We need to re-establish the classical balance between investment and abstinence.
Oilier than Thou: This year the oil companies will pump about $15 billion worth of oil out of federal territory this year and will pay no royalties to the government. BP gets to write off 70% of the rental fee for the Deepwater Horizon rig (which was registered in the Marshall Islands, in order to duck most US taxes) – just one of many tax breaks we give Big Oil. Maybe if we took away the tax breaks and insisted on royalty payments, the oil companies might be a tad more careful with the stuff.
Back Home: If the economy seems bad now, just wait until the states start to get serious about closing their $125+ billion budget gap and start by laying off a million or so of those do-nothing state employees. Won't miss 'em, will we?
About Indexing: In inflation-adjusted dollars, today's gasoline taxes are half of what we paid in 1975. In that gasoline taxes go to building and maintaining roads, happy motoring!
Size Matters: The rapid growth of CO2 emissions in China and India last year completely nullified all of the CO2 reductions made by the developed world – which were pretty puny to start with.
Move Along: Increasing numbers of Americans are being put under surveillance or harassed – and even arrested – “for doing little more than peacefully exercising their First Amendment rights.” This virus has spread to at least 33 states, as the police and authorities try to protect the citizenry from citizenship.
Correction: The question was "How will plants get by when pollinators vanish?” The 'how' does not belong in the discussion.
Porn O'Graph: Nah, energy prices couldn't cause recessions....
5 comments:
Maybe the first link would be better entitled Oil Hazard after "moral hazard" as it is another example where the costs are shifted to third parties, creating a negative externality that is shifted to the public, but where the profits from the enterprise are captured by private entities and individuals.
RE Back Home: But the on-going deterioration of local infrastructure is still the fault of the do-nothing gov't employee. Even if the maintenance of said infrastructure was out-sourced 20 years ago. Tree trimming in my city was outsourced 20+ years ago but my neighbor informs me the fact that my street tree remains un-trimmed is "the city's" fault. Seems to me he wants city services, he just doesn't want to pay for them.
"Seems to me he wants city services, he just doesn't want to pay for them"
Some people see the government as their parent. A parent who has boundless resources and thinks only of making their children happy. Who would never need to be paid, of course.
@Dink:
That's, well, pretty childish.
Hey CK, you okay?
john
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