Been living under a Popsicle stick?
This entry was posted on 4/20/2008 11:23 PM and is filed under Energy Policy,Elected representatives,Global Warming,Economy,Costs of INACTION.
Enact a tax shift?....... raise non-renewable energy prices now?!
Oil was over $116 a barrel last week, we're in the midst of a credit and housing crisis, the number of jobs has decreased, we're seeing inflationary pressure, and most economists agree there's a recession ahead.
Paul, have you been living under a Popsicle stick?
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No. Our energy use and mix are not sustainable. So, it's simple -- we can pay now or pay a lot more later. But, the "pay now" is not higher taxes: the recommended federal tax shift will be revenue-neutral for the government, families and individuals. The "pay now" will add inflationary pressure but this will be minimized by phasing-in the tax shift. "Paying now" has a huge return on investment including GREEN JOBS as the U.S. becomes a leader in renewable energy technologies for domestic use AND export...............and cost avoidance -->
You compare -- some examples of future costs we'll be paying if we don't take significant action now:
- Coming oil shortages and skyrocketing prices (we haven't seen anything yet and we are terribly VULNERABLE as we continue to import over 60% of our daily oil). How much control over our economy have we ceded? What's our level of risk?? Enough that our President publicly begged for more oil and our Speaker of the House supports this strategy;
- U.S. and worldwide flooding, drought, increased wildfires and natural disasters (have quadrupled in two decades);
- Higher insurance rates;
- Water shortages reducing output from electricity producing thermo-electric power plants (first and second entries);
- Higher ocean levels wreaking HAVOC on coastal areas (first and second entries);
- Increased world hunger (THE answer? and Eating dirt);
- More wars? (War for oil and Wars.)
- More cases of poison ivy (pardon a light one)
- Costs of increased air pollution;
- Costs and risks of increased trade deficits;
- Higher food prices from drought, flood and ethanol production;
- Increased health costs if we increase coal use (air pollution);
- Long-term storage costs of high-level nuclear waste IF we build more nuclear plants;
- In recognition that there is only one atmosphere, will we reach a point where the U.S. will offer it's wealth to other countries for them to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions? (there's a big cost)
There are others, but you get the idea.
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There's agreement that the answers to global warming and our dependence on foreign energy include conservation and renewable energy. But progress on these solutions has been occurring at a snail's pace.
If your federal representative(s) said to you tomorrow that they are fighting for a phased-in, federal tax shift of, say, the equivalent of 15 cents/gallon of gasoline per year for 10 years - lowering income taxes and increasing taxes on all non-renewable energy - would you support it? If yes, contact them now and tell them because it's unlikely they're going to lead.
