Problems Actually Get Worse When Politicians Try to Solve Them
This morning, I had time to sit down with a cup of coffee and read the local paper (The Examiner). Okay, so I made time because I didn’t do the dishes or sweep the floor. But I would have been happier doing my chores. Reading two articles in particular really set me off.
They were both in the “Commentaries” section. One had to do with legislation that our wonderful governor is trying to push through regarding saving the environment. The other had to do with the process of creating biofuels.
Okay, so I am not a big environmentalist. I try to do my part to recycle. I understand conservation to be protective of supply and to help with costs. But I don’t really buy into the whole global warming thing, and how we need to save the planet. I have to admit that I haven’t read up on a lot of environmental issues, so my lack of concern could possibly stem from lack of knowledge. But I do have a distrust of the people who are pushing fear on us about the end of the world if we don’t do something NOW!
So today, I sit down to read the paper and see what is going on. What I read made me really angry. I pay attention to the news, but I tend to tune out certain things. So I did not know about the legislation that Martin O’Malley is trying to push through regarding energy and climate change. It wasn’t bad enough that he had to send our state into economic panic over his tax increases, and bungle the previous rate increases from BGE. Now, his efforts to force us to conserve are going to cost Marylanders big bucks.
He wants to push legislation through to try to reduce energy consumption by 15% by the year 2015. The bill requires energy companies to develop programs that encourage conservation. That is a great idea, except that the cost for these programs gets passed on to the consumer.
If that wasn’t enough, the bill requires energy companies to institute rate decoupling and demand-side management fees. Bottom line is that states that have used this strategy in the past have seen dramatic increases in electricity rates, as much as 50%. And the article states that no matter how much your family personally conserves, you are still subjected to rate hikes.
So now, not only did my BGE bill have to rise because of the fool and his misguided actions last year, but it will increase again because he thinks he can save the world by forcing us to conserve energy. What he is going to do is cause my family financial distress. “Cost of living” and “market analysis” increases this year in salaries are a whopping 2% to 3%, and I am supposed to be able to afford energy rate increases and pump money back into an economy that is slipping?
So good old Martin thinks he can save the world, huh? Seems like his efforts here in Maryland aren’t going to matter. Not with the new information that is coming out regarding biofuels and the cost to the environment they will be. According to another article in the newspaper, two separate scientific studies have been completed that found the increased use of biofuels will cause more greenhouse gases, the effect of which will last hundreds of years. The reason for this is that in order to put in the fields needed to produce biofuels, land has to be cleared – requiring more fuel consumption. And, when the land is cleared, the vegetation that is lost will allow more carbon dioxide to remain in the atmosphere.
Okay, so I here you devil’s advocates out there. Sure there is a cost, but it is low compared to the benefit, right?
Well, according to one of these studies, greater biofuel use will make greenhouse gases WORSE for 167 YEARS before the “carbon” savings from burning the fuels will catch up to the carbon emissions caused by the land clearing. The second study shows that Asian deforestation to produce biofuel for Western Europe will create a “carbon debt” there that could last 423 YEARS.
In addition to the harm these environmentalists are doing to the environment, they are costing us more money, too. Legislation has been passed that diverts corn from our kitchen tables to the manufacture of ethanol. This means that our grocery bills are rising because land that was previously used to produce other crops is being used to produce more corn. That makes it more expensive to feed livestock, which is why milk and meat prices are rising.
So we suffer higher costs, and our environment is damaged even more. Makes sense to me! This is just another example of how problems actually get worse when politicians and bureaucrats try to solve them.
Martin, please read the paper, see that your increases in my energy bill isn’t going to save the environment anyway and LEAVE MY MONEY ALONE, I need it to feed and clothe my family!
They were both in the “Commentaries” section. One had to do with legislation that our wonderful governor is trying to push through regarding saving the environment. The other had to do with the process of creating biofuels.
Okay, so I am not a big environmentalist. I try to do my part to recycle. I understand conservation to be protective of supply and to help with costs. But I don’t really buy into the whole global warming thing, and how we need to save the planet. I have to admit that I haven’t read up on a lot of environmental issues, so my lack of concern could possibly stem from lack of knowledge. But I do have a distrust of the people who are pushing fear on us about the end of the world if we don’t do something NOW!
So today, I sit down to read the paper and see what is going on. What I read made me really angry. I pay attention to the news, but I tend to tune out certain things. So I did not know about the legislation that Martin O’Malley is trying to push through regarding energy and climate change. It wasn’t bad enough that he had to send our state into economic panic over his tax increases, and bungle the previous rate increases from BGE. Now, his efforts to force us to conserve are going to cost Marylanders big bucks.
He wants to push legislation through to try to reduce energy consumption by 15% by the year 2015. The bill requires energy companies to develop programs that encourage conservation. That is a great idea, except that the cost for these programs gets passed on to the consumer.
If that wasn’t enough, the bill requires energy companies to institute rate decoupling and demand-side management fees. Bottom line is that states that have used this strategy in the past have seen dramatic increases in electricity rates, as much as 50%. And the article states that no matter how much your family personally conserves, you are still subjected to rate hikes.
So now, not only did my BGE bill have to rise because of the fool and his misguided actions last year, but it will increase again because he thinks he can save the world by forcing us to conserve energy. What he is going to do is cause my family financial distress. “Cost of living” and “market analysis” increases this year in salaries are a whopping 2% to 3%, and I am supposed to be able to afford energy rate increases and pump money back into an economy that is slipping?
So good old Martin thinks he can save the world, huh? Seems like his efforts here in Maryland aren’t going to matter. Not with the new information that is coming out regarding biofuels and the cost to the environment they will be. According to another article in the newspaper, two separate scientific studies have been completed that found the increased use of biofuels will cause more greenhouse gases, the effect of which will last hundreds of years. The reason for this is that in order to put in the fields needed to produce biofuels, land has to be cleared – requiring more fuel consumption. And, when the land is cleared, the vegetation that is lost will allow more carbon dioxide to remain in the atmosphere.
Okay, so I here you devil’s advocates out there. Sure there is a cost, but it is low compared to the benefit, right?
Well, according to one of these studies, greater biofuel use will make greenhouse gases WORSE for 167 YEARS before the “carbon” savings from burning the fuels will catch up to the carbon emissions caused by the land clearing. The second study shows that Asian deforestation to produce biofuel for Western Europe will create a “carbon debt” there that could last 423 YEARS.
In addition to the harm these environmentalists are doing to the environment, they are costing us more money, too. Legislation has been passed that diverts corn from our kitchen tables to the manufacture of ethanol. This means that our grocery bills are rising because land that was previously used to produce other crops is being used to produce more corn. That makes it more expensive to feed livestock, which is why milk and meat prices are rising.
So we suffer higher costs, and our environment is damaged even more. Makes sense to me! This is just another example of how problems actually get worse when politicians and bureaucrats try to solve them.
Martin, please read the paper, see that your increases in my energy bill isn’t going to save the environment anyway and LEAVE MY MONEY ALONE, I need it to feed and clothe my family!
Labels: energy cost, enviroment, politics
posted by mother juggler @ 2:23 PM
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