As the world and climate change yet again
By John Shanahan Who is helping to create a better world? Who is determined to hold everyone back?
The Experiment: Capitalism versus Socialism
There has been no clearer comparison between capitalism and socialism than the two Germanys that were created at the end of World War II -- socialist/communist East Germany, under Soviet hegemony, and capitalist West Germany, with strong ties to Western Europe and the United States. Clearly, West Germany's capitalist system produced better results for its people -- and only recently have East Germans begun to prosper after many years of freedom.
What’s up with prices at the pump and why it could be a good sign
All of us loved paying less than $2 a gallon at the pump. The AAA reports: “Americans paid cheapest quarterly gas prices in 12 years”—which resulted in savings of nearly $10 billion compared to the same period last year. However, oil (and, therefore gasoline) has been creeping upward since the February low—topping $45 a barrel, a high for the year. And that could be a good thing. While low prices at the pump have been a boon to consumers, the plunge in oil prices has been a bust for American producers. Throughout the past 20 months, crude oil prices have dropped [...]
Why Socialism failed
Collectivism is based on faulty principles
Dirty facts behind Obama’s Clean Power Plan
The Clean Power Plan might be more aptly named the Grab Power Plan -- as its intent is to empower the EPA to grab power over electricity regulation and force a shift toward unproven renewable energy (if it were clearly a better deal, there would be no need for mandates). States are lining up to oppose this power grab, which might result in massive energy shortages long before 2030.
Regcession—why Americans aren’t feeling Obama’s “vigorous recovery”
Marita Noon asks, rather than complain when U.S. businesses take jobs overseas, why not just create a more favorable business climate here at home? One reason, she notes, is the penchant for the EPA and other federal agencies to over-regulate business and industry, adding costs and shrinking opportunities. She encourages everyone to watch a new film, “Regcession: The EPA is Destroying America,” on YouTube.
John Holdren in his own (radical) words
"De-develop the United States" and "halt the growth of the American population." Though Obama science advisor John Holdren would like to cover them up, here are his own words in their full context. Remember when Obama's EPA rolls out its new power plant regulations Monday.
Lomborg laments continued “Club of Rome” mindset
In 1972, a policy group called the Club of Rome released an infamous and influential paper predicting all sorts of environmental doom. But now, more than 40 years later, leading environmentalist Bjorn Lomborg says that all these predictions have proven spectacularly wrong.
Technology does more for environment than environmentalism
What has benefited nature more, ecology and environmentalism or economics and the free market? Believe it or not, Matt Ridley from PERC, says economics.
Meanwhile in Europe
It's quite natural that all attention is focused on the American elections. In Europe, the focus seems to be two-fold; continuous focus on politics we can't afford and reluctant, though desperate in rhetorics, on what is a real crisis.
C’est en Septembre
Al Gore for less than a Euro. Fine with me. It's been a while since someone mentioned that movie. Incidentally, yesterday, I friend told me that when her daughter had to watch it in class, she gave her a list with the ten worst fallacies in the movie. To her surprise, the public school teacher copied it and distributed for the following discussion.
They Don’t Want To Hurt You – They Just Want Your Money
by Einar Du Rietz The heroic boy scouts collected money, went to a village in deepest Africa and helped develop a well. A few month later, excessive use had dried it up and the final result was an extension of the desert. Examples of unintended consequences (and sometimes plain stupidity) in development aid are numerous, some probably myths by now. Distributing loads of pork to Muslim countries. Rushing factory building until the installation collapse on top of people. The literature is also quite extensive. A useful introduction, or summary may be this. Important to remember is that humanitarian catastrophes are [...]
Just Politics as Usual
by Einar Du Rietz All the players are gearing up for the Durban festivities in a month. Though only accounting for about 11 percent of the worlds carbon emissions, the European Union, not surprisingly wants to play a major role. Euractiv gives an update: “Environment ministers of the European Union – responsible for only 11% of global carbon emissions – said they would commit to a new phase of the Kyoto climate change pact, on the condition that nations blamed for the rest join up too. The environment council conclusions, agreed in Luxembourg on 10 October, outline the bloc’s negotiating position [...]
£1.2 million to not produce wind power
The Daily Telegraph Reports that a Norwegian wind company was paid £1.2 million to not produce electricity during a period of high winds. This was a hair shy of 10 times the artificially above market rate wind farms receive to make power. British ratepayers will fit the bill.
If it Aint Broken – Don’t Fix it
by Einar Du Rietz A screwdriver often comes in handy. But not as a soup ingredient. Black pepper is essential in any cooking. But don’t try repairing your bike with it. Calculation of GDP is, not only among laymen like myself, but also among skilled economists, regarded as a tricky tool indeed. Still, it’ very useful, also for the general public, in trying to grasp all sorts of economic facts and development. Since the mid 90’s, scientists, but predominantly politicians, have been playing with the concept of a Green GDP, expanding the data to include environmental costs. This process is now [...]