Recently, Australia delayed the implementation of a cap and trade scheme that was working it’s way through their legislature. Why?
This week Mr. Fielding issued a statement: He would not be voting for the bill. He would not risk job losses on “unconvincing green science.” The bill is set to founder as the Australian parliament breaks for the winter.
Apparently, Nancy Pelosi knows something about economics that the Australians don’t.
Mr. Obama on Thursday called it “a vote of historic proportions … that will open the door to a clean energy economy” and green jobs. “It will create millions of new jobs,” Ms. Pelosi insisted.
From: WSJ Link
This makes absolutely no sense to me. It refers to a recent House vote that clears a hurdle for passing a cap and trade bill. I’ll give Obama the claim that it will lead to green jobs. Of course, when you effectively tax carbon through a cap and trade system, it will cause a shift to renewable “green” energy sources. This will likely lead to the creation of green jobs.
Pelosi’s claim that enacting cap and trade will create millions of jobs makes 0 (zero) sense. First, just think about that claim–millions of jobs. We’ve been losing hundreds of thousands of jobs per month. Charging companies for emissions is going to create millions of jobs?
Yes, thousands of jobs will be shifted to other, possibly new, industries, as Obama’s comment indicates. Millions of jobs are not going to appear because of a RELATIVE change in price.
Example: Ketchup becomes more expensive than mustard. The condiment industry employs 100 people. The relative increase in cost of ketchup is not going to cause the total jobs to go to 120 (for instance). Instead, as demand for mustard goes up to lower costs, production will increase for mustard and fall for ketchup. A relative price increase will not effect overall consumption in a way that will dramatically change the total level of employment. Some ketchup folks will move to the mustard industry.
This example is simple, but the logic holds, in my opinion, for analyzing a cap and trade scheme. Especially, against such a ridiculous claim like creating millions of jobs. Shifting jobs is far appropriate.
Alternative example would be an absolute change in price, something that effects overall productivity. If condiments become cheaper, people will change their buying habits to buy more overall. This will increase the employment level because overall production increased. This example could include where mustard benefits more than ketchup and the mustard industry DOES uniquely create a bunch of new jobs.
This post was supposed to be short, but just realize Nancy Pelosi said something ridiculous.
Wow it feels good to be back out on the River Flats playing ultimate. I had a great time with Dan yesterday getting used to tossing a disc again. It felt good and I think everything came back pretty quickly.
If you are reading this and you are interested in playing a few pick-up games, leave a comment. (Yes Dan, I know you want to).
Ultimate really is a great sport. It is so cheap, a $20 (or so) frisbee and you just need a friend to start playing. You get to control the pace of the game. You can go toss it for a while in a big circle and move very little. You can play with two people and chase down a bunch of long throws. Or if you want, you can play an all out competitive game. It takes just enough skill where practicing is worthwhile. A sport loses a certain element when no practice or skill is required. I think that element is a measure of competitiveness and fitness.
The point is: Let’s play soon!!!
The second rule is to train and compete within your limits. This is not to say that you shouldn’t push yourself because you should, but it does mean to push yourself within your limits.
Why isn’t this Rule #1? Well, if you go beyond your limit, you will be in a lot better shape if you are hydrated.
This sort of rule applies to all aspects of life. I think that it is especially important in sports to be very self-aware. You need to know what point you’re at. Whether you need to train harder, step it up for a final kick at the end of the race, or back down to conserve energy, knowing your limit is key.
I watched an interview with President Obama by Diane Sawyer. I am not convinced by President Obama’s arguments. Who are these people that suggest we do nothing? These supposed people are the focus of Obama’s arguments. His argument goes along the lines of ‘the people who say we do nothing have the burden of proof.’ If these people do not exist, then there is no actual opposition to Obama’s argument, as framed by him. That is a pretty easy argument to win.
Furthermore, it problematically paints opponents of the Administration’s plan as people who want to do nothing. This seems to be the actual strategy of Obama’s health care strawman. This is not reality. There are Republicans who are proposing reforms that focus on fixing our current system through market reforms, adjusting the tax code, and nationalizing the insurance market.
[Sens. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Richard Burr of North Carolina, and Reps. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and Devin Nunes of California] proposal — called the Patients’ Choice Act — is to leave in place the tax deduction companies receive for providing employees with health insurance and to create a “Medi-Choice” tax rebate that will give individuals $2,200 and families $5,700 to spend on health insurance.
The rebate will make health insurance more affordable, especially for young people. It also will make health insurance portable, which will free people from being locked into jobs they hate because they are afraid of losing their health insurance.
One issue that bothers me that people don’t seem to be talking about is the impact of adding healthcare to the government’s budget. The current recession has made one thing abundantly clear, state budgets are not rock solid. This is not new news though. Yes, California is suffering incredibly bad right now and using federal money to finance its operation, but Minnesota has had several budget crises. What happens during a recession? States cut back. Right now, states are cutting healthcare benefits to children. The only way to avoid this is to make healthcare a dedicated part of the budget and let the federal government run deficits, if necessary, to finance it.
Again, I implore people to ask themselves this question: If competition and price-cutting is the answer, why don’t we foster an environment for healthcare that creates a more competitive industry?
The private market may not be able to handle this public-option because the market is so riddled with regulation. There are a lot of reforms that we have not tried yet. Before we commit the government to financing our healthcare system (a truly dangerous proposition), let’s try these things first.
Right now I am partially annoyed with Wordpress because I wrote this post yesterday and it did not post. The draft was simply the title.
This will be the Clif’s Notes version of the post that is lost on the interwebs.
Yesterday reminded me of a critical lesson that I took the chance to forget over the winter. Hydration is key to training and physical activity in general. MN summers provide plenty of scorchers like yesterday in the high 80’s. Since summer is finally upon us and I’m finally back in the TC, it is time to get outside and do all the amazing things summer lets you do.
Prior to a race or big event it is best to stop training or train very very lightly for about a week. During this time period hydration is absolutely essential. It will increase comfort and performance on race day. This means drinking a lot of water and electrolytely beverages (like gatorade). Staying hydrated is equally important for training and working out. Sometimes it is easy to forget about.
On the other hand, it is something incredibly easy to do everyday to ensure that you will be ready to go when you want to be. The important thing is to keep it mind, not to obsess over it.
This post is the first in a series preempting an exciting (albeit late starting) summer in MN.
1. “A Governor and His Veto Pen”
If you live in Minnesota and you missed the politically intense budget battle and use of archaic MN constitutional techniques:
Upon receiving the last spending bill, he announced that he would exercise the power of “unallotment,” which has been on the books since 1939 and which has been used four times. Under it, the governor is allowed to “unallot” (take away) any state spending for which there is no money to pay. Panicked, the DFL passed tax legislation to cover its blowout spending bills, 10 minutes before the session’s end. Too late. The governor said he’d veto the bill and would not be calling back the legislature to do any more mischief.
2. Pawlenty not Running for Reeelection
Possible presidential run?
3. Alternatives to the Democrat’s Health Care Reform
Four Republicans in Congress — Sens. Tom Coburn (Oklahoma) and Richard Burr (North Carolina) and Reps. Paul Ryan (Wisconsin) and Devin Nunes (California) — will today introduce a bill that moves away from federal centralization. Aptly called the Patients’ Choice Act, it provides a path to universal coverage by redirecting current subsidies for health insurance to individuals. It also provides a new safety net that guarantees access to insurance for those with pre-existing conditions.
These are all great articles (especially 1 and 3). Definitely worth the read if you have some time to sit down and spend it with the Wall Street Journal. One final note, everyone should probably subscribe to the paper because it really is the best news source out there. (Note: I am not paid by News Corp)
Watch this…it is worth it.
Dan, I think you’ll like this video.
This post could also be entitled “On the Most Ridiculous Experience Known to Man” or “On the Biggest P.I.T.A. Ever”. Moving sucks. About every year or two you forget about how much it actually sucks. Especially as you begin to own more positions. And ESPECIALLY as you have more space to fill.
I’ll be honest…I have too much stuff. In particular, I have too many items of clothing which are easy to fold up and hide away in a drawer.
Sometimes it is hard to get rid of things that you just don’t need. More specifically, it is hard to make the condemning act of getting rid of it. There are plenty of things that I have set aside as Maybe Get Rid Ofs. Not enough things that are actually being gotten rid of.
It is really strange making a move back home, but also in anticipation of a move overseas.
This is what happens when people have too much time on their hands. To be fair more than a million people have watched him do this.
First off…song is Dat New New by Kid Cudi (Viking Remix). Second off…never listen to the unremixed version of this song. Third off…listen to more Kid Cudi.
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