Thank Goodness We Won, Or, Details, Details, Details
The GOP, Kim Strassel argues in today's Wall Street Journal, has yet to figure out how to roll back the Obama administration's efforts to turn the entire economy green. Get a load of this:
The Department of Energy's stimulus-tracking spreadsheet shows it has already awarded $33 billion to 5,137 entities—to states, to General Electric, to no-name start-ups. This is Soviet central planning under the guise of "investing" in America's future. And the breakthroughs, and jobs? Europe has proven these subsidies destroy traditional employment, are permanent drains on state funds, and raise energy prices.
I have to confess, I'd had no idea the administration's green offensive was this big--or this offensive. While we were all busy hollering ourselves hoarse about the takeover of health care, little items like $33 billion in "Soviet central planning" were able to slip right past.
First, the election stopped any thought of another stimulus, an outrage that would have cost hundreds of billions. Now, Kim Strassel and the GOP can address themselves to outrages that cost tens of billions.
This is progress.
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Jul '10
Re: Thank Goodness We Won, Or, Details, Details, Details
Obama's victory brought in a colony of termites to gnaw away at our free enterprise system and they have reproduced in stunning numbers. Just identifying the programs and all of the Van Joneses in the woodwork will require a heroic effort. Then there is the job of cancellation and termination. All the while there will be constituencies being built in favor of the status quo. There are bureaucracies still in place from the New Deal. That's how hard it is.
May '10
Re: Thank Goodness We Won, Or, Details, Details, Details
I think the answer is the same as it always is, and it is a place where conservatives tend to be weak, because we are not naturally bureaucratically-inclined. We say that "the devil is in the details", then run away from involving ourselves with the details as fast as we can, when the world is often owned by those who simply show up. We tend to want grand gestures, and then expect the world to follow that lead.
That is why, even though there is a time and place for the Grand Gesture as political theater- for example, right now regarding earmarks- we need to recognize that it is indeed primarily theater. The camel snout can always find an unsecured tent edge, and will always burrow unobtrusively under unless we are ever vigilant with the little stuff. There is no substitute for the monotonous drudgery of turning over budget-spending rocks, all day, every day.
The "green" stuff is like that. Some is solid science research, some is national-security-enhancing, a lot is pure pork. We need to make the distinctions- and then kill the cancer one cell at a time if necessary, persistently, often again and again.
Re: Thank Goodness We Won, Or, Details, Details, Details
Nice metaphor!
Can you elaborate on the "some is national-security enhancing" bit -- that's an interesting point that I've come across before, but only vaguely understand.
Aug '10
Re: Thank Goodness We Won, Or, Details, Details, Details
In my neighborhood of NW Missouri,they saw fit to grant , not loan, but grant a guy named Tom Carnahan $100 million bucks to put up some wind turbines.
Not that we're particularly known for wind , but I guess it might be windy for Missouri.
Tom Carnahan's brother is a congressman .
Tom Carnahan's mother was a Senator.
Tom Carnahan's sister is the Secretary of State and unsuccessful Senate candidate.
Tom Carnahan's dad was governor and died in a plane wreck during his senate campaign. But he was elected anyway.
Anyone venture a guess as to what party ?
and no, General Electric is not a party !
Is anyone expressing amazement at Al Gore's fortune derived from this program ? $700 million bucks is serious money !!
Edited on Nov 19, 2010 at 8:43amRe: Thank Goodness We Won, Or, Details, Details, Details
Please tell me that this Green Stimulus money is not now a part of the federal baseline budget.
May '10
Re: Thank Goodness We Won, Or, Details, Details, Details
It was never about making the world green, but redistributing its wealth from the West to the third world; or from the productive parts of the local economy, to those on the government teat.
Recently the IPCC Co-Chair made this statement to Neue Zuercher Zeitung:
"Climate policy has almost nothing to do anymore with environmental protection. The next world climate summit in Cancun is actually an economy summit during which the distribution of the world’s resources will be negotiated."
"First of all, developed countries have basically expropriated the atmosphere of the world community. But one must say clearly that we redistribute de facto the world's wealth by climate policy. Obviously, the owners of coal and oil will not be enthusiastic about this. One has to free oneself from the illusion that international climate policy is environmental policy. This has almost nothing to do with environmental policy anymore, with problems such as deforestation or the ozone hole."
Google the interview to see what is in plan for your western wallet.
May '10
Re: Thank Goodness We Won, Or, Details, Details, Details
Remember what Conan said was best in life...
"To crush porkbarrel programs, to see them driven into oblivion, and to hear the lamentations of the bureaucrats"
(or something like that)
Re: Thank Goodness We Won, Or, Details, Details, Details
David Kube: It was never about making the world green, but redistributing its wealth from the West to the third world; or from the productive parts of the local economy, to those on the government teat.
Nov 19 at 9:51am
Beautifully stated.
May '10
Re: Thank Goodness We Won, Or, Details, Details, Details
Sure, Emily. Be aware: not everyone agrees with my point- the "no government ever" people at CATO, particularly Jerry Taylor, don't buy any national security rationale for anything- he goes to great lengths to explain why we shouldn't even build any nuclear plants.
First, the US does not face a fuels transportation risk. Canada's tar sands supplies most of our foreign oil. Liquid and gas-phase fuels are fungible commodities, so the only concern is world price.
The problem is that the market is simply not free- why? Because it is dominated by governments. The largest US oil company in the world is Exxon Mobil- and they are #14. The top 13 are all governments, most of whom we are wise not to trust; #1, 2, and 3 are Iran, Saudis, and Russia. They have the ability to manipulate the market and supply short term- and wars and international crises are always short term.
Governments have a history of expressing their displeasure with US foreign policy by withholding products- in the first Gulf War, it was an open secret that the supply of JDAM smart bombs was limited by an electronic chip we bought overseas.
May '10
Re: Thank Goodness We Won, Or, Details, Details, Details
Until we either have diversified our energy supply so that we have absolute flexibility in the case of an international oil crunch (e.g.., that caused people to outbid us for Canadian heavy crude), or we had an iron-clad commitment from Canada that we get their supply, period, no matter what (no, I don't believe that would happen either), we are vulnerable on the battlefield.
The best thing we can do is develop technology and infrastructure that is truly flex-fuel. Natural gas storage systems for cars, alcohol-based fuel for cars, etc.
We are not, however saying corn ethanol. That is worthless on every front- cost, substitution effect, land availability, etc.
We need new technologies, cost-competitive with $60/barrel petroleum, and that means coal-to-liquid, methanol and butanol from every kind of scrap carbon feedstock, and high-density electric storage. Even if you are a global warming squish, that approach makes sense because the US and Europe have no control whatever over future CO2 levels.
With the right technologies, we can move around in a world where energy is truly a market commodity, with lots of substitutes, and the Middle East rogues are toothless.
Re: Thank Goodness We Won, Or, Details, Details, Details
You know what, Duane? You should run for Congress. I'm serious. Ricochet helped Col. Chris Gibson over the finish line in New York in 2010. Just imagine how many members we'll have--and how much support we'll be able to give you--in Minnesota in 2012.
I don't mean to give you indigestion just before Thanksgiving, but think about it.
May '10
Re: Thank Goodness We Won, Or, Details, Details, Details
If I were not elderly in a young world, and terminally introverted, I might think about such things.
It would be fun to be the health care staffer for Paul Ryan, though. He might actually listen to some of my outrageous ideas.