Cap & Trade

[Martin Hash]

My library contains all of Al Gore’s books: I have shaken his hand, attended his lectures, clapped for his Oscar, and cheered his Nobel prize. Though I am not particularly impressed with his intellect, and I think his science is selective and prone to histrionics, by-in-large Al Gore’s thoughts on the subject of the environment can serve as my own. However, from an engineering point-of-view, his so-called “Cap & Trade” scares me to death. Engineers abhor subjective requirements (that is why they are normally repelled by politics), and engineers are especially suspicious of ill-defined goals based on debatable, emotionally-charged, uncontrollable factors. Combine that with labyrinthine complexity, and Cap & Trade appears prone to exploitation at best, but most probably will result in criminality, outrage, and increased human discord. Whatever Cap & Trade’s intended purposes are for saving the world, I frankly think it is an engineering nightmare and political cancer.

As is my habit to offer an alternative idea when I disagree with something; in this case, forced energy efficiency; I suggest calculating the amount of money Cap & Trade will cost every citizen of America, and instead add that as a fee to a gallon of gasoline. That way everyone feels the pain directly, and they can embrace the cost as the price of saving the world, or choose to pass the coming hardships onto their grandkids. At least we'll know what Americans are made of, and best of all, the money stays here - not financing some Third World dictator's lifestyle.

[Stephen mosier]

I agree with the last four sentences of the first paragraph but the alternative idea you offered in the second paragraph would accomplish the object you decried in the Cap & Trade scheme. Both have as their objective “forced energy efficiency” , and both take money from the citizens that the citizens can neither afford nor want to give, in order to accomplish that objective. The only difference in your idea and “theirs” is in who gets the money that is taken. Cap & Trade gives the money to snake-oil salesmen while your plan gives it to government bureaucrats. But, wait--Government bureaucrats are snake-oil salesmen. I stand corrected—there is no difference in your plan from theirs.

[Martin Hash]

Other options also present themselves:
http://www.martinhash.com/forums/viewto ... f=21&t=173

But perhaps you don't even think there is an energy problem?