Policy For The Sake Of Policy?
Should we be surprised at this? Somebody, or some group, in San Francisco apparently isn't happy with PG&E's plans to build a wave power project of the Humboldt coastline.
I would think we should be surprised since wave power sounds like a dream come true to those concerned about the country's energy needs. You'd think the people in San Francisco, that supposed bastion of environmentalism, would welcome wave power research.
But nope, they're opposing the Humboldt project saying it's too early and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission needs to set policies on such research before a permit is issued.
Never mind that San Francisco already has the preliminary permit to begin a similar project in San Francisco Bay. It's not only mentioned in the article I linked to. There's an Associated Press story on page A3 of the Times- Standard hard copy that tells of San Francisco's plans. Couldn't find that story online.
What's up with that? Ok for them but not for us?
One has to wonder what the motivation is behind this move by San Francisco. Do officials there think they'll gain some competitive advantage by holding up the Humboldt project? Or is this just a case of big government San Francisco simply wanting policy for the sake of policy?
No way of knowing at this point but I suspect it's a little of both.
posted by Fred Mangels @ 8:27 AM
11 comments
11 Comments:
http://www.examiner.com/a-789805~PG_E_backs__1_5M_Golden_Gate_tidal_power_study.html
The Examiner states: "...a plan to create a municipal alternative energy program,..."
Therein lies the difference. SF wants the project to be government (read socialist) operated. Can't have a privately operated new utility can we. Why then, some eeevil "fascist", blood sucking corporation might be able to score a 5% return on their investment.
Poor misunderstood corporations. It is so unfair that they have to spend all that money to lobby our congressional representatives. It's not fair that they can't find cheap labor in the U.S.A.. It's not their fault that they are legal persons and that money is free speech.
Damn socialists! Private business can do the job better than government. I say privatize the fire department.
Look at what a great job Enron did in supplying affordable energy to California.
I'll generally take private enterprise and individual ingenuity over socially engineered municipal projects. Why? Lack of trust.Why? One sentence that scares the hell out of us all.(I'm from the government and I'm here to help you).
Roads are built and maintained with money that comes from gasoline taxes. It's a social program. Gasoline is too expensive and energy companies get all the blame. The roads should be privatized and toll should be collected instead of paying outrageous taxes on gasoline. God bless America.
Look at what a great job the private health industry is doing in this country. Forty eight million people with out health insurance. Compared to the rest of the industrialized world the U.S.A is 29th in terms of infant mortality---only Portugal has a worse record. And big pharmaceutical companies are only trying to make a fair profit on the drugs that were developed at university labs that are funded by the American tax payer. So yeah, the government steals your money and gives it to the corporations that it represents.
I'd say its too early to give a company an exclusive right, especially an incumbent company(PGE) whose investments in other technologies might be impaired if this new technology is successful. Its well documented that GM pushed streetcar companies out of business to promote thier diesel buses. PGE could easily be tempted to do something similar, slowing implementation of wave power while it recovers its prior investments.
As for PGE's investment argument, thats pure bunkum. PGE is unwilling to take much business risk, because they're used to highly regulated investments. But many other venture capital companies would consider it. Why not allow all the technical ideas be marketed to venture capitalists to take the risks and possible returns much bigger than 5%? I see no benefit to now giving PGE an exclusive right to an area that may be particularly well suited to generate wave power.
"Compared to the rest of the industrialized world the U.S.A is 29th in terms of infant mortality---only Portugal has a worse record."
The stats on infant mortality are bogus as only the U.S. reports stillborns in that category. The health industry in the U.S. is even more highly regulated by the government(s) than the energy industry. Been to an emergency room lately? They are prohibited by law from even asking if you have insurance and are also prohibited from turning you away. If you think socialism is so great, visit a clinic in Havana, Caracas or Stockholm. If you have U.S. dollars (or a VISA card) you might be treated, if not you may die on the floor of the waiting room.
It's worse than the DMV. It's funny how leftists wanting to sneer at an economic enterprise always preceed its name by "big" without ever using that characterization for the real biggie, government. The various governments by the way rip you off for 3 times as much on a gallon of gas as the oil company earns in addition to virtually regulating production out of existence.
wow! that'll bring em out from under their rocks.
6:25 PM
I get asked if I have insurance in the emergency room. How else would they know how to bill it? An emergency room can turn you away if your situation is not life threatening. It happens more and more as individual hospitals that were historically nonprofit entities in this country get absorbed by "big" health care corporations. Cuba is not far behind the USA in the quality of health care that it provides and Sweden, by most accounts, is the model for socialized medical care. Cuba would fare better if it didn't have to live with unfair sanctions imposed upon it by the USA. Whip out your credit card in most countries to pay for medical care and they look at you like you're crazy. Because most advanced countries treat health care as a civil right.
It's funny how conservatives defend profits with statistics. As Mark Twain once said, "There are three kinds of liars---liars, damned liars, and statistics."
Far from the government regulating the production of oil out of existence, the demand and production has used up vast amounts of reserves and taxes on gas pay for roads and bridges. There is a finite amount of oil in the ground and demand is going to outstrip production in the very near future. Despite of that millions of dollars have been spent to make you believe otherwise.
Post a Comment
<< Home