Monday, July 06, 2009

Twitter / Sandy
Majority of morons on science site believe global warming is not anthropogenic
[In case you missed it] U.S. Casket Makers Selling Coffins Made of Newspaper, Cardboard
"We either get an, 'Oh, my,' or, 'That's very interesting,"' Passarelli said. "Some people think it's a great idea. We've had funeral directors look at them and say, 'I guess you can go to hell in a handbasket now."'
Pay More, Drive Less, Save the Planet - WSJ.com
What is the appropriate response to Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, who as General Motors prepared to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection declared that he wants to "coerce people out of their cars"? One might be inclined to dismiss these words as overkill -- except for recently introduced legislation by some congressional heavy-hitters that would take us down this road.
...
Messrs. Rockefeller and Lautenberg aim to "reduce per capita motor vehicle miles traveled on an annual basis." Mr. Oberstar wants to establish a federal "Office of Livability" to ensure that "States and metropolitan areas achieve progress towards national transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals."

What does this mean? Most travel is not for its own sake. So reducing the total miles traveled -- whether the length or number of trips -- means people would have to reduce the activities they want and need to do. People would be "coerced," in effect, to live in less desirable places or work in less desirable jobs; shop in fewer and closer stores; see their doctor less frequently; visit fewer family members and friends.
Roger Pielke Jr.'s Blog: Does Bad Legislation Ever Get Better?
In short, it is a pathetic, appalling stinker of a bill that he detests, but wants to see in law. Friedman's argument must be that bad legislation can get better over time.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

get this:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124682720000097027.html

quote:
"...So Tennessee's three top officials were astonished last month, in a meeting with GM, when they were told the first two criteria were "community impact" and "carbon footprint" -- or how the choice would affect unemployment rates and carbon-dioxide emissions.

"Those didn't strike us as business criteria at all," said Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander,..."