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The heat is on
The Economist ^ | Sep 7th 2006 | The Economist

Posted on 09/10/2006 12:35:39 AM PDT by Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit

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To: Einigkeit_Recht_Freiheit

I think we have a difference in opinion of whether it is better for America if Republicans:

(1) Cooperate with Democrats to enact harsh "Environmental Laws" or

(2) Resist (perhaps futilely) efforts by Democrats to enact harsh "Environmental Laws".

I believe that Republican cooperation with Democrats on this issue, will:

(a) result in harsher, more damaging environmental laws because conceding [in error] that a "global warming problem" actually exists will also concede "leadership" to the Democrats on this political issue and

(b) mean that Republicans will have to share the blame when those harsh laws cause massive job losses in the US -- while doing nothing at all to effect either CO2 levels or global temperatures. Moreover, this "shared blame" will make it harder for Republicans to use the "I told you so" argument to rally support to repeal those damaging "feel-good" laws.

As they say: "Sleep with dogs, catch fleas."


81 posted on 09/11/2006 8:13:35 AM PDT by pfony1
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To: DaveTesla
Correct, the point is we don't know what is going to happen. Imagine if we wrecked our economies and placed billions in misery only to find out [about global cooling].

Agreed, to an extent. I wholly agree that allocating the quantities of mankind's effort to the kind of reforms that the environmentalists advocate is a huge, huge mistake, especially if they intend to put the power of government (i.e. the use of force) behind them.

Rather, I take a quintessentially capitalistic approach to this whole thing. If you really believe that the Earth is warming, then rather than screaming your head off like a little sissy about it, invest in beachfront property in Nevada. Buy futures in tropical-friendly foodcrops. Sell off your time-share in Honolulu. Put your money where your mouth is!

The whole point of having a human brain is to use it, with some modicum of reliability, to predict the future. You can't guarantee that the sun will rise tomorrow, but that's certainly the way to bet! You don't know that winter will follow fall this year - maybe some heretofore unknown gravitational wave of gargantuan proportions will fling the Earth backwards in its orbit! - but fall is still when you should harvest and store your crops.

So, insofar as we can use our brain to process the information of our senses, some people "know" that the Earth's temperature is rising. And if that's their knowledge, then they should damn well act on that knowledge, just as someone who knows that winter is coming should start harvesting their crops in fall.

P.S. Interesting articles about that Russian guy and about the solar storm cycle!

82 posted on 09/11/2006 11:15:49 AM PDT by Omedalus
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