Comments on: Cap And Trade = Economic Suicide, Lunacracy At Work In Minnesota http://www.residualforces.com/2008/04/24/cap-and-trade-economic-suicide-lunacracy-at-work-in-minnesota/ A Stream of Consciousness by Andy Aplikowski on His Life, His Politics, His Dogs, His Truck, and Whatever Pleases His Fancy Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:50:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: J. Ewing http://www.residualforces.com/2008/04/24/cap-and-trade-economic-suicide-lunacracy-at-work-in-minnesota/#comment-41710 J. Ewing Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:56:48 +0000 http://www.residualforces.com/?p=4612#comment-41710 Cap and trade systems are stupid. The most they can accomplish is to increase the price of energy. It simply has to happen. Say I operate a coal-powered generator. If they cap my emissions at what I have now, they don't do a darn thing for global warming (not that CO2 has anything to do with it anyway). So they will cap it at something lower than what I emit now. OK, I can sell less electricity, which will drive up the price, or I can buy "credits" from somebody who is going to continue doing what they were doing anyway, so not helping the CO2 problem, while driving up my price. Not only that, I'm emitting as much CO2 as ever. Legislators keep talking about this like it was a solution, yet all I see is a stupid, stupid plan to accomplish nothing and cost me more! Cap and trade systems are stupid. The most they can accomplish is to increase the price of energy. It simply has to happen. Say I operate a coal-powered generator. If they cap my emissions at what I have now, they don’t do a darn thing for global warming (not that CO2 has anything to do with it anyway). So they will cap it at something lower than what I emit now. OK, I can sell less electricity, which will drive up the price, or I can buy “credits” from somebody who is going to continue doing what they were doing anyway, so not helping the CO2 problem, while driving up my price. Not only that, I’m emitting as much CO2 as ever. Legislators keep talking about this like it was a solution, yet all I see is a stupid, stupid plan to accomplish nothing and cost me more!

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