The Joy of Unintended Consequences
It's the unintended consequences that oftentimes have the most profound effect. Some 20 years ago, the meddling class in Washington gave us the "Luxury Tax," which proposed to sock it to the rich by taxing items that only the rich could afford, such as yachts. The unintended consequence? People declined to buy the yachts and some 21,000 boat builders lost their jobs. A more recent example would be the "Cash For Clunkers" initiative, which restricted the supply of used cars when the government took the "clunkers" that were turned in and destroyed them. The result? Shortages begat price increases, so the overall cost of used cars has risen 10 percent. This hurts the people who can least afford the increase, but that's the cost of what passes for "progress" these days.
Sometimes, however, an unintended consequence can be a good thing. Take the recent elections, for example. Against all empirical evidence, the left has taken counterintuition to dizzying heights and convinced itself that the American electorate has repudiated not its collectivist dogma, but rather its presentation. It's as if Germany had concluded that the Allies went to war because they disliked Hitler's mustache. The result? Clarification. Bracing clarification of the sort usually reserved for the final courtroom scene on the old television shows like "Matlock," or "Perry Mason," where the villain finally spills his diabolical guts for judge, jury, the audience at home, and just in time for dinner.
So imagine my reaction when an environmentalist, a member of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change no less, confirmed that which many of us have said all along but which the left refused to admit; that the environmental movement has about as much to do with the environment as the IRS has to do with the Sisters of Mercy. Quoth IPCC official Ottmar Edenhofer:
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.
So its not about the environment. It's about wealth redistribution. A corollary conclusion? Cap and trade is not about energy policy. It's about wealth redistribution. The "Bush Tax Cuts"? Obamacare? Impending initiatives regarding your IRA, or 401K? A bazillion weeks of unemployment benefits? "Immigration Reform"? All different avenues to the same address, referred to by some as wealth redistribution, but universally known as the slaughter house of human freedom.
The midterms have scared the left into unusual moments of candor as an unintended consequence. For us, an intended consequence should be the defining of terms and the framing of the debate. Let them explain, in the absence of Constitutional limits which they have already rejected, what limits they would place on government? Let them explain why, if the government can reach into your light sockets, your toilet, your refrigerator, your car, and your healthcare, why it shouldn't be able to also reach into your pants at an airport? Let them explain, after decades of a war on poverty that has impoverished generations, just how much more of our descendant's money is needed and why? How many more regulations, how many more executive agencies, how much more of our liberty do they require before we can stick a fork in this sucker and call it done?
The people are paying attention now. This is a defining moment. Even the collectivists are defining themselves. They have presided over an explosion in government power that is choking the private sector and threatens to bind the individual in the awful chains of dependence. Hold them accountable. Make them explain. And don't let them define the terms of the debate.
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Comments :
May '10
Re: The Joy of Unintended Consequences
Dave, at the risk of sounding like a shameless suck-up: I always enjoy what you write, but this is excellent.
I half expected the Democrats to stick with Pelosi and Reid, but it seems surreal now that it's official. However disinterested John Q. Voter becomes after the GOP commits some misstep that suggests it's business as usual, you can bet he'll recognize Reid and Pelosi and ask, "What are they still doing on TV?"
And, honestly, the DREAM Act? As far as conservative leaders are concerned, the name says it all.
Jul '10
Re: The Joy of Unintended Consequences
The White House is beginning to move on from the failure-to-communicate line. The emerging spin is that Obama is too intelligent to connect with ordinary people.
Aug '10
Re: The Joy of Unintended Consequences
Dave When is Ricochet gonna send the company logo on an iPad to you ? Or are they getting their $ 3.47 from you too ? Great view and conclusion, nice clarity ! Doubt the MSM will report the AlgoreScam though.
Jun '10
Re: The Joy of Unintended Consequences
Said IPCC official Ottmar Edenhofer:
Re: The Joy of Unintended Consequences
Paules, wonderful! I thought about doing that, but the factory guys had finished unloading my truck, and my thumbs were tired from typing this thing on the virtual keyboard on my Droid, dontcha know.
Re: The Joy of Unintended Consequences
Dave, I would pay $3.47 per month just to read your posts.
Aug '10
Re: The Joy of Unintended Consequences
My mother in law's opinion bears repeating, the crisis would be much more believable if the solutions included more than higher taxes and more regulation. Seems she is right.
Jul '10
Re: The Joy of Unintended Consequences
When D.C. rids itself of vagrants, crime, trash, etc., then maybe they can consider bigger projects.
Re: The Joy of Unintended Consequences
But if DC got rid of the vagrants, Jimmy, where would Congress convene? New York already has the UN, Chicago now has Rahm Emanuel. LA has, well, ...issues. Louisiana is known for politicians that are so crooked that we have to screw them into the ground after they die. I think the other regions are already full. Let DC keep Congress.
Jul '10
Re: The Joy of Unintended Consequences
Well, being a Texan I would suggest oklahoma, but that would bring them too close to Home.
Perhaps they should just stay there with their "redistribution of poverty" policies.
Oct '10
Re: The Joy of Unintended Consequences
Great post - it is wonderful to see the collectivists finally state their intent. But this comment cracked me up!
May '10
Re: The Joy of Unintended Consequences
Dave - you know there are someup rollup bluetooth enabled keyboards that may talk to your phone? Ipod, and some other Bluetooth (HID enabled means keyboards are supported ?) phones can support a separate keyboard, and some of the Android phones seem to, but it is not all that clear which ones. You know it ain't gonna be cheap though alas, cuz anything phone related is 4x the cost of the same sort of thing for a PC.
Check out https://jornostore.com/specifications/ and see the models supported on the that website from the support page. (Only some Droid bluetooth stuff is supported for a keyboard, even though it has other Bluetooth functionality)
Also http://www.mymobilegear.com/AndroidKBDriver.php
Also see this newsgroup forum, for the low down on what is around and works
http://androidforums.com/motorola-droid/21651-bluetooth-keyboard-droid-faster-typing.html
I really want one of these virtual projected keyboards though, and pretend I am a kid again acting out Startrek scenes with my mates.
http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/keyboards-mice/8193/?cpg=cj&ref=&CJURL=
Edited on Nov 20, 2010 at 6:23amJun '10
Re: The Joy of Unintended Consequences
Your Grace - I believe this is correct and the reason that the front end of Air Force One has such a bulbous shape. It's to fit Obama's enormous head.
Jun '10
Re: The Joy of Unintended Consequences
Dave Carter: Quoth IPCC official Ottmar Edenhofer:
As long as we also understand that a lot of wealth being distributed will end up in Al Gore's pocket. But he's such a deserving fellow for pointing out to us the cataclysmic effects of our evil capitalist ways...mussing up the planet with our dirty carbon footprints. How dare us! Pardon me, Al...but about these electric bills on your mansions in Tennessee and California...