The Gall of Men calling themselves the ‘God Pod’
To say that I have a disdain for corporate interests and monopolies might be an understatement. The inability of ‘elected’ representatives to hold these entities to account in a pragmatic unbiased way has left me completely disheartened. Whether it is the marriage of politicians, corporations, lobbyists, and the judiciary or local politics, human avarice really makes a person what to opt-out and live off-grid. The irony is that I have to participate in the current ‘system’ to live the dream of a simple life. Go figure!
A recent clip leaked of Exxon lobbyists displays the blatant hubris and ego of corporate interests in fossil fuel industries. My favorite part of the clip was that both democrat/republican senators were touted as pawns for corporate interests. Since the prevailing attitude is that a carbon tax is completely off the table I’m going to push for the argument that a carbon tax is sound economic policy-making supported by math and science!
I don't want to be unnecessarily pedantic in this essay so let me state a couple of premises outright. MMT is laughable and based on fiction. I’m an enormous fan of Milton Friedman and F. A Hayek. Not a die-hard zealot but a lifelong admirer. I enjoy dipping my toes into the waters of Austrian Economics. I only have a basic knowledge of Rothbard and Mises. It’s on my very long to-do list. The reason I say this is to just openly refute Robert Murphy’s redress of an excellent 2014 talk given by the Chicago School which Friedman is known for. Even Milton Friedman, a self-described little ‘r’ Republican Big ‘L’ Libertarian understood the necessity of a carbon tax. One of the reasons I admire Friedman so much is his acute use of reason. He understood economics will never come close to being a science. For similar reasons I much prefer a carbon tax to cap-trade scenarios, a market for pollution is just another corruptible system for people to abuse. When systems become large, bloated, and inefficient much like the US government the dead weight needs to be dropped. You weed gardens, you reorg corporations, you lose weight when you become unhealthy. Human behavior is not rational and incentivizing bad behavior is like rewarding an ill-behaving child with money.
Take a good long look at this graph. I implore every parent, responsible citizen and human with skin in the game of ‘survival’ to take a hard look at the activities that contribute to Global Emissions.
Electricity/Heat, transportation, and manufacturing make up most of the C02 emissions and the biggest contributors are the US, China, and India. That’s not just to point fingers. I’m very sensitive to the hypocrisy of asking developing countries to do what you will not. Asking nations to take responsibility for their people and their actions being a first-generation Indian immigrant is a tough pill to swallow. It still needs to be done nonetheless. This problem is global and the solutions must be global. Rather than a tax incentive, subsidy, or pat on the back for gambling in ‘futures’, contracts you made with your communities and children, I strongly suggest a carbon tax. It makes sound economic sense in the competing interactions of resource allocation, human fatalities, and habitat destruction. We owe the children of the world a debt that will never be repaid.
Some of these companies like Exxon and their supposed ‘honorable commitment to a green future’ have been around for over a century. I fail to see why a corporate entity so corrupt and environmentally unprofitable continues to exist? Profits can be defined in many ways, it is just a matter of your narrative and who sets it. It might be categorized as corporate welfare for the rich and scientifically challenged. The more you fail your children, lie to the public and amass ridiculous sums of money, the more likely a nanny state is to offer you therapy. Granted, I might be wrong. Perhaps, I just don’t fully understand all the interactions of economics and the importance of any organization too big to fail- again and again and again.
We don’t run our economy on the dollar, we run our economies on the petrodollar, species destruction, theft from future generations, human greed and blatant corruption. All in plain sight. It’s not sound money and it has too many entrenched ties to corrupt organizations and people.
In a simple language and real solutions, Adele C. Morris of the Brookings institute outlines how a carbon tax could help the US economy and honor our commitments to our children.
‘This paper proposes introducing a modest carbon tax to finance reforms to the U.S. tax system to promote economic growth, reduce budget deficits, reduce redundant and inefficient regulation, reduce unnecessary subsidies, and reduce the costs associated with climate change. The revenues from the new levy could fund permanent reductions in more distortionary taxes on capital income while also contributing to deficit reduction. And by providing simple, transparent, but powerful market-based incentives to reduce damaging greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, this levy could supersede the array of costly regulatory command-and-control approaches and expensive subsidies aimed at reducing dependence on fossil fuels and promoting clean energy…In each year, the proposal would reserve 15 percent of the carbon tax revenue to benefit the poorest households, for example by bolstering social safety net spending, to help offset some of the regressivity of the tax.’ — Adele Morris, Brookings Institute
There are more than a dozen sound proposals that reach a consensus about how to proceed with a global carbon tax. The idea has been around for decades but unfortunately companies like Exxon and lobbyists have denied the public the truth. As of now, I think approximately 40 countries have some form of a carbon tax at $2 a ton. The profitable, mitigation sweet spot is estimated at anywhere from $25–35 dollars depending on the literature. One of the major stumbling blocks is open negotiation. Every-nation state will engage in the ‘game’ of self-interest to come out with the best possible outcome. It is not humanity’s strong suit. I’ve been trying to re-imagine a different global economic system and a different world for my children. In it, I re-imagine people taking responsibility for their actions. If the top 3 contributors to global emissions could begin to agree on a consensus, scientifically driven carbon tax system the world would follow suit. So as a citizen, mother, scientist, human, I implore my government to lead.
Discussion of a carbon tax should be permeating our everyday conversations at the local and federal levels. Yet we are so easily distracted by the inane and trivial. Remove your biases, outrage, and tendency to cherish the status quo and really sit down and think this through. A carbon tax is a no-brainer and no company, particularly related to fossil fuels should be influencing an aspect of a national public debate. Rather than engage in another wag-the-dog style war with massive causalities why not just bite the bullet and co-operate? Changing demographics, food security, climate migration, fear, and lived dystopian realities don't make for peaceful nation-states. Peace is built and cultivated.
Let’s make a carbon tax happen. The sooner it comes into effect the more likely children will literally be able to breathe clean air again. To my political leaders, corporate lobbyists, and multinationals - I have wanted to ask for years. ‘How do you stand without a spine?’
Must read and listen References:
What would Milton Friedman do about Climate Change?
The many benefits of a Carbon Tax
Putting a price on Pollution
Just have a think
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Go forth and Break Bread: My nephew is getting married and it’s particularly joyous after such a sorrowful year. In his honor everyone should try home baked, melt in your mouth Bbq ribs. I add franks hot sauce to spice things up
My dream soundtrack has been playing Kendrick Lamar’s Lust. Perfect for heatwaves.
