Carbon Tax Purgatory



Washington State is famous for Starbucks, Microsoft, the Space Needle, and decades of Democrats at the helm. Residents in the Evergreen State have legalized some of the most liberal abortion, pot-smoking, and mercy-killing laws on the books. It begins young too. Kindergarten students learn about tolerance and gender discrimination before they learn to read.  

On the ballot November 8, is a carbon tax initiative. Hidden under layers of rhetoric and promises to reduce the state sales and business taxes, is a new carbon tax on businesses that burn fossil fuels. The tax rate starts at $15.00 per metric ton increasing 3.5% per year until it reaches $100.00 per metric ton—levied against any business polluters.

But will it really help reduce greenhouse gas?




Using the Environmental Protection Agency’s climate model this sweeping carbon tax would reduce temperatures by twenty-five one-hundred-thousandths of a degree. 

And that’s by the year 2100—if all the greenhouse gas emissions were eliminated immediately and permanently. Well, by that calculation my young grandson would be 95 by the time this insignificantly cooler temperature was achieved.




But what if ALL the United States sunk into carbon tax purgatory and taxed all the polluters? Wouldn’t that cool off those temperatures? Only by less than three one-hundredths of a degree by the time my grandson is 95 (the year 2100).

Climate change is a sketchy deal. The increase in greenhouse gas does create a small warming effect, but not to the catastrophic conditions we keep hearing about. 



The polar ice caps don’t show much statistical difference from 1981-2010. The intensity of tornados is declining. Cyclones are at their lowest levels since 1970. Since 1895 there has been no recordable drought trend.

So why the carbon tax? It’s about control. So, Americans we need to become more informed. Here in Washington we have a chance to vote. But if sensibility doesn’t return to the climate change debate we may not have a vote, and then we’ll all be in carbon tax purgatory.


Popular posts from this blog

Dreaming the Dream

Image
Dreaming big dreams about the future is easy for kids. The only thing standing in the way is time.  Kid’s dreams are not about skills, or opportunities, or even practicality. Those things come much later.  My grandson hopes to be professional soccer player when he grows up. This week, a small piece of his dream came true when his Boys and Girls Club was invited to participate in pre-game activities with the Seattle Sounders Football Club.  He got to suit up in a real jersey and walk on the field with a real pro player. Imagine a young soccer player looking up to who he hopes to be one day. If you haven’t taken the time to talk to a child about their future dreams—you should.  They believe. As we get older we sometimes forget that dreams fuel our hopes—and that's something we all need. So, do you still dream? Or have you left those childhood thoughts behind?  S pending time with children will  inspire you to believe agai
Read more

Sexy Selfies: Posting for attention

Image
We’ve all seen the “selfie” pix on Facebook—those self-taken images in varying forms of dress (or undress). Usually they’re female poses taken in public restrooms, dressing rooms, bedrooms, and lots of what used to be private space. Thanks to selfies and social media, it’s open season on privacy—and modesty. Do you have a social media “friend” who has become a serial selfie? Most often selfies are young girls sharing their sexiness with the world. Serial selfies post hundreds of pictures, so it’s hard to ignore the display. The question is why do they do it. While I don’t approve of the sexy display of serial selfies, insecurity is at the root. Selfies collect “likes” to boost morale. The attention received is like a balm to their broken spirits. But the dark side of exhibitionism is feeling used—not unlike the girl searching for love and giving away her body in hopes of finding love. Selfies seek approval. They're locked in a perpetual cycle of posting pi
Read more

Wild or Tame? Which One Are You?

Image
Finally! Research that explains why I act the way I do. Columbia University’s Motivational Science Center studied people’s activities and what brought them the most happiness. Even more telling were how those activities changed as they aged. Twenty-somethings tend to equate happiness with high-energy activities. Words like excited and ecstatic are usually attached to spontaneous things—even risky things—and living life full throttle.  Researchers labeled this Promotion Motivation —the urge to take chances, including career moves that may not work out. Happiness comes from happenings—the more happenings, the more happiness. By age forty, adults associate happiness with things running smoothly at work and home. It’s also about feeling secure in relationships. Keeping healthy matters more too. This behavior is called Prevention Motivation —and people are more concerned with preserving and maintaining the things they value. It appears that time ofte
Read more