amazngdrx :: Carbon tarrifs. Direct subsidy diversion is much better.

Tarrifs start trade wars. Really bad economic juju. Just what made the great depression really great. Tarrifs and trade war. We gots to remember our history.

Never fear, cheaper, cleaner energy will create jobs and bring them back. A double job booster.

New jobs building out renewables and conservation. And cheaper solar furnace and wind power process energy for manufacturing. Plus better stuff to manufacture, all the devices that will be needed to power up renewably.

Everyone else will want these. Exports, positive trade balance, prospertiy, strong currency, debt and deficit paydown. It's all doable. A 10 cent per kwh GHG free energy subsidy would make it zoom ahead.

A real trade war involves tarrifs and counter tarrifs, escalating into disaster. That was the great depression. To paraphrase the inimitable Colbert (the great imitator): "The great depression, a great depression or the greatest depression?"

If we start a real trade war it'll be one of the greatest, but this next one will be the greatest. Unlimited unregulated corporate globalization is a disaster, adding a huge global economic slide will only compund it.

Regulation without destruction is needed. Instead what do we get? Lipservice about regulation and enforcement of present regulation on mega financial trading "banks" and hedge fund scammers. Huge bailouts that weaken our currency and threaten all of our wages, assets, and savings.

Crony capitalsim touts "free" markets all day long, then relies on government bailouts when their free marketeering goes wrong. Then when we talk about regulation to prevent anothetr bubble? They blackmail us by threatening to take their(?, really assets stolen from us all) offshore.

Many of these financial VIPs would be easier to negotiate with if they were in a nice white collar country club prison. Look what it did for Martha's attitude. They might even agree to return some of the stolen assets if we offered stuff like extra soap or lime jello on fridays. Prisoners are grateful for small favors.

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Re: Carbon tarrifs. Direct subsidy diversion is much better.

by Andrew E on Mon 31 Mar 2008 09:42 AM CDT | Permanent Link

I think there is a qualitative difference between a tariff whose goal is to stimulate a country's industry vs. a tariff whose goal is to encourage cleaner production of energy.

The former starts trade wars. The latter starts clean energy projects. It must be clear that as soon as a country enforces similar carbon taxes, then the tariff will be removed.

If Canada, or any other country, is to enact a carbon tax, then it must be applied across the board (including imports). It may be the best way to get China and India on board with reducing their emissions.

Of course, such a carbon tax should only be a piece of a much larger framework.

Re: Re: Carbon tarrifs. Direct subsidy diversion is much better.

by amazngdrx on Mon 31 Mar 2008 11:26 AM CDT | Profile | Permanent Link

I prefer subsidy diversion to taxes or tarrifs.

A simple 10 cent per kwh of gHG free energy either generated or saved. The subsidies, tax breaks, and corporate welfare for big fossil, nuclear, and fuel farming industries diverted for this purpose.

Proposing to raise taxes here in the US unelects green legislators. It gives the nut wing an edge with their typical attack ads.

This subsidy diversion raises the price of GHG intensive energy like a tax, but it is merely cutting corporate welfare. Of course industry will call it a tax and pass the cost on.

Meanwhile solar, wind, biogas, and conservation projects on homes, farms, and small businesses will pay their way in half the time. imagine free energy for your home in a few short years after your solar panels are payed off.

This avoids complicated carbon trading schemes that will be scammed by hedge funds.

Tarrifs will lead to counter tarrifs, that's the problem. Then we could get a situation like the one that made the great depression so severe.

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