18. Quite clearly, JoHo has mistakenly interpreted calls to do something to actually do something.
    The arms shipments, SAS A-Teams and the trade embargo on China are really going to annoy the FREE TIBET! bumper sticker crowd.

    Posted by lotocoti on 2007 06 01 at 07:33 PM • permalink

  19. People you just don’t get it. 

    When the greenies suggest prices increases to combat glowball warmening its a good and noble thing.  When its suggested by monsters like Bush and Howard its B.A.D. and will hurt ordinary householders just trying to get on with their lives blah blah blah.....

    Posted by Kami on 2007 06 01 at 07:43 PM • permalink

  20. Interesting headlines as well at yesterday’s SMH. Seems May was the warmest on record for “parts of” the east coast. A quick look at the article suggested data mining of truly magnificent proportion (sorry link seems to have gone).

    But the best part was when they said that in one part of the east coast it would have been the warmest on record except for the cold weather at the end.

    So we now have an argument that goes along the lines of “If it wasn’t for the cold weather global wariming would be worse”

    Posted by Francis H on 2007 06 01 at 08:01 PM • permalink

  21. At the risk of being serious…

    I think this is clever politics by Big John. He has drawn a line in the sand and said to the electorate “If appeasing gaia is really what you want, fine, it’s going to cost you. Here is a quote for the job.”
    Now Kruddy has to give a quote too, and it’s going to cost a lot more.

    Maybe all these concerned enviro-voters will be slapped with a dose of reality and decide that they don’t need this codswallop after all.

    Posted by Gibbo on 2007 06 01 at 08:13 PM • permalink

  22. #13 Skeeter

    Premier Pete…

    He constantly cocks-up, but he’s very sorry about it, and hopes that we can forgive him. Well, I reckon Pete’s days are numbered.

    (God, I hope so!)

    He’s just whacked a levy on, wait for it, car sales, yes, that’s car sales, to fund the huge gap in the funding for the provision of mental health care.

    You can see the connection. Can’t you?

    And there’s only one house in Qld parliament. You know, Queensland, the “Low Tax State”? (Low Wage State) Rapidly catching up with the southern states.
    Link to Australian Government info.

    Posted by kae on 2007 06 01 at 08:46 PM • permalink

  23. I meant to add, you’d think it’d be cheaper to run more economical with only one house in Parliament!

    Posted by kae on 2007 06 01 at 08:47 PM • permalink

  24. I don’t understand this carbon trading stuff.  The nearest I can get to it, in this old head, is the description, by some English toff some 150 years ago, of how the Irish economy worked -the people took in each others washing.

    Perhaps some of you learned reactionary head in the sand denialists could enlighten me.  I suspect the whole thing is some kind of basket weavers economic theory, with more than a little scamming thrown in.  Plenty of smart pretend lefties around.

    Cheers
    RodC

    Posted by Rod C on 2007 06 01 at 09:12 PM • permalink

  25. Next week: Rudd, Fairfax and the ABC will be arguing that CO2 emissions can be reduced without any reduction in CO2 emissions, that an increase in cost of electricity can be achieved without increasing the cost of electricity and higher prices for petrol do not mean that people will pay more for petrol.

    Next month: Rudd, Fairfax and the ABC will be saying that climate change claims are just another example of Howard’s politics of fear during an election year and his real agenda is to destoy the mining unions. The Great Global Warming Swindle will replace An Inconvenient Truth as required viewing in all Australian primary schools.

    Posted by Contrail on 2007 06 01 at 10:23 PM • permalink

  26. The saving grace is that Howard is more likely to reduce general taxes at the same time, to make the scheme financially neutral.  You couldn’t say that about the other mob.

    Posted by Brett_McS on 2007 06 01 at 10:38 PM • permalink

  27. But I also agree with Gibbo, #21.  This is a line in the sand.

    Posted by Brett_McS on 2007 06 01 at 11:20 PM • permalink

  28. #25 - sorry Contrail, you’re wrong.

    The SMH will be full of sob stories about poor families that had to shut down the kiddies X-box because they couldn’t afford the electricity.  And now the kiddies couldn’t swim in the pool out the back, because the pool filter also had to be switched off to economise.  Or am I confusing the SMH with Today Tonight?

    And worst of all - gasp, horror - the kids now have to catch the bus with the other plebs, as Shanelle can no longer afford petrol for the Landcruiser. 

    “We don’t want our kids catching the bus, becauses buses crash and are much more dangerous than having mum drive them in a 4WD.”  Sob, sob.

    God, what’s next?  They might have to walk, or even ride a bike!  They’ll be martyr’d to global warming!

    Howard is just plain evil I tell you.

    Posted by mr creosote on 2007 06 01 at 11:50 PM • permalink

  29. I say dump them in Nunavut and let them walk out.

    fred, I’m not all that familiar with northern Canada.  I looked up Nunavut, and I think it’s a marvelous idea, far better than the Yukon. 

    When can we start?

    Posted by The_Real_JeffS on 2007 06 02 at 12:00 AM • permalink

  30. Good point, Gibbo.

    I like the way these newspapers report from a negative point of view something they’ve been crying for all along. “Prices to go up” instead of “Howard Acts on Climate Change”. Typical.

    Frustrating as it is to see Howard pandering to these idiots (et tu, John, et tu?), one can’t blame him, and as far as I’m concerned, the SMH or Age can continue highlighting the cost issues as much as they want. Now, the message might find it’s way out: THIS SORT OF THING IS GOING TO COST YOU.

    What the lefties will want now are assurances that the Gummint will protect those poor battlers from any price increases. Labor will be happy to assuage such fears, I’m sure. Question is, will enough people remember the lessons of Whitlam and Co: for every dollar they throw at something, take another three out for all the collateral effects on business and the economy. TANSTAAFL.

    Posted by Dminor on 2007 06 02 at 01:21 AM • permalink

  31. Will someone help me understand this?

    We are all going to have to pay more for power.  To whom will all this money go?  The government?  Is it just another tax?

    Whoever gets the money will use it to do what? 

    And when it turns out, a few years from now, that there is no AGW, whoever got the money will pay it all back?  Yes?

    Posted by Janice on 2007 06 02 at 03:44 AM • permalink

  32. It goes to pay Al Gore’s electricity bill.

    Posted by Brett_McS on 2007 06 02 at 08:28 AM • permalink

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