Alternative Energy Done Right

By China, at Daily Kos.

Not to be a pessimist or a cynic or anything, and I'm not, what's wrong with alternative energy attempts in the US today boils down to something very simple. The incentives are not there.

Why is the US the world's largest (both absolute and per capita) emissions producer? Prices. Costs. Gas and energy (oil and coal) are cheap over here, so no one bats an eye at alternative energy. Is there a gigantic added cost to the environment that we're beginning to see already? Yes. Do people care? No. Why? Because that cost does not figure into their costs at the end of the day. For a way to rectify this, see my earlier posts on the Kyoto Protocol.

I'm not saying that everyone is like this and only cares about his bottom line. I know that there are intelligent, well-meaning people with progressive values out there who want to fix these problems. The problem is these people aren't the ones in charge of oil and coal companies. I'll give you one guess as to who those CEOs voted for, and it wasn't Nader.

Here's the problem with Republicans: they're too willing to put everyone else's interests (including their own children and long-term interests) on the line for short-term personal gain. That's not being a rational actor and looking out for yourself, that's stupid. As much as I'd love to reeducate these people with the idea that while equality does not increase efficiency it does boost the overall product, that isn't going to happen. Therefore, the answer is to discipline them into line by giving them incentives to work towards alternative energy. If you taxed gas instead of subsidizing it, it would no longer be as profitable and people would switch. If you subsidized alternative energy (because its total costs, unseen ones included, are lower than fossil fuels) and its R&D, people would switch. However, this government and the people who lobby it are short-sighted people who are only looking out for themselves.

Lakoff cites that according to the conservative model it is moral to pursue your self interest, and if you're disciplined, your self interest should enable you to prosper. This obviously ties in with Adam Smith and free market capitalism. Everyone pursuing their self interest should maximize everyone's welfare. Those who screw up this system are do gooders, because they're not looking out for their own self interest. Well here's a clear, healthy and obvious alternative to the conservative system: the progressive one. Everyone working not only for himself but also for others is going to maximize everyone's welfare. Who screws up this system? Those who only look out for themselves. They maximize their short term self interest at the expense of everyone else. These people need to be stopped for all our sakes.