Posted by
Aaron McLucas on Saturday, November 10, 2007 11:38:31 AM
Colorado Governor Bill Ritter laid out a
climate action plan for our state, and boy are we excited!
Coloradans, he said, were up to the challenge. "The people in this state get it," he said. "There is greater and greater consensus and understanding of the dangers of global warming and the need to address it."
The problem is, it sounds like the same old political jargon that resonates from most democratic leaders today. Reduce emissions by switching 20% of our energy production to renewable. Never mind that we can't do it at a reasonable cost, or with current technology. And you must also forget the fact that since we will force our local energy company, Excel Energy to provide it, you can expect the cost increases to be passed down to the consumer.
Vincent Carroll from the Rocky Mountain News takes to task Ritters ideas and points out a few other problems.
No, my fellow Coloradans: The transformation will be painless, even “exciting.” “New jobs, new businesses and new investments” will cascade into our midst. No sacrifice necessary, thank goodness.
If this were actually true, the New Energy Economy would unfold without prodding, as consumers, businesses, manufacturers and utilities shifted from fossil fuels to more inexpensive, attractive options. But since this isn’t occurring with the speed desired by those most worried about global warming, government here and in Washington is determined to stack the deck. They will use incentives and taxes to realign the prices of different energy sources; grant massive subsidies to such expensive technologies as clean coal; and issue mandates boosting the price (and greenness) of various consumer products, including cars.
Clearly, this is the only way it can be done using Ritters proposal. There are alternatives, unfortunately they do not align with the global warming fanatics time lines. "We must act now! We are at the tipping point!" Whatever.
Regardless what the final plans bring, we as consumers will pick up the tab. The less fortunate among us will have a more difficult time meeting their bills, and government will have to spend more helping them, which of course means the they will need more money which they will get from democratic leaders who will raise our taxes. The endless spiral that is the democrats.
But eventually the public will have had enough and when election season arrives and the climate has not yet killed off the human race, they will look too a republican to ease the pain. That's the cycle of things in our world. Hype gets things moving, and when the hype has burned itself out, reason returns.