Tragedy of the Commons and WIIFM
This entry was posted on 5/26/2007 11:02 PM and is filed under Action.
From a recent letter to the editor in response to a Wisconsin State Journal question: What, if anything, should be done about the high cost of gasoline?
"I am from the WWII generation and we had gas rationing, which included a sticker for the windshield asking 'Is this trip necessary?' .....While we as a nation go about our own merry way, our troops are 'over there' putting their lives on the line so we at home can complain about gas prices and do nothing about conserving it." Florence Park, Waterloo
Go Florence.
The fact is, however, that times have changed and personal sacrifice for altruistic reasons doesn't happen as often. Our country's motto could be, "WIIFM" (What's in it for me?) It's always been there and it's not all bad; it's called capitalism. My view is that WIIFM has gotten much bigger in the last 20-30 years. We could debate if this is true; if it is, why it's happened and so on. But this won't help us solve BIG problems we face such as global warming and our dependence on foreign sources of energy (how strong is our addiction to oil? 3,454 U.S. soldiers have now died in Iraq.)
We're a pretty pragmatic bunch and that's why a solution with shared pain and benefit is called for. Google "Tragedy of the Commons." Who's going to be the first 50% to pull their cows from grazing in the commons? We'll never make it that far without an agreement up front that we're going to change the rules for all, for the long-term benefit of all.
Congress should cut federal income taxes and raise taxes on non-renewable energy to replace the revenue. This tax shift should be phased-in over 10 years. Higher non-renewable energy prices will reduce our energy use and stimulate the U.S. alternative energy industry.
