I know we just had an article on the law of unintended consequences, but I couldn't pass this one up. Ethanol and Sub-prime have more in common than what we would think.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
How Government Makes Things Worse
I know we just had an article on the law of unintended consequences, but I couldn't pass this one up. Ethanol and Sub-prime have more in common than what we would think.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
The government's logic in ethanol is definitely flawed. I've always known how pointless ethanol truly was and is, I'm glad this article was published to point it out at last. The article can explain it better than I can. The point is, "there ain't no free lunch." Most people consider ethanol as a replacement fuel for the future, when in fact, it's produced by gas itself. The process of making the ethanol is just as gas consuming as the gas being consumed in the car alone. Where's the point?!@!#@ the only reason i see the government is doing this is just to sell more "domestic product." Americans are not the only one's who appreciate corn. By raising the price of corn, dependent foreign nations must buy it and initially the U.S. rakes in more income for America's agriculture economy. This will raise America's GDP too. For all you "Green Peace" activists who love ethanol due to its low carbon-dioxide emissions, You're absolutely right. But take account for production emissions, the deforestation, and starvation of the countries that won't be able to afford "corn" anymore. And you have yourself a conflict in interest.
The way I see it, you can never do anything without messing up something else. Most likely, and good you try to do will end up differently you intended and the whole "well, it should have gone like this..." won't change a thing.
OK. Maybe that's a little dramatic.
It's a hard battle between two options: Congress should think a little longer and stop passing stupid bills, but if they do that, nothing will ever get done. SO do we take a few bad bills for a few good ones? Or do we abolish Congress and hire first-graders to run the nation?
ha.
I love when people make laws, assuming they know everything and thinking that they know what's best for this country, without doing any research and inevitably causing more damage.
This article did tell me a lot of things about ethanol that I didn't know before. I knew we were hurting third world countries, but I had no idea that instead of really lowering CO2 emissions it just raises them. That's ridiculous! So instead of solving the problem, we're making it worse AND we're destroying land and causing even more starvation worldwide. What a pleasant future for our world.
Then, the part about the banks really infuriated me. If this country would stop with all this superficial concern about minorities, we'd be a lot better off. If banks were left to maintain their standards, and if so much pressure wasn't put on them to put their business in danger, the minorities in less fortunate neighborhoods would be a whole lot better off. Then they might work harder to get a loan or to buy a house, but now, because they were allowed to receive a loan with virtually no consequences, businesses and lives are destroyed. By giving all these handouts, the government is virtually destroying itself and it's getting really ridiculous. Maybe instead of lowering the standards and trying to be so politically correct, the government should focus on raising standards and giving people a slight push to work just a little harder. Others have done it, so why can't the impoverished minorities?
Its simple theres no such thing as a free lunch. Every plan the government has came up with has had a negative consequence to go with it. what we ,being the american people, must ask is if the negative consequence is worth the positives of the plan. Yes some people might suffer but in the end the economy,government, and even nature cares about the majority not the individual.
Soooo I loved this article. :)
I for one am tired of watching the circus acts of the government in their attempts to "fix things." Watching the last State of the Union was infuriating for me...The current administration acts as if they are the saviors of the world, as if adult stem cell research is a brand new technology, as if ethanol is the solution to all our problems, as if everything is rainbows and sunshine...And it is infuriating. The government seems entirely oblivious to some of the most important issues and developments in our society.
Where was the government 10 years ago when scientists were making break-thrus in stem cell research? Where was the government when hydrogren fuels and solar power and wind power desperately needed funding to help their extremely promising endeavours get off the ground? And where was the government on the day the basic economic principles of the free market were discussed in class (hah)?
I can't wait for the day when our leaders finally get over their superiority complex and start listening to the people around them--the people they are supposedly serving. Government is supposed to work for the good of the whole--not for the good of their specific constituents.
God forbid we start admitting to our mistakes or accepting our role in the messes WE have created in this world. God forbid we grow a pair (excuse the vulgarity) and start taking real action. God forbid we actually learn from the past and plan for the future. God forbid we stop looking at what is best for us in the here and now and start looking at what is best for everyone in the future.
And God forbid we realize we are human and stop trying to play God.
The End.
"Or do we abolish Congress and hire first-graders to run the nation?"
Personally, I think there are some first-graders who could do a much better job and *gasp* even get things done. First-graders would be far less concerned with re-election, constituent funding, or popularity. They at least have a certain level of idealism and compassion left...
But really, who needs compassion anyway?
Post a Comment